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Hekne #1
Die Glocke im See
Norwegen im Jahr 1880, in einem dunklen und abgeschiedenen Tal: Die junge, wissbegierige Astrid ist anders als die übrigen Mädchen im Dorf. Sie träumt von einem Leben, das aus mehr besteht als Heiraten, Kinderkriegen und am Ende bei der Feldarbeit Sterben. Sehnt sie sich nach einem Leben mit dem jungen Pastor Kai Schweigaard? Oder entscheidet sie sich für das Neue, Unberechenbare?
Kai Schweigaard hat soeben die kleine Pfarrei mit der 700 Jahre alten Stabkirche in Butangen übernommen. Die würde er gerne abreißen und durch eine modernere, größere Kirche ersetzen. Er hat auch schon Kontakt zur Kunstakademie in Dresden aufgenommen, die ihren begabten Architekturstudenten Gerhard Schönauer schickt, der den Abtransport der Kirche nach Dresden und den Aufbau dort überwachen soll. Astrid rebelliert, denn mit der Kirche würden auch die beiden Glocken verschwinden, die einer ihrer Vorfahren einst der Kirche gestiftet hat. Man sagt ihnen übernatürliche Kräfte nach und dass sie von selbst läuten, wenn ein Unglück bevorsteht.
Astrid verliebt sich in diesen Gerhard. Er ist so anders als die jungen Männer in Butangen. Modern, weltoffen, elegant. Astrid muss sich entscheiden. Wählt sie die Heimat und den Pfarrer oder den Aufbruch in eine ungewisse Zukunft in Deutschland. Da hört sie auf einmal die Glocken läuten ...
Kai Schweigaard hat soeben die kleine Pfarrei mit der 700 Jahre alten Stabkirche in Butangen übernommen. Die würde er gerne abreißen und durch eine modernere, größere Kirche ersetzen. Er hat auch schon Kontakt zur Kunstakademie in Dresden aufgenommen, die ihren begabten Architekturstudenten Gerhard Schönauer schickt, der den Abtransport der Kirche nach Dresden und den Aufbau dort überwachen soll. Astrid rebelliert, denn mit der Kirche würden auch die beiden Glocken verschwinden, die einer ihrer Vorfahren einst der Kirche gestiftet hat. Man sagt ihnen übernatürliche Kräfte nach und dass sie von selbst läuten, wenn ein Unglück bevorsteht.
Astrid verliebt sich in diesen Gerhard. Er ist so anders als die jungen Männer in Butangen. Modern, weltoffen, elegant. Astrid muss sich entscheiden. Wählt sie die Heimat und den Pfarrer oder den Aufbruch in eine ungewisse Zukunft in Deutschland. Da hört sie auf einmal die Glocken läuten ...
482 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
715 people are currently reading
12381 people want to read
About the author
Lars Mytting
17 books726 followersLars Mytting er en norsk journalist og forfatter. Mytting har arbeidet som forlagsredaktør og journalist i Dagningen, Aftenposten, Arbeiderbladet og Beat.
Arbeidet senere som forlagsredaktør, før han fikk utgitt romanen Hestekrefter i 2006.
Arbeidet senere som forlagsredaktør, før han fikk utgitt romanen Hestekrefter i 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,002 reviews
February 4, 2020
Apparently this is the first of a translated trilogy by Norwegian author, Lars Mytting, yet this marvellous historical novel already feels epic in scope, richly descriptive and so detailed when it comes to the Stave churches and their history. A young headstrong woman, Astrid Hekne, feels a deep inner urge to see and experience life and knowledge beyond her tiny remote village of Butangen as she turns down local suitors for her hand. In a Norwegian landscape of treacherous mountains, endless fjords and seething rivers, Astrid's fate plays out against her family history, her intimate connection with the past, and the local church with its mystical Sister Bells. The bells commemorated the long dead conjoined twins, Halfrid and Gunhild Heckne, donated to the local church by her family, steeped in folklore, myth and legend, the bells ring by themselves in times of danger. Astrid's family has declined economically, working their fingers to the bone on the farm, struggling to eat, but are still honoured by locals.
It is 188o, it is a bitterly cold and freezing winter as the bells herald the coming of dark times. The young pastor, Kai Schweigaard, has sold the stave church with its pagan decorative carvings to the Saxon royal family, where it will be resurrected in Dresden. Promising German architect student, Gerhard Schonauer, arrives, tasked with making detailed pictures of the church and organising the entire moving project. Astrid feels a connection develop between the outsider pastor, Kai, a man overwhelmed by his duties, exhausted by the numerous funerals that have to be conducted, frustrated by the old, dark, desperately cold church where the elderly Klara froze to death at the New Year Mass. Kai too is drawn to Astrid, but he is engaged to a more suitable woman, and he frets that Astrid will not fit into his social circles and the expectations of a pastor's wife, she does not even know how to make it appear that her good ideas come from the man! Astrid becomes closer to the new outsider, Gerhard, certain he loves her, drawing her along with pictures of their future together in the modern city of Dresden but harsh knocks in life are to befall him.
This is wonderfully moving historical fiction, of the history of stave churches, of a woman ahead of her time, willing to question whether she wants to be a wife at all, of the challenge of the ancient versus the modern, of the old religion and Christianity, of remote village life where women face rigid social and economic expectations and the promise and lure of modern advancements in Dresden. Kai's decision to sell the stave church and the sister bells to finance a new, warmer, more modern church has far more repercussions than he could have possibly foreseen. Too late, he begins to comprehend that it is a living, consecrated monument that has kept dark forces away from the people, a community that still believes in the old ways, the old gods, the folklore and legends of the region. This is a beautifully written novel, with exquisite characterisation, especially the feisty Astrid and her unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Mytting dropped me right into a 19th century Norway and made me feel as if I was living in that time, in that landscape and encountering all of his characters. He is an astonishingly good storyteller and I cannot recommend this highly enough. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.
It is 188o, it is a bitterly cold and freezing winter as the bells herald the coming of dark times. The young pastor, Kai Schweigaard, has sold the stave church with its pagan decorative carvings to the Saxon royal family, where it will be resurrected in Dresden. Promising German architect student, Gerhard Schonauer, arrives, tasked with making detailed pictures of the church and organising the entire moving project. Astrid feels a connection develop between the outsider pastor, Kai, a man overwhelmed by his duties, exhausted by the numerous funerals that have to be conducted, frustrated by the old, dark, desperately cold church where the elderly Klara froze to death at the New Year Mass. Kai too is drawn to Astrid, but he is engaged to a more suitable woman, and he frets that Astrid will not fit into his social circles and the expectations of a pastor's wife, she does not even know how to make it appear that her good ideas come from the man! Astrid becomes closer to the new outsider, Gerhard, certain he loves her, drawing her along with pictures of their future together in the modern city of Dresden but harsh knocks in life are to befall him.
This is wonderfully moving historical fiction, of the history of stave churches, of a woman ahead of her time, willing to question whether she wants to be a wife at all, of the challenge of the ancient versus the modern, of the old religion and Christianity, of remote village life where women face rigid social and economic expectations and the promise and lure of modern advancements in Dresden. Kai's decision to sell the stave church and the sister bells to finance a new, warmer, more modern church has far more repercussions than he could have possibly foreseen. Too late, he begins to comprehend that it is a living, consecrated monument that has kept dark forces away from the people, a community that still believes in the old ways, the old gods, the folklore and legends of the region. This is a beautifully written novel, with exquisite characterisation, especially the feisty Astrid and her unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Mytting dropped me right into a 19th century Norway and made me feel as if I was living in that time, in that landscape and encountering all of his characters. He is an astonishingly good storyteller and I cannot recommend this highly enough. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.
February 25, 2021
A deeply atmospheric historical fiction novel, rich in Norwegian stave church history and forklore. The Bell in the Lake is based on local myths and real people and the story is well researched.
image:
Norway, 1880. Winter is hard in Butangen, a village secluded at the end of a valley. The lake has frozen, and for months the ground is too hard to bury the dead. Astrid Hekne dreams of a life beyond all this, beyond marriage, children, and working the land to the end of her days. Then Pastor Kai Schweigaard takes over the small parish, with its 700-year-old stave church carved with pagan deities. The two bells in the tower were forged by Astrid's forefather in the sixteenth century, in memory of conjoined twins Halfrid and Gunhild Hekne. They are said to hold supernatural powers.
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this novel as it is the first of a translated trilogy and I am not a fan of trilogies but I wanted to learn about The 700 year old stave Churches and the blurb caught my attention and I am so delighted that this one worked for me.
This is so well written and translated, rich in historical detail and folklore. I really enjoyed learning about the churches and the traditions of the time. A lovely entertaining and atmospheric plot kept me turning the pages on this one, Its a story of a church, it's priest, the parishioners their customs and traditions and at the heart of this novel there is a love story that I really enjoyed.
Its a slow burn but beautifully written, I enjoyed the characters, as they are likeable and interesting. Its not packed full of twists and turns but rather a novel rich in description and folklore with a good story to keep the reader entertained. A story I really enjoyed spending time with.
I listened to this one on audible and the narration was excellent.
image:
Norway, 1880. Winter is hard in Butangen, a village secluded at the end of a valley. The lake has frozen, and for months the ground is too hard to bury the dead. Astrid Hekne dreams of a life beyond all this, beyond marriage, children, and working the land to the end of her days. Then Pastor Kai Schweigaard takes over the small parish, with its 700-year-old stave church carved with pagan deities. The two bells in the tower were forged by Astrid's forefather in the sixteenth century, in memory of conjoined twins Halfrid and Gunhild Hekne. They are said to hold supernatural powers.
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this novel as it is the first of a translated trilogy and I am not a fan of trilogies but I wanted to learn about The 700 year old stave Churches and the blurb caught my attention and I am so delighted that this one worked for me.
This is so well written and translated, rich in historical detail and folklore. I really enjoyed learning about the churches and the traditions of the time. A lovely entertaining and atmospheric plot kept me turning the pages on this one, Its a story of a church, it's priest, the parishioners their customs and traditions and at the heart of this novel there is a love story that I really enjoyed.
Its a slow burn but beautifully written, I enjoyed the characters, as they are likeable and interesting. Its not packed full of twists and turns but rather a novel rich in description and folklore with a good story to keep the reader entertained. A story I really enjoyed spending time with.
I listened to this one on audible and the narration was excellent.
March 22, 2021
A seven-hundred-year-old stave church is being deconstructed in Norway. This is not just a wooden church, but an intricately built artefact with decoratively painted timber walls. Why would you risk the process of transporting this precious cargo to Germany?
Norway, 1880. In a secluded village of Butangen, young Astrid Henke dreams about a life beyond the valley and beyond conventional life. She already turned down two suitors, and now is viewed as restless, of sharp nature and impossible to discipline.
The seven-hundred-year-old stave church in the village chimes with the bells donated by Astrid’s ancestors. The church has a new pastor, direct and unpatronizing, who wants to “stamp out all forms of superstition and folklore.” Christianity should lead to progress. By law, the church is too small and it’s dilapidated. He wants to build “a functional church, a warm church, with four wood burners,” with big and easy to clean windows, “not like those bumpy glass panes high up on the walls.” Thus, he sends a grand proposal to Dresden to build a new, bigger church.
When the architect named Gerhard arrives from Dresden, he sketches the stave church, asks questions about missing dragon heads and a portal - a door frame. He was sent on this once in a life time project by his professor and was briefed about history of stave churches, of which Norway once had over 1000 stave churches, now down to just 50. Artistry is being smashed across the country, and the architect is here to oversee the deconstruction of the church and later reconstruction of it in Germany.
The news announcing the fate of the church is not well-received. The sale of the church also includes the two bells and that upsets Astrid. And she hatches a plan how to save the Sister Bells.
The fate of the bells and deconstruction of the church keep readers in suspense. Deconstruction involves many aspects: careful attention to finely crafted joints so they are not damaged or the timbers split. Then everything needs to be entered “into logbook using an intricate system of numbers and letters,” then carefully stored until it’s ready to be shipped. The path that Astrid picks keeps a reader in suspense as well.
Descriptions of the place are magical, the history of the stave churches is spellbinding, and the depth of the historical background is breathtaking. The blend of the location, its people, customs, myths, their stave church and the legendary church bells all come together like a fairytale, enchanted by the chime of the bells. And with the combination of the warm characters, together create a fascinating story.
This novel is a rare gem. It has a beautiful depth and interestingly developed characters. The compelling storyline is flawlessly woven with sharp prose and undeniable humor. Excellently balanced story with history, fiction and suspense makes it a seamless read.
One of the best books ever. Rarest of the rarest gems! 100 stars!
This spellbinding gem took my breath away and I ventured with some question to the bestselling Norwegian author Lars Mytting. His answers will be live on 3/31/21 at mysteryandsuspense.com
Review originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com
Norway, 1880. In a secluded village of Butangen, young Astrid Henke dreams about a life beyond the valley and beyond conventional life. She already turned down two suitors, and now is viewed as restless, of sharp nature and impossible to discipline.
The seven-hundred-year-old stave church in the village chimes with the bells donated by Astrid’s ancestors. The church has a new pastor, direct and unpatronizing, who wants to “stamp out all forms of superstition and folklore.” Christianity should lead to progress. By law, the church is too small and it’s dilapidated. He wants to build “a functional church, a warm church, with four wood burners,” with big and easy to clean windows, “not like those bumpy glass panes high up on the walls.” Thus, he sends a grand proposal to Dresden to build a new, bigger church.
When the architect named Gerhard arrives from Dresden, he sketches the stave church, asks questions about missing dragon heads and a portal - a door frame. He was sent on this once in a life time project by his professor and was briefed about history of stave churches, of which Norway once had over 1000 stave churches, now down to just 50. Artistry is being smashed across the country, and the architect is here to oversee the deconstruction of the church and later reconstruction of it in Germany.
The news announcing the fate of the church is not well-received. The sale of the church also includes the two bells and that upsets Astrid. And she hatches a plan how to save the Sister Bells.
The fate of the bells and deconstruction of the church keep readers in suspense. Deconstruction involves many aspects: careful attention to finely crafted joints so they are not damaged or the timbers split. Then everything needs to be entered “into logbook using an intricate system of numbers and letters,” then carefully stored until it’s ready to be shipped. The path that Astrid picks keeps a reader in suspense as well.
Descriptions of the place are magical, the history of the stave churches is spellbinding, and the depth of the historical background is breathtaking. The blend of the location, its people, customs, myths, their stave church and the legendary church bells all come together like a fairytale, enchanted by the chime of the bells. And with the combination of the warm characters, together create a fascinating story.
This novel is a rare gem. It has a beautiful depth and interestingly developed characters. The compelling storyline is flawlessly woven with sharp prose and undeniable humor. Excellently balanced story with history, fiction and suspense makes it a seamless read.
One of the best books ever. Rarest of the rarest gems! 100 stars!
This spellbinding gem took my breath away and I ventured with some question to the bestselling Norwegian author Lars Mytting. His answers will be live on 3/31/21 at mysteryandsuspense.com
Review originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com
June 12, 2020
The Hekne farmstead was one of the earliest settlements in Butangen. "Each farm was a self-sufficient kingdom...grand folk and humble folk never mixed, generation after generation kept to the same farms..." "When Christianity came to Norway, the Butangen folk built an elaborate Stave Church, a masterpiece in ore-pine with ornate carvings, dragon heads and a proud spire...the carpenters worked very hard to please all the gods just in case Odin and Tor were still active". The church was completed in 1170.
Twin girls joined from the hip down were born to Eirik Hekne. Halfrid and Gunhild's mother died in childbirth. The twins were taught to weave from an early age. Their weaving was unique and mysterious. "...many...paid a high price for a hekneweave...the most famous hekneweave showed Skapanatta...the local's version of the Day of Judgement". When one twin became ill, Eirik Hekne prayed in church for them to be allowed to die together. In their memory, he commissioned two bells of bronze, cast with silver...the more silver, the more beautiful and resonant the chime". "The Sister Bells rang with a unique richness and depth of tone..." for centuries they rang out across the village for celebration, death, or as harbingers of danger. The Sister Bells would hang safely until 1880.
Few strangers or foreigners ventured to Butangen. The villagers complained about the new pastor assigned to their church. Pastor Kai Schweigaard found their ways enigmatic. Why did less folk attend church when it rained? Many of the poorer villagers shared shoes! "The window panes grew loose, the wooden roof tiles warped. The only items able to withstand the elements were the two church bells". Kai struggled with "stubborn relics of a bygone era". Twenty year old Astrid Hekne was hungry for knowledge, asking why things were done a certain way. "She liked to gaze toward Lasna-railwaymen were laying iron tracks...real life was happening elsewhere". Kai and Astrid made a deal. In exchange for information about farm life and living conditions in Butangen, Kai would save the weekly newspaper for her to read when he had completed it. "The more she read, the more she thought she was in the wrong place, wrong century". "Yes, he saw her and not merely with the eyes of a pastor". Kai tells Astrid, "we cannot nurture our faith behind the warped timbers of heathen times...we've sold the church...". The proceeds will fund a new church.
Gerhard Schonauer, a student at the Dresden Academy of Art, had no rich benefactors to finance his study trip. He was presented with a challenge. The Saxon Royal Family would pay his expenses to sketch, in fine detail, the Butangen Stave Church, drawn to scale. "Every single beam and plank [would need to be] marked as they take it down...it will all be transported to Saxony...to a city called Dresden". Astrid looked on in wonderment at Gerhard's sketches of the Stave Church as well as renderings of an imagined future for them in Dresden. "Gerhard stared after [Astrid] for a long time".
"The Bell in the Lake" by Lars Mytting is the first historical novel in a planned trilogy. To Astrid, Pastor Kai Schweigaard personified the comfortable old ways and traditions in an unchanging community while Gerhard Schonauer painted a picture of a colorful new life in Dresden. I enjoyed the descriptive passages denoting the history of Stave Churches. Highly recommended.
Thank you ABRAMS, The Overlook Press, and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Twin girls joined from the hip down were born to Eirik Hekne. Halfrid and Gunhild's mother died in childbirth. The twins were taught to weave from an early age. Their weaving was unique and mysterious. "...many...paid a high price for a hekneweave...the most famous hekneweave showed Skapanatta...the local's version of the Day of Judgement". When one twin became ill, Eirik Hekne prayed in church for them to be allowed to die together. In their memory, he commissioned two bells of bronze, cast with silver...the more silver, the more beautiful and resonant the chime". "The Sister Bells rang with a unique richness and depth of tone..." for centuries they rang out across the village for celebration, death, or as harbingers of danger. The Sister Bells would hang safely until 1880.
Few strangers or foreigners ventured to Butangen. The villagers complained about the new pastor assigned to their church. Pastor Kai Schweigaard found their ways enigmatic. Why did less folk attend church when it rained? Many of the poorer villagers shared shoes! "The window panes grew loose, the wooden roof tiles warped. The only items able to withstand the elements were the two church bells". Kai struggled with "stubborn relics of a bygone era". Twenty year old Astrid Hekne was hungry for knowledge, asking why things were done a certain way. "She liked to gaze toward Lasna-railwaymen were laying iron tracks...real life was happening elsewhere". Kai and Astrid made a deal. In exchange for information about farm life and living conditions in Butangen, Kai would save the weekly newspaper for her to read when he had completed it. "The more she read, the more she thought she was in the wrong place, wrong century". "Yes, he saw her and not merely with the eyes of a pastor". Kai tells Astrid, "we cannot nurture our faith behind the warped timbers of heathen times...we've sold the church...". The proceeds will fund a new church.
Gerhard Schonauer, a student at the Dresden Academy of Art, had no rich benefactors to finance his study trip. He was presented with a challenge. The Saxon Royal Family would pay his expenses to sketch, in fine detail, the Butangen Stave Church, drawn to scale. "Every single beam and plank [would need to be] marked as they take it down...it will all be transported to Saxony...to a city called Dresden". Astrid looked on in wonderment at Gerhard's sketches of the Stave Church as well as renderings of an imagined future for them in Dresden. "Gerhard stared after [Astrid] for a long time".
"The Bell in the Lake" by Lars Mytting is the first historical novel in a planned trilogy. To Astrid, Pastor Kai Schweigaard personified the comfortable old ways and traditions in an unchanging community while Gerhard Schonauer painted a picture of a colorful new life in Dresden. I enjoyed the descriptive passages denoting the history of Stave Churches. Highly recommended.
Thank you ABRAMS, The Overlook Press, and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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July 19, 2021I absolutely loved this suspenseful, historical literary novel from bestselling international author Lars Mytting. Rarely have I read such an atmospheric, thoroughly researched, intelligently plotted novel as this one. If a few pages lose your attention when the book switches to some German architectural talk, you will be fully captivated by the rural Norwegian setting of Butangen, 1880. Three main characters weave the mystical, folkloric story together: Astrid Hekne, Pastor Kai Schweigaard, and architect Gerhard Schonauer.
I don't think this author has any flaws. His characters are fully developed and fulfill their imaginative roles without being false at any time. His setting is rich with details and knowledge of the community he comes from. And his expertise in the history of Norwegian craft and woodwork comes through in this plot and novel. I loved reading about stave churches and their place in the lives of the Norwegian communities, and their mixing of pagan and Christian rituals.
At no point did I feel as if Mytting's research was overdone, nor was it too lacking. Each little historical fact is introduced with precision and enlightens and delights the reader.
Mytting's writing borders on the humanistic without going overboard. We get the feel of the harshness and primitiveness of Norway in 1880 without being disgusted, and while the discussion of midwifery and child-birthing is brutal and disturbing, it highlights the miracle of birth and honors the role of women as both the deliverer and the patient.
I also loved learning about the Norwegian attitude toward the poor and citizens with special needs. How the poor are taken in and taken care of, and those with special needs are almost revered as being closer to god or the spirits.
I wish this author had gotten a better cover, more worthy of the beauty that is in this novel. It would probably sell even more copies. Maybe they will do a paperback and it will generate more interest. This book deserves more attention in the US historical community. Its Sister Bells will long resonate.
Thanks to book blogger Annette for pushing me to read this book. She knew I'd love it, and I did. A little tidbit from her if you read the book--a lovely brief interview with the author. More Hekne novels are coming, and while it's hard to match the first book in a trilogy, I'll still be eager for each one. I've learned a lot by reading this author and am grateful to the translator/publisher for bringing his work to America!
https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/la...
