Shadows in the Twilight

Joel Gustafsson #2

by Henning Mankell

JOEL WILL SOON be 12, and he thinks nothing is going on in the small community where he lives. But he’s wrong. One day, an incident that could easily have been a catastrophe turns into a miracle. Now Joel believes he owes the world a good deed, to prove that he deserved what might have been divine intervention. He thinks up an elaborate scheme, but it doesn’t go as anticipated. Even though his heart is in the right place, feelings are hurt. If he confesses what he’s done and why, will things be put right again?
Readers who met Joel Gustafson, his father, and their friends in A Bridge to the Stars will follow, with appreciation, Henning Mankell’s shrewd depiction, in this companion novel, of the surprising changes in Joel’s existence. Mankell deftly explores Joel’s self-discovery, his realization that lives can be altered in a single moment, and his new understanding that a choice between telling the truth and keeping silent can make all the difference.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Adult, Childrens, Sweden, Ebooks, Crime

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Henning Mankell was an internationally known Swedish crime writer, children's author and playwright. He was best known for his literary character Kurt Wallander.

Mankell split his time between Sweden and Mozambique. He was married to Eva Bergman, Swedish director and daughter of Ingmar Bergman.

Reviews

[Karen ⊰✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joel lives with his father in a small town in Sweden in the late 1950s. He is about to turn twelve, which means, to him, only three more years until he is an adult.
In this story Joel has a miracle happen to him and so he is determined to also perform a good deed. Only the way he goes about it is with an 11 year old mind, so not everything goes to plan!

A sweet read with an interesting setting.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Christina Tsichlis for TeensReadToo.com

SHADOWS IN THE TWILIGHT by Henning Mankell is written using the distinctive voice of the main character, Joel. This is a companion book to A BRIDGE TO THE STARS.

This is a story that asks philosophical questions and does it in a way everyone can understand. Best known for his crime novels for adults, Mankell will win the young adult reader over, as well. As the author is Swedish, it has a decidedly European flare in style as well as setting that the reader will find refreshing and honest.

Some of the questions addressed are faith, miracles, gender, and when to make the choice of staying silent or telling the truth. Told in the first person, the reader gets to see inside Joel's head and understand the questions and the changes in his life from the boy's perspective. It is a shrewdly told tale of a boy who thinks that he might have experienced divine intervention, and what happens when he tries to prove that he deserved said intervention through an elaborate scheme to do good.

Through the eyes of Joel we see a world created with magic, imagination, reality, and possible divinity. The reader becomes sucked into Joel's world to the point where nothing he says seems improbable, only interesting and special. It is a book that asks the big questions and does it creatively, beautifully, and interestingly.

[Книжни Криле · Rating 5 out of 5]

В „Кучето, запътило се към далечна звезда“ Хенинг Манкел ни запозна с Юел и всички, които са били докоснати от неговото среднощно бягство несъмнено ще продължат да следят с интерес живота на хлапето от скованата в лед шведска провинция. А продължението е колкото логично, толкова и изненадващо и вълнуващо. Събитията в „Сенките растат със здрача” (изд. "Емас") се развиват няколко месеца след разказаното в първата книга. Юел Гюстафсон скоро ще навърши дванадесет, а наскоро преживяното приключение го е променило доста. И макар, че отношенията с баща му вече не са така обтегнати, а момчето лека полека успява да превъзмогне липсата на майка си, пътят пред него продължава да бъде хлъзгав и каменист. Какво таи съдбата за Юел? Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле":

https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...

[Sissel Dahle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behaglig, lettlest bok.

[Leland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of Henning Mankell's books about 12 year old Joel Gustafson. This book, like its predecessor, A Bridge to the Stars looks at the life of a very exceptional boy growing up in the north of Sweden in the 1950's. Readers accustomed to Mankell's Kurt Wallander series will find this book lacking much of his trademark suspense, but being quite full of his remarkable insight and characterization. I was particularly impressed by Mankell's ability in both the Joel Gustafson books to portray the world through the eyes of a 12 year old so well. Let's face it, we've all been there, but how many of us could convincingly describe what it was like.

Mankell is a master storyteller, and while this was not my favorite of his books, it was very satisfying, and I'm glad I read it. Like A Bridge to the Stars I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in writing Juvenile/Young Adult fiction.

[Pablo Fern�ndez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se me ha hecho demasiado corto. La pureza narrativa es excelsa, los personajes penetrantes.

[bob walenski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm an old friend of Henning Mankell novels, having read many of his Swedish police, crime novels that were successful as books as well as the Kurt Wallander t v films popular on Acorn. The stories are a bit of an acquired taste, but refreshingly different and creative. They are a far cry from American "car chase, shoot out" intensive stories....more subtle and nuanced and cerebral. They feature bad guys and terrible crimes, but solving them is more clever and brain oriented, as well as involving the leg work of good police detectives.

