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Lumikko
french bersion
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2006
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About the author
Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen
21 books219 followersPasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen is Finland’s best kept literary secret…
In the early 70’s, when he was five, Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen lived in a block of flats by the Jyväskylä’s (a city in Central Finland) old cemetery and believed in vampires.
In the early 80’s he still had vampire dreams and fell in love with Jeanne Moreau in Truffaut’s Jules et Jim.
Ten years later Pasi wrote his first short stories. He wan the writing competition of SciFi and fantasy stories four times and then decided to become a writer.
Now he is an author, but he is also a Finnish and literature teacher in upper secondary school and the father of three sons.
He hasn’t stopped loving vampires, Jeanne Moreau and old film classics.
In the early 70’s, when he was five, Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen lived in a block of flats by the Jyväskylä’s (a city in Central Finland) old cemetery and believed in vampires.
In the early 80’s he still had vampire dreams and fell in love with Jeanne Moreau in Truffaut’s Jules et Jim.
Ten years later Pasi wrote his first short stories. He wan the writing competition of SciFi and fantasy stories four times and then decided to become a writer.
Now he is an author, but he is also a Finnish and literature teacher in upper secondary school and the father of three sons.
He hasn’t stopped loving vampires, Jeanne Moreau and old film classics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,027 reviews
September 8, 2018
an enthusiastic 3.5
erin was good enough to send me her copy of this book, which i had already requested from netgalley, but since i have had really poor luck lately getting approved in a timely manner, she offered to mail me hers. and wouldn't you know - the day it arrived in my mailbox was the same day i got approved on netgalley.
and after all those folks throwing the book at me, i just wish i'd loved it more than i did.
i love the cover, the font, the premise, and when i read the list of comparisons on the back cover:
twin peaks, the brothers grimm, The Shadow of the Wind, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, The Secret History, Let the Right One In, i thought "this book is for ME!"
but when the words "chilling" and "creepy" are used, i have certain expectations. i thought this would be a perfect companion book to The Supernatural Enhancements - spooky and dark with a hook for bookish types.
and it's a good book, but when it's put in that lineup, there's an element missing. i just didn't find it sinister enough. it's more
than
there's a quirky charm to it that overshadows anything even a little creepy. so if you go in knowing that, i think you will have a more realistic expectation of what's in store. there are things that are odd, whimsical, and eerie, but nothing to keep you up all night.
i like the writing, although there's something about it that is also that ineffable "something" that i have found in pretty much every book i've read from a nordic country - it's a stylistic similarity that leaves me feeling a little flat - like i'm missing something, like it's written at a remove.
and be prepared for a lot of unresolved bits at the end. there's a kind of abrupt twisty bit at the end that answers one question, but leaves a lot of danglers.
i know this sounds like i didn't like the book, but i did. i enjoyed reading it, and there are parts of it still in my head, but i also feel slightly befuddled. i can point to the parts that didn't work for me, but not the ones that did.
and yet i have a positive feeling overall when i think of this book.
perhaps this review will be improved with wine. it's worth trying.
nope, wine just made me sleepy.
regardless, i enjoyed reading this one, and i would be really interested to hear other people's reactions because for some reason, i am unable to articulate my own.
come to my blog!
erin was good enough to send me her copy of this book, which i had already requested from netgalley, but since i have had really poor luck lately getting approved in a timely manner, she offered to mail me hers. and wouldn't you know - the day it arrived in my mailbox was the same day i got approved on netgalley.
and after all those folks throwing the book at me, i just wish i'd loved it more than i did.
i love the cover, the font, the premise, and when i read the list of comparisons on the back cover:
twin peaks, the brothers grimm, The Shadow of the Wind, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, The Secret History, Let the Right One In, i thought "this book is for ME!"
but when the words "chilling" and "creepy" are used, i have certain expectations. i thought this would be a perfect companion book to The Supernatural Enhancements - spooky and dark with a hook for bookish types.
and it's a good book, but when it's put in that lineup, there's an element missing. i just didn't find it sinister enough. it's more
than
there's a quirky charm to it that overshadows anything even a little creepy. so if you go in knowing that, i think you will have a more realistic expectation of what's in store. there are things that are odd, whimsical, and eerie, but nothing to keep you up all night.
i like the writing, although there's something about it that is also that ineffable "something" that i have found in pretty much every book i've read from a nordic country - it's a stylistic similarity that leaves me feeling a little flat - like i'm missing something, like it's written at a remove.
and be prepared for a lot of unresolved bits at the end. there's a kind of abrupt twisty bit at the end that answers one question, but leaves a lot of danglers.
i know this sounds like i didn't like the book, but i did. i enjoyed reading it, and there are parts of it still in my head, but i also feel slightly befuddled. i can point to the parts that didn't work for me, but not the ones that did.
and yet i have a positive feeling overall when i think of this book.
perhaps this review will be improved with wine. it's worth trying.
nope, wine just made me sleepy.
regardless, i enjoyed reading this one, and i would be really interested to hear other people's reactions because for some reason, i am unable to articulate my own.
come to my blog!
December 23, 2013
It pains me to say this, but this is one of the worst books I've read in a long time. Normally I would have given up on it halfway through, but everything I had read about it made it seem like just the kind of thing I'd like. I don't even know where to start with all that's wrong with it. I guess I should start with the writing, which is just terrible. Maybe it's a bad translation (I read it in English), but it was honestly just dreadfully written. The way a 14-year-old would write a school essay. Then the plot... There are few things I hate more than when a book pretends to be magical realism, but is actually just really depressing reality (see also: Some Kind Of Fairy Tale). The 'Game' was absolutely ridiculous. The reactions of the people involved (sleeping for ages, having a stroke, etc) were just crazy. Being honest doesn't do that to people. And then there are the endless mentions of the main character's 'beautifully curving lips' and her nipples and her barrenness and a lot of weird sex stuff. Why was that there? The fact that this was written by a man make me feel intensely uncomfortable about all of that. Oh, and what's with calling people by their full name? It got to the point where I would have to fight the urge to chuck this wretched book across the room every time I read the words 'Ella Milana' (what kind of a name is that anyway?). Just... ugh. The thing is, I was expecting this to be great. To have a book you have such high expectations for, end up sucking so much, is just the worst.
February 24, 2015
This has been one of the stranger reading experiences I've had for some time---a book that bridges the real and fantastic worlds by way of an unusual local society of writers, writers developed from childhood by a mysterious local celebrity author, Laura White. This is not a book for those who crave realism or set chronology. They will despair and probably leave the story behind. There were moments of somewhat awkward writing/transitions (or was it awkward translating) where I wondered where the story was going, but I found that I really did want to know.
Rabbit Back is not a children's story though Laura White wrote children's books and initially worked with children. The children are now adults and live adult lives. Into this odd mix walks Ella, a temporary teacher who discovers a book with an apparent "virus". Somehow Crime and Punishment has changed. It's characters are not living up to expectations--as she finds out when she reads a student's essay on the classic and then confronts him on his errors. She is about to fall down a "rabbit hole" of sorts. (sorry, I couldn't resist)
As I reached the last page and finished reading the book, I said to my self --- ??? --- and then began to think about all that had come before in the novel: the development of writers, the search for subject matter, the mutation of books, the search for the truth of the society itself. Then I began to think about another question that was also asked many times---how did you get your ideas?
I think that I like the author's answer very much. (or should I say what I see as his answer)
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Rabbit Back is not a children's story though Laura White wrote children's books and initially worked with children. The children are now adults and live adult lives. Into this odd mix walks Ella, a temporary teacher who discovers a book with an apparent "virus". Somehow Crime and Punishment has changed. It's characters are not living up to expectations--as she finds out when she reads a student's essay on the classic and then confronts him on his errors. She is about to fall down a "rabbit hole" of sorts. (sorry, I couldn't resist)
As I reached the last page and finished reading the book, I said to my self --- ??? --- and then began to think about all that had come before in the novel: the development of writers, the search for subject matter, the mutation of books, the search for the truth of the society itself. Then I began to think about another question that was also asked many times---how did you get your ideas?
I think that I like the author's answer very much. (or should I say what I see as his answer)
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
July 31, 2021
The sad thing is that I finished reading the book almost two weeks ago, and I still don't know what to say. Not sure how I would describe the book, or even my experience of the book. I dunno, it was a mainly pleasant experience and a mainly pleasant book? A mysterious book but I wasn't completely absorbed by its mysteries? Wintry and forbidding but in a fun, approachable way? Charming but forgettable like an amusing person at a party whose name I will be unable to recall 10 minutes after the conversation? The protagonist was fine, the supporting characters were fine, and I'm in favor of positive depictions of sex with extremely overweight people. Er, um, I dunno. I'd recommend it because it's a well-written and occasionally compelling diversion. Ok now I'm just stringing words together. The book is not bad. This is not a bad book. The book is not a bad one, as far as books go. Did Jääskeläinen write this as an enjoyable diversion, as something relaxing to do inbetween other more distinctive projects? He seems like a dry but kind and humane fellow who is quietly amused by us human beans.
Two things were pretty striking to me. The first, a strange book that infects other books, causing their narratives to be rewritten if it comes anywhere near them. Not a great book to have in a library. Cool idea! The second, a large gang of dogs that . Didn't know dogs could do that. Good dogs!
Two things were pretty striking to me. The first, a strange book that infects other books, causing their narratives to be rewritten if it comes anywhere near them. Not a great book to have in a library. Cool idea! The second, a large gang of dogs that . Didn't know dogs could do that. Good dogs!
February 25, 2017
I didn't think I was ever going to read this book. I got it about a year ago, and then I read a few lukewarm reviews that decried it as cosy and twee. At that point, I put it to one side and sort of forgot about it. However, this month so far I have only really felt in the mood for cosy books, so I thought it might be just what I needed.
Perhaps my low expectations made me more receptive to the book, because not only did I really like it, I also found it surprisingly less cosy and twee than I had expected. Although it is whimsical throughout, at points it has a real darkness to it.
The fictional Finnish town of Rabbit Back is the setting for an odd, quirky, twisty tale which involves: a contagious 'book plague' causing novels' contents to change; the disappearance of a famous children's author; a psychological 'Game' which requires its players to spill their innermost secrets; and the unsolved mystery of a prodigiously talented boy's death. The titular Rabbit Back Literature Society is an elite club, made up of a group of nine children who have all grown up to be successful writers. It has, supposedly, never had a tenth member, until substitute English teacher Ella Milana - who has only ever written one short story - is invited to join. Ella's interest, though, is less in becoming an author and more in digging into the murky history of the Society, a pursuit that causes her to uncover more and more secrets at every turn.
The unpredictability of the plot makes for a compelling and magical read. My original assessment was partly right, as it is all quite twee - a story about an idiosyncratic, snow-bound town in which everyone is obsessed with children's books and mythical creatures can hardly avoid that. But I wouldn't call it cosy; there are some details that are downright disturbing. There are just enough hints of weirdness to keep you wondering whether there is an element of fantasy at work here, something compounded by the characters' frequent surreal dreams. Ella's research creates a patchwork of different accounts of the same events, a fascinating range of memories and interpretations, a theme that seems very fitting for a 'book about books'.
The things that annoyed me were mainly to do with needless repetition. The thing about Ella's 'lovely, curving lips' or 'beautiful curving lips' was so stupid - I remember that description being one of the main things that put me off continuing to read the book when I initially read the first page - and anyway, doesn't everyone have 'curving' lips? Is there a contingent of people with rectangular lips that I'm not aware of? Also (I've said it before and will continue to say it) one of my biggest pet hates is when a narrative constantly repeats a character's full name for no reason. There is only one Ella in the book, so absolutely no need for her to be referred to as 'Ella Milana' in every second paragraph. Finally, .
Aside from those small, but irritating, things, there isn't actually anything much wrong with the book at all - although the ending leaves various loose ends unresolved, which may disappoint some readers. Myself, I didn't even realise that certain mysteries hadn't been solved until I started writing this review. I would have liked to know , and yet I still found the book a satisfying read without knowing that. This is a good winter book, comforting and easily readable with enough edge to keep it more interesting than you might expect.
Perhaps my low expectations made me more receptive to the book, because not only did I really like it, I also found it surprisingly less cosy and twee than I had expected. Although it is whimsical throughout, at points it has a real darkness to it.
The fictional Finnish town of Rabbit Back is the setting for an odd, quirky, twisty tale which involves: a contagious 'book plague' causing novels' contents to change; the disappearance of a famous children's author; a psychological 'Game' which requires its players to spill their innermost secrets; and the unsolved mystery of a prodigiously talented boy's death. The titular Rabbit Back Literature Society is an elite club, made up of a group of nine children who have all grown up to be successful writers. It has, supposedly, never had a tenth member, until substitute English teacher Ella Milana - who has only ever written one short story - is invited to join. Ella's interest, though, is less in becoming an author and more in digging into the murky history of the Society, a pursuit that causes her to uncover more and more secrets at every turn.
The unpredictability of the plot makes for a compelling and magical read. My original assessment was partly right, as it is all quite twee - a story about an idiosyncratic, snow-bound town in which everyone is obsessed with children's books and mythical creatures can hardly avoid that. But I wouldn't call it cosy; there are some details that are downright disturbing. There are just enough hints of weirdness to keep you wondering whether there is an element of fantasy at work here, something compounded by the characters' frequent surreal dreams. Ella's research creates a patchwork of different accounts of the same events, a fascinating range of memories and interpretations, a theme that seems very fitting for a 'book about books'.
The things that annoyed me were mainly to do with needless repetition. The thing about Ella's 'lovely, curving lips' or 'beautiful curving lips' was so stupid - I remember that description being one of the main things that put me off continuing to read the book when I initially read the first page - and anyway, doesn't everyone have 'curving' lips? Is there a contingent of people with rectangular lips that I'm not aware of? Also (I've said it before and will continue to say it) one of my biggest pet hates is when a narrative constantly repeats a character's full name for no reason. There is only one Ella in the book, so absolutely no need for her to be referred to as 'Ella Milana' in every second paragraph. Finally, .
Aside from those small, but irritating, things, there isn't actually anything much wrong with the book at all - although the ending leaves various loose ends unresolved, which may disappoint some readers. Myself, I didn't even realise that certain mysteries hadn't been solved until I started writing this review. I would have liked to know , and yet I still found the book a satisfying read without knowing that. This is a good winter book, comforting and easily readable with enough edge to keep it more interesting than you might expect.
September 10, 2016
[3.5 Stars]
The Rabbit Back Literature Society will undoubtedly be the quirkiest book I’ll read this year. It is also one that I think a lot of you will enjoy!
I decided to pick The Rabbit Back Literature Society up on two accounts. The first: I wanted to read more international authors in 2016 and Finnish author Jääskeläainen fits the bill. The second: the AV Club picked this book as one of their favorites of 2015 and I tend to trust their judgment.
Roughly, the plot: Ella Milana is a young schoolteacher with literary aspirations who is inducted into the illustrious Rabbit Back Literature Society. There she joins a group of nine established authors and, on the night of her induction into the society, the society’s teacher disappears in an indoor snowstorm. This happens only a few pages after it is established that there is some sort of book plague changing classic works of literature in the Rabbit Back library.
It only gets stranger from there.
It seems Ella isn't the first tenth member of the group. A tenth boy was also once a member of the Rabbit Back Literature Society, and rumour has it he may have been the most talented writer of the group. Ella becomes obsessed with discovering the boy's fate while having to navigate the enigmatic society.
I suppose the only thing I could compare this to would be Haruki Murakami’s work: very absurd things happen and there's no guarantee you’ll get an explanation.
Luckily, the writing is also odd, mysterious, and more than a little creepy, which complements the story well. The expository passages choose subjects that are endlessly strange. Par example: a several page description of a naked obese man, that features a paragraph about the peculiarity of his nipples.
I'll happily be quoted on future editions of this book as follows: "Most in-depth nipple description I've ever read."
I never felt as if I knew the type of book I was reading. The magical realism seemed to peak around every corner of the narrative early on, only to give way to a murder mystery, then a series of character studies, and so on. Instead of being disorienting, the book’s strangeness is oddly compelling, and I was spirited on to the next chapter if only to try and unravel the increasingly tangled web that Jääskeläainen weaves.
I feel like I need a course to sort out the hidden meaning behind everything in The Rabbit Back Literature Society. I also feel oddly satisfied by the whole experience. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think that everyone will. Murakami fans will definitely find a lot to like, but so will people who don’t like Murakami. This is a novel of contradictions, and it requires you to question all that goes on between its pages. Is it madness, magic, murder, or a mix of all of those and more?
You know, I think you’ve just got to read it to know what’s what.
The Rabbit Back Literature Society will undoubtedly be the quirkiest book I’ll read this year. It is also one that I think a lot of you will enjoy!
I decided to pick The Rabbit Back Literature Society up on two accounts. The first: I wanted to read more international authors in 2016 and Finnish author Jääskeläainen fits the bill. The second: the AV Club picked this book as one of their favorites of 2015 and I tend to trust their judgment.
Roughly, the plot: Ella Milana is a young schoolteacher with literary aspirations who is inducted into the illustrious Rabbit Back Literature Society. There she joins a group of nine established authors and, on the night of her induction into the society, the society’s teacher disappears in an indoor snowstorm. This happens only a few pages after it is established that there is some sort of book plague changing classic works of literature in the Rabbit Back library.
It only gets stranger from there.