I don't think this author has any flaws. His characters are fully developed and fulfill their imaginative roles without being false at any time. His setting is rich with details and knowledge of the community he comes from. And his expertise in the history of Norwegian craft and woodwork comes through in this plot and novel. I loved reading about stave churches and their place in the lives of the Norwegian communities, and their mixing of pagan and Christian rituals.
At no point did I feel as if Mytting's research was overdone, nor was it too lacking. Each little historical fact is introduced with precision and enlightens and delights the reader.
Mytting's writing borders on the humanistic without going overboard. We get the feel of the harshness and primitiveness of Norway in 1880 without being disgusted, and while the discussion of midwifery and child-birthing is brutal and disturbing, it highlights the miracle of birth and honors the role of women as both the deliverer and the patient.
I also loved learning about the Norwegian attitude toward the poor and citizens with special needs. How the poor are taken in and taken care of, and those with special needs are almost revered as being closer to god or the spirits.
I wish this author had gotten a better cover, more worthy of the beauty that is in this novel. It would probably sell even more copies. Maybe they will do a paperback and it will generate more interest. This book deserves more attention in the US historical community. Its Sister Bells will long resonate.
Thanks to book blogger Annette for pushing me to read this book. She knew I'd love it, and I did. A little tidbit from her if you read the book--a lovely brief interview with the author. More Hekne novels are coming, and while it's hard to match the first book in a trilogy, I'll still be eager for each one. I've learned a lot by reading this author and am grateful to the translator/publisher for bringing his work to America!
https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/la...
March 31, 2020
I don't exactly know why I had to force myself through the beginning of this book. Maybe some 50-70 pages or so it was a "sit your ass down and read the damn book!" situation. Maybe it was the translation to blame that the reading didn't go as swiftly as it did with another Norwegian author Roy Jacobsen.
Mytting's style is in fact a bit different, less minimalist, more descriptive. But still nothing to be too picky about. Maybe the story was too predictable for my tastes?
But I enjoyed it nonetheless. Astrid, Kay, Gerhard - it's funny how I got to root for everyone and every time for different reasons. And I rooted for the old church, even though I knew it was not going to win.
I actually googled Norwegian traditional wooden churches and it was sort of a trip into ancient and I thank the author for giving me a reason to have this beautiful new experience.
The passion hiding like lava under the ice, the pagan mysticism and invisible side of things hiding in the deep lakes and shadowy woods - it all worked out in the end.
Although I really, truly didn't understand author's idea of Astrid's final decision... Was it just for the sake of some poetical justice? No idea. But not gonna spoil, read it for yourself. It's a really good book.
Mytting's style is in fact a bit different, less minimalist, more descriptive. But still nothing to be too picky about. Maybe the story was too predictable for my tastes?
But I enjoyed it nonetheless. Astrid, Kay, Gerhard - it's funny how I got to root for everyone and every time for different reasons. And I rooted for the old church, even though I knew it was not going to win.
I actually googled Norwegian traditional wooden churches and it was sort of a trip into ancient and I thank the author for giving me a reason to have this beautiful new experience.
The passion hiding like lava under the ice, the pagan mysticism and invisible side of things hiding in the deep lakes and shadowy woods - it all worked out in the end.
Although I really, truly didn't understand author's idea of Astrid's final decision... Was it just for the sake of some poetical justice? No idea. But not gonna spoil, read it for yourself. It's a really good book.
January 24, 2022
This mesmerizing novel combines Norse folk legends and visual imagery to create an atmospheric novel of historical fiction.The legend of the Sister Bells immediately infuses the novel with intrigue and connections to the past.The bells commemorate the deaths of twin sisters, Halfrid and Gunhild Henke, who were joined at the hip and died together during a harsh winter centuries ago.Their father donated the bells to memorialize them.The Bells were placed in the Butangen village’s stave church.The church, built in 1170 as Christianity first came to Norway, was a blend of Norse and Christian architecture, honoring the past gods while acknowledging a new reality.The SisterBells rang in a rich tone to celebrate joyful events, announce death and signal danger.They rang steadily until 1880.
In 1880, the lives of three young people intersect.All three harbor ambitions and desires that are not necessarily aligned.Butangen is mired in a harsh winter, creating a palpable sense of the village being frozen in time.The author notes that Butangen was twenty years behind neighboring villages, which were thirty years behind Norway’s towns and cities, which in turn were fifty years behind the rest of Europe.
The town has a new pastor, Kai Schweiggard.He views his position as the first step in his rise within the Church hierarchy.He has sold the stave church, including the Sister Bells, to German royalty with plans to deconstruct it and reassemble it in Dresden.Gerhard Schonauer, a young architect, is sent to oversee the church’s move to Dresden.He hopes this project will be a springboard catapulting him to prominence within his profession.Both men are attracted to Astrid Hekne, a descendant of the family that donated the sister bells.She is a young woman seeking to define a role for herself beyond that of wife, mother and farm laborer.She intuitively feels constrained by her preordained role in a patriarchal society but can not fully envision a path forward that would transcend these boundaries.
As the three young people begin to interact, the complexities of their three pronged relationship produce unexpected consequences.Their reactions to the loss of the old church and the symbolic protection of the Bells serve as a metaphor for a society struggling to balance tradition with progress. The reverence for the old Norse rituals clash with the demands of a more modern Christian religion and reverberate amongst the townspeople and the three young people in particular.These conflicts are enhanced by descriptive prose that is both aural and visual.We can hear the snow crunching on the feet of the townspeople as they trudge alone across the harsh landscape. We can envision the majesty of the Nordic images carved on the stave church and marvel at the enormity of the forest that provided the materials.These sights and sounds enhance the moods and feelings of the characters as they react to the events unfolding in their town.We are immersed in the environment of isolated rural nineteenth century Norway and are left contemplating the proper blend of older tradition and recent progress as a society begins to transform and evolve. This novel is the first of a planned trilogy. I am looking forward to my next encounter with these characters and their changing world.
In 1880, the lives of three young people intersect.All three harbor ambitions and desires that are not necessarily aligned.Butangen is mired in a harsh winter, creating a palpable sense of the village being frozen in time.The author notes that Butangen was twenty years behind neighboring villages, which were thirty years behind Norway’s towns and cities, which in turn were fifty years behind the rest of Europe.
The town has a new pastor, Kai Schweiggard.He views his position as the first step in his rise within the Church hierarchy.He has sold the stave church, including the Sister Bells, to German royalty with plans to deconstruct it and reassemble it in Dresden.Gerhard Schonauer, a young architect, is sent to oversee the church’s move to Dresden.He hopes this project will be a springboard catapulting him to prominence within his profession.Both men are attracted to Astrid Hekne, a descendant of the family that donated the sister bells.She is a young woman seeking to define a role for herself beyond that of wife, mother and farm laborer.She intuitively feels constrained by her preordained role in a patriarchal society but can not fully envision a path forward that would transcend these boundaries.
As the three young people begin to interact, the complexities of their three pronged relationship produce unexpected consequences.Their reactions to the loss of the old church and the symbolic protection of the Bells serve as a metaphor for a society struggling to balance tradition with progress. The reverence for the old Norse rituals clash with the demands of a more modern Christian religion and reverberate amongst the townspeople and the three young people in particular.These conflicts are enhanced by descriptive prose that is both aural and visual.We can hear the snow crunching on the feet of the townspeople as they trudge alone across the harsh landscape. We can envision the majesty of the Nordic images carved on the stave church and marvel at the enormity of the forest that provided the materials.These sights and sounds enhance the moods and feelings of the characters as they react to the events unfolding in their town.We are immersed in the environment of isolated rural nineteenth century Norway and are left contemplating the proper blend of older tradition and recent progress as a society begins to transform and evolve. This novel is the first of a planned trilogy. I am looking forward to my next encounter with these characters and their changing world.
December 30, 2024
5/5
Nusprendžiau prieš skaitydama trečiąją dalį pasikartoti pirmąją. Ir ką, tik įrodymas, kad kai knyga tokia gera, tai ir per metus bei daugybę nuo to laiko perskaitytų knygų, ji nepasimiršta. Vis dėlto, skaityti antrą kartą vis tiek buvo malonu – neerzino kaimo tema, kurios šiaip dažniausiai nesirenku, patiko mitologinė linija, net ir meilės linija pasirodė romantiška ir mano skonio. Astrida – nuostabi pagrindinė herojė, įkvepianti ir stipri, o ir pamenu, kad būtent to man antroje dalyje labiausiai pritrūko – stiprios moters. Antroje jau buvo per daug kaimo, pieno fabriko statybų ir elektros įsivedinėjimų. Žodžiu, buiteko. Šioji dalis važiuoja ant magijos, bažnyčios istorijos ir gyvenimo.
Labai skaudi knyga ir skaudžios pasakojamos istorijos, bet ypač patiko tai, kad autorius nelinkęs nei per daug gailėti savo veikėjų, nei leisti jiems patiems savęs gailėti. Gyvenimas tarsi teka sava vaga, bet kažkur, kaip varpai ežere, tūno paslaptis, kažkokia sunkiai suvokiama ir aprėpiama jėga, kurios neįmanoma ignoruoti, neįmanoma nepastebėti, neįmanoma negalvoti, kad esi stebimas, o likimas – galbūt tikrai iš anksto parašytas. O gal tiksliau – nuaustas? Kas dar nespėjot šių istorijų ar šio autoriaus atrasti – labai stipri rekomendacija stiprių istorijų ir stiprių moterų gerbėjams.
Nusprendžiau prieš skaitydama trečiąją dalį pasikartoti pirmąją. Ir ką, tik įrodymas, kad kai knyga tokia gera, tai ir per metus bei daugybę nuo to laiko perskaitytų knygų, ji nepasimiršta. Vis dėlto, skaityti antrą kartą vis tiek buvo malonu – neerzino kaimo tema, kurios šiaip dažniausiai nesirenku, patiko mitologinė linija, net ir meilės linija pasirodė romantiška ir mano skonio. Astrida – nuostabi pagrindinė herojė, įkvepianti ir stipri, o ir pamenu, kad būtent to man antroje dalyje labiausiai pritrūko – stiprios moters. Antroje jau buvo per daug kaimo, pieno fabriko statybų ir elektros įsivedinėjimų. Žodžiu, buiteko. Šioji dalis važiuoja ant magijos, bažnyčios istorijos ir gyvenimo.
Labai skaudi knyga ir skaudžios pasakojamos istorijos, bet ypač patiko tai, kad autorius nelinkęs nei per daug gailėti savo veikėjų, nei leisti jiems patiems savęs gailėti. Gyvenimas tarsi teka sava vaga, bet kažkur, kaip varpai ežere, tūno paslaptis, kažkokia sunkiai suvokiama ir aprėpiama jėga, kurios neįmanoma ignoruoti, neįmanoma nepastebėti, neįmanoma negalvoti, kad esi stebimas, o likimas – galbūt tikrai iš anksto parašytas. O gal tiksliau – nuaustas? Kas dar nespėjot šių istorijų ar šio autoriaus atrasti – labai stipri rekomendacija stiprių istorijų ir stiprių moterų gerbėjams.
June 12, 2020
Atšiaurus Norvegijos kaimelis, 20 metų atsiliekantis nuo gretimo kaimo, stingdantis šaltis ir lėtas gyvenimas padalintas į pusmečius. Žiemą temperatūra nukrenta žemiau 40, bet užšalus ežerui, galėjai aplankyti kitus, susitarti dėl santuokos, parduoti paraką. Vasarą visur pelkės ir purvas, tačiau didesnė tikimybė išgyventi žvejojant ar bent jau mirtinai nesušalti per pamaldas bažyčioje.
