Swede Hollow: A Novel

by Ola Larsmo, Tiina Nunnally (Translator)

A riveting family saga immersed in the gritty, dark side of Swedish immigrant life in America in the early twentieth century
When Gustaf and Anna Klar and their three children leave Sweden for New York in 1897, they take with them a terrible secret and a longing for a new life. But their dream of starting over is nearly crushed at the a fire devastates Ellis Island just as they arrive, and then the relentlessly harsh conditions and lack of work in the city make it impossible for Gustaf to support his family. An unexpected gift allows the Klars to make one more desperate move, this time to the Midwest and a place called Swede Hollow. Their new home is a cluster of rough-hewn shacks in a deep, wooded ravine on the edge of St. Paul, Minnesota. The Irish, Italian, and Swedish immigrants who live here are a hardscrabble lot usually absent from the familiar stories of Swedish American history. The men hire on as poorly paid day laborers for the Great Northern or Northern Pacific railroads or work at the nearby brewery, and the women clean houses, work at laundries, or sew clothing in stifling factories. Outsiders malign Swede Hollow as unsanitary and rife with disease, but the Klar family and their neighbors persevere in this neglected corner of the city—and consider it home. Extensively researched and beautifully written, Ola Larsmo’s award-winning novel vividly portrays a family and a community determined to survive. There are hardships, indignities, accidents, and harrowing encounters, but also acts of loyalty and kindness and moments of joy. This haunting story of a real place echoes the larger challenges of immigration in the twentieth century and today.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Swedish Literature, Sweden, The United States Of America, Book Club

312 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2016

Reviews

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swede Hollow was a "shantytown immigrant community" from the 1850's to the 1950's. A newspaper article in the St. Paul Daily Globe described it as "...a squatter settlement...[a] pleasing disorder [of] weather-beaten shanties...rooftop next to rooftop...with the dilapidated houses wedged into whatever space could be found...every once in a while there's an empty house..." Inga's cottage had a view of the lower part of the Hollow. Furnishings consisted of a sofa bed, potbellied stove, plain wooden table and chairs. No plumbing or electricity. Why did Inga dwell in this valley slum, home to arguably one thousand Swedish immigrants?

For Inga, a single woman, the Klar family of five and Widow Lundgren with son David, it started with an emigrant contract. They would be conveyed from Sweden to New York on "the Majestic" in the ship's stuffy, sweltering steerage compartment. Widow Lundgren had received a letter from her son Jonathan describing his job at the railroad and then decided to join him in St. Paul, Minnesota. Inga followed suit. Anna Klar "...was frightened by this vast, new world that offered no discernible sense of direction...everyone else heading toward something new while she was heading away from something old and familiar that had shattered." Anna's husband, Gustaf Klar, a shoemaker by profession, insisted upon trying to find employment in New York. While a large group of Swedes continued on to St. Paul, Gustaf "beat the pavement" in search of a job. During a heavy snowstorm, he tried to apply for a job at Mueller and Sons Boot Company. "I do work. Like this. In Sweden." In broken English, the guard at the gate said, "Here all speak German." Through the kindness of a Salvation Army worker, a collection provided the money for the Klar family to move to an abandoned one-room house in Swede Hollow.

Gustaf and others left for work in the dark. Often "the snow creaked beneath their wooden soles." Perhaps workers would be needed to clear snow off the railroad tracks or knock ice off the switches. Top pay for any job, one dollar a day, that is, if day work could be found. In competition for employment were Italian and Irish workers who lived on both sides of the viaduct and railroad tunnels. "A muted murmur of voices, words spoken in so many different languages..." Most immigrants lived within insular communities. The Hamm Brewery like many businesses was not an equal opportunity employer. Despite the cards stacked against her, Ellen Klar secretly learned to use a typewriter and found employment in a bilingual law firm writing correspondence in both Swedish and English. Many were not as lucky.

Life in and around Swede Hollow was described to the reader through the narration of different area residents. Inga was seemingly upbeat and forward looking. David Lundgren was unable to move on and paid a hefty price. "Swede Hollow" by Ola Larsmo is a work of historical fiction, a glimpse at Swedish immigration in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. It is an excellent, at times unsettling read I highly recommend.

Thank you University of Minnesota Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Swede Hollow".

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My two word review of Swede Hollow: Oddly Compelling

This book tells a compelling story of immigrants from Sweden, embarking to the new world in 1897, landing and living originally in New York City, but ultimately settling in the St. Paul, Minnesota shantytown called Swede Hollow. It focuses primarily on a group of people who met on the ship bound for America: the Klar family (father Gustav, mother Anna, two daughters Ellen and Elizabeth and a son, Carl), a single woman Inga, and the widow Lundgren and her son David, voyaging to join her son Jonathon who emigrated earlier. Their story is one of poverty and hardship, but also grit and determination to have a better life for their family. The story plays out for them as for so many then and now - starting at the bottom rung of society, facing discrimination and hardship, not knowing the language, but working hard for a pittance so that their children could live the American Dream. The story of their life in the hollow in the late 1800's and early 1900's kept me turning pages and I must confess I had tears in my eyes at the end.

On the other hand, this was one of the most oddly written books I've read in a while. Larsmo included some accounts of people and incidents from his research that jerked this reader out of the story of the main characters, creating disorientation. These people and incidents were interesting in and of themselves, but felt plopped into the book so that all that was learned in the research could be included. Four times in the book, the story switched from third person to first person, another disorienting feature. One reviewer notes that Larsmo is a journalist in addition to a novelist and that this book has a documentary effect to it. In a way, this explains the writing style Larsmo uses to tell the story not just of this small group of people, but in the broader sense of Swede Hollow and of immigration to America at the turn of the 20th Century.

If you have an interest in any of this, I can recommend Swede Hollow. Another book about Swede Hollow was just published, Life in Swede Hollow, a Pictorial History. I'm on the hold list at the library for this one, full of photographs and memories from families who lived in Swede Hollow, which included Swedish, Irish, Italians and Mexicans in wave after wave of immigrants before the neighborhood was razed and burned in 1956. Can't wait to read that one and then trek over to Swede Hollow for a hike to see it with new eyes.

Why I'm reading this: This book caught my eye from a review in our local newspaper. Swede Hollow, a place in St. Paul, MN where many poor Swedish immigrants first settled, is now a beautiful park which I have explored.

[Bob Grenier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suggested Swede Hollow for our January book club meeting for a number of reasons. Swede Hollow Park is just a little over a mile from our condo building. Some of our members remember it from their childhood. My wife's heritage is 100% Swedish. Three of her grandparents were immigrants and the fourth was the daughter of immigrants. My hobby is genealogy and I have learned a lot about our immigrant ancestors. Finally, my son married a Swedish woman and they live with their two children in Uppsala.

The book is a translation. My daughter-in-law says the original is very popular in Sweden.

It is somewhat a historical novel with actual events such as the Ellis Island fire, the lynching of three black men in Duluth, labor unrest, the railroads, local companies, and names of prominent people. The names of streets and places in Saint Paul are recognizable and accurate. Although, I have only lived in Saint Paul for eleven and a half years, I felt I knew exactly the places described. Ola Larsmo's research was thorough.

The characters and stories involving them are fictional. I really liked both.

I had heard previous stories about the unpleasantness of the trip across the Atlantic. My wife's maternal grandmother was so sick that she said she would never go back to Sweden. The two grandfathers and her immigrated about the same time as the those in the story - around the turn of the the 20th century. However, they immigrated to northwestern Illinois. The two grandfathers were farmers and did not experience the extreme struggle to survive as did the Klar family and their friends. Perhaps, the struggle was worse in large urban areas. Perhaps, it was easier to get farm work.

I don't believe my ancestors who immigrated from Germany to Saint Louis and Luxembourg to Chicago had the difficulties experienced in Swede Hollow and Saint Paul.

[Berit Lundqvist · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely low-key story about some Swedish emigrants who left the old country for an equally miserable life in in Swede Hollow, a rough neighbourhood in St. Paul, Minnesota. A book full of great characters.

Lesson learned: The American dream isn’t for everybody.

[Linda Nordgren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kändes väldigt platt tyvärr.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this book as my paternal grandfather emigrated from Sweden. Luckily for me, he emigrated to Calif. rather than Minnesota where it's definitely warmer. Unfortunately I found the story disjointed and hard to follow. I don't know if it's because it was originally written in Swedish and then translated or just a different style of writing. It would just jump around from person to person and half the time I didn't know who they were talking about. Sometimes it would start with some future event and then work its way backwards to tell you how they got there. I found it quite jarring.

It is a story of a family of Swedish emigrants with 2 daughters and a son. They start in NYC and then travel to Swede Hollow to live in a Swedish community. This made them more comfortable but slowed their assimilation. Life is hard and it's difficult to get a job when you don't speak the language. The opportunities are few and the rich don't like to help out much. It is clear the story of emigration is very similar no matter where you come from. It is hard to get ahead when you don't speak the language and don't have a community of support. The mother never assimilates, never learns the language and rarely leaves the neighborhood. It is up to the children to live the American dream. It makes me appreciate my grandfather that much more. I don't know anything about his struggles as he died when I was 3 and no one ever told stories about him. It's sad.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected to enjoy this book much more than I actually did. I’m fascinated by stories of the early settlers in America, the brave families who emigrated from Europe and made new lives for themselves. However, this book just didn’t work for me, as I found it lacklustre with stereotypical characters and hackneyed scenarios. It pales in comparison with such pioneer classics as the work of Vilhelm Moberg, for example, and as the book progressed it just felt like such familiar territory. The tone is flat throughout, and I found it interesting that the author is a journalist as it has that documentary feel about it rather than being a fully developed narrative about fully developed characters. It tells the story of the Klar family who leave their homeland in 1897 for a new life in the mid-west, in a small town called Swede Hollow near St Paul, Minnesota. There we follow the family and their neighbours over the years right up to the present. We see the decades pass through the eyes of different protagonists, although their voices all tend to sound the same and are not clearly differentiated. Swede Hollow is a real place and the events described here are based on meticulously researched fact, and it’s an interesting and authentic account of the immigrant experience. Overall, however, I was disappointed and the novel failed to engage me.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Författaren har säkert gjort en gedigen efterforskning för att knåpa ihop denna historia, och det är onekligen intressant att läsa om utvandringen till Amerika. Dessvärre haltar den fiktiva delen. Handlingen går långsamt framåt och karaktärerna lämnar inget bestående avtryck. Swede hollow hade säkerