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Det stora århundradet #1
Sillanrakentajat
Kolme orvoksi jäänyttä kalastajanpoikaa lähetetään köydenpunojanoppiin kaupunkiin. Kolmikon tekninen lahjakkuus käy pian ilmi, joten kaupungin varakkaat hyväntekijät alkavat kouluttaa heistä uuden vuosisadan tekijöitä.
Pojat päätyvät insinöörikoulutukseen Dresdeniin, josta heidän on tarkoitus palata rakentamaan kotimaahansa rautateitä ja siltoja. Asiat eivät kuitenkaan mene suunnitellusti, kun rakkaus sotkee nuorten miesten elämänkuviot. Yksi lähtee vapaamieliseen Englantiin toteuttamaan itseään, toinen Afrikkaan nuolemaan haavojaan. Kunniavelkaa kotimaahansa palaa maksamaan vain esikoispoika Lauritz, jolla on omatkin romanttiset suunnitelmansa.
Veljesten vaiheet nivoutuvat 1900-luvun alkuvuosien suuriin käänteisiin: kehitysuskoon, siirtomaavalloituksiin, luokkayhteiskunnan myllerryksiin ja ensimmäiseen maailmansotaan.
Pojat päätyvät insinöörikoulutukseen Dresdeniin, josta heidän on tarkoitus palata rakentamaan kotimaahansa rautateitä ja siltoja. Asiat eivät kuitenkaan mene suunnitellusti, kun rakkaus sotkee nuorten miesten elämänkuviot. Yksi lähtee vapaamieliseen Englantiin toteuttamaan itseään, toinen Afrikkaan nuolemaan haavojaan. Kunniavelkaa kotimaahansa palaa maksamaan vain esikoispoika Lauritz, jolla on omatkin romanttiset suunnitelmansa.
Veljesten vaiheet nivoutuvat 1900-luvun alkuvuosien suuriin käänteisiin: kehitysuskoon, siirtomaavalloituksiin, luokkayhteiskunnan myllerryksiin ja ensimmäiseen maailmansotaan.
605 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2011
272 people are currently reading
2949 people want to read
About the author
Jan Guillou
98 books695 followersJan Oscar Sverre Lucien Henri Guillou (born 17 January 1944) is a Swedish author and journalist. Among his books are a series of spy fiction novels about a spy named Carl Hamilton, and a trilogy of historical fiction novels about a Knight Templar, Arn Magnusson. He is the owner of one of the largest publishing companies in Sweden, Piratförlaget, together with Liza Marklund and his common-law wife, publisher Ann-Marie Skarp.
Guillou's fame in Sweden was established during his time as an investigative journalist. In 1973, he and co-reporter Peter Bratt exposed a secret intelligence organization in Sweden, Informationsbyrån (IB). He is still active within journalism as a column writer for the Swedish evening tabloid Aftonbladet.
In October 2009, it was revealed that Guillou had been recruited by the KGB in 1967. The exposure of his activities came after the tabloid Expressen requested the release of documents from the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) and published information from the Säpo files along with information gained through interviews with former KGB Colonel Oleg Gordievsky about Guillou's case. The records showed that Guillou's involvement with the KGB continued for five years, until 1972.
From Wikipedia
Guillou's fame in Sweden was established during his time as an investigative journalist. In 1973, he and co-reporter Peter Bratt exposed a secret intelligence organization in Sweden, Informationsbyrån (IB). He is still active within journalism as a column writer for the Swedish evening tabloid Aftonbladet.
In October 2009, it was revealed that Guillou had been recruited by the KGB in 1967. The exposure of his activities came after the tabloid Expressen requested the release of documents from the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) and published information from the Säpo files along with information gained through interviews with former KGB Colonel Oleg Gordievsky about Guillou's case. The records showed that Guillou's involvement with the KGB continued for five years, until 1972.
From Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 361 reviews
May 9, 2012
This week I've been reading a book by the wonderful Swedish author Jan Guillou. I read a Danish translation of the Swedish original "Brobyggarna" (Brobyggerne in Danish, meaning The Bridge Builders). The book was published last year, and there is no English translation yet, but I assume there will be, as most of his books have been translated.
