Valentines

by Olaf Olafsson

From the acclaimed Icelandic author of Absolution, The Journey Home (now about to start filming under Liv Ullmann’s direction) and Walking into the Night : a haunting collection of thematically linked stories that encompasses the twelve months of a year, capturing the most candid moments between lovers, husbands and wives, parents and children–when truths and true feelings surge to the surface and everything changes.

Olaf Olafsson’s fans will recognize the perfect restraint and precision–and quick wit–with which he characteristically explores these dark epiphanies, when the heart is suddenly laid bare, whether by love or betrayal, disenchantment or regret, or the shock of loss. While their settings range from the East Coast to the West Coast, from Paris to Slovenia and Iceland, these contemporary stories probe the complexity of modern relationships over time. A wife realizes her closest confidante is much more than that. A father tries to make his new lover into the image of his late wife. A lusty photographer confronts his own mortality. A couple’s long-anticipated anniversary vacation opens onto the past. A husband, a wife, a child, a boating no harm done . . . and yet?

Each of the twelve stories reveals another element in the agonizing nature of passion, diminished and yet sustained over time. This is a powerful work of fiction from one of our most gifted and subtle international writers at work today.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Book Club, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Olaf Olafsson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1962. He studied physics as a Wien Scholar at Brandeis University. He is the author of three previous novels, The Journey Home, Absolution and Walking Into the Night, and a story collection, Valentines. His books have been published to critical acclaim in more than twenty languages. He is the recipient of the O. Henry Award and the Icelandic Literary Award, was shortlisted for the Frank O’Connor Prize, and has twice been nominated for the IMPAC Award. He is the Executive Vice President of Time Warner and he lives in New York City with his wife and three children.
http://www.facebook.com/olafsson.author

Reviews

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I’d never heard of the author before but found this book in a used bookstore in Barcelona while staying with my Icelandic friend. I guessed from the name of the author that he was also Icelandic so of course I had to purchase this (that, and it also only cost 2 euros). I read the entire book on our flight home and loved it. After finishing the book I snuck a peak at some Goodreads reviews and noticed that not many people had loved this collection as much as I did. Most people seemed to find the stories flat, predictable and too depressing. Many also noted a negative in the fact that nearly all the protagonists in the stories were men, which is true, and also probably the only minus for me. Otherwise I actually quite liked the stories. Maybe us Finns share some sort of mutual tendency to be drawn to bleak, depressive and even somewhat mundane stories? Even though it’s hard for me to recall the differences between the twelve stories (titled only as the months of the year), I could not stop reading once I had started and after finishing I got that empty feeling you often encounter after reading a book that somehow totally enthralled you.

[Kristín Hulda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stuttar sögur en fanga mannleika nokkuð vel, engin sem hreyfði neitt svakalega við mér en ég fíla ritstílinn og finnst alltaf afrek að ná karaktersköpun á þessu kalíberi í smásögum. Fílaði líka conceptið, 12 sögur, ein fyrir hvern mánuð ársins og gerast í þeim mánuði sem þær eru kenndar við. Ætli nóvember hafi reyndar ekki snert svolítið við mér.

[Aleksandra Fatic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ne mogu da ovom čudnom kalendaru dam više od 3⭐️, iako je objektivno za 4, samo iz razloga što dragi Olafe, nijesu sve ljubavne priče sranje, čak ni kad se prikažu kao realne!

[Carly · Rating 2 out of 5]

As others have commented, Olafsson's writing is predictable. As each story ends you get a better sense of what the next is going to be about: a male protagonist who is either unfaithful, thinking about being unfaithful, or whose wife is unfaithful to him. It kind of pissed me off that only one of the twelve protagonists was female, and that all of the characters, female or no, were so poorly rendered. About halfway through the collection I realized that Olafsson was really just phoning it in. I'm intrigued to read some of his longer work, as he writes beautifully - maybe short stories are just not his forte.

[IWB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touted by many as equal in quality to Carver, I found Olafsson's writing a bit predictable and contrived; the stories lack the depth of grit found in a typical Carver story, as well. There were times when I was acutely aware of technical devices, the kind that made me think Olafsson was trying too hard to create an affectation. So, I don't think this collection is comparable to Carver, particularly Cathedral, which is a masterful collection of short stories.

Having said that, these stories possess a robust inner-life than what most novel writers are capable of creating. The inner-life in this collection of twelve stories revolves around the theme of heartache, drama, and emotional ambiguity that holds in affairs of the heart. Here there are similarities to Carver. Olafsson presents to us the banality of two lover's lives, the tragedies of our good intentions fulfilled, and commonplace failures that we all have experienced some time or another. Olafsson's characters, much like Carver's characters, are the people you know, they are us; they are scorned lovers and apathetic partners; they are mendacious, and too late in their apologies. Olafsson expresses their grief and shame, dishonesty and stupidity with deft and realism.

Each story occurs during a different month in the year; and each storie has the reader arriving at that pivotal crisis point of some particular relationship. Oh, many of the characters are connected to Iceland, and the stories often combine Icelandic and American values and attitudes.

The subject matter is full of subtle anguish and can be emotionally draining. Only read one right after another if you are determined to be melancholic and miserable.