It seems Ella isn't the first tenth member of the group. A tenth boy was also once a member of the Rabbit Back Literature Society, and rumour has it he may have been the most talented writer of the group. Ella becomes obsessed with discovering the boy's fate while having to navigate the enigmatic society.
I suppose the only thing I could compare this to would be Haruki Murakami’s work: very absurd things happen and there's no guarantee you’ll get an explanation.
Luckily, the writing is also odd, mysterious, and more than a little creepy, which complements the story well. The expository passages choose subjects that are endlessly strange. Par example: a several page description of a naked obese man, that features a paragraph about the peculiarity of his nipples.
I'll happily be quoted on future editions of this book as follows: "Most in-depth nipple description I've ever read."
I never felt as if I knew the type of book I was reading. The magical realism seemed to peak around every corner of the narrative early on, only to give way to a murder mystery, then a series of character studies, and so on. Instead of being disorienting, the book’s strangeness is oddly compelling, and I was spirited on to the next chapter if only to try and unravel the increasingly tangled web that Jääskeläainen weaves.
I feel like I need a course to sort out the hidden meaning behind everything in The Rabbit Back Literature Society. I also feel oddly satisfied by the whole experience. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think that everyone will. Murakami fans will definitely find a lot to like, but so will people who don’t like Murakami. This is a novel of contradictions, and it requires you to question all that goes on between its pages. Is it madness, magic, murder, or a mix of all of those and more?
You know, I think you’ve just got to read it to know what’s what.
January 26, 2015
You can read this review and more on my blog, Caught Read Handed.
A confusing but sometimes enchanting story that’ll leave you lost in the end, The Rabbit Back Literature Society is good but not great.
NOTE: I was provided with an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Thomas Dunne Books for letting me read this.
What first drew me to this book was that absolutely gorgeous cover. Obviously. Then my friend Jo over at Drifting Pages bought it. Then I saw it on Netgalley and just had to read it. It has such an interesting concept. The Rabbit Back Literature Society was…good. Not great, but good. It’s well-written for the most part. The magical realism was really cool but also very strange, which I should have expected. However, it didn’t do anything. It didn’t go anywhere, which was really disappointing.
The thing that really disappointed me was the “mystery”. I like when books don’t answer all of your questions, leave you to figure out what you think happened. But I like when they answer SOME of them. One, even. There was little to no resolution for what was the biggest mystery in the whole book – the disappearance of Laura White. We do get resolution for one of the other mysteries, and I thought it was sweet and simple and wonderful, but we had NONE for the main mystery. It felt a little like I’d wasted my time.
The violence was also strange. I’m not sure if this is in part due to the fact that it’s been translated, but the authors of the society play “The Game” in which they can invoke a rule that allows them to hurt the other to get them to tell the truth. It was weird. There’s also one scene (only a few pages) that talks about an act of sexual violence that was seriously disturbing. I had to put the book down for a while.
I enjoyed the mysticism and magical realism, and most of the writing was interesting enough to keep me going. But feeling like you’ve part of the point when you finish is not something I like. Not bad but not great either.
The bottom line: I never really figured out what was happening or why I was reading about it. I will say that the book will push you violently out of your comfort zone, which I appreciated, and the magical realism was interesting and enchanting. I haven’t said much about the plot because 1. I’m not sure what the point was, and 2. I’m not sure there was supposed to be a point. If you like magical realism and translation, read this. But if you need things to be wrapped up, you’ll go insane at the end. Basically, read The Rabbit Back Literature Society at your own risk.
Rating: 6 – good, but not great
A confusing but sometimes enchanting story that’ll leave you lost in the end, The Rabbit Back Literature Society is good but not great.
NOTE: I was provided with an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Thomas Dunne Books for letting me read this.
What first drew me to this book was that absolutely gorgeous cover. Obviously. Then my friend Jo over at Drifting Pages bought it. Then I saw it on Netgalley and just had to read it. It has such an interesting concept. The Rabbit Back Literature Society was…good. Not great, but good. It’s well-written for the most part. The magical realism was really cool but also very strange, which I should have expected. However, it didn’t do anything. It didn’t go anywhere, which was really disappointing.
The thing that really disappointed me was the “mystery”. I like when books don’t answer all of your questions, leave you to figure out what you think happened. But I like when they answer SOME of them. One, even. There was little to no resolution for what was the biggest mystery in the whole book – the disappearance of Laura White. We do get resolution for one of the other mysteries, and I thought it was sweet and simple and wonderful, but we had NONE for the main mystery. It felt a little like I’d wasted my time.
The violence was also strange. I’m not sure if this is in part due to the fact that it’s been translated, but the authors of the society play “The Game” in which they can invoke a rule that allows them to hurt the other to get them to tell the truth. It was weird. There’s also one scene (only a few pages) that talks about an act of sexual violence that was seriously disturbing. I had to put the book down for a while.
I enjoyed the mysticism and magical realism, and most of the writing was interesting enough to keep me going. But feeling like you’ve part of the point when you finish is not something I like. Not bad but not great either.
The bottom line: I never really figured out what was happening or why I was reading about it. I will say that the book will push you violently out of your comfort zone, which I appreciated, and the magical realism was interesting and enchanting. I haven’t said much about the plot because 1. I’m not sure what the point was, and 2. I’m not sure there was supposed to be a point. If you like magical realism and translation, read this. But if you need things to be wrapped up, you’ll go insane at the end. Basically, read The Rabbit Back Literature Society at your own risk.
Rating: 6 – good, but not great
June 30, 2017
I stopped on the first page. The second paragraph, in its entirety, reads:
The reader's name was Ella Amanda Milana. She was twenty-six years old and the possessor of a pair of beautifully curving lips and a pair of defective ovaries, among other parts.
There are so many things wrong with that paragraph that I'm not even going to list them. Needless.to say, if you have the same visceral reaction to what you just read as I did, this is not the book for you.
The reader's name was Ella Amanda Milana. She was twenty-six years old and the possessor of a pair of beautifully curving lips and a pair of defective ovaries, among other parts.
There are so many things wrong with that paragraph that I'm not even going to list them. Needless.to say, if you have the same visceral reaction to what you just read as I did, this is not the book for you.
November 9, 2015
update: http://bit.ly/LauraSnezna
***
Panečku, tohle je žhavý kandidát na moji knihu roku. Rozhodně v rámci toho, co jsem zatím přečetla. Naprosto jedinečný příběh s detektivními prvky říznutý magickým realismem. Ale takovým tím opravdovým, který nepotřebujete na konci vysvětlit (a hlavně nechcete) a který zároveň funguje v ději, není tam uměle nastrkaný aby to jakože bylo cool a výjimečné (jako mi to připadalo třeba u Zvláštního smutku citronového koláče). Najdete tu knihy, v kterých se svévolně mění příběhy, podivný literární spolek s ještě podivnější Laurou Sněžnou v čele, spoustu mluvících a jeden přízrak v zahradě. Dýchá z toho severská podivná nátura a všechno to dohromady tvoří perfektní knihu. Včera jsem byla vzhůru dlouho po půlnoci, abych dočetla těch posledních pár stránek, to snad mluví za vše.
***
Panečku, tohle je žhavý kandidát na moji knihu roku. Rozhodně v rámci toho, co jsem zatím přečetla. Naprosto jedinečný příběh s detektivními prvky říznutý magickým realismem. Ale takovým tím opravdovým, který nepotřebujete na konci vysvětlit (a hlavně nechcete) a který zároveň funguje v ději, není tam uměle nastrkaný aby to jakože bylo cool a výjimečné (jako mi to připadalo třeba u Zvláštního smutku citronového koláče). Najdete tu knihy, v kterých se svévolně mění příběhy, podivný literární spolek s ještě podivnější Laurou Sněžnou v čele, spoustu mluvících a jeden přízrak v zahradě. Dýchá z toho severská podivná nátura a všechno to dohromady tvoří perfektní knihu. Včera jsem byla vzhůru dlouho po půlnoci, abych dočetla těch posledních pár stránek, to snad mluví za vše.
January 6, 2016
Description: Only nine people have ever been chosen by renowned children’s author Laura White to join “The Rabbit Back Literature Society,” an elite group of writers in the small town of Rabbit Back. Now a tenth member has been selected: Ella, a young literature teacher. Soon Ella discovers that the Society is not what it seems. What is its mysterious ritual known as “The Game”? What explains the strange disappearance that occurs at Laura White’s winter party? Why are the words inside books starting to rearrange themselves? Was there once another tenth member, before her? Slowly, as Ella explores the Society and its history, disturbing secrets that had been buried start to come to light...
Opening: The reader was at first surprised, then shocked, as the criminal Raskolnikov was abruptly slain in the middle of the street, right before her eyes.
What, THE Raskolnikov? *gasp* From the cover to the premise I was coloured intrigued so I read on...
...through the indoor snow, and soon arrived at a place that reminded me of a line in The Gruffalo's Child:Aha! Oho! A trail in the snow!
Whose is this track and where does it go?
A corking story, full of chill and just a couple of flaws that are easy to overlook.
Packs of dogs add menace to this dark fairytale
June 2, 2024
Come ti permetti tu....Pasi Ilmari Jääskvattelapekä a scrivere un romanzo così e dare quella fine?
No fammi capire...già che la tua protagonista ha labbra carnose e seducenti,un carattere di merda e un problema alle ovaie e te la passo.
Già che è ambientato a Sella di Lepre, c'è una valle Lepriqualcosa, un negozio dolci lepresi, tutte ste lepri leprose però 'ndo stanno?
Per me hai messo troppa carne (spero non di lepre a sto punto) al fuoco.
Elementi magici, del folklore norvegese, letteratura, giallo, un po' di spicy così a muzzo per non avere un LEPRE di finale?
Magari non hai digerito la cena e tutti gli incubi si sono ritrovati qui dentro.
Per fortuna che ho trovato questa copia nella corsia del supermercato ad un prezzo stracciato...se non ricordo male era sui 4€ o giù di lì.
A sto giro i conigli, o meglio le lepri, mi hanno infinocchiata alla stra grande
No fammi capire...già che la tua protagonista ha labbra carnose e seducenti,un carattere di merda e un problema alle ovaie e te la passo.
Già che è ambientato a Sella di Lepre, c'è una valle Lepriqualcosa, un negozio dolci lepresi, tutte ste lepri leprose però 'ndo stanno?
Per me hai messo troppa carne (spero non di lepre a sto punto) al fuoco.
Elementi magici, del folklore norvegese, letteratura, giallo, un po' di spicy così a muzzo per non avere un LEPRE di finale?
Magari non hai digerito la cena e tutti gli incubi si sono ritrovati qui dentro.
Per fortuna che ho trovato questa copia nella corsia del supermercato ad un prezzo stracciato...se non ricordo male era sui 4€ o giù di lì.
A sto giro i conigli, o meglio le lepri, mi hanno infinocchiata alla stra grande
January 26, 2015
A mythological mapping of the craft, of writerly aspirations and all associated neuroses, The Rabbit Back Literature Society is the writer’s novel, distilled and bottled into a lovely winter’s night mystery tale. It is a windblown snowstorm of tangents, disturbing dreams, and frightening forays into the psyche sweeping up into drifts of mystique, the answers to which are rewarded the prudent reader.
There’s The Game, a source of inspiration and the drain of friendship among The Rabbit Back Literature Society. The Game equips its combatants with the bone saws of the psyche and the scalpel of dreams; the author derives inspiration from any source, extracts it with extreme prejudice. The Game is one of the more interesting aspects of this Society, almost as interesting as the obfuscated history that flickers like fish under a sheet of ice. This we find Ella chipping at this ice with the pick that is The Game, and are we sure it is only fish we'll find under there?
You find Finnish mythology springing up like toadstools along with gnomes and trolls. You have professional mythology mappers visiting your home for an extended period of time and walking out with a checklist of supernatural beasts, some positive, some simply horrendous. There is talk of water spirits whisking children at small puddles into unfathomable depths. There is magic seeping from the cracks of the Rabbit Back Literature Society, as Ella, ever the methodical researcher, pries them open.
There are recurring themes, strange tidbits of information that become relevant later in the narrative, like echoes that, instead of fading away, reassert themselves. You’re invited to sleuth on an unconscious level and if you didn’t catch it earlier, it becomes apparent later on. I find this self-referential nature makes a novel more pleasurable to read.
The Rabbit Back Literature Society begins with an unexpected snowstorm and ends with a pack of howling dogs. In between are the obsessions and preoccupations, all the crazy little things that are the guts and blood of a writer, and magic, plenty of magic hiding in intimations of humanity.
There’s The Game, a source of inspiration and the drain of friendship among The Rabbit Back Literature Society. The Game equips its combatants with the bone saws of the psyche and the scalpel of dreams; the author derives inspiration from any source, extracts it with extreme prejudice. The Game is one of the more interesting aspects of this Society, almost as interesting as the obfuscated history that flickers like fish under a sheet of ice. This we find Ella chipping at this ice with the pick that is The Game, and are we sure it is only fish we'll find under there?
You find Finnish mythology springing up like toadstools along with gnomes and trolls. You have professional mythology mappers visiting your home for an extended period of time and walking out with a checklist of supernatural beasts, some positive, some simply horrendous. There is talk of water spirits whisking children at small puddles into unfathomable depths. There is magic seeping from the cracks of the Rabbit Back Literature Society, as Ella, ever the methodical researcher, pries them open.
There are recurring themes, strange tidbits of information that become relevant later in the narrative, like echoes that, instead of fading away, reassert themselves. You’re invited to sleuth on an unconscious level and if you didn’t catch it earlier, it becomes apparent later on. I find this self-referential nature makes a novel more pleasurable to read.
The Rabbit Back Literature Society begins with an unexpected snowstorm and ends with a pack of howling dogs. In between are the obsessions and preoccupations, all the crazy little things that are the guts and blood of a writer, and magic, plenty of magic hiding in intimations of humanity.
August 28, 2017
Knihu jsem začal číst už v prosinci, ale skončil jsem přibližně na straně 60, nějak mě to nechytlo. Ale před pár dny jsem v knize pokračoval a najednou se z ní stal úžasný literární zážitek. Neuvěřitelně zajímavý příběh a úžasný překlad. Knihu jsem si vážně užil.
October 15, 2015
I really enjoyed this book, but it definitely helped talking out some of the themes with my book club. Ostensibly this book is about the strange occurrences that surround a prestigious group of writers in Scandinavia, The Rabbit Back Literature Society is an exploration of the nature of memory and how it influences identity and relationships.
The story of this book follows and explores the history of The Rabbit Back Literature Society and its secretive founder, the beloved children's book writer Laura White. Through this narrative we see how the various writers were influenced by the events of their past and how the memory of those events influence the present
For instance, Ella Milana's, one of the main characters, father is in decline due to Alzheimers disease. As he lost more and more of his memories he became less and less the person his daughter had grown up with a loved. Where once he was a great runner, he had been reduced to an old man puttering around in a garden, preferring to spend time in the garden, oblivious to his surroundings. When he finally passes he does not feel that she has lost her father because he had been gone for so long already.
The book also explores the nature of the writers' memories through something called The Game. In The Game, writers can accost each other and force them to "spill" about anything and they must be absolutely honest about it, no matter how private.
Of course the story itself is also pretty neat. There is some sort magical goings on: suggestions of faery creatures, spontaneously rearranging books, disappearing authors. The mystery Ella tries to uncover is also fascinating and is a dark secret at the heart of the society. The path to get there winds through many pasts and shows just how fickle and unreliable memory is.
"Martti, if you were any less interested in what was happening around you, you'd be indistinguishable from a leather sofa."
~~~
She'd wanted to do literary-historical research that might bring to light a few small skeletons - secret relationships, homosexuality, that sort of thing. Pleasant little scandals. Murder victims weren't the sort of thing she'd been hoping to dig up.
~~~
I don't remember anymore exactly what he wrote, but when I heard him read hi stories out loud in Laura's reading room I remember thinking, "Fuck, thanks a lot, guess I'll give up writing now.
~~~
The story was very engaging, the mystery was intriguing, and the pages just kept turning. A word of warning though: the end is a bit ambiguous and the epilogue is really the last chapter of the story and not a traditional epilogue. All in all though I really enjoyed reading this book which was very much out of my usual track of genres.
The story of this book follows and explores the history of The Rabbit Back Literature Society and its secretive founder, the beloved children's book writer Laura White. Through this narrative we see how the various writers were influenced by the events of their past and how the memory of those events influence the present
For instance, Ella Milana's, one of the main characters, father is in decline due to Alzheimers disease. As he lost more and more of his memories he became less and less the person his daughter had grown up with a loved. Where once he was a great runner, he had been reduced to an old man puttering around in a garden, preferring to spend time in the garden, oblivious to his surroundings. When he finally passes he does not feel that she has lost her father because he had been gone for so long already.
The book also explores the nature of the writers' memories through something called The Game. In The Game, writers can accost each other and force them to "spill" about anything and they must be absolutely honest about it, no matter how private.
"You see, The Game doesn't produce stories, it produces material for stories. that happens when you break open stories and let their unformed essence spill out. that's what The Game is for. Everybody has valuable material inside them that The Game can help draw out."Ella, the first new member in decades, uses this to ferret out the murky history of the society that she is researching. It also clearly serves as a method to explore how people remember their past and how it influences their present identity.
Of course the story itself is also pretty neat. There is some sort magical goings on: suggestions of faery creatures, spontaneously rearranging books, disappearing authors. The mystery Ella tries to uncover is also fascinating and is a dark secret at the heart of the society. The path to get there winds through many pasts and shows just how fickle and unreliable memory is.
She pounded on her memory like a coffee machine on the blink, but her past returned only in small fragments. If all of her remembered images from birth to confirmation were laid end to end, they would have formed at most a short film of ten minutes, grainy, fuzzy, and confused.This book was also beautifully written. The prose was excellent and the characters vibrant. Here are a few of the passages I really enjoyed:
"Martti, if you were any less interested in what was happening around you, you'd be indistinguishable from a leather sofa."
~~~
She'd wanted to do literary-historical research that might bring to light a few small skeletons - secret relationships, homosexuality, that sort of thing. Pleasant little scandals. Murder victims weren't the sort of thing she'd been hoping to dig up.
~~~
I don't remember anymore exactly what he wrote, but when I heard him read hi stories out loud in Laura's reading room I remember thinking, "Fuck, thanks a lot, guess I'll give up writing now.
~~~
The story was very engaging, the mystery was intriguing, and the pages just kept turning. A word of warning though: the end is a bit ambiguous and the epilogue is really the last chapter of the story and not a traditional epilogue. All in all though I really enjoyed reading this book which was very much out of my usual track of genres.
March 7, 2015
I loved the darkness of this novel. It presents terrors and wonders in a matter-of-fact way, as being contingent on reality like traffic jams or bad weather. The central mystery – the disappearance of the celebrated child author Laura White– is neither resolved nor explained by the end (indeed, it is replaced by the larger mystery of her near-death experience as a child when she fell through the ice in a lake).
In a novel full of such mysteries, it begins with Ella discovering that certain books at the local library have been afflicted with a mysterious condition whereby plot elements are changed. (Rabbit Back is the name of the town). This is later referred to as a ‘virus’ or ‘bacteria’, possibly stemming from a rare Laura White first edition that the librarian keeps under lock-and-key in the library.
The reader has barely gotten to terms with this initial weirdness – I felt a strong urge to call upon the literary detection services of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next – when the novel truly begins, as it were, with Ella’s own introduction to the Rabbit Back Literature Society.
Here the novel takes a much darker, and decidedly more adult, turn. The Society’s members were hand-picked by Laura White as children and nurtured into literary prodigies themselves. Ella is rather overwhelmed to be chosen as the missing tenth member at the same function where Laura White disappears (in a blistering cloud of snow that miraculously appears indoors).
This feeling is quickly replaced by curiosity, and Ella begins a quest to unravel the origins of the Society and what makes it tick. Naturally (because this is a thriller), the original tenth member died under mysterious circumstances while still a child (a child whom everyone else envied and resented for his overflowing genius).
Ella’s quest quickly brings her to The Game, a version of truth-or-dare whereby Society members challenge each other to reveal their deepest and darkest secrets and desires. The process of doing this is called ‘Spilling’; the terms and conditions of a challenge are bound by the Society’s own ironclad rule book ... including Rule 21, which permits members to use violence or force on each other.
It is in this way that the writers of the Society find fresh material for their own books and stories. By the time Ella arrives on the scene, innocent and unaware, they are all longing for fresh blood. Literally.
I hope I am not making this sound like a vampire novel, because it is not. It is, but it is also much else besides. Ella’s Challenge of Marrti Winter leads to a complicated erotic entanglement.
In a masterful counter-challenge, Martti compels Ella to describe her body when she looks at herself naked in a mirror: the point is to convey her vulnerability and phobia of her own flesh. Martti himself has long succumbed to a food fetish that has left him grossly overweight and house-bound. Their journey of sexual (re)discovery, trying to fit their very different bodies together, is both tender and hilarious.
There have been many books about writing and writers, but this has to be one of the strangest I have ever read. There is an undercurrent here of writing itself as a harmful or unhealthy activity, with authors preying on people’s weaknesses. When Ella joins the society, all its members have long since retreated into their own private wars and petty squabbles.
The irony is that they are totally oblivious to the glimpse of magic that attracts Ella to the Society in the first place. I particularly liked the ending, which is a kind of resolution on one level, but it is also quite unexpectedly sad. Jääskeläinen has written a near-perfect book for readers.
In a novel full of such mysteries, it begins with Ella discovering that certain books at the local library have been afflicted with a mysterious condition whereby plot elements are changed. (Rabbit Back is the name of the town). This is later referred to as a ‘virus’ or ‘bacteria’, possibly stemming from a rare Laura White first edition that the librarian keeps under lock-and-key in the library.
The reader has barely gotten to terms with this initial weirdness – I felt a strong urge to call upon the literary detection services of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next – when the novel truly begins, as it were, with Ella’s own introduction to the Rabbit Back Literature Society.
Here the novel takes a much darker, and decidedly more adult, turn. The Society’s members were hand-picked by Laura White as children and nurtured into literary prodigies themselves. Ella is rather overwhelmed to be chosen as the missing tenth member at the same function where Laura White disappears (in a blistering cloud of snow that miraculously appears indoors).
This feeling is quickly replaced by curiosity, and Ella begins a quest to unravel the origins of the Society and what makes it tick. Naturally (because this is a thriller), the original tenth member died under mysterious circumstances while still a child (a child whom everyone else envied and resented for his overflowing genius).
Ella’s quest quickly brings her to The Game, a version of truth-or-dare whereby Society members challenge each other to reveal their deepest and darkest secrets and desires. The process of doing this is called ‘Spilling’; the terms and conditions of a challenge are bound by the Society’s own ironclad rule book ... including Rule 21, which permits members to use violence or force on each other.
It is in this way that the writers of the Society find fresh material for their own books and stories. By the time Ella arrives on the scene, innocent and unaware, they are all longing for fresh blood. Literally.
I hope I am not making this sound like a vampire novel, because it is not. It is, but it is also much else besides. Ella’s Challenge of Marrti Winter leads to a complicated erotic entanglement.
In a masterful counter-challenge, Martti compels Ella to describe her body when she looks at herself naked in a mirror: the point is to convey her vulnerability and phobia of her own flesh. Martti himself has long succumbed to a food fetish that has left him grossly overweight and house-bound. Their journey of sexual (re)discovery, trying to fit their very different bodies together, is both tender and hilarious.
There have been many books about writing and writers, but this has to be one of the strangest I have ever read. There is an undercurrent here of writing itself as a harmful or unhealthy activity, with authors preying on people’s weaknesses. When Ella joins the society, all its members have long since retreated into their own private wars and petty squabbles.
The irony is that they are totally oblivious to the glimpse of magic that attracts Ella to the Society in the first place. I particularly liked the ending, which is a kind of resolution on one level, but it is also quite unexpectedly sad. Jääskeläinen has written a near-perfect book for readers.
February 27, 2019
...ževraj setkání Twin Peaks a bratří Grimmů
ak sa Lynch práve neobracia v hrobe, tak len preto, že ešte neumrel. Chyba, ktorú napraví, akonáhle zistí, kam zas capli jeho meno.
Atmosférou to pripomína skôr Midsomer.
...ževraj raný Murakami
ak podstata ranej murakamiovitosti spočíva v miere WTFoidnosti záveru, tak áno, toto by určite dosiahlo takých 0.7 raného Murakamiho
...ževraj predstavte si Zločin a trest, v ktorom Soňa Marmeládová zastrelí Raskoľnikova. Znie to absurdne?
absurdne by to znelo, keby zastrelila Dostojevského.
Každopádne, tento sľubný metafikčný námet so zmutovanými knihami autor síce načne, ale nakoniec sa mu vôbec nevenuje...
Ďalšie poznámky:
...po obsahovej stránke som v knihe nenašla nič tak nevšedné alebo absurdné, že by to presahovalo hranice bežného fantasy a zaslúžilo si honosné označenie podivno
...preložené fínske mená (Ingrid Kočičková, pán Zimota, pani Skalická atď) mi rezali uši a prispievali k všeobecnému pocitu infantilnosti (a tých mien tam bolo strašne veľa a autor ich donemoty opakoval) Na druhej strane chápem, že ak je Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen bežné fínske meno, preložiť to na Jakub Kincl vyjde ekologickejšie a finančne výhodnejčie. Tiež chápem, že bežný príslušník akéhokoľvek slovanského národa zvládne len určitý počet prehlások na stranu, kým sa psychicky zrúti
...po štylistickej a jazykovej stránke to bola radosť čítať
ak sa Lynch práve neobracia v hrobe, tak len preto, že ešte neumrel. Chyba, ktorú napraví, akonáhle zistí, kam zas capli jeho meno.
Atmosférou to pripomína skôr Midsomer.
...ževraj raný Murakami
ak podstata ranej murakamiovitosti spočíva v miere WTFoidnosti záveru, tak áno, toto by určite dosiahlo takých 0.7 raného Murakamiho
...ževraj predstavte si Zločin a trest, v ktorom Soňa Marmeládová zastrelí Raskoľnikova. Znie to absurdne?
absurdne by to znelo, keby zastrelila Dostojevského.