The Bridge Builders is the first book in a new series about the 20th century, and it follows the fate of three Norwegian brothers. They're from a small fishing community near Bergen, northern Norway, and they lose their dad in an accident. By chance, their incredible intelligence and skill for technology is discovered, and the lodge "The Good Purpose" decide to give the best education within engineering in Dresden, Germany. This is done with the understanding that they will return to Norway, to help build the rail road between Oslo and Bergen. However, love gets in the way.
This might make it sound like a romance novel, I assure you, it is not. It is a novel about the hopes and the dreams at the turn of the century. About technological advances used for both good and evil. About war, about ideologies and the collapse of societies, which were thought to be eternal.
I really enjoyed it, both learning about things I had no idea about - such as the very different, but equally strenuous circumstances of the building of rail roads in Norway and Africa. Imperialism as seen from different perspectives (in this case German against British).
If you like historical novels, or are fascinated by technology, or just love learning about other cultures, I greatly recommend it.
The Bridge Builders is the first book in a new series about the 20th century, and it follows the fate of three Norwegian brothers. They're from a small fishing community near Bergen, northern Norway, and they lose their dad in an accident. By chance, their incredible intelligence and skill for technology is discovered, and the lodge "The Good Purpose" decide to give the best education within engineering in Dresden, Germany. This is done with the understanding that they will return to Norway, to help build the rail road between Oslo and Bergen. However, love gets in the way.
This might make it sound like a romance novel, I assure you, it is not. It is a novel about the hopes and the dreams at the turn of the century. About technological advances used for both good and evil. About war, about ideologies and the collapse of societies, which were thought to be eternal.
I really enjoyed it, both learning about things I had no idea about - such as the very different, but equally strenuous circumstances of the building of rail roads in Norway and Africa. Imperialism as seen from different perspectives (in this case German against British).
If you like historical novels, or are fascinated by technology, or just love learning about other cultures, I greatly recommend it.
June 20, 2015
Nisam baš dobra u pisanju recenzija pa evo ovako, ukratko :).
Ja sam oduševljena, kao da gledam film, slike lete pred očima. Knjiga ima oko 550 strana i mogu reći da mi je možda desetak njih bilo naporno. Ako očekujete neku ljubavnu priču slobodno odmah odustanite :).
Iako se na svakom osvrtu na radnju knjige spominju tri brata, u prvom dijelu priča prati živote samo dvojice njih (Oscar i Lauritz) od 1901 do 1919 godine. Nakon završetka školovanja za inžinjere trojica braće kreće svako na svoju stranu, Oscar razočaran u ljubav odlazi u Afriku da radi na izgradnji željeznice, a Lauritz se vraća u Norvešku da pomogne u izgradnji željezničke pruge između Bergena i Osla. U prvom dijelu knjige sve što se zna o najmlađem bratu Sverre je da odlazi u London jer se tamo slobodnije gleda na njegovu seksualnu orijentacija.
Nakon višegodišnjeg rada na izgradnji željeznica Oskar i Lauritz osnivaju svoju firmu, postaju uspješni poslovni ljudi, ali 1914 godine sve se mijenja jer počinje Prvi svjetski rat.
Sinoć sam završila prvi dio trilogije "Graditelji mostova" i odmah krenula sa čitanjem drugog dijela "U visokom društvu" i sve što za sad mogu reći o njoj je da, kako mi se čini, cijela knjiga posvećena trećem bratu Sverre :).
Ja sam oduševljena, kao da gledam film, slike lete pred očima. Knjiga ima oko 550 strana i mogu reći da mi je možda desetak njih bilo naporno. Ako očekujete neku ljubavnu priču slobodno odmah odustanite :).
Iako se na svakom osvrtu na radnju knjige spominju tri brata, u prvom dijelu priča prati živote samo dvojice njih (Oscar i Lauritz) od 1901 do 1919 godine. Nakon završetka školovanja za inžinjere trojica braće kreće svako na svoju stranu, Oscar razočaran u ljubav odlazi u Afriku da radi na izgradnji željeznice, a Lauritz se vraća u Norvešku da pomogne u izgradnji željezničke pruge između Bergena i Osla. U prvom dijelu knjige sve što se zna o najmlađem bratu Sverre je da odlazi u London jer se tamo slobodnije gleda na njegovu seksualnu orijentacija.
