Vi er tilbage i Hvium, den lille fiktive by ved Limfjorden, der også var det geografiske centrum i Den der lyver og Det første jeg tænker på. Visse personer går igen, andre er helt nye, tiden er delvis sammenfaldende (1992-2008) og handlingen dermed parallel, men bogen kan uden problemer læses selvstændigt. Den handler om sundhedsplejersken Solvej, der ødelægger sit ægteskab for en flirt, om Ragna, der lever lidenskabsløst sammen med Pauli på byens største gård, og om den unge kvinde Manne, der for altid er dømt til en skyggetilværelse. Det er hverdagsskæbner, portrætter af ensomme, længselsfulde mennesker, gennemlyst af stor psykologisk indsigt og fremskrevet med sproglig prægnans.
Ida Jessen, Danish author. Born 1964 in Sønderjylland. She holds an M.A. in History of Literature and Communication from Århus University 1990. Ida Jessen made her literary debut in 1989 with the collection of short stories Under sten (Under Stones) and has since then written a number of novels and short stories for both children and adults. Since 1995 she has lived on Sealand. Jessen has translated a number of novels also for young adults from Norwegian and English to Danish, amongst others novels by Lars Saabye Christensen and Karin Fossum.
Ida Jessen has been awarded a long list of prizes and awards for her work: The Danish Art Foundation (several times), The Danish Arts Council (several times), Gyldendal’s Book Grant, The Egholt Prize, The Albert Dam Grant, The Holger Drachmann Grant, The Jytte Borberg Prize and BG Bank’s Literature Prize to name but a few. In April 2009 Ida Jessen was awarded the prestigeous Søren Gyldendal-Prize. Since 1958, on Søren Gyldendal’s birthday the 12th of April, the Prize has been awarded an author with a strong and distinctive work of creation. In the justification is said: Through gentle descriptions of atmosphere and conflicts and with a firm grip on the Danish language Ida Jessen shows great insight in modern individuals. Along with the honour Ida Jessen receives 200.000 Dkr.
In January 2010 Ida Jessen was awarded The Golden Laurels 2009 for her latest novel, Børnene (the Children). This is the biggest and most significant prize awarded by the Danish booksellers which also has an important impact on the Danish market.
Ida Jessen was nominated for the Prize of the Nordic Council 2010 for Børnene.
Ida Jessen's novels have been sold to a long list of publishers world-wide.
Lots of secrets in this little village and I think something must have been lost in the translation. The people were a strange bunch to begin with and I don't know why Solvej thought that her finding the diary and revealing more of their secrets was going to make much difference. It has promise of being a good story...unfortunately the copy that I had was rather muddled...But as I said...I believe it was the translation. I'll give it 3 stars for the benefit of doubt.
I’ve never been to any of the Nordic countries, so reading this Danish novel was armchair travel for me.
It’s the story of Solvej, a young woman whose choices have compromised all kinds of relationships. When the story opens she is driving to an isolated farmhouse that she has rented so that she can be near her small daughter. Her ex-husband Morten and his new unfriendly wife have custody of the child because Solvej took off with a lover and abandoned her. Now she misses Christiane and wants to re-establish the maternal relationship. She has no money, no job, and Morten won’t let her see Christiane more than once a fortnight.
Solvej’s mother has come with her on this journey. She has her doubts about the wisdom of Solvej’s decision, but in a gentle contrast to the way Solvej has put her own needs first, she is there for her daughter when she is needed. They share the perils of the journey over unfamiliar remote roads, slippery with mud. She makes a meal while Solvej unpacks her scanty belongings. She stays for a short while to see her daughter established in the farmhouse. But unspoken between mother and daughter there is the gulf between how the generations have lived their lives and the choices they have made.
Behind all the sincere things they said, and behind the quiet rattle of cups on saucers, they were having a quite different conversation. Was it the same one? It was impossible to know. But whatever Solvej said, her mother listened with infinite patience. Take this off my shoulders, Mother. Of course, Solvej. (p. 8)
En skuffelse. Jeg var egentligt ret positiv stemt over Kaptajnen og Ann Barbara såvel som Jeg vil! med hvilke jeg blev bekendt som lydbøger. Denne historie om en kvinde som efter en affære og skilsmisse i Nordsjælland havner rundomkring hvor jeg bor nu og opbygger et nyt liv blandt belastede provinsfamilier har hverken sprogligt eller indholgsmæssigt fanget mig. Personligheder bliver ikke udviklet, i skildringen af relationer findes gaber, som umotiveret opklares senere.
I liked the story of the main character Solvej. The first part of her moving to Hvium and the dificulties she experiences was exciting to follow. The way the mind set of a small village society is portrayed is spot on. It was nice to see some of the characters from the previous two books mentioned again. Especially getting more information about Ragna's (from book one: Den der lyver) thoughts and struggles. The portrayal of different family dynamics is really well written and I felt empathy for all the children.