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Laikas, kai dėl kelių nebūvimo, nežinojai, koks gyvenimas vyksta už fjordo. Laikas, kai pagonybę keitė krikščionybė. Tačiau ne visiems Gudbrandsdaleno slėnio gyventojams, pripratusiems prie savo tradicijų, prietarų ir taisyklių, naujovės buvo priimtinos.
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Butangeno bažnyčia ir legenda apie seserų varpus iš tikrųjų egzistuoja. Ji taip sužavėjo knygos autorių, jog jis smulkiai viską išanalizavo, išnagrinėjo bažnyčios žemėlapius, įpynė Heknių šeimos istoriją ir turime rezultatą - "Seserų varpai".
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Mano nuomone, ši knyga pas mus susilaukė per mažai dėmesio. Norėtųsi, kad ją atrastų kuo daugiau skaitytojų. Puikus istorinis romanas apie stiprią moterį ir naujo pasaulio siekimą. Kelionė po mistinę ir skurdžią Norvegiją. L. Mytting rašymo stilius toks įtaigus ir vaizdingas, jog nejunti, kaip keliauji kartu su knygos veikėjais ir kūną apima šaltis.
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Man teko lyginti knygą su originalu, tai turiu pagirti vertėjos bei redaktorės darbą. Kaip ir viršelio dailininkę - R. Ivaškevičiūtę. Tai vienas taikliausių knygos viršelių Lietuvoje. Roršacho testo principu sukurtas piešinys tobulai atspindi visą knygos esmę.
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Skaitykit, jeigu patinka skandinaviška, atšiauri literatūra. Jeigu patiko H. Wassmo tetralogija apie Diną. Tiesiog skaitykit, nes ši knyga to verta.
July 3, 2021
A mesmerising book:original lyrical style, strong characters, authenticity and mysticism, self-sacrifice, duty and humanity.
Still, she would endure the cold. That, and the memory of a vanished hope that was about to step into view. She would endure it the way she endured the rest of her life. This was the life allotted her, like it or lump it. There was no changing things. There she sat, on the coldest day of the year, in what must be the coldest House of God. She wanted warmer clothes, but had none. She wanted a man to love, but doubted she would ever get him. And she wanted the summer. At least that would come eventually. Unlike love, or fine clothes. And in fact, the summer compensated for both. The warmth of the sun, the rustling of the aspens, getting scrubbed up clean, walking barefoot and free.
*
He felt he was on the point of doing something. It was rare for him to be alone with a woman, and something vigorous was kicking to get out of his secret room, it felt reckless, and yet so agreeably natural. He managed to keep his eyes turned from her, but then the urge burst out again, the urge to draw her closer to him, to let her into his world,
*
Her dreamy contemplation ended as a summer ends, ebbing away reluctantly.
*
They parted, and she was glad when he left, the combined weight of their fears was so huge that the ground would have given way beneath them if they had come too close.
*
The nights were not to be counted on for rest. Tossing and turning in bed, she sifted through future possibilities, but they would melt into the night, and return, looking forlorn, only to disappear again like children desperately seeking food.
*
and they stood in the March weather near Fåvang church, each nursing their own defeat.
Still, she would endure the cold. That, and the memory of a vanished hope that was about to step into view. She would endure it the way she endured the rest of her life. This was the life allotted her, like it or lump it. There was no changing things. There she sat, on the coldest day of the year, in what must be the coldest House of God. She wanted warmer clothes, but had none. She wanted a man to love, but doubted she would ever get him. And she wanted the summer. At least that would come eventually. Unlike love, or fine clothes. And in fact, the summer compensated for both. The warmth of the sun, the rustling of the aspens, getting scrubbed up clean, walking barefoot and free.
*
He felt he was on the point of doing something. It was rare for him to be alone with a woman, and something vigorous was kicking to get out of his secret room, it felt reckless, and yet so agreeably natural. He managed to keep his eyes turned from her, but then the urge burst out again, the urge to draw her closer to him, to let her into his world,
*
Her dreamy contemplation ended as a summer ends, ebbing away reluctantly.
*
They parted, and she was glad when he left, the combined weight of their fears was so huge that the ground would have given way beneath them if they had come too close.
*
The nights were not to be counted on for rest. Tossing and turning in bed, she sifted through future possibilities, but they would melt into the night, and return, looking forlorn, only to disappear again like children desperately seeking food.
*
and they stood in the March weather near Fåvang church, each nursing their own defeat.
January 21, 2022
Knyga, kurią skaičiau labai pasitaupydama, lėtai, mėgaudamasi istorija. Ir nesu verksnė, bet nubraukiau ašarą kitą.
March 5, 2020
Una maravilla. La historia de dos campanas y de las vidas que contemplan desde allá arriba.
January 14, 2020
Lars Mytting daugeliui jūsų yra puikiai pažįstamas. Jo knygą "Plauk su skęstančiais" skaitėte ir mėgavotės, o aš, skandinaviškų perliukų mylėtoja, šį autorių kažkaip praleidau. Taigi "Seserų varpai"- mano pirmoji pažintis su autoriaus kūryba.
Knygoje pasakojama itin nuošaliame Norvegijos kaimelyje gyvenančios Astridos istorija. Kažkada itin turtingos giminės atstovė į akis žvelgia ją ne itin viliojančiai ateičiai: ankstyva santuoka, daug vaikų ir mirtis sulinkus nuo sunkios darbų naštos. Kaimelyje pasirodo naujasis pastorius - Kajus. Šis jaunas vaikinas gali būti Astridos bilietas į šviesesnį rytojų. Aštraus proto, stipri ir ambicinga mergina iš gyvenimo nori daugiau. Tarp jaunuolių beįsižiebiančią simpatiją sudrumsčia atvykėlis - architektas Gerhardas. Jis čia tam, kad įvykdytų pastoriaus Kajaus planą - išardytų senąją bažnyčia, nes jos vietoje bus statoma nauja. Pradeda skambėti varpai...Štai čia mes aptinkame mistikos elementus. Kadaise varpai buvo išlieti Astridos giminėje gimusių siamo dvynių Halfridos ir Gunhildos atminimui ir nuo tada skambina artinantis pavojui.
"Seserų varpai" įkūnija viską, dėl ko aš taip žaviuosi skandinavų literatūra: gyvenimo realumas, stiprūs moterų personažai, nesitaikstymas su skaitančiojo lūkesčiais dėl laimingos pabaigos ir melancholija. Taip, vaivorykščių ir vienaragių čia nerasite, bet gylio, svorio ir vietos apmąstymamsn apstu. Kūrinys puikiai įsipaišo į magiškojo realizmo apibrėžimą, tik jis labiau skandinaviškas, arčiau žemės ir man asmeniškai labiau priimtinas nei tarkim Marquez. Be to itin žaviai susisieja herojų gyvenimai su varpų bei bažnyčios likimu. Bažnyčios nugrioviumas iti vaizdingas, vietomis gniaužia kvapą - taip paveiku.
Kam skaityti? Skadinavų literatūros mylėtojams - privalomai, o visiems kitiems, kurie mėgsta sodrų, lėta ir išlaikytą pasakojimas - pasirinktinai, bet su didele mano rekomendacija.
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Knygoje pasakojama itin nuošaliame Norvegijos kaimelyje gyvenančios Astridos istorija. Kažkada itin turtingos giminės atstovė į akis žvelgia ją ne itin viliojančiai ateičiai: ankstyva santuoka, daug vaikų ir mirtis sulinkus nuo sunkios darbų naštos. Kaimelyje pasirodo naujasis pastorius - Kajus. Šis jaunas vaikinas gali būti Astridos bilietas į šviesesnį rytojų. Aštraus proto, stipri ir ambicinga mergina iš gyvenimo nori daugiau. Tarp jaunuolių beįsižiebiančią simpatiją sudrumsčia atvykėlis - architektas Gerhardas. Jis čia tam, kad įvykdytų pastoriaus Kajaus planą - išardytų senąją bažnyčia, nes jos vietoje bus statoma nauja. Pradeda skambėti varpai...Štai čia mes aptinkame mistikos elementus. Kadaise varpai buvo išlieti Astridos giminėje gimusių siamo dvynių Halfridos ir Gunhildos atminimui ir nuo tada skambina artinantis pavojui.
"Seserų varpai" įkūnija viską, dėl ko aš taip žaviuosi skandinavų literatūra: gyvenimo realumas, stiprūs moterų personažai, nesitaikstymas su skaitančiojo lūkesčiais dėl laimingos pabaigos ir melancholija. Taip, vaivorykščių ir vienaragių čia nerasite, bet gylio, svorio ir vietos apmąstymamsn apstu. Kūrinys puikiai įsipaišo į magiškojo realizmo apibrėžimą, tik jis labiau skandinaviškas, arčiau žemės ir man asmeniškai labiau priimtinas nei tarkim Marquez. Be to itin žaviai susisieja herojų gyvenimai su varpų bei bažnyčios likimu. Bažnyčios nugrioviumas iti vaizdingas, vietomis gniaužia kvapą - taip paveiku.
Kam skaityti? Skadinavų literatūros mylėtojams - privalomai, o visiems kitiems, kurie mėgsta sodrų, lėta ir išlaikytą pasakojimas - pasirinktinai, bet su didele mano rekomendacija.
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March 30, 2020
Set in Norway in 1880. The local stage church is about to be sold to raise money for the new church. German architect, Gerhard is sent to the town to supervise the old church's deconstruction. A young peasant girl, Astrid catches his eye. But Astrid has more than one admirer. The pastor has his eye on her too.
The book is rich in history and atmosphere. I loved the descriptions of 19th century Norway. Thenoace is slow but that didn't seem to matter as it still kept my attention. It's full of traditions and folklore. The story behind the twin bells tugged at my heartstrings. I be,I've this is the first book in a trilogy. If it is, I look forward to reading them. Fans of historical fiction will love this book.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author Lars Mytting for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The book is rich in history and atmosphere. I loved the descriptions of 19th century Norway. Thenoace is slow but that didn't seem to matter as it still kept my attention. It's full of traditions and folklore. The story behind the twin bells tugged at my heartstrings. I be,I've this is the first book in a trilogy. If it is, I look forward to reading them. Fans of historical fiction will love this book.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author Lars Mytting for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2022
Kur aš buvau visą šį laiką ir kodėl neskaičiau šio romano? Ir kaip dabar reikės gyventi kol pasirodys trečioji dalis? Šįkart tikrai galiu pasakyti, kad labai patiko, kad nepaleido iki paskutinio puslapio. Kad įsimylėjau veikėjus. Visiškai visus, nes blogų čia nebuvo. Buvo tik klystantys, žmogiškai klystantys ir klumpantys.
Istorijos centre – mažas Norvegijos kaimelis, kuriame žmonės gyvena, dirba, eina į bažnyčią, meldžiasi ir tada dar sunkiau dirba. Į kaimą atvykus naujam pastoriui, kartu su juo - pokyčiai. O jie ne visiems prie širdies. Jaunasis pastorius nori išrinkti ir parduoti senąją bažnyčią, jog pastatytų didesnę, erdvesnę ir šiltesnę. Žmonių labui. Pasak lagendos, bažnyčioje esantys Seserų varpai ima kambėti artėjus nelaimei. Tačiau kas tą nelaimę atneša? Pastorius Kajus? Ar į kaimuką atvykęs architektas, kuris prižiūri darbus ir piešia bažnyčią, kad būtų lengviau ją surinkti nugabenus į Vokietiją? Griovimo ir statymo fone Astrida Heknė klaidžioja tarp dviejų vyrų bei savo pasirinkimų. O tada vieną dieną, kaip pranašauta, galiausiai ima skambėti Seserų varpai.