Každopádne, tento sľubný metafikčný námet so zmutovanými knihami autor síce načne, ale nakoniec sa mu vôbec nevenuje...
Ďalšie poznámky:
...po obsahovej stránke som v knihe nenašla nič tak nevšedné alebo absurdné, že by to presahovalo hranice bežného fantasy a zaslúžilo si honosné označenie podivno
...preložené fínske mená (Ingrid Kočičková, pán Zimota, pani Skalická atď) mi rezali uši a prispievali k všeobecnému pocitu infantilnosti (a tých mien tam bolo strašne veľa a autor ich donemoty opakoval) Na druhej strane chápem, že ak je Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen bežné fínske meno, preložiť to na Jakub Kincl vyjde ekologickejšie a finančne výhodnejčie. Tiež chápem, že bežný príslušník akéhokoľvek slovanského národa zvládne len určitý počet prehlások na stranu, kým sa psychicky zrúti
...po štylistickej a jazykovej stránke to bola radosť čítať
January 12, 2016
I've said at least twice, in writing, that I wouldn't read this book because it sounds too twee. And it is twee, but not excruciatingly so. Maybe this is the same part of me talking that actually rather liked 500 Days of Summer in the cinema. The description here isn't as sickly-oversweet as in Catherynne M. Valente's Fairyland. And life is not exactly perfect: as the story opens, the protagonist's father has Alzheimers in his 50s. But the book is twee in that even when something unpleasant is mentioned, the description is not emotionally raw (sometimes you need that for a change, instead of being continually wrenched) and we get a lot of reversion to a child[like] perspective: for instance, as Ella drives her parents' car Her place in this car with these people was on the back seat on the right. Not 'was once' (which would have given a nice tingle of nostalgia, especially if with some cultural detail of twenty years ago) - this instead is a 26 year old still living within the child-self, playing teacher in a small town where mythological decorations are everywhere, and amazingly most locals like them and they're given frequently as gifts, rather than being exasperating tourist tat and/or a job. Their preponderance is thanks to supernatural murmurings in the vicinity, plus resident world-famous children's author Laura White - or Laura Lumikko in the original. Another great way for a translated book to get on the wrong side of me. Anglicise the bloody names why? Provide footnotes if the meanings are important, please (and they weren't very.) Leaving the names of the mythological beings in Finnish, rather than saying 'gnomes', 'nixies', etc, would have also improved the sense of place - though I think I'm part of a different translated fiction market from the one this book's aimed at. Anyway, Lumikko's creations are analogous to Moomins in their place in Finnish and world culture, though she's a completely different personality from Tove Jansson.
Martti, meanwhile, has wandered in from another book, something by a middling imitator of Updike, Roth and Amis. The rest of The Rabbit Back Literature Society is recognisable as subcultural genre twee + dark. (A lot of twee things for adults are very dark in places, but it tends to surprise people, because it rarely gels as well as it does in, say, Edward Gorey. Although the obliqueness and strangeness of its not gelling is also part of the attraction.) Martti is fully - and gigantically - embodied; one hears what it feels like to be him, (I imagined him as a hugely obese version of Jääskeläinen) whilst everyone else is a sketch, seen from the outside; the heroine, Ella, sees herself more often than not from the outside too.
I loved reading a book which didn't make me feel anything much, it was just a story. (Not necessarily a common reaction to this novel - some have found it disturbing.) Fiction can be exhausting to me because it nearly always has emotional resonance, and/or I end up identifying with someone. (A problem with crime fiction - I mean it to be low-effort reading, but usually end up identifying with some grumpy detective). And non-fiction there's just too bloody much I want to note and discuss. Here, I didn't identify with anyone, no-one was so annoying I couldn't put up with them for a short while (though wouldn't be in a hurry to read about them again) and nothing, even the most unpleasant bits, was written in a way that really got under my skin. Perhaps also because characters accept a lot of weird stuff, and to process it they usually sleep rather than think and angst about it. I would briefly think such and such was an unusual reaction; or that it was perceptive to show people wanting to ignore each other after they'd had to break so many boundaries with not-wholly voluntary personal revelations; or a lot of readers wouldn't like that bit. But that was it, nothing wrenching my emotions all over the place. Hang on, this is what reading used to feel like when I was a kid; reading that actually feels like leisure, escapism, almost like watching sport when I'm not rooting for anyone particular; it didn't always used to be emotional labour.
N.B. If you've read the book and aren't sure you've worked out the whole mystery, there's a post on the author's blog that will help.
Martti, meanwhile, has wandered in from another book, something by a middling imitator of Updike, Roth and Amis. The rest of The Rabbit Back Literature Society is recognisable as subcultural genre twee + dark. (A lot of twee things for adults are very dark in places, but it tends to surprise people, because it rarely gels as well as it does in, say, Edward Gorey. Although the obliqueness and strangeness of its not gelling is also part of the attraction.) Martti is fully - and gigantically - embodied; one hears what it feels like to be him, (I imagined him as a hugely obese version of Jääskeläinen) whilst everyone else is a sketch, seen from the outside; the heroine, Ella, sees herself more often than not from the outside too.
I loved reading a book which didn't make me feel anything much, it was just a story. (Not necessarily a common reaction to this novel - some have found it disturbing.) Fiction can be exhausting to me because it nearly always has emotional resonance, and/or I end up identifying with someone. (A problem with crime fiction - I mean it to be low-effort reading, but usually end up identifying with some grumpy detective). And non-fiction there's just too bloody much I want to note and discuss. Here, I didn't identify with anyone, no-one was so annoying I couldn't put up with them for a short while (though wouldn't be in a hurry to read about them again) and nothing, even the most unpleasant bits, was written in a way that really got under my skin. Perhaps also because characters accept a lot of weird stuff, and to process it they usually sleep rather than think and angst about it. I would briefly think such and such was an unusual reaction; or that it was perceptive to show people wanting to ignore each other after they'd had to break so many boundaries with not-wholly voluntary personal revelations; or a lot of readers wouldn't like that bit. But that was it, nothing wrenching my emotions all over the place. Hang on, this is what reading used to feel like when I was a kid; reading that actually feels like leisure, escapism, almost like watching sport when I'm not rooting for anyone particular; it didn't always used to be emotional labour.
N.B. If you've read the book and aren't sure you've worked out the whole mystery, there's a post on the author's blog that will help.
January 6, 2018
There’s some interesting elements to this book: the mysterious book viruses, which changes the plots and corrupts the narratives of various books in the Rabbit Back library; the disappearance of Laura White; the mystery of the original tenth member of the society. But mostly it felt unfocused, because there’s a lot going on: the society, the game they play, their pasts, the disappearance, the main character’s experiences with her family…
And honestly, the more I read, the more I felt like I was reading the fantasies of your stereotypical dirty old man. I felt like he undressed all the characters in his mind, in more ways than one, and took delight in displaying that to the reader. It felt prurient, and I was grossed out by some of the revelations. Also, I don’t think people honestly walk around being so conscious of their own nicely shaped lips in the way that his main character does.
The resolutions to the mysteries — the ones we actually get, since there isn’t a resolution to Laura White’s disappearance, for instance — are kind of anti-climatic. I did keep reading, because I wanted to know how it would all come together, but… I kind of regret bothering. It just never comes to anything. There’s some clever writing and some intriguing ideas, but it’s all surface.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
And honestly, the more I read, the more I felt like I was reading the fantasies of your stereotypical dirty old man. I felt like he undressed all the characters in his mind, in more ways than one, and took delight in displaying that to the reader. It felt prurient, and I was grossed out by some of the revelations. Also, I don’t think people honestly walk around being so conscious of their own nicely shaped lips in the way that his main character does.
The resolutions to the mysteries — the ones we actually get, since there isn’t a resolution to Laura White’s disappearance, for instance — are kind of anti-climatic. I did keep reading, because I wanted to know how it would all come together, but… I kind of regret bothering. It just never comes to anything. There’s some clever writing and some intriguing ideas, but it’s all surface.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
February 19, 2018
Na Literární spolek Laury Sněžné už jsem si myslela nějakou dobu. Zaujala mě obálka, která je tedy parádní. Zaujalo lákadlo na "finské Twin Peaks". Pak se mi náhodou dostala do ruky jiná autorova kniha, která mě dostala svou magičností a vábivým perem Jääskeläinenovým. O to víc jsem se na Lauru těšila. To jí bohužel uškodilo, jak moje přehnané těšení se, tak ale i ta lákadla na obálce. K Twin Peaks bych to nepřirovnávala ani zdaleka, na to je to vlastně málo magické. Mám magický realismus hodně ráda, ale tady ho bylo jen tak trochu popepřeno. Zprvu dodával na šmaku, ale pak to autor s pepřenkou možná zase trochu přehnal a do vyznění knihy už mi závěrěčná část moc neseděla (úplný konec se mi ovšem líbil). Některé pasáže mě bavily dost, ale celkově mě neuspokojilo to, že to bylo nevyvážené, občas jsem měla tendence i přeskakovat. Některé motivy byly parádní a držet se jich pevněji, určitě by Laura dosáhla k více hvězdám. Takhle jen za polovic.