So this book surprised me when I found it on my local library's 'for sale' shelf for $.50 It's actually part 2, or book 2, in a 4 part series that all feature 11/12 year old Joel Gustafson. It's advertised as a book for Y A's that also appeals to older readers. It captures eloquently the thoughts and feeling of being a tween. It mirrors the doubts, fears and hopeful optimism often reflected in that stage of youth.

Joel learns many lessons, cleverly presented in a readable story that's easy to relate to and enjoy. Joel wants to help others, wants to have impact on adults, wants to be noticed and valued. He wants most of all to do a good deed, in thanks for his being called a 'miracle' boy by his community, after surviving being run over by a bus and emerging unharmed.

I suspect if you like 'coming of age' stories, particularly from a Swedish angle of narration, this might appeal to you. Fredrik Bachman and many others like him are quite popular and if you enjoy their writing, Mankell's 4 volume set might also be of interest.

[Lukasz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coraz mniej książek Mankella pozostaje na mojej liście do przeczytania, ale jeszcze nadal są książki których nie przeczytałem czy też przesłuchałem. „Cienie rosną o zmierchu” to druga część czteroczęściowej serii o młodym chłopaku, Joelu. Już ponad rok temu przesłuchałem pierwszą część, okres wakacyjny jakoś wprowadził mnie w nastrój aby sięgnąć wreszcie po drugą część.
Akcja drugiej części rozpoczyna się kilka miesięcy po wydarzeniach opisanych w pierwszej części. Właśnie zbliżają się dwunaste urodziny Joela. Nadal sam mieszka z ojcem. Nie ma zbyt wielu przyjaciół w podobnym wieku, relacje z rówieśnikami nie przychodzą mu łatwo tym bardziej, że wśród rówieśników są też tacy, który muszą udowadniać iż są silniejsi. Mankell według mnie w bardzo autentyczny sposób opisał realia dorastającego chłopca, który nie ma tak do konca latwej sytuacji rodzinnej. Jednak w książce jest bardzo dużo optymizmu oraz pozytywnej energii. To mnie bardzo zaskakuje w twórczości Mankella. Nie stroni on od trudnych tematów, nie koloryzuje, nie stara się tworzyć zbyt różowej rzeczywistości, dość realnie podchodzi do rzeczywistości. Jednak przy zachowaniu dość mocnego realizmu pokazuje, że przysłowiowa szklanka jest w połowie pełna.

[Hortensia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siguen las aventuras (algunas imaginarias) del pequeño Joel. Me encanta como el autor le hace a uno vivir dentro de esa personita y entender su filosofía. Sus "aventuras" me recuerdan mi niñez. También fui solitaria y solía tener una gran imaginación, así como el pequeño Gustafsson.

Sin embargo, el final me pareció muy plano; hay otros dos libros más en la serie, supongo que es por ello que no nos dicen si Gertrude y Joel arreglan sus asuntos.

[Catherine Allibert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je ne savais pas qu'Henning Mankell avait aussi écrit pour la jeunesse. Dans ce livre nous suivons le jeune Joël qui a survécu à un accident de la route. Il se sent redevable de ce miracle et va donc chercher à faire une bonne action. Le rythme est lent, les personnages intéressants mais pas aussi fouillés que dans un "Kurt Wallander". L'intrigue est un peu plate. Très déçue, mais probablement parce que j'en attendais beaucoup plus !

[Morteza Bahrami]

شاید برای نوجوان‌ها جالب باشد ولی ذهن سخت‌گیرم مدام درگیر اشتباه‌های ترجمه، دستوری و ویراستاری بود. حرف‌های دهان‌پرکن نویسنده هم مثل دم‌خروس بیرون می‌زند. ولی خب فضاسازی خوبی داشت و اگر ۴ کتاب ر پشت هم بخوانید شاید برایتان شخصیت‌هاش ژرف‌تر باشند. از همه مهم‌تر تضاد نوجوانی ما با این‌هاست؛ ما درگیر انقلاب و جنگ و توهم صدورش آنها با پیامدهای جنگ جهانی و ساخت جامعه و کشورشان، طبیعت چه‌قدر نقش مهمی در زندگی آنها دارد در حالی که ما فقط ویرانش می‌کنیم.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this Mankell work, expecting a cop story...author must be working on career broadening because it just isn't the usual Mankell. Readers accustomed to Kurt Wallander will find this book lacking much of his trademark suspense...boring. Don't think that I'll do another in this series.

[Carter Gruver]

I think this is a great book it grabs your attencion pretty fast, it was one of the first non-Athletic books that grabbed my attencion if I was to rate this book 1-5 id give it a 4. I'm suprised I gave it a out of 5 cause I'm not a big fan of reading at all.

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

تو بچه ی چموشی هستی حتما خوب می دانی که او ره برو به تولید کفش مشهور است . امروز صبح که بند کفشت پاره شد می توانستی به این موضوع هم فکر کنی اما نمی خواستی جواب بدهی . تو از قصد می خواهی مرا اذیت کنی . جوئل .