I had high hopes for this novel; the premise sounded very interesting, and if the quality of Danish film is anything to go by, I was expecting so much more. It was readable, but although it had a traditional linear narrative, I found it fragmented. There were moments when I felt Jessen was finally starting to reveal her characters in some depth and then it would stop abruptly and turn to some other aspect of the narrative. Therefore I felt it difficult to engage with any of the characters. It was well written but essentially underwhelming.
Sidste del af Ida Jessens Hvium-trilogi. Klart den bedste, og her bliver løse ender fra de to andre bøger også bundet sammen. Psykologisk hverdagsrealisme krydret med en god gang poesi. Ida Jessen skriver stadig formidabelt.
Dit boek is waarschijnlijk voor mij niet helemaal uit de verf gekomen omdat ik er veel te lang over heb gedaan en het in fragmenten heb gelezen. Elke keer vroeg ik me weer af hoe het ook al weer zat met de personen, welke rol ze speelden en met wie ze ook weer waren geweest. Aan de andere kant denk ik ook, als het boeiender was geweest had ik het veel sneller weer opgepakt. Dus ik geef het het voordeel van de twijfel.
На волне скандинавской прозы «пражизнь» с зашкаливающим уровнем бытовухи мне попалась еще одна книга Йессен, на этот раз обещавшая обозначить «психологию среднего датчанина, обыкновенного современного человека, живущего своей повседневной жизнью». Аннотация вообще ни о чем.
320 страниц. Люди, склонные ошибаться и не склонные прощать самих себя. Рутина, судьба, вечная борьба с собой, жизнь и смерть, отношения, etc – видели-читали уже тыщу раз, но я, видимо, была довольно уязвима в момент чтения Йессен, так что после каждой краткой и пронзительной главы книгу в руки брать больше не хотелось. Подсознательно ожидала, что все у героев будет еще хуже, и жизнь их никогда не наладится. Не то чтобы я воспылала к кому-то из них симпатией – нет, но они настолько близки к реальности, что иначе воспринимать сложно. Мужчина, от которого ты когда-то хотела детей, теперь кажется тебе занудой, но ты не можешь от него уйти. Дочь не общается с матерью, не в силах простить ее уход из семьи. Одна ошибка, которая разъедает тебя изнутри, и в которой ты не можешь никому признаться. Страсть, сжигающая сердце, и несчастный случай. Пожар и смерть.
«Дети» – это, по сути, семейная сага. Поколения, сменяющие друг друга, люди, прогибающиеся под обстоятельства. Жизнь продолжается, книга стирается из моей памяти, и я плавно перехожу обратно на фантастику, потому что хлебнула горя с этими поруганными судьбами. Йессен такая: даже если у ее героя все вроде бы хорошо, душу его все равно гложет червоточинка, которая не позволяет отдаться счастью полностью. И с годами таких червоточинок становится все больше и больше. И человек не будет счастлив никогда, ему остается только ловить мгновения искристой иллюзии, что все наконец-то (вроде бы) хорошо.
I love books from Nordic countries. Solvej lost custody of her daughter to her husband because she had an affair so she moves to a place close to her ex husband to be near her little daughter. A neighbour comes to help with the fire and she lets him seduce her and he's an absolute creep and even though her daughter is in the house at the time. She has to keep this relationship to herself. She has no willpower when it comes to men and sex. In a hotel she's having a drink with a teacher and she's on his lap in a flash. I couldn't help wondering what other people in the room were thinking. She gets a job as a health care worker and gets to see what goes on in people's private lives. She has problems with her daughter all because of the men in her life.
Dette var en bog jeg ikke umiddelbart ville have valgt, men den var en del af årets bogklub-samling, og så skulle den jo prøves. Jeg havde på forhånd bidt mærke i at bogen havde fået gode anmeldelser, men jeg må sige, at det er fuldt fortjent. Børnene er en af den slags bøger, som man ønsker var lige lidt længere. Især bogens første del fandt jeg særligt fængslende og ville gerne have mere at vide. Hvordan spænder det af da faderen flytter? Hvordan bliver deres forhold i fremtiden? En bog jeg gerne vil anbefale til andre - måske mest til kvinder?
Som altid en stor fornøjelse at læse Ida Jessen. Lidt mere kalejdoskopisk end de øvrige bøger. Selvstændig fortsættelse af "Den der lyver" (om lægen Christian der køber praksis i Himmerland ) og "Det første jeg tænker på" (hvor præste-veninden Lisa mister sit 7-årige barn). Ida Jessen mestrer ret flot at skildre psykologiske spil i et provinsmiljø. "Den der lyver" er nok den af de tre jeg bedst kan lide.
Beautifully written, though at times the narration seemed to meander in ways that didn't necessarily contribute to the overall story. Her style reminds me vaguely of Anne B. Ragde (Norwegian author), though Jessen is really a standout in descriptions of the natural environment around the characters.
This one started promising,intriguing characters and plot, cabins in the woods type setting. However I was disappointed how this played out. Especially the end seemed disjointed, or maybe I was so bored I didn't read it properly.