January 1, 2020
Says one of the brilliant booksellers at Word Bookstore: A surrealist mystery that involves an exclusive literary society, their secret -- possibly murderous -- past, a famous disappearance, and a disease that causes the words in books to morph, scatter, change? Yeah, it's got a lot going on; but I could not stop reading and exploring the bizarre world of Rabbit Back. If you enjoy the mythic and fantastical, and don't mind an ending with a few loose ends, I highly recommend you pick this one up.
September 13, 2017
Musím říct, že mě to zaujalo od prvních stránek. Magický realismus mě baví, to vím už dlouho, tady se navíc spojí s detektivní zápletkou. Jo, tohle by šlo! :))
January 1, 2017
I really enjoyed this book! The story was engrossing and was a fast read. And dare I say it? I enjoyed a book with magical realism!
Alright, I bumped it up to 5 stars! It's now December and I've been thinking about this book since I read it in March! I also chose it as my favorite Eclectic Readers book of 2016, so it deserves the bump up to 5 stars!
Alright, I bumped it up to 5 stars! It's now December and I've been thinking about this book since I read it in March! I also chose it as my favorite Eclectic Readers book of 2016, so it deserves the bump up to 5 stars!
May 31, 2018
Dočteno. Na začátek bych ráda řekla, že ono přirovnání k ranému Murakamimu, mi přišlo zcela zcestné. Docela mě to mrzelo, protože to byl jeden z faktorů, proč jsem se rozhodla si knihu přečíst. Marketingový tah to byl ale asi dobrý, protože co jsem pak zpětně pročítala diskuze, nebyla jsem jediná, kdo jim takzvaně skočil na špek.
A teď k samotné knize. Jak jsem řekla už na úvod, k dobrému magickému realismu to má daleko. Spíš šlo podle mě o takový chabý pokus, kdy ho v některých pasážích bylo málo, někde zas trochu moc. Realita se s podivnem nepřelévala tak, jak by měla. Nepůsobilo to věrohodně a ani to čtenáře nenutilo přemýšlet, ba co víc, i se trochu bát a mít z toho takový divný pocit (jak jsem třeba zvyklá u již zmiňovaného Murakamiho).
Sympatické mi ale bylo prostředí, ve kterém se příběh odehrával. Studené Finsko, učitelka finské literatury se zápalem pro knihy, prostředí knihovny a kaváren. Při čtení se mi vybavovalo prostředí z nedávno zfilmovaného Sněhuláka od Nesba, tak to na mě působilo.
Literární spolek Laury Sněžné. Tajemná Laura Sněžná, vybírající si v městečku Zaječín šťastlivce, kteří se pod jejíma rukama stanou úspěšnými spisovateli. Donedávna jich bylo jen devět, desátým se, díky svému talentu, stala právě naše učitelka Ella. Pak ale Laura Sněžná jednoho večera zmizí a věci začnou nabírat úplně jiný směr. Ella se dá do pátrání po historii spolku, snaží se zjistit pravdu o bývalém desátém členu a o Lauře Sněžné jako takové. Že by věci vůbec nebyly tak, jak se na první pohled zdálo?
Nebýt erotických scén, kterých sice nebylo moc, ale i tak mi v knížce připadaly jako pěst na oko, byla by to skvělá kniha pro děti nebo mládež.
Na začátku mi navíc dělalo problém se začíst. Pak, během pátrání po bývalém desátém členovi spolku a po pasážích, ve kterých probíhala Hra, se mi četlo docela dobře. Během večera jsem pak knihu naráz dočetla. Konec ale nepřinesl ono potřebné wow. Došlo k rozuzlení jen jedné dějové linie a zbylé zůstaly nevyřešené. Omluvou je snad jedině fakt, že tak už to často u magického realismu bývá. Člověk si má spoustu věcí domyslet podle svého. Většinou je v tom ale kouzlo a je to udělané s určitou elegancí, což mi tady bohužel chybělo.
A teď k samotné knize. Jak jsem řekla už na úvod, k dobrému magickému realismu to má daleko. Spíš šlo podle mě o takový chabý pokus, kdy ho v některých pasážích bylo málo, někde zas trochu moc. Realita se s podivnem nepřelévala tak, jak by měla. Nepůsobilo to věrohodně a ani to čtenáře nenutilo přemýšlet, ba co víc, i se trochu bát a mít z toho takový divný pocit (jak jsem třeba zvyklá u již zmiňovaného Murakamiho).
Sympatické mi ale bylo prostředí, ve kterém se příběh odehrával. Studené Finsko, učitelka finské literatury se zápalem pro knihy, prostředí knihovny a kaváren. Při čtení se mi vybavovalo prostředí z nedávno zfilmovaného Sněhuláka od Nesba, tak to na mě působilo.
Literární spolek Laury Sněžné. Tajemná Laura Sněžná, vybírající si v městečku Zaječín šťastlivce, kteří se pod jejíma rukama stanou úspěšnými spisovateli. Donedávna jich bylo jen devět, desátým se, díky svému talentu, stala právě naše učitelka Ella. Pak ale Laura Sněžná jednoho večera zmizí a věci začnou nabírat úplně jiný směr. Ella se dá do pátrání po historii spolku, snaží se zjistit pravdu o bývalém desátém členu a o Lauře Sněžné jako takové. Že by věci vůbec nebyly tak, jak se na první pohled zdálo?
Nebýt erotických scén, kterých sice nebylo moc, ale i tak mi v knížce připadaly jako pěst na oko, byla by to skvělá kniha pro děti nebo mládež.
Na začátku mi navíc dělalo problém se začíst. Pak, během pátrání po bývalém desátém členovi spolku a po pasážích, ve kterých probíhala Hra, se mi četlo docela dobře. Během večera jsem pak knihu naráz dočetla. Konec ale nepřinesl ono potřebné wow. Došlo k rozuzlení jen jedné dějové linie a zbylé zůstaly nevyřešené. Omluvou je snad jedině fakt, že tak už to často u magického realismu bývá. Člověk si má spoustu věcí domyslet podle svého. Většinou je v tom ale kouzlo a je to udělané s určitou elegancí, což mi tady bohužel chybělo.
April 18, 2021
Jako čudna knjiga koja se meni mnogo svidjela, uvrnuta, neobična i zabavna, a na momente i zastrašujuća i misteriozna, na momente protkana čarolijom! 5⭐, jer lično volim magiju i moram priznati da mi se mnogo svidjelo i Društvo književnika Zečeva i Laura Lasica, a i sam rasplet bar jednog dijela misterije, dok drugi, bar po mom poimanju, ostaje da nagađamo i samo raspletemo! Preporuka kao kuća 🙂!
March 28, 2015
A shout out to Lola M. Rogers who translated this book from Finnish and made it possible for it to be read in English.
I love reading translated fiction as it gives me a chance to peek into cultures totally different from mine. Reading translated books lets me catch glimpses of the different kinds of people and societies populating this world. There’s something deliciously foreign and yet familiar about translated books. At least I thought so. With that introduction, let’s move on to the review of this strange and wonderful book.
The Rabbit Back Literature Society focuses on Ella Milana who is a teacher at a high school when we first meet her. Her life hasn’t exactly spun out as she had hope it would. First, the doctor had told her that her ovaries were defective which meant she couldn’t ever have children, and then she and her fiance split due to the aforementioned ovaries. At least, Ella Milana consoles herself, she does have really beautiful lips that curve just so.
Rabbit Back is Ella’s hometown where her parents still live. When in class she comes across a book, Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and finds out that the plot is distinctly changed, she takes herself off to the town’s library. There, she meets Ingrid Katz, a librarian, an author, and a member of the prestigious Rabbit Back Literature Society. This society has nine members who are all authors of varying fame. There one spot remaining empty in the society which is mentored by the world famous Laura White who has written Creatureville, a book series that is famous worldwide. Things happen, Ella’s short story gets printed in the local newspaper and comes to Laura White’s attention who, taken with Ella’s story, invites her to be the tenth and last member of the literature society. But before Ella can be formally introduced to Laura, there is an incident and Laura disappears leaving Ella with questions and the newfound mystery of the previous tenth member.
This book is remarkably easy to read. Pages stretch into chapters until you have read a hundred pages in one sitting. I was charmed by the cadence of the language, the flow of it. Being both an aspiring writing and an academic, I found this novel to have a wealth of bits and things to ponder and analyze. First, I must applaud a male author for writing a woman who feels real and not a collection and embodiment of someone else’s fantasies. This is rarer than it seems so bear with me.