[Emi · Rating 3 out of 5]

sort of austere, observational prose, illustrating the lives of different (almost all unhappy) couples through brief episodes. my favorite was probably the September short story, sif was a very compelling character. august stressed me out greatly. for a short story collection it did a good job at efficiently drawing me in each time, conveying the specific world. very fleeting. doesn’t say a ton but enjoyable subtle and understated writing

[Catherine Woodman]

The only reason I don't think this is a five star book is because while the stories are all around the theme of what can and will go wrong with relationships, short stories are kind of just easier to do this with. The book is well written, almost heartbreaking throughout, and have a strong insightful yet make voice,w hich is kind of a rarity. I love all his work, The Journey Home being my favorite, but this is a close second. He has a mournfulness that may reflect his heritage, but it comes through in a positve way, somehow, even though each and every story ends in a way that it has to but you wish it wouldn't.

[Scott L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally do not read short stories. I always feel unsatisfied, wanting more story. "Valentines" came to my attention after a trip to Iceland. I discovered that the book was to be made into a tv series by one of my favorites - Robert Redford. I had read Olafsson's other books and found them excellent. So I picked this up and read most within an evening. Each month has a story about love and the quirky things it does to people. Of course, I was left hungry for more but found each tale engrossing. Don't miss.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't remember how I came across this book last week, but I'm so glad I did! I'm not usually a big fan of short stories, but these were so well written. I'd highly recommend this book is you're interested in the dynamics of couples, or if you're just looking for a good read.

[Brendan Booth · Rating 4 out of 5]

found many of the tales here to be rather cheeveresque. a good collection of stories overall with the common theme of "dark epiphanies", as the book jacket says. the last three stories seem more hastily written and lack the careful crafting of the other stories in the book.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twelve stories which were all delightful. It would be a great book for Book Club,

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, every last story is a depressing view of relationships and the many ways they go awry. But I still thoroughly enjoyed the book.

[Jovana Kuzmanović · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niz sirovih i surovih priča o bolu, banalnosti i ispraznosti kojima ljubav ponekad može da se završi. Gorke, često vrlo antiklimaktične, ali iskrene, realne i na neki način tople čak i kad se svim bićem bunimo protiv onog što se u njima dešava. Nepretenciozno, ali majstorski ispripovedane i uobličene, gotovo hladno kontrolisanim Olafsonovim stilom, ostavljaju prostora za razmišljanje. I posle drugog čitanja, jednako jak utisak.

[Laura Watt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like these stories more than i did, in part because the author is Icelandic -- and they were good, held my attention and i read the twelve stories, one per month of the year, very quickly -- but the characters all seemed a bit too cold and repressed to me, I didn't really feel drawn into their stories. good but not great.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this book out from the library and thought "I'll read the first story and see how it is." Well, I devoured the rest of the book! I love when short stories are well done as these are!

I will be looking for more from Olaf Olafsson!

[Shazza Hoppsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this sad and ironic series of stories.

However one line got my goat. At a charity fundraiser for deaf people “The speeches about deafness went in one ear and out the other.” Are you kidding me Mr Olafsson you’re surely better than that? 🤮

[Inga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yndisleg.

[Marija Obradovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Za mene je ova knjiga prijatno iznenađenje, obzirom da nisam znala o čemu se radi...jako lep stil pisanja

[Brynhildur Stefánsdóttir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mj��g skemmtileg og ófyrirsjáanlegar og vanræðalegar á skemmtilegan hátt

[kelsie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5! some were much better than others but i enjoyed it overall

[Stella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable throughout

[Denton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olafsson takes a lot of twists and turns in his stories, which I admire. Small amounts of dialouge and lots of exposition is the norm. There's a lack of emotion in the stories, especially a lack seen in characters, which makes some of their actions less believable. Overall, these stories are well written. I read through them quickly, which means I didn't hate them, and yet, I can't say I loved them either.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Although there is something interesting (if not novel) about a collection of stories of failed and failing relationships titled Valentines, this did not deliver.
The prose was stale, the themes static, the characters blended into one another, and there was an undercurrent of smug conservative expectation that did not compliment an examination of human love relationships.
By the time I had read four of these stories, I was waiting for the end so I could move on.

[Penny]

I really did not like these stories. They left me feeling hopeless, and sad? Each "month" showed another life where the characters could not get out of their own way. I kept waiting for a tie-in to the other months and/or the other characters. But no, each month another devastating life was displayed!

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read too many short stories anymore, because they usually don't satisfy me enough. I read these because of the author. I've enjoyed two of his novels, and his writing style, so while most of these 12 stories often end in a way that leaves you unsure of what will happen next, it seems perfect for each of them. Not your typical "valentines", these.

[Abby Peck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Olaf Olafsson book and I am hooked. I more than liked every story in this collection except one I skimmed, the rest were fantastic. I am reading his novel 'Absolution' next and looking forward to it!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning collection of short stories. There is so much pain these lives. I was reading this at Silent reading Wednesday the the Sorrento and made a ninny of myself by gasping not once once but twice.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short stories tended to be enigmatic. I was often left trying to figure out why each story ended the way it did--they definitely were not typical "storybook" endings, which I think was the point of the stories. But I felt like some of the ending were unknowable and were frustrating.

[PEJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mjög góð bók. Ég keypti hana reyndar óvart - ég var búinn að lesa Málverkið (sem mér fannst leiðinleg og svolitið tilgerðarleg skáldsaga) og ég áttaði mig ekki á því að Ólafur Ólafsson var líka höfundur Aldingarðsins. En ég naut bókarinnar mjög mikið. Það er mjög erfitt að leggja hana af sér.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not what you think it is. Don't come looking for happy Valentine stories, but it is a book with economic prose and blistering moments.