Knygoje apstu simbolizmo, labai daug kalbama apie dvynių ryšį. Tokia mitais ir legendomis apipinta istorija, sakytume. O gal viskas tėra tradicija, perpinta religija bei įsisenėjusiomis taisyklėmis? Tai romanas būtent apie tai – apie pokyčius. Apie tai, ką jie atneša ir kartais atima. Kai norima keisti, nes bus geriau, o kažkas spardosi. Kažkas labai garsiai rėkia. Dar kažkas bando visais įmanomais būdais įrodyti, kad ne gerinti čia bandoma, o kenkti. Gal aš keista, kad įžiūrėjau čia įvairias paraleles su mūsų dabartiniais gyvenimais. Bet mačiau. Ir tą nenorą žengti žingsnį, kai vienas veiksmas padėtų visiems; ir tuos įbetonuotus įsitikinimus, kurių realiai nebeišjudins niekas. Man tie seserų varpai pasirodė tarsi kokios pamatinės vertybės, kurias kai kuriems norisi traukti su šaknimis lauk, o jos vis nepasiduoda. O jei ir yra ištraukiamos, vis tiek lieka kažkur giliai žmonių pasąmonėje arba…
Astrida Heknė – veikėja, kurios ilgai nepamiršiu. Įdomi, teisinga, užsispyrusi. Tačiau nestokojanti skandinaviško santūrumo, tad viskas, ką ji darė buvo tarsi apskaičiuota, apmąstyta. Niekur neskubėta. O kur dar moteriška nuojauta, kurios šioje knygoje tiek daug. Labai patiko viskas, ką apie ją skaičiau. Supratau jos pasirinkimus. Bet širdį vis tiek dėl kai kurių likimo posūkių skauda. Negali neskaudėti, ypač kai veikėją taip stipriai pamilsti.
Medicinos eksperimentai, mokslas, medicina, moterų vargai. Visko šiame romane daug. Baimės, įvarytos per nežinojimą. Klaidų, iš kurių nesinorėtų mokytis, bet deja, kitaip netobulėsi. Nesitikėjau tokio plataus temų spektro, nesitikėjau tokių įtaigių veikėjų. Tiesą pasakius, net nežinau, ko tikėjaus iš šios knygos. Tačiau kad ir kas tai buvo – gavau daugiau. Pradedant rašymo stiliumi, baigiant pačia istorija. Kartais vis pagalvodavau – o kodėl čia tai išvis vyksta? O kas čia bus? Ir tada labai palengva rašytojas privesdavo prie atsakymų. Tačiau neslėpsiu, kilo ir keli klausimai, o atsakymų į juos neradau ir užvertusi knygą. Bet ko gali tikėtis iš mitais ir legendomis apipintos istorijos? Gal net ir gerai, kad autorius nesuskubo visko atskleisti pirmoje dalyje.
Puikus romanas. Džiaugiuosi, kad tai tik trilogijos pradžia. Gera žinoti, kad namuose yra ir dar viena rašytojo knyga. Pavėluotas atradimo džiaugsmas yra geriau nei jokio. Tad džiaugiuosi ir linkiu atrasti ir Jums.
Leidyklos dovana.
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Istorijos centre – mažas Norvegijos kaimelis, kuriame žmonės gyvena, dirba, eina į bažnyčią, meldžiasi ir tada dar sunkiau dirba. Į kaimą atvykus naujam pastoriui, kartu su juo - pokyčiai. O jie ne visiems prie širdies. Jaunasis pastorius nori išrinkti ir parduoti senąją bažnyčią, jog pastatytų didesnę, erdvesnę ir šiltesnę. Žmonių labui. Pasak lagendos, bažnyčioje esantys Seserų varpai ima kambėti artėjus nelaimei. Tačiau kas tą nelaimę atneša? Pastorius Kajus? Ar į kaimuką atvykęs architektas, kuris prižiūri darbus ir piešia bažnyčią, kad būtų lengviau ją surinkti nugabenus į Vokietiją? Griovimo ir statymo fone Astrida Heknė klaidžioja tarp dviejų vyrų bei savo pasirinkimų. O tada vieną dieną, kaip pranašauta, galiausiai ima skambėti Seserų varpai.
Knygoje apstu simbolizmo, labai daug kalbama apie dvynių ryšį. Tokia mitais ir legendomis apipinta istorija, sakytume. O gal viskas tėra tradicija, perpinta religija bei įsisenėjusiomis taisyklėmis? Tai romanas būtent apie tai – apie pokyčius. Apie tai, ką jie atneša ir kartais atima. Kai norima keisti, nes bus geriau, o kažkas spardosi. Kažkas labai garsiai rėkia. Dar kažkas bando visais įmanomais būdais įrodyti, kad ne gerinti čia bandoma, o kenkti. Gal aš keista, kad įžiūrėjau čia įvairias paraleles su mūsų dabartiniais gyvenimais. Bet mačiau. Ir tą nenorą žengti žingsnį, kai vienas veiksmas padėtų visiems; ir tuos įbetonuotus įsitikinimus, kurių realiai nebeišjudins niekas. Man tie seserų varpai pasirodė tarsi kokios pamatinės vertybės, kurias kai kuriems norisi traukti su šaknimis lauk, o jos vis nepasiduoda. O jei ir yra ištraukiamos, vis tiek lieka kažkur giliai žmonių pasąmonėje arba…
Astrida Heknė – veikėja, kurios ilgai nepamiršiu. Įdomi, teisinga, užsispyrusi. Tačiau nestokojanti skandinaviško santūrumo, tad viskas, ką ji darė buvo tarsi apskaičiuota, apmąstyta. Niekur neskubėta. O kur dar moteriška nuojauta, kurios šioje knygoje tiek daug. Labai patiko viskas, ką apie ją skaičiau. Supratau jos pasirinkimus. Bet širdį vis tiek dėl kai kurių likimo posūkių skauda. Negali neskaudėti, ypač kai veikėją taip stipriai pamilsti.
Medicinos eksperimentai, mokslas, medicina, moterų vargai. Visko šiame romane daug. Baimės, įvarytos per nežinojimą. Klaidų, iš kurių nesinorėtų mokytis, bet deja, kitaip netobulėsi. Nesitikėjau tokio plataus temų spektro, nesitikėjau tokių įtaigių veikėjų. Tiesą pasakius, net nežinau, ko tikėjaus iš šios knygos. Tačiau kad ir kas tai buvo – gavau daugiau. Pradedant rašymo stiliumi, baigiant pačia istorija. Kartais vis pagalvodavau – o kodėl čia tai išvis vyksta? O kas čia bus? Ir tada labai palengva rašytojas privesdavo prie atsakymų. Tačiau neslėpsiu, kilo ir keli klausimai, o atsakymų į juos neradau ir užvertusi knygą. Bet ko gali tikėtis iš mitais ir legendomis apipintos istorijos? Gal net ir gerai, kad autorius nesuskubo visko atskleisti pirmoje dalyje.
Puikus romanas. Džiaugiuosi, kad tai tik trilogijos pradžia. Gera žinoti, kad namuose yra ir dar viena rašytojo knyga. Pavėluotas atradimo džiaugsmas yra geriau nei jokio. Tad džiaugiuosi ir linkiu atrasti ir Jums.
Leidyklos dovana.
Susitikime instagrame:
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October 2, 2020
A legend from Mytting’s hometown tells of two centuries-old church bells that, like conjoined twins, were never meant to be separated. Inspired by that story and by the real-life move of a stave church from Norway to what is now Poland, he embarked on a trilogy in which history and myth mingle to determine the future of an isolated village. The novel is constructed around compelling dichotomies. Astrid Hekne, a feminist ahead of her time, is in contrast with the pastor’s conventional views on gender roles. She also stands for the village’s unlearned folk; Deborah Dawkin successfully captures Mytting’s use of dialect in her translation, making Astrid sound like one of Thomas Hardy’s rustic characters. I am already looking forward to continuing the story. (Readalike: Carsten Jensen’s We, the Drowned.)
See my full review at BookBrowse. (See also my related article on stave churches.)
See my full review at BookBrowse. (See also my related article on stave churches.)
February 1, 2020
Man buvo labai gaila, kad knyga baigėsi, nes čia geriausias sausio mėnesio skaitinys (kadangi sausis jau irgi baigėsi, galiu tvirtai tą sakyti). Šiek tiek mistikos ir daug gyvenimo, dar daugiau šiaurės ir atšiaurumo, iš viso to gimstančios aistros gyvenimui ir šiek tiek ironijos. Autorius moka pasijuokti iš savo veikėjų, veikėjai moka pasijuokti iš savęs, tačiau pasišaipymai netampa pagrindine kūrinio ašimi ir todėl kiekvieną kartą nustebina.
Labai įtraukusi knyga, ir visai nepanaši į Plauk su skęstančiais
Labai įtraukusi knyga, ir visai nepanaši į Plauk su skęstančiais
July 24, 2020
4.5 stars. Thoroughly enjoyable novel set in Norway in the 1880s. You learn heaps about the traditions, folklore and culture in Norway at that time and there is a very interesting love triangle between the newly arrived pastor Kai, a local woman Astrid and a German architect Gerhard who comes to the village to draw and document the old church that is being removed and relocated to Dresden, Germany. A real slow burn that is interesting and evocative and draws you in immediately. Strongly recommended if you like historical fiction.
November 23, 2020
A fascinating story of Norwegian stave churches , the harsh life of rural villagers, a Pastor new to the village, a German architect, a young woman and the legend of the two bells. This was rich in detail and had many touching moments. I was completely engrossed in the setting and story. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
December 10, 2020
“Ye shall shuttle wide, and I shall shuttle close, and when the weave be woven we two shall return”
I can’t recall a year when so many books have made it to my ‘favourites’ shelf, with the full 5 star recommendation.
I just couldn’t leave my experience with The Bell In The Lake, feeling anything other than awe and wonder. This was very much a story of personal journeys and unique reader experiences and one which had a tangible link with reality, in that Butangen is a place which exists and can be visited, and to which I duly made my ‘virtual’ pilgrimage.
The story was the complete package; an opening which drew me in all the way; a strong, well constructed storyline, which always knew where it was heading, albeit there were a few unexpected twists and turns along the way; leading to an ending which, whilst by no means satisfactory for those of us who like to see the happiness shared around, left me with a promise of hope, forgiveness and closure.
To place The Bell In The Lake into a pre-defined genre is so difficult – social history, cultural history, travel, myths & legends, romance? – all of those definitely, but none of them individually do justice to what can best be described as an epic work of literary fiction, of the highest calibre.
Lars created for me an eloquent and lyrical story where the writing was intense, full of heart and raw passion, skilled in the imagery of words, replete and rich in atmosphere, and exhilarating in its visually descriptive narrative and dialogue.
The medieval ‘stave’ (wooden) church, together with the ‘Sister Bells’, are the prime focus of this lavish story and Lars writes with sheer exuberance of a subject he is clearly passionate about. The history is clearly explained, the architecture described in minutiae and the necessity of preserving such items for future generations left in no doubt for the reader. However, at no point did the narrative become staid or boring, even for me, a non-woodworking, non-churchgoer and I came away amazed at how much I had learned, as I avidly turned the pages. I discovered the timelessness and heart of a country, the challenge and daring of its people and the spirit of their traditions.
This compelling and compassionately written book is not to be rushed, but one to escape into and be savoured slowly, as its multi-layered story unfolds. Set against a vividly, painted-in-words backdrop, highlighting a landscape which offers its inhabitants the harshest of lives, the most meagre of lifestyles, with hunger and deprivation barely concealed, Butangen is a nineteenth century Norwegian village lost in time, steeped in tradition, with its people still holding faith in the myths, folklore and legends of old, which have been passed down through the generations by word of mouth. What will happen when that way of life is challenged and outsiders are sent to live amongst the community, wolves in sheep’s clothing, who are set to destroy the very core fabric of their beliefs and traditions? With total authority and confidence, author Lars Mytting sets about changing the mindset of a church congregation by the power of his words, through the persuasion of the characters he has so painstakingly and vividly crafted. The dismantling of their medieval place of worship, the introduction of modern ecclesiastical practices, and the loss of the famous ‘Sister Bells’, cast to commemorate the death of the ancestral, co-joined Hekne twin girls, are events which will challenge and change forever, the very fabric of the village’s existence and the essence of its ever-growing population.
There was quite a large featured cast of characters in this sprawling saga, whose very nature and essence had been so effortlessly captured with such total authority and intuition, that many of them were difficult to relate to and would have taken a lifetime to understand. I became completely invested in them, to the point where I could imagine myself sharing a place at the Hekne family table, or sitting for so long in the freezing church, listening to Pastor Schweigaard’s lengthy sermon, that I lost the feeling in my extremities. Their taciturn and dogmatic nature belied their fragile hold on life, with their inherent stoicism and downright stubbornness getting them through the bad times, of which there were many!
Young Astrid Hekne’s forward thinking future, takes a whole new turn and becomes irrevocably entwined with the lives of both strangers to the village, architect Gerhard Schönauer and pastor Kai Schweigaard, with all three of them searching for a sense of belonging and acceptance in their individually nuanced ways. Their unusual romantic triangle, and indeed, their very future, is so intrinsically linked with the removal of the Stave Church and Sister Bells, with all its associated strange phenomenon, that the poignant relationship which develops between them, is touching, often volatile and will lead to them paying the ultimate sacrifice. Betrayal, in whatever guise, will always exact its price and retribution will be neither swift, nor painless.
I would also like to pay homage to the truly fantastic linguistical skills of translator Deborah Dawkin, who so beautifully and faultlessly adapted the book from its original Norwegian text.
The Bell In The Lake is reportedly the first in a rich historical trilogy that draws on legend to explore the clash between tradition and modernity. However for me, this first book worked great as a stand alone story and left me completely fulfilled at its ending!
I can’t recall a year when so many books have made it to my ‘favourites’ shelf, with the full 5 star recommendation.
I just couldn’t leave my experience with The Bell In The Lake, feeling anything other than awe and wonder. This was very much a story of personal journeys and unique reader experiences and one which had a tangible link with reality, in that Butangen is a place which exists and can be visited, and to which I duly made my ‘virtual’ pilgrimage.
The story was the complete package; an opening which drew me in all the way; a strong, well constructed storyline, which always knew where it was heading, albeit there were a few unexpected twists and turns along the way; leading to an ending which, whilst by no means satisfactory for those of us who like to see the happiness shared around, left me with a promise of hope, forgiveness and closure.
To place The Bell In The Lake into a pre-defined genre is so difficult – social history, cultural history, travel, myths & legends, romance? – all of those definitely, but none of them individually do justice to what can best be described as an epic work of literary fiction, of the highest calibre.
Lars created for me an eloquent and lyrical story where the writing was intense, full of heart and raw passion, skilled in the imagery of words, replete and rich in atmosphere, and exhilarating in its visually descriptive narrative and dialogue.
The medieval ‘stave’ (wooden) church, together with the ‘Sister Bells’, are the prime focus of this lavish story and Lars writes with sheer exuberance of a subject he is clearly passionate about. The history is clearly explained, the architecture described in minutiae and the necessity of preserving such items for future generations left in no doubt for the reader. However, at no point did the narrative become staid or boring, even for me, a non-woodworking, non-churchgoer and I came away amazed at how much I had learned, as I avidly turned the pages. I discovered the timelessness and heart of a country, the challenge and daring of its people and the spirit of their traditions.
This compelling and compassionately written book is not to be rushed, but one to escape into and be savoured slowly, as its multi-layered story unfolds. Set against a vividly, painted-in-words backdrop, highlighting a landscape which offers its inhabitants the harshest of lives, the most meagre of lifestyles, with hunger and deprivation barely concealed, Butangen is a nineteenth century Norwegian village lost in time, steeped in tradition, with its people still holding faith in the myths, folklore and legends of old, which have been passed down through the generations by word of mouth. What will happen when that way of life is challenged and outsiders are sent to live amongst the community, wolves in sheep’s clothing, who are set to destroy the very core fabric of their beliefs and traditions? With total authority and confidence, author Lars Mytting sets about changing the mindset of a church congregation by the power of his words, through the persuasion of the characters he has so painstakingly and vividly crafted. The dismantling of their medieval place of worship, the introduction of modern ecclesiastical practices, and the loss of the famous ‘Sister Bells’, cast to commemorate the death of the ancestral, co-joined Hekne twin girls, are events which will challenge and change forever, the very fabric of the village’s existence and the essence of its ever-growing population.
There was quite a large featured cast of characters in this sprawling saga, whose very nature and essence had been so effortlessly captured with such total authority and intuition, that many of them were difficult to relate to and would have taken a lifetime to understand. I became completely invested in them, to the point where I could imagine myself sharing a place at the Hekne family table, or sitting for so long in the freezing church, listening to Pastor Schweigaard’s lengthy sermon, that I lost the feeling in my extremities. Their taciturn and dogmatic nature belied their fragile hold on life, with their inherent stoicism and downright stubbornness getting them through the bad times, of which there were many!
Young Astrid Hekne’s forward thinking future, takes a whole new turn and becomes irrevocably entwined with the lives of both strangers to the village, architect Gerhard Schönauer and pastor Kai Schweigaard, with all three of them searching for a sense of belonging and acceptance in their individually nuanced ways. Their unusual romantic triangle, and indeed, their very future, is so intrinsically linked with the removal of the Stave Church and Sister Bells, with all its associated strange phenomenon, that the poignant relationship which develops between them, is touching, often volatile and will lead to them paying the ultimate sacrifice. Betrayal, in whatever guise, will always exact its price and retribution will be neither swift, nor painless.
I would also like to pay homage to the truly fantastic linguistical skills of translator Deborah Dawkin, who so beautifully and faultlessly adapted the book from its original Norwegian text.
The Bell In The Lake is reportedly the first in a rich historical trilogy that draws on legend to explore the clash between tradition and modernity. However for me, this first book worked great as a stand alone story and left me completely fulfilled at its ending!
September 5, 2019
“Bij elke stap voorwaarts die de wereld doet, vertrapt hij mensen in zijn opmars, iemand moet altijd het gelag betalen”
Ik lees eigenlijk weinig historische fictie (als een boek op de achterflap begint met een locatie en een jaartal, bijvoorbeeld “Wyoming, 1895” haak ik al vaak meteen af) maar de fraaie cover van een houten staafkerk en het vleugje bovennatuurlijke sprak me aan bij dit boek. Mytting zijn schrijfstijl is eerst vrij kabbelend en trok me de eerste honderd pagina’s niet enorm de wereld van De Zusterklokken in. Na het sprookjesachtig begin, waarin uitgelegd wordt hoe de klokken uit de titel gegoten zijn door de opoffering van een voorvader van Astrid, krijgen we via korte hoofdstukken inzicht in het Scandinavische dorpsleven in 1880 in Butangen. Over vreemden wordt in het dorp gezegd: “Eenmaal in Butangen raakten ze ofwel getrouwd of ze werden neergestoken”.
Een beetje clichématig vond ik dat hoofdpersoon Astrid Hekne de slimme, rusteloze, zelfbewuste jonge vrouw is (die onder meer denkt: ”... dat het echte leven ergens anders was en dat elke dag hier slechts vertraging betekende. Ze wist niet waar naartoe ze wilde, haar dromen waren slechts een ladder die tot de hemel reikte en daar eindigde.”) waar de nieuwe dominee, Kai Schweigaard, verliefd op wordt.
Maar de uitzichtloosheid van haar verarmde situatie in het dorpje Butangen is aangrijpend. Mensen vriezen letterlijk dood tijdens de nieuwjaarsmis in de kerk die dateert uit 1170, de bittere armoede wordt door Mytting zeker niet geromantiseerd. Zo houdt halverwege het boek een man zijn dode vrouw de hele winter bij zich, niet alleen omdat begraven in de ijzige grond lastig is, maar ook omdat de rottende lucht vossen aantrekt waarvan de huiden een beloning waard zijn. Pas wanneer hij 40 huiden heeft bemachtigd begraaft hij zijn vrouw. En dan hebben we nog de enorme standsverschillen in deze kleine en afgelegen gemeenschap. Met als meest schokkend voorbeeld een herenboer die zijn personeel giftige bessen laat eten zodat hun diarree als mest voor een haag kan dienen.
Kai, de stadse dominee, is zeer ambitieus en status gevoelig, modern en idealistisch. De auteur kenschetst hem trefzeker: “Weer werd hij geconfronteerd met wat hij de vervelendste kant van zijn beroep vond: wanneer het geestelijke het moest afleggen tegen het praktische.”
Via de bisschop zorgt hij ervoor dat Gerhard Schönauer, kunststudent en aspirerend architect, vanuit Dresden komt om de oude staafkerk vast te leggen voordat moderniteit zijn intrede doet. Gerhard is romantischer, een begenadigd tekenaar die open staat voor de zeggingskracht van de Noorse cultuur en de schoonheid van de staafkerk. En waar hij ook open voor staat is Astrid, die naast zijn artistieke talent ook zijn karakter (“...dat een gedachte die eenmaal bij hem opgekomen was niet verflauwde door gezond verstand maar levend bleef”) leert te waarderen gedurende de zomer.
Astrid komt in een soort love triangle terecht, waarbij ze de ene man zoent en met de ander gaat vissen. Alles om haar plan om de kerkklokken, geschonken door haar familie, veilig te stellen, uit te kunnen voeren. Ze vindt de ware, wat misschien zoetjes klinkt, en halverwege is de romance best idyllisch, maar Mytting verraste me met de afloop van het verhaal. Kai verwoordt het in de latere hoofdstukken van het boek meerdere malen heel fraai: “Niets is zo geworden als het had kunnen zijn”, “Wat ik ook doe en hoe goed ik het bedoel, het pakt verkeerd uit” en “Spijt hebben is altijd makkelijk. Het nieuwe mist iets en aan het oude ergerde je je”.
En niet alleen mensen maar zelfs de zusterklokken uit de titel komen er niet ongeschonden vanaf.
Het boek laat je nadenken over durf hebben en de voorbijgaande aard van geluk. Daarnaast vond ik de harde, aan de seizoenen gebonden maar snel moderniserende wereld van Butangen zeer goed weergegeven; op mij kwam het over alsof Mytting veel onderzoek gedaan heeft. De romance(s) waren wat minder sterk, vooral omdat het best lang duurde voordat ik als lezer een beeld had van Gerhard. En historische fictie wordt zeker niet mijn favoriete genre, ik vond het tempo vrij laag ondanks de korte hoofdstukken. Maar al met al verraste de Zusterklokken me positief en rond ik de 3,5 sterren die ik dit boek zou willen geven overtuigd naar boven af.
Dank aan de Club van Echte Lezers van Atlas Contact voor het recensie-exemplaar dat ik heb mogen ontvangen.
Mooie quotes:
“‘Er is niks mis met het geloof,’ zei ze voordat ze de kamer uitliep. ‘Maar de honger en het gezond verstand zullen altijd sterker zijn.’”
“Maar dat denkbeeld was als een ei. Zodra het zelfstandig rechtop moest staan viel het om.”
“Nee. Het verdriet hebben we nooit in de hand en dat kunnen we ook niet wegnemen.”
Ik lees eigenlijk weinig historische fictie (als een boek op de achterflap begint met een locatie en een jaartal, bijvoorbeeld “Wyoming, 1895” haak ik al vaak meteen af) maar de fraaie cover van een houten staafkerk en het vleugje bovennatuurlijke sprak me aan bij dit boek. Mytting zijn schrijfstijl is eerst vrij kabbelend en trok me de eerste honderd pagina’s niet enorm de wereld van De Zusterklokken in. Na het sprookjesachtig begin, waarin uitgelegd wordt hoe de klokken uit de titel gegoten zijn door de opoffering van een voorvader van Astrid, krijgen we via korte hoofdstukken inzicht in het Scandinavische dorpsleven in 1880 in Butangen. Over vreemden wordt in het dorp gezegd: “Eenmaal in Butangen raakten ze ofwel getrouwd of ze werden neergestoken”.
Een beetje clichématig vond ik dat hoofdpersoon Astrid Hekne de slimme, rusteloze, zelfbewuste jonge vrouw is (die onder meer denkt: ”... dat het echte leven ergens anders was en dat elke dag hier slechts vertraging betekende. Ze wist niet waar naartoe ze wilde, haar dromen waren slechts een ladder die tot de hemel reikte en daar eindigde.”) waar de nieuwe dominee, Kai Schweigaard, verliefd op wordt.
Maar de uitzichtloosheid van haar verarmde situatie in het dorpje Butangen is aangrijpend. Mensen vriezen letterlijk dood tijdens de nieuwjaarsmis in de kerk die dateert uit 1170, de bittere armoede wordt door Mytting zeker niet geromantiseerd. Zo houdt halverwege het boek een man zijn dode vrouw de hele winter bij zich, niet alleen omdat begraven in de ijzige grond lastig is, maar ook omdat de rottende lucht vossen aantrekt waarvan de huiden een beloning waard zijn. Pas wanneer hij 40 huiden heeft bemachtigd begraaft hij zijn vrouw. En dan hebben we nog de enorme standsverschillen in deze kleine en afgelegen gemeenschap. Met als meest schokkend voorbeeld een herenboer die zijn personeel giftige bessen laat eten zodat hun diarree als mest voor een haag kan dienen.
Kai, de stadse dominee, is zeer ambitieus en status gevoelig, modern en idealistisch. De auteur kenschetst hem trefzeker: “Weer werd hij geconfronteerd met wat hij de vervelendste kant van zijn beroep vond: wanneer het geestelijke het moest afleggen tegen het praktische.”
Via de bisschop zorgt hij ervoor dat Gerhard Schönauer, kunststudent en aspirerend architect, vanuit Dresden komt om de oude staafkerk vast te leggen voordat moderniteit zijn intrede doet. Gerhard is romantischer, een begenadigd tekenaar die open staat voor de zeggingskracht van de Noorse cultuur en de schoonheid van de staafkerk. En waar hij ook open voor staat is Astrid, die naast zijn artistieke talent ook zijn karakter (“...dat een gedachte die eenmaal bij hem opgekomen was niet verflauwde door gezond verstand maar levend bleef”) leert te waarderen gedurende de zomer.
Astrid komt in een soort love triangle terecht, waarbij ze de ene man zoent en met de ander gaat vissen. Alles om haar plan om de kerkklokken, geschonken door haar familie, veilig te stellen, uit te kunnen voeren. Ze vindt de ware, wat misschien zoetjes klinkt, en halverwege is de romance best idyllisch, maar Mytting verraste me met de afloop van het verhaal. Kai verwoordt het in de latere hoofdstukken van het boek meerdere malen heel fraai: “Niets is zo geworden als het had kunnen zijn”, “Wat ik ook doe en hoe goed ik het bedoel, het pakt verkeerd uit” en “Spijt hebben is altijd makkelijk. Het nieuwe mist iets en aan het oude ergerde je je”.
En niet alleen mensen maar zelfs de zusterklokken uit de titel komen er niet ongeschonden vanaf.
Het boek laat je nadenken over durf hebben en de voorbijgaande aard van geluk. Daarnaast vond ik de harde, aan de seizoenen gebonden maar snel moderniserende wereld van Butangen zeer goed weergegeven; op mij kwam het over alsof Mytting veel onderzoek gedaan heeft. De romance(s) waren wat minder sterk, vooral omdat het best lang duurde voordat ik als lezer een beeld had van Gerhard. En historische fictie wordt zeker niet mijn favoriete genre, ik vond het tempo vrij laag ondanks de korte hoofdstukken. Maar al met al verraste de Zusterklokken me positief en rond ik de 3,5 sterren die ik dit boek zou willen geven overtuigd naar boven af.
Dank aan de Club van Echte Lezers van Atlas Contact voor het recensie-exemplaar dat ik heb mogen ontvangen.
Mooie quotes:
“‘Er is niks mis met het geloof,’ zei ze voordat ze de kamer uitliep. ‘Maar de honger en het gezond verstand zullen altijd sterker zijn.’”
“Maar dat denkbeeld was als een ei. Zodra het zelfstandig rechtop moest staan viel het om.”
“Nee. Het verdriet hebben we nooit in de hand en dat kunnen we ook niet wegnemen.”
August 16, 2020
Knyga tikrai puiki. Patiko nuo pirmųjų puslapių. Labai įdomus rašymo stilius. Kažkoks kitoks gerąja prasme. Autoriaus gebėjimas pasakoti istoriją užbūrė. Keisti, bet sklandūs siužeto šuoliai. Super. Labai patiko.
Labai stiprūs, įdomūs pagrindinių veikėjų charakteriai. Seniai neskaičiau taip gerai 'išdirbtų' portretų. Ypatingai patiko pagrindinės veikėjos - moters - portretas. Stipri, tvirta, ryžtinga, įdomi. Vyrukai - irgi neatsilieka. Like.
Labai patiko autoriaus piešiami gamtos vaizdai. Aiškiai mačiau juos prieš savo akis. Ryšku, stipru, realu.
Man knyga nepasirodė nei niūri, nei liūdna, o gyva ir tikra, realiai nupieštas gyvenimas.
Net sunku įvardinti, kodėl knygai pagailėjau aukščiausių balų. Galbūt todėl, kad knyga tarsi ramiai tekanti upė, be kažkokio super didelio sprogimo. O galbūt kaltas mano pačios smalsumas? Neatsispyriau pagundai ir neužbaigus skaityti knygos perskaičiau apie ją apžvalgą, o ten visu gražumu išduoti pagrindiniai siužeto vingiai. Tikrai sugadino malonumą atrasti pačiai. Kitąkart tramdysiu smalsumą ir jokių apžvalgų, kol neperskaičiau knygos!
Labai stiprūs, įdomūs pagrindinių veikėjų charakteriai. Seniai neskaičiau taip gerai 'išdirbtų' portretų. Ypatingai patiko pagrindinės veikėjos - moters - portretas. Stipri, tvirta, ryžtinga, įdomi. Vyrukai - irgi neatsilieka. Like.
Labai patiko autoriaus piešiami gamtos vaizdai. Aiškiai mačiau juos prieš savo akis. Ryšku, stipru, realu.
Man knyga nepasirodė nei niūri, nei liūdna, o gyva ir tikra, realiai nupieštas gyvenimas.
Net sunku įvardinti, kodėl knygai pagailėjau aukščiausių balų. Galbūt todėl, kad knyga tarsi ramiai tekanti upė, be kažkokio super didelio sprogimo. O galbūt kaltas mano pačios smalsumas? Neatsispyriau pagundai ir neužbaigus skaityti knygos perskaičiau apie ją apžvalgą, o ten visu gražumu išduoti pagrindiniai siužeto vingiai. Tikrai sugadino malonumą atrasti pačiai. Kitąkart tramdysiu smalsumą ir jokių apžvalgų, kol neperskaičiau knygos!
March 30, 2020
Set in Norway in 1880. The local stave church is about to be sold to raise money for the nee church. German architect, Gerhard is sent to the town to supervise the old church's deconstruction. A young peasant girl, Astrid catches his eye. But Astrid has more than one admirer. Thenoastor has his eye on her too.
This book is rich in history and atmosphere. I loved the descriptions of 19th century Norway. The pace is slow ut that didn't seem to matter to me as it still kept my attention. It's full of traditions and folklore. Thenstory behind the twin bells tugged at my heartstrings. I believe this is the first book I a trilogy. If it is, I look forward to reading them.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author Lars Mytting for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is rich in history and atmosphere. I loved the descriptions of 19th century Norway. The pace is slow ut that didn't seem to matter to me as it still kept my attention. It's full of traditions and folklore. Thenstory behind the twin bells tugged at my heartstrings. I believe this is the first book I a trilogy. If it is, I look forward to reading them.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author Lars Mytting for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 4, 2019
Der erste Teil einer Trilogie des norwegischen Autors Lars Mytting.
Bisher ist die Lust am Weiterlesen eher mäßig.
Das Buch funktioniert als historischer Roman perfekt und enthält eigentlich sämtliche Themen, die mich an Norwegen selbst faszinieren (alte Stabkirchen und Architektur, die wunderbare Sprache, die Verbindung zu Deutschland, der altnordische Glaube, die Schwierigkeiten, sich im 19. Jahrhundert kulturell zu gebahren und dann doch so wundervolles hervorzubringen, die Abhängigkeit zu Dänemark/Schweden).
ABER was hat der Autor sich bei diesem grässlichen Liebesdreieck nur gedacht?
Ich hätte gern mehr über den Architekten Gerhard Schönauer erfahren, ohne seine ständigen Anwandlungen, eine gewisse Frau nackt zeichnen zu wollen.
Der Pfarrer Kai Schweigaard war eine ruhige, gediegene Figur, aber natürlich muss auch er diese eine Frau nackt sehen und dann zur Hausfrau machen wollen ... (der Würgreiz, ganz ehrlich).
Und besagte Frau - Astrid Hekne - immer versunken in wahnsinnig wichtigen Gedanken, warum sie scheinbar die einzige ist, die so denkt wie sie ...
Leider tritt dahinter so völlig der eigentlich interessante Teil des Romanes zurück.
Als historischer Roman und Bildungsroman ist das Buch definitiv gelungen, als Liebesroman eher mäßig. Und was letzteren Aspekt anging, war einfach schrecklich vorhersehbar, was passieren würde.