Nakon višegodišnjeg rada na izgradnji željeznica Oskar i Lauritz osnivaju svoju firmu, postaju uspješni poslovni ljudi, ali 1914 godine sve se mijenja jer počinje Prvi svjetski rat.
Sinoć sam završila prvi dio trilogije "Graditelji mostova" i odmah krenula sa čitanjem drugog dijela "U visokom društvu" i sve što za sad mogu reći o njoj je da, kako mi se čini, cijela knjiga posvećena trećem bratu Sverre :).
January 14, 2014
My oh My!
This was fun and totally unexpected. A Swede writing a book about one of the most difficult engineering challenges done in Norway, or Europe for that matter. I am of course talking about the build of the high mountain railroad between Oslo and Bergen, Bergensbanen, completed in 1907, with tools from 1907.
The technology itself is not very advanced, but to build it 1300 meters above sealevel in arctic climate is an acheivement of major proportions. And since I have worked at the railway station at Finse for one year, I really can vouch for Mr. Guillous way of describing a blizzard and how fast the weather changes. And without giving away to much; In real life 19 out of 20 people would have perished on the two engineers way back from the tunnel to the engineers cabin.
And yes, I have seen the bridge with my own eyes. It is a masterpiece set in an unimaginable scenery.
I come from an island just outside Bergen. I see this book as a documentary of my own past. The story fits other stories I have heard or read. It is also a story of Bergen, growing from a mere village to a real city. If you find this interesting I would reccomend the four volum "Hellemyrsfolket" by Amalie Skram and Gunnar Stålesens trilogy of Bergen "1900-Morgenrød, 1950-High Noon, 1999-Aftensang".
But back to Brobyggerne! This is the first volume of a trilogy where we follow tree brothers from being poor kids to educated engineers. And it is a very interesting and vivid story told by the master, Mr. Gouillou, set in a time where changes both in society and technology happen very fast. Actually a bit like our time :-) Enjoy!
This was fun and totally unexpected. A Swede writing a book about one of the most difficult engineering challenges done in Norway, or Europe for that matter. I am of course talking about the build of the high mountain railroad between Oslo and Bergen, Bergensbanen, completed in 1907, with tools from 1907.
The technology itself is not very advanced, but to build it 1300 meters above sealevel in arctic climate is an acheivement of major proportions. And since I have worked at the railway station at Finse for one year, I really can vouch for Mr. Guillous way of describing a blizzard and how fast the weather changes. And without giving away to much; In real life 19 out of 20 people would have perished on the two engineers way back from the tunnel to the engineers cabin.
And yes, I have seen the bridge with my own eyes. It is a masterpiece set in an unimaginable scenery.
I come from an island just outside Bergen. I see this book as a documentary of my own past. The story fits other stories I have heard or read. It is also a story of Bergen, growing from a mere village to a real city. If you find this interesting I would reccomend the four volum "Hellemyrsfolket" by Amalie Skram and Gunnar Stålesens trilogy of Bergen "1900-Morgenrød, 1950-High Noon, 1999-Aftensang".
But back to Brobyggerne! This is the first volume of a trilogy where we follow tree brothers from being poor kids to educated engineers. And it is a very interesting and vivid story told by the master, Mr. Gouillou, set in a time where changes both in society and technology happen very fast. Actually a bit like our time :-) Enjoy!
June 13, 2022
4 sterren - Nederlandse hardcover
Een joekel van een boek, maar ik kon het niet uit de hand leggen en zo werden het zomerse nachten met een boek in mijn hand. Zwoele zomernacht, boek op een kussen naast me en ventilator aan. Slapen kon ik toch niet.
De personages zijn zo mooi en goed beschreven dat je denkt hun te kennen. De historische achtergrond is goed gerechercheerd en er wordt geschreven met respect voor de medemens onafhankelijk van herkomst of maatschappelijk aanzien.
Enige minpuntje is de soms te gedetailleerde beschrijving van oorlogssituaties, maar dat kan voor een ander juist waardevol zijn, afhankelijk hoe goed de eigen kennis van de eerste en tweede wereldoorlog is.
Ondanks de lengte van het boek en de tijd die het omspant, blijft het een boeiend boek waar geen ruimte is om zich te vervelen.
Aanrader!
Een joekel van een boek, maar ik kon het niet uit de hand leggen en zo werden het zomerse nachten met een boek in mijn hand. Zwoele zomernacht, boek op een kussen naast me en ventilator aan. Slapen kon ik toch niet.
De personages zijn zo mooi en goed beschreven dat je denkt hun te kennen. De historische achtergrond is goed gerechercheerd en er wordt geschreven met respect voor de medemens onafhankelijk van herkomst of maatschappelijk aanzien.
Enige minpuntje is de soms te gedetailleerde beschrijving van oorlogssituaties, maar dat kan voor een ander juist waardevol zijn, afhankelijk hoe goed de eigen kennis van de eerste en tweede wereldoorlog is.
Ondanks de lengte van het boek en de tijd die het omspant, blijft het een boeiend boek waar geen ruimte is om zich te vervelen.
Aanrader!
March 16, 2016
nej du Janne, detta var ganska platta karaktärer, han var stark och hon var skön etc. Dock intressant ur ett historiskt perspektiv.
March 28, 2015
A very interesting story centered around 3 Norwegian boys and their destinies during the first 20 years of the 20th century. The writing was standard, the stories were at times amazing, at times trivial. I can't wait with continuing with the next book in the series immediately :)
October 29, 2018
Alltså. Nja.
Detta är en gammal julklappsbok som blivit liggande, den kändes helt enkelt aldrig intressant. Till slut tog jag upp den ändå, men det visar sig att magkänslan hade rätt denna gång.
Vi följer tre norska bröder genom livet. De växer upp fattiga men får fin utbildning till ingenjörer och är redo att ta sig an världen. Men förlåt, vi följer bara två, för yngste brodern kommer ut som homosexuell och denna historia, som rimligen måste vara den mest intressanta, får vi inte följa över huvud taget. Han skrivs ut ur berättelsen. Nu förstår jag att han har hela nästa bok för sig själv, men den kommer jag såklart aldrig orka läsa - och det hade ju varit intressant att kasta in honom, där han sitter i England, som en kontrast mot mellanbrodern Oscars brinnande englandshat.
Men om vi då tar det lite mer från början. Jag minns att jag tyckte om, eller i alla fall respekterade, Ondskan när jag läste den. Den kändes som om den berättade någonting. Och en berättelse från 1900-talets början, komplett med teknik, samhällsordning och förhärskande politiska åsikter borde ju vara superintressant! Problemet är att jag inte har någon direkt anledning att tro att Guillou kan det här. Datumen osv stämmer säkert, men kan han tankegångarna? Människorna? Kan han skildra detta? Jag tvekar, och då bleknar allting.
Dessutom är karaktärerna så ointressanta. Platta, orimligt rationella och sakliga, och perspektivet känns utifrån och känslokallt, inte inifrån och medryckande. Det känns som om vi har två ganska moderna gossar som är instöpta i en gammal värld, men de är överlag alldeles för sympatiska för att kännas trovärdiga. Det enda som är det minsta intressant är väl Oscars inställning till Afrika, hur han själv anser sig vara en bringare av lag och ordning och lycka, när han i själva verket istället plundrar landet och gör sig rik på kontinentens bekostnad. Detta skänker han inte en tanke, och det är väl det som gör det intressant att läsa om, eftersom det inte kastas i ansiktet på läsaren. Det är egentligen bara detta som ger boken 2 stjärnor istället för 1.
Ett extra minus i kanten för kapitlen ur Ingeborgs synvinkel. Det kvinnliga perspektivet känns krystat, extra feminiserat, obekvämt. Ingen lust att läsa någon uppföljare.
Detta är en gammal julklappsbok som blivit liggande, den kändes helt enkelt aldrig intressant. Till slut tog jag upp den ändå, men det visar sig att magkänslan hade rätt denna gång.
Vi följer tre norska bröder genom livet. De växer upp fattiga men får fin utbildning till ingenjörer och är redo att ta sig an världen. Men förlåt, vi följer bara två, för yngste brodern kommer ut som homosexuell och denna historia, som rimligen måste vara den mest intressanta, får vi inte följa över huvud taget. Han skrivs ut ur berättelsen. Nu förstår jag att han har hela nästa bok för sig själv, men den kommer jag såklart aldrig orka läsa - och det hade ju varit intressant att kasta in honom, där han sitter i England, som en kontrast mot mellanbrodern Oscars brinnande englandshat.
Men om vi då tar det lite mer från början. Jag minns att jag tyckte om, eller i alla fall respekterade, Ondskan när jag läste den. Den kändes som om den berättade någonting. Och en berättelse från 1900-talets början, komplett med teknik, samhällsordning och förhärskande politiska åsikter borde ju vara superintressant! Problemet är att jag inte har någon direkt anledning att tro att Guillou kan det här. Datumen osv stämmer säkert, men kan han tankegångarna? Människorna? Kan han skildra detta? Jag tvekar, och då bleknar allting.
Dessutom är karaktärerna så ointressanta. Platta, orimligt rationella och sakliga, och perspektivet känns utifrån och känslokallt, inte inifrån och medryckande. Det känns som om vi har två ganska moderna gossar som är instöpta i en gammal värld, men de är överlag alldeles för sympatiska för att kännas trovärdiga. Det enda som är det minsta intressant är väl Oscars inställning till Afrika, hur han själv anser sig vara en bringare av lag och ordning och lycka, när han i själva verket istället plundrar landet och gör sig rik på kontinentens bekostnad. Detta skänker han inte en tanke, och det är väl det som gör det intressant att läsa om, eftersom det inte kastas i ansiktet på läsaren. Det är egentligen bara detta som ger boken 2 stjärnor istället för 1.
Ett extra minus i kanten för kapitlen ur Ingeborgs synvinkel. Det kvinnliga perspektivet känns krystat, extra feminiserat, obekvämt. Ingen lust att läsa någon uppföljare.
March 16, 2018
U ovom romanu pratimo život dvojice braće Lauritzen od početka 20.st. do kraja drugog svjetskog. Jedan od boljih povijesnih romana koje sam pročitala.
October 13, 2014
If someone had told me, a week and a half ago, that I would love a historical novel about engineering, bridge constructions in Norway and railway in Africa, I would have laughed out loud. However, as I have trust in Jan Guillou to write stuff that I like, I started. This book turned out to be a page turner for me, and today I'm going to download the next one in the trilogy.
I learned so much from reading this novel, will look at bridges differently now. It was also very interesting to read about the First World War from a different perspective. It's definitely not a romance novel, but there's LOTS of human interest.
I read this in Swedish, and I sincerely hope it will be translated into English soon!
I learned so much from reading this novel, will look at bridges differently now. It was also very interesting to read about the First World War from a different perspective. It's definitely not a romance novel, but there's LOTS of human interest.
I read this in Swedish, and I sincerely hope it will be translated into English soon!
August 27, 2023
This was way too dry for my taste. The book lost me in the end. I just wanted to finish it. Will not continue the series
May 15, 2022
Tycker du att brobyggen, snöstormar och storviltsjakt är bland det mest spännande som finns? Då är det här boken för dig!
Samtliga Jan Guillous romaner är egentligen pojkböcker om agenter, riddare etc. och i första boken om 1900-talet (egentligen Guillous egen släkt) får vi träffa bröderna Lauritz och Oscar. De är förstås i det närmaste superhjältar som är bäst på vad de än företar sig: ingenjörskonst i pinande kyla och tryckande hetta; segling eller jakt. Till och med krypskytte i krig (första världskriget är en del av bokens handling) blir en av bröderna bäst i hela tyska armén på!
Efter en ganska seg startsträcka tar sig boken de sista tvåhundra sidorna. Men den som förväntar sig en brett upplagd historisk roman om 1900-talets två första decennier blir nog besviken. Istället är det en hyfsat underhållande pikaresk.
Samtliga Jan Guillous romaner är egentligen pojkböcker om agenter, riddare etc. och i första boken om 1900-talet (egentligen Guillous egen släkt) får vi träffa bröderna Lauritz och Oscar. De är förstås i det närmaste superhjältar som är bäst på vad de än företar sig: ingenjörskonst i pinande kyla och tryckande hetta; segling eller jakt. Till och med krypskytte i krig (första världskriget är en del av bokens handling) blir en av bröderna bäst i hela tyska armén på!
Efter en ganska seg startsträcka tar sig boken de sista tvåhundra sidorna. Men den som förväntar sig en brett upplagd historisk roman om 1900-talets två första decennier blir nog besviken. Istället är det en hyfsat underhållande pikaresk.
January 28, 2021
3,5* läst/lyssnat Hade det inte varit för att jag tycker att boken är längre än den borde och var ganska seg att ta sig igenom emellanåt så hade jag gett den 4 stjärnor. Väldigt intressant att få följa början av 1900-talet utifrån så olika perspektiv samtidigt som personerna i sig hänger ihop och var nytt för mig att läsa om första världskriget som det var i kolonierna i Afrika. Tack för tipset Adrian!🥰
February 25, 2012
great read. i am a big fan of jan guillous and the subject in his new series is very exciting and interesting, and is about love, life and great entrepeneurs, cant wait until book 2 is ready.
Read
October 16, 2012Historisk interessant. Hans personskildringer er blevet bedre, men superheltemændene bliver lidt trættende. Guiloui skal som altid læses for sin imponerende research og spiddende samfundskritik.
December 14, 2016
Lep jezik, lagani ritam. Ne čitam, slušam, što je pravo uživanje. Preporučujem audioknjigu, ukoliko je moguće, deluje kao bajka kad ti neko lepo čita.
November 12, 2021
Traag verloop, maar erg interessant en goed verwoord.
August 28, 2018
Splendide !
March 19, 2014
This took a long time to get through because I had it on audio. At least 19 hours worth of. It was definitely worth it, particularly in comparison to the last two books on audio. It's actually quite astonishing that I didn't roll my eyes or mutter in frustration a single time through the whole experience. I did raise my eyebrow in wonder of historical details - where submarines used during the first world war? - but other than that, this was good, solid story telling.
The story is that of three poor brothers of fishermen on the Norwegian west coast and starts in the late 1800's. One day their father is lost at sea and the future seems bleak at best. Through sheer serendipity they end up being educated as engineers in Dresden, Germany. The deal is that all three return to Norway afterward to work on the rail road between Bergen and Oslo, Norway's two largest cities. As fate turns out, only the oldes brother, Lauritz, returns. We follow his perilous work at high altitudes and his quest to get to marry the love of his life, an upper class German woman.
One of the other brothers, Oscar, sets off to Africa after having had his heart broken. He quickly builds a reputation as an excellent engineer - he too works on railroads - businessman and hero. We follow Oscar through a multitude of ups and downs.
The third brother turns out to be gay and sets of to England with his boyfriend. He isn't covered in this book, but I gather he shows up in book number two.
Everything Oscar and Lauritz manage to put in place over the years is overturned at the coming of the first world war. A war that wasn't supposed to be able to happen in the modern world. Wars were of the 1800's, according to the general opinion.
The author is a bit too obvious in his attempt to give an alternative perspective on the winners of World War I. The brothers went to school in German, had German affinities. Atrocities committed by the British and the Belgians are shown in all their gory detail. This went a little bit overboard at times, although I do see the point of correcting the biases imposed by the winners of the war. There is always more than one side to a story.
The author does a satisfying job with the characters, particularly the main ones. The story telling is good and the pacing excellent. Definitely recommended.
The story is that of three poor brothers of fishermen on the Norwegian west coast and starts in the late 1800's. One day their father is lost at sea and the future seems bleak at best. Through sheer serendipity they end up being educated as engineers in Dresden, Germany. The deal is that all three return to Norway afterward to work on the rail road between Bergen and Oslo, Norway's two largest cities. As fate turns out, only the oldes brother, Lauritz, returns. We follow his perilous work at high altitudes and his quest to get to marry the love of his life, an upper class German woman.
One of the other brothers, Oscar, sets off to Africa after having had his heart broken. He quickly builds a reputation as an excellent engineer - he too works on railroads - businessman and hero. We follow Oscar through a multitude of ups and downs.
The third brother turns out to be gay and sets of to England with his boyfriend. He isn't covered in this book, but I gather he shows up in book number two.
Everything Oscar and Lauritz manage to put in place over the years is overturned at the coming of the first world war. A war that wasn't supposed to be able to happen in the modern world. Wars were of the 1800's, according to the general opinion.
The author is a bit too obvious in his attempt to give an alternative perspective on the winners of World War I. The brothers went to school in German, had German affinities. Atrocities committed by the British and the Belgians are shown in all their gory detail. This went a little bit overboard at times, although I do see the point of correcting the biases imposed by the winners of the war. There is always more than one side to a story.
The author does a satisfying job with the characters, particularly the main ones. The story telling is good and the pacing excellent. Definitely recommended.
November 24, 2018
In 2010, Ken Follet published Fall of Giant, the first part of his historical trilogy on the 20th Century. Swedish author Jan Guillou certainly believed that Ken Follet’s book sucked and decided to write something better, bigger and smarter.
The Bridge Builders is the First book of the Guillou’s The Great Century series. To my knowledge, it is not available in English yet. You can find it in German, French, Norwegian, Danish and of course Swedish. If you don’t speak any of these languages and wish to read the book, then I can only advise you to learn Swedish (It’s the easiest of these languages. I come from France and I learnt it in less than five months. I met Americans who learnt it even faster).
The book starts at the end of the 19th Century. In Bergen, three young Norwegian orphans are spotted as extremely gifted by the local Bourgeoisie. They decide to finance their education so as to dispose of Norwegian engineers to build a railroad between Bergen and Oslo. The three brothers are sent to Dresden University, in Germany, where they become engineers. Except that only one comes back to Norway. One has moved to England to pursue his love affair with an English lord, while another has gone to Tanganyika to plunder the German African colony.
I can’t help comparing Jan Guillou’s book series with Ken Follet’s. While Ken Follet only offers commonplace stories about the start of the century, Guillou takes the reader to the unknown construction of the railroad between Bergen and Oslo in Norway, to the German colony of Tanganyika, neighbor of Belgian Congo, and to the upper society of imperial Germany. Even when the Great War breaks out, Jan Guillou does not have the reader waste their time in trenches on the western front, but instead focus on the life in neutral Norway and Sweden, where supply is scarce due to the allied blockade as well as the fighting between German guerillas and British and south-African troops in Eastern Africa.
Even if two of the brothers are irritatingly ‘Marry Sue’, this is forgiven, since this is an essential element for the rest of the series.
The Bridge Builders is the First book of the Guillou’s The Great Century series. To my knowledge, it is not available in English yet. You can find it in German, French, Norwegian, Danish and of course Swedish. If you don’t speak any of these languages and wish to read the book, then I can only advise you to learn Swedish (It’s the easiest of these languages. I come from France and I learnt it in less than five months. I met Americans who learnt it even faster).
The book starts at the end of the 19th Century. In Bergen, three young Norwegian orphans are spotted as extremely gifted by the local Bourgeoisie. They decide to finance their education so as to dispose of Norwegian engineers to build a railroad between Bergen and Oslo. The three brothers are sent to Dresden University, in Germany, where they become engineers. Except that only one comes back to Norway. One has moved to England to pursue his love affair with an English lord, while another has gone to Tanganyika to plunder the German African colony.
I can’t help comparing Jan Guillou’s book series with Ken Follet’s. While Ken Follet only offers commonplace stories about the start of the century, Guillou takes the reader to the unknown construction of the railroad between Bergen and Oslo in Norway, to the German colony of Tanganyika, neighbor of Belgian Congo, and to the upper society of imperial Germany. Even when the Great War breaks out, Jan Guillou does not have the reader waste their time in trenches on the western front, but instead focus on the life in neutral Norway and Sweden, where supply is scarce due to the allied blockade as well as the fighting between German guerillas and British and south-African troops in Eastern Africa.
Even if two of the brothers are irritatingly ‘Marry Sue’, this is forgiven, since this is an essential element for the rest of the series.
February 14, 2015
Egentlig ville jeg gerne give bogen 2,5 stjerner. Der var dele af den jeg nød, men størstedelen virkede fragmenteret og man sprang meget hurtigt frem i tiden, især i sidste tredjedel af bogen. Selvom der sker en hel masse, så sker der faktisk ikke rigtig noget, og mange ting virker lidt ligegyldige, som om de kun er med for at fylde de mange sider.
Desuden synes jeg, at det er virkelig synd, at man intet hører om den yngste bror, Sverre. Jeg tror hans historie kunne gøre bogen lidt mere interessant, men for at få den, er man nødt til at læse den næste bog i serien, Dandy.
Og så forstod jeg ikke, hvorfor man intet hører fra Lauritz synspunkt efter han og Ingeborg flytter til Bergen?
Desuden synes jeg, at det er virkelig synd, at man intet hører om den yngste bror, Sverre. Jeg tror hans historie kunne gøre bogen lidt mere interessant, men for at få den, er man nødt til at læse den næste bog i serien, Dandy.
Og så forstod jeg ikke, hvorfor man intet hører fra Lauritz synspunkt efter han og Ingeborg flytter til Bergen?
March 6, 2022
Guillou kan ju sitt hantverk, men alla hans huvudkaraktärer är som superhjältar: lite för bra. Det finns liksom ingen ände på vad de klarar vilket gör dem tråkiga efter ett tag. Den här, precis som Arn-böckerna, är mest av allt en dramatiserad historieskildring.
March 23, 2022
Man märker att författaren har läst in sig på hur samhället och tekniken såg ut i början av 1900-talet och vissa aspekter av boken var faktiskt intressanta, men det är också tragiskt uppenbart att boken är skriven av en äldre vit heterosexuell man…
November 28, 2016
Dette er en af de bedste bøger jeg har læst. Pageturner uden lige. Der ligger en kæmpe research bag denne historie. Jeg kan ikke vente til jeg kommer i gang med bind 2 "Dandy".
December 27, 2016
Riktigt bra bok. Väldigt intressant läsning, den blev liksom aldrig långtråkig. Rekommenderas starkt.
November 16, 2020
I enjoyed this book quite a lot. I find Jan Guillou to be a very interesting and diverse writer. I really liked Ondskan (although wasn't that carried away by I Nationens Intresse), and Brobryggarna was a different, but equally good, reading experience as Ondskan. Perhaps even better.
The characters were interesting and likeable, the surroundings were epic and the story lines were cool. At times it felt somewhat slow, but the overall experience was great. I liked Lauritz storyline the most, and the fact that it is based on an actual real epic project was cool. Guillou managed to capture the extreme circumstances and hardships which Lauritz had to work in in a very interesting way.
I have already borrowed the sequel, Dandy, and is very eager to start reading it (although I have some other books in the queue before it).
The characters were interesting and likeable, the surroundings were epic and the story lines were cool. At times it felt somewhat slow, but the overall experience was great. I liked Lauritz storyline the most, and the fact that it is based on an actual real epic project was cool. Guillou managed to capture the extreme circumstances and hardships which Lauritz had to work in in a very interesting way.
I have already borrowed the sequel, Dandy, and is very eager to start reading it (although I have some other books in the queue before it).
September 25, 2020
Het thema van het boek is niet zo mijn ding, maar de gelaagdheid zette mij aan om verder lezen. Desondanks dat het niet mijn genre is, vind ik wel dat dit boek 4* verdient. Het is niet omdat het mijn genre niet is, dat ik het boek niet naar waarde kan schatten. De vervolgen ben ik niet van plan om ze onmiddellijk te lezen.
October 13, 2025
Engasjerende og god historieforteller. Føler noen ting skurrer i betraktningene om byggingen av Bergensbanen.
Ellers kan Sigvart Heber (en ekte ingeniør på Bergensbanen og til inspirasjon for fortellingen) sin bok «Da Bergensbanen blev til» anbefales.
Ellers kan Sigvart Heber (en ekte ingeniør på Bergensbanen og til inspirasjon for fortellingen) sin bok «Da Bergensbanen blev til» anbefales.
November 9, 2017
Co lepšího na dovolenou než dlouhý historický román? Téma stavby mostu v těžkých norských nebo afrických podmínkách, zkušenost s první světovou válkou, nešťastné lásky a trocha té erotiky. Perfektní mix. A překvapení, že existují další 4 pokračování :)
December 16, 2025
En virkelig fin bok! Gleder meg til å lese andre bind!
December 1, 2021
Spennende, lærerik, levende.. Mange godord som kan sies om denne boka. Trekker litt for alle detaljene som til tider blir litt for mye, og tipper over til å bli litt kjedelig. Vil si at det er en skikkelig pageturner, og gleder meg til neste bok i serien.
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