[Happy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me awhile to finish the book because Joel seems to be a very annoying almost 12-year-old.☺️

As an adult, we really need to be always at the side of our children, checking on them, supporting them as we will never know what kind of struggle they are going through.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a Miracle, Joel tries his hand at matchmaking with not great results. A little wandery in the text, but Joel is a wandery kid so there you go!

[Abril · Rating 3 out of 5]

No me gustó tanto como la primera entrega pero no sé explicar por qué. Esta segunda historia no me atrapó tanto y el sentimiento de venganza que desarrolla Joel me pareció aburrido.

[Stephen Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its another great little story. He makes me laugh.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Idwer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weer een heerlijk boek waarin je in de nog kinderlijke gedachtengangen van Joel wordt meegenomen. Goed vertaald, leest fijn.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read and a wonderful series for young readers!

[Amin Ebrahimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

هنینگ مانکل جنایی نویس کجا، هنینگ مانکل داستان کودک نویس کجا!

[Dulcie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mea culpa; my bad for picking this up in the first instance. Didn't realise it was YA. BUT. It is still bottom shelf trash and well worthy of being labelled appalling.

[Pari · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب برای بچه ها شاید جالب باشه
اینکه یک سری فعالیت ها فراتر از ذهن پیش میره
اینکه ادم ها چه چیزهایی براشون ارزش میتونه باشه و …
توی این کتاب در افکار جوئل وجود داشت.

[Kathleen Hagen]

Shadows in the Twilight, by Henning Mankell, narrated by Francis Greenslade, produced by Bolinda Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

This is the second in a series of children’s books written about a boy, Joel (pronounced Yule) Gustafson. In this book, Joel is run over by a bus but by luck remains unhurt, without a scratch. This is 1957 in Sweden. People tell him it’s a miracle. His dad doesn’t believe in God, and he doesn’t know if he does or not. He has no friends his age. He finally decides that to show gratitude for the miracle, he has to perform a good deed. He decides this deed will involve finding a husband for “No-Nose Gertrude”, a friend of his who through a terrible accident now has no nose but just a hole in her face. Most of the townspeople shun her. But he learns that it is not so easy to find a man for someone else. A charming book. Francis Greenslade, I think, is Australian, so it’s kind of weird to have him reading this book translated from the Swedish, but easier than listening to Dick Hill’s narration of some of Mankell’s mysteries.

[Catherine Woodman]

THis is an unusual children's book series, about a 12 year old Joel, in 1950's Sweden. In this book, he escapes a sure death experience, and then over the course of the book he realizes that while he might be very lucky to be alive, the experience isn't going to change his life in a meaningful way. He still has a dismal relationship with his father, who is really no pillar of a dad, and he has a series of disappointments, although none so terrible as occur in the first book. these books really need to be read together and in order, as there is very little in the way of details--the writing is sparse, as you would expect from a Nordic author, and they do progress on

each other. The boy and his father remain difficult to like, but not impossible, and the story is mostly about the details of their lives, even though a big event happens in the first pages.

[Monty · Rating 3 out of 5]

An early offering from Henning Mankell, where his protagonist, Joel Gustafson, allows the reader to travel with him on a journey of self discovery after a near miracle which saved his life when he was run over by a bus. Joel becomes convinced that he needs to perform a good deed to atone for his "undeserved" favour. The local woman who has lost her nose and is the object of the town's derision becomes the target of his samaritanism. Joel undertakes to find her a husband. His plans are riven with failure and we experience with him the painful lessons of an adolescent struggling with adult issues whilst still caught in his whimsical fantasies about his role models who are drawn from North American Cowboy and Indian caricatures.

Introspective and interesting.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14155027

A young adult novel. I didn't realize it was until I started reading it. Normally I don't read YA books. I just like the author.

Joel Gustafson was a dreamer. Something of a loner, he spent a lot of time thinking. When he narrowly escaped death he thought he needed to pay back his good fortune. He set his eyes on people he knew, a man and a woman, and tried to manufacture a meeting. He was sure they would get along, would fall in love with each other.

His plans had a few faults. How he works through the various setbacks and mends broken fences shows what kind of person he is.

[Clarabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai changé radicalement d'univers et j'ai lu un roman de Mankell, mais un roman pour la jeunesse, avec un héros de presque douze ans, qui a failli être écrasé par un bus et qui décide d'accomplir une bonne action en remerciement de son miracle. La lecture est savoureuse, avec un humour espiègle, ça fait plaisir à suivre. En plus, le garçon fait preuve de beaucoup d'imagination, il juge le monde des adultes du haut de son inexpérience, il tâte, il tente et il se vautre. Bon, il y a des pots cassés à la fin et j'espère que les prochains tomes rendront le sourire à Gertrude !
Et encore une couverture d'Olivier Balez, hé-hé !

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bleah. At least it was short. The book to which this is a sequel was mildly entertaining, but this one meandered around with no real point. There was potential for some real depth, as the main character searches for a way to repay a debt he feels he owes the world for the miracle of having escaped serious injury in a bus accident, but it never goes anywhere. Also, the translation was very stilted and used question marks for many sentences that weren't questions. Sometimes the books I have to read for work really ARE work.