Großer Pluspunkt: die Sprache/die Übersetzung - ein Hochgenuss, wie Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel zu übersetzen weiß. So viele feine Nuancen kann er umsetzen und hat einen erstaunlichen Wortschatz, wenn es um archaisches Wortmaterial geht. Der Schreibstil an sich gefiel mir außerordentlich gut, der hielt mich auch am meisten in diesem Buch.
Bei der Übersetzung des Titels hätte man sich eventuell an das Original halten können (Søsterklokkene = Die Schwesterglocken)?!
Bisher ist die Lust am Weiterlesen eher mäßig.
Das Buch funktioniert als historischer Roman perfekt und enthält eigentlich sämtliche Themen, die mich an Norwegen selbst faszinieren (alte Stabkirchen und Architektur, die wunderbare Sprache, die Verbindung zu Deutschland, der altnordische Glaube, die Schwierigkeiten, sich im 19. Jahrhundert kulturell zu gebahren und dann doch so wundervolles hervorzubringen, die Abhängigkeit zu Dänemark/Schweden).
ABER was hat der Autor sich bei diesem grässlichen Liebesdreieck nur gedacht?
Ich hätte gern mehr über den Architekten Gerhard Schönauer erfahren, ohne seine ständigen Anwandlungen, eine gewisse Frau nackt zeichnen zu wollen.
Der Pfarrer Kai Schweigaard war eine ruhige, gediegene Figur, aber natürlich muss auch er diese eine Frau nackt sehen und dann zur Hausfrau machen wollen ... (der Würgreiz, ganz ehrlich).
Und besagte Frau - Astrid Hekne - immer versunken in wahnsinnig wichtigen Gedanken, warum sie scheinbar die einzige ist, die so denkt wie sie ...
Leider tritt dahinter so völlig der eigentlich interessante Teil des Romanes zurück.
Als historischer Roman und Bildungsroman ist das Buch definitiv gelungen, als Liebesroman eher mäßig. Und was letzteren Aspekt anging, war einfach schrecklich vorhersehbar, was passieren würde.
Großer Pluspunkt: die Sprache/die Übersetzung - ein Hochgenuss, wie Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel zu übersetzen weiß. So viele feine Nuancen kann er umsetzen und hat einen erstaunlichen Wortschatz, wenn es um archaisches Wortmaterial geht. Der Schreibstil an sich gefiel mir außerordentlich gut, der hielt mich auch am meisten in diesem Buch.
Bei der Übersetzung des Titels hätte man sich eventuell an das Original halten können (Søsterklokkene = Die Schwesterglocken)?!
January 1, 2020
Dar viena Lars Mytting knyga ir vėl labai patiko!
https://knyguziurkes.wordpress.com/20...
https://knyguziurkes.wordpress.com/20...
March 24, 2020
Novel set in NORWAY at the end of the 19th Century (...already one of my top reads 2020!..)
The author’s previous book – The Sixteen Trees of the Somme – was one of my absolutely favourite books of 2017, and a TripFiction Book Club read in September 2018. I therefore started reading The Bell In The Lake with much excitement and anticipation. I was not in any way disappointed – it is an extremely well written (and well translated) story of village life in Norway at the end of the 19th Century. Already I can safely already say it is one of my books of 2020!
The village in question is Butangen in Southern Norway. It is a real place with real history. It is famed for its Stave (timber frame) church – originally built in 1270 and rebuilt in 1631. It fell into disrepair, and was finally restored to something like its original glory in 1921. The church had twin bells – legend has it that these were cast at the behest of their father after the death of Siamese twin girls in the 16th Century. The girls lived joined together from the hip downwards for many years and wove intricate works of art with their four hands. They then died on the same day. When the bells ring by themselves, it is said to warn of a coming disaster.
This is the background against which Lars Mytting has created his novel. The fiction builds beautifully on the history and the folklore.
The book is set in the 1880s. Kai Schweigaard is the new pastor in the village. He is energetic and forward thinking, and determined to replace the old cold and leaking church with a modern structure. But there is no money to build it… He conceives the idea of selling the church piece by piece to the royal house of Saxony in Dresden – to be rebuilt in the city as an indication of their concern for the historic and beautiful. The price to be paid is some five times the scrap value of the church. Gerhard Schönauer, an architectural student from Dresden, is sent to supervise the dismantlement and labelling of the church prior to its transportation.
Central to the story is Astrid Hekne, a girl in her 20s who comes from the same family as the Siamese twins born all those year ago. She can, just about, live with the destruction of the church – but she cannot contemplate the removal of the bells to a new city many, many miles away. She has an embryonic relationship with Kai, and an actual relationship with Gerhard. She plots for the bells to stay in Butangen. But the story does not end well.
What is so wonderful about The Bell In The Lake is the way Lars Mytting gets under the skin of life well over 100 years ago in a remote Norwegian village – the way the villagers again pick up on old norse mythology and folklore as their church is dismantled, the sheer ingenuity (and strength) required to move the church by horse and sledge to the nearest railway station, the contrast in the villagers’ lives between the biting cold and paucity of supplies in winter and the warmth and abundance of summer.
And a final word about Deborah Dawkin. She has done a superb job as the translator. As we have said many times before, a translation can make or break the English language edition of a foreign novel. Deborah is up there with the best. The book waxes lyrical.
The author’s previous book – The Sixteen Trees of the Somme – was one of my absolutely favourite books of 2017, and a TripFiction Book Club read in September 2018. I therefore started reading The Bell In The Lake with much excitement and anticipation. I was not in any way disappointed – it is an extremely well written (and well translated) story of village life in Norway at the end of the 19th Century. Already I can safely already say it is one of my books of 2020!
The village in question is Butangen in Southern Norway. It is a real place with real history. It is famed for its Stave (timber frame) church – originally built in 1270 and rebuilt in 1631. It fell into disrepair, and was finally restored to something like its original glory in 1921. The church had twin bells – legend has it that these were cast at the behest of their father after the death of Siamese twin girls in the 16th Century. The girls lived joined together from the hip downwards for many years and wove intricate works of art with their four hands. They then died on the same day. When the bells ring by themselves, it is said to warn of a coming disaster.
This is the background against which Lars Mytting has created his novel. The fiction builds beautifully on the history and the folklore.
The book is set in the 1880s. Kai Schweigaard is the new pastor in the village. He is energetic and forward thinking, and determined to replace the old cold and leaking church with a modern structure. But there is no money to build it… He conceives the idea of selling the church piece by piece to the royal house of Saxony in Dresden – to be rebuilt in the city as an indication of their concern for the historic and beautiful. The price to be paid is some five times the scrap value of the church. Gerhard Schönauer, an architectural student from Dresden, is sent to supervise the dismantlement and labelling of the church prior to its transportation.
Central to the story is Astrid Hekne, a girl in her 20s who comes from the same family as the Siamese twins born all those year ago. She can, just about, live with the destruction of the church – but she cannot contemplate the removal of the bells to a new city many, many miles away. She has an embryonic relationship with Kai, and an actual relationship with Gerhard. She plots for the bells to stay in Butangen. But the story does not end well.
What is so wonderful about The Bell In The Lake is the way Lars Mytting gets under the skin of life well over 100 years ago in a remote Norwegian village – the way the villagers again pick up on old norse mythology and folklore as their church is dismantled, the sheer ingenuity (and strength) required to move the church by horse and sledge to the nearest railway station, the contrast in the villagers’ lives between the biting cold and paucity of supplies in winter and the warmth and abundance of summer.
And a final word about Deborah Dawkin. She has done a superb job as the translator. As we have said many times before, a translation can make or break the English language edition of a foreign novel. Deborah is up there with the best. The book waxes lyrical.
February 16, 2020
Something was niggling at her, the echo of what he had said about “church bells still ringing”, that runaway sentence that had realised it was in the wrong place, tripped and hidden itself, unsure whether it had escaped notice.
Just my kind of book, set in the far north - in this case rural Norway at the end of the 19th century - steeped in historical detail, tinged with local legend, and the village’s accommodation of both the old and the new beliefs rang true. I hadn’t heard of stave churches before but just one look at the cover had me researching them and it was fascinating. Much of what is related here is inspired by real events or local stories and Lars Mytting has done a terrific job weaving them into a whole for this novel.
I engaged with the dilemma Astrid faces when people start coming to her village from the great world outside, curious to leave the small life offered by the village, yearning to travel, yet determined to stay true to her roots. And there you have the book’s central theme - how to provide for a congregation’s comfort and well-being without compromising their respect for the past, do the old ways have to give way to the new or can they coexist? Great atmosphere and characterisation, I could empathise with the main characters, even though they have such different motivations, and came to care for them enough to hope things worked out for them all. The ending is left open to an extent and that suited me well too.
With thanks to Quercus, MacLehose Press via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.
Just my kind of book, set in the far north - in this case rural Norway at the end of the 19th century - steeped in historical detail, tinged with local legend, and the village’s accommodation of both the old and the new beliefs rang true. I hadn’t heard of stave churches before but just one look at the cover had me researching them and it was fascinating. Much of what is related here is inspired by real events or local stories and Lars Mytting has done a terrific job weaving them into a whole for this novel.
I engaged with the dilemma Astrid faces when people start coming to her village from the great world outside, curious to leave the small life offered by the village, yearning to travel, yet determined to stay true to her roots. And there you have the book’s central theme - how to provide for a congregation’s comfort and well-being without compromising their respect for the past, do the old ways have to give way to the new or can they coexist? Great atmosphere and characterisation, I could empathise with the main characters, even though they have such different motivations, and came to care for them enough to hope things worked out for them all. The ending is left open to an extent and that suited me well too.
With thanks to Quercus, MacLehose Press via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.
September 19, 2020
I was worried this fine historical novel would descend into a predictable soap opera. Nope it stayed on course with its description of a remote Norwegian village, its people and its 700 year old stave church.
Old beliefs clash with the newly appointed pastor and his new fangled ideas. The locals are not happy when he announces the church is to be demolished, moved to Dresden, and a new one built. A German architect arrives to supervise the work and the two men both look long fully on the independent Astrid.
The book is full of the weather, the struggles of the local populace, the design of the stave and later the terrible conditions a woman must face at childbirth. The ending lends itself to the next in this welcomed trilogy.
Old beliefs clash with the newly appointed pastor and his new fangled ideas. The locals are not happy when he announces the church is to be demolished, moved to Dresden, and a new one built. A German architect arrives to supervise the work and the two men both look long fully on the independent Astrid.
The book is full of the weather, the struggles of the local populace, the design of the stave and later the terrible conditions a woman must face at childbirth. The ending lends itself to the next in this welcomed trilogy.
February 22, 2021
Skaitydama atsiliepimus apie šią knygą susidariau įspūdį, kad knyga yra skandinaviškos tamsumos. O aš esu tokių knygų šimtaprocentinė gerbėja. Ir nors man ši knyga be proto patiko, bet vienareikšmiškai galiu teigti, kad ji neturi tamsumos. Man ji pasirodė šviesi ir šilta, nepaisant aprašomų šaltos žiemos speigų ar žmonių tamsumo.
December 14, 2021
Laikas gali būti ne tik išvaistytas, jis gali būti pagerbtas.
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[...] It reflected something of her own view of all things old: that time did not only erode, it also ennobled.
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[...] It reflected something of her own view of all things old: that time did not only erode, it also ennobled.
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