Ella’s grief about not being able to have children is not explicit but as a reader, I was able to appreciate the small moments scattered here and there when she’d console herself for the superior curve of her lips or the colour of nipples that some lover had long admired. Interesting,too, how the book has different discussions about motherhood interspersed in a seemingly careless way throughout the narrative.
However, the book, at its heart, delves into the art of writing and maintains how savage the entire venture is. Writing is laying yourself bare (sometimes literally) to the world and your readers. It is an excavation into the deepest parts of your soul just so you can get new material. Writing is borrowing, begging and sometimes boldly stealing new material from people you know and from others you don’t. It is a constant struggle with debilitating insecurity. It is giving too much of yourself to a character and then realizing you have an unstable identity.
Ella’s interactions with the other nine members of the Rabbit Back Literature Society is illuminating. Her efforts to gather information about the previous tenth member creates a mystery that needs to be solved but Ella warns the reader that being a detective is not appealing to her at all.
Jaaskelainen weaves elements of fantasy while keeping a strong hold on reality and asks questions about human nature and the art of storytelling. The book makes surprising twists and turns and the ending is that last bit of hard candy that lingers for a while in your mouth getting sweeter every time you swallow until it is finally gone.
I enjoyed The Rabbit Back Literature Society immensely and recommend it to everyone who enjoys good literature.
I love reading translated fiction as it gives me a chance to peek into cultures totally different from mine. Reading translated books lets me catch glimpses of the different kinds of people and societies populating this world. There’s something deliciously foreign and yet familiar about translated books. At least I thought so. With that introduction, let’s move on to the review of this strange and wonderful book.
The Rabbit Back Literature Society focuses on Ella Milana who is a teacher at a high school when we first meet her. Her life hasn’t exactly spun out as she had hope it would. First, the doctor had told her that her ovaries were defective which meant she couldn’t ever have children, and then she and her fiance split due to the aforementioned ovaries. At least, Ella Milana consoles herself, she does have really beautiful lips that curve just so.
Rabbit Back is Ella’s hometown where her parents still live. When in class she comes across a book, Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and finds out that the plot is distinctly changed, she takes herself off to the town’s library. There, she meets Ingrid Katz, a librarian, an author, and a member of the prestigious Rabbit Back Literature Society. This society has nine members who are all authors of varying fame. There one spot remaining empty in the society which is mentored by the world famous Laura White who has written Creatureville, a book series that is famous worldwide. Things happen, Ella’s short story gets printed in the local newspaper and comes to Laura White’s attention who, taken with Ella’s story, invites her to be the tenth and last member of the literature society. But before Ella can be formally introduced to Laura, there is an incident and Laura disappears leaving Ella with questions and the newfound mystery of the previous tenth member.
This book is remarkably easy to read. Pages stretch into chapters until you have read a hundred pages in one sitting. I was charmed by the cadence of the language, the flow of it. Being both an aspiring writing and an academic, I found this novel to have a wealth of bits and things to ponder and analyze. First, I must applaud a male author for writing a woman who feels real and not a collection and embodiment of someone else’s fantasies. This is rarer than it seems so bear with me.
Ella’s grief about not being able to have children is not explicit but as a reader, I was able to appreciate the small moments scattered here and there when she’d console herself for the superior curve of her lips or the colour of nipples that some lover had long admired. Interesting,too, how the book has different discussions about motherhood interspersed in a seemingly careless way throughout the narrative.
However, the book, at its heart, delves into the art of writing and maintains how savage the entire venture is. Writing is laying yourself bare (sometimes literally) to the world and your readers. It is an excavation into the deepest parts of your soul just so you can get new material. Writing is borrowing, begging and sometimes boldly stealing new material from people you know and from others you don’t. It is a constant struggle with debilitating insecurity. It is giving too much of yourself to a character and then realizing you have an unstable identity.
Ella’s interactions with the other nine members of the Rabbit Back Literature Society is illuminating. Her efforts to gather information about the previous tenth member creates a mystery that needs to be solved but Ella warns the reader that being a detective is not appealing to her at all.
Jaaskelainen weaves elements of fantasy while keeping a strong hold on reality and asks questions about human nature and the art of storytelling. The book makes surprising twists and turns and the ending is that last bit of hard candy that lingers for a while in your mouth getting sweeter every time you swallow until it is finally gone.
I enjoyed The Rabbit Back Literature Society immensely and recommend it to everyone who enjoys good literature.
June 17, 2015
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
I don't know what took me so long to start reading this book. I've had it for a few weeks, but for some reason, I couldn't pick it up and start it. Now that I've finished it, I could smack myself for not reading it sooner.
This book is fantastic.
I know I say that books are pretty good all the time. But something about this book (which made it good enough to land on my "favorites" shelf, just struck me as amazing.
The plot is great. Ella, a young woman living in Rabbit Back, is invited to join the great author Laura White's Rabbit Back Literature Society. The other members, having been members since they were children, and Laura White, have a fancy party to get to know Ella and welcome her into the society.
And then Laura White disappears in a really odd way.
The rest of the novel has Ella playing "The Game" which gets quite interesting (I won't reveal anything about it, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone), and trying to uncover the secrets surrounding Laura White's disappearance, and the fact that there was, indeed, a former tenth member of the Rabbit Back Literature Society.
The book is light and playful, and it made me laugh in quite a few spots. Sure, some of the things in this book are not really resolved at the end. But if you really sit down and think about it, you can come up with some answers on your own (which is a great thing if you like to really think about what you're reading, like I do). The story flows smoothly and isn't rushed at all, like I thought it would be since the end kind of came on a little more abruptly than I thought it would. But everything worked itself out pretty well.
I don't usually like mysteries, which is why I hesitated to read this book. However, it didn't really seem like a mystery to me. It was a whole bunch of fantastic on 345 pages.
I don't know what took me so long to start reading this book. I've had it for a few weeks, but for some reason, I couldn't pick it up and start it. Now that I've finished it, I could smack myself for not reading it sooner.
This book is fantastic.
I know I say that books are pretty good all the time. But something about this book (which made it good enough to land on my "favorites" shelf, just struck me as amazing.
The plot is great. Ella, a young woman living in Rabbit Back, is invited to join the great author Laura White's Rabbit Back Literature Society. The other members, having been members since they were children, and Laura White, have a fancy party to get to know Ella and welcome her into the society.
And then Laura White disappears in a really odd way.
The rest of the novel has Ella playing "The Game" which gets quite interesting (I won't reveal anything about it, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone), and trying to uncover the secrets surrounding Laura White's disappearance, and the fact that there was, indeed, a former tenth member of the Rabbit Back Literature Society.
The book is light and playful, and it made me laugh in quite a few spots. Sure, some of the things in this book are not really resolved at the end. But if you really sit down and think about it, you can come up with some answers on your own (which is a great thing if you like to really think about what you're reading, like I do). The story flows smoothly and isn't rushed at all, like I thought it would be since the end kind of came on a little more abruptly than I thought it would. But everything worked itself out pretty well.
I don't usually like mysteries, which is why I hesitated to read this book. However, it didn't really seem like a mystery to me. It was a whole bunch of fantastic on 345 pages.
September 14, 2016
Tyjo, to bylo fakt dobrý. Zajímavý, hlavně pro někoho, kdo se někdy pokoušel psát nebo zajímal o proces literární tvorby. Nevím, jestli bych to doporučila každému, ale osobně se mi hodně líbilo. (A chtěla bych si, samozřejmě, přečíst Potvůrkov :D)
Re-reading 10.-14. září. Objeveno mnoho dalších super věcí, mohla jsem trochu upozadit děj a víc vnímat text, ideální knížka na re-reading. 4,5*
Re-reading 10.-14. září. Objeveno mnoho dalších super věcí, mohla jsem trochu upozadit děj a víc vnímat text, ideální knížka na re-reading. 4,5*
February 6, 2017
Čtete a pořád se snažíte uchopit tenhle příběh. Vždycky už si myslíte, že jste konečně přišli na to, jak tuhle knihu číst a další kapitola vás přesvědčí o opaku. Dočtete a říkáte si: „Ty bláho! To si musím přečíst znovu. Ideálně rovnou teď hned!“
Varování: Kniha je silně návyková.
Varování 2: Nesnažte se jí přijít na kloub. Stejně se vám to nepovede. ;)
Varování: Kniha je silně návyková.
Varování 2: Nesnažte se jí přijít na kloub. Stejně se vám to nepovede. ;)
see-you-later-alligator
January 10, 2021I really tried, but this book is just not for me I guess. I realized I just don't want to get involved with all these people. Yes, the premise does seem interesting and intriguing but it all just didn't click with me. And to all that what's with those weird translator's ideas. DNF.
February 2, 2015
A very strange and unusual book, I did enjoy it but I'm still a bit nonplussed about what it was supposed to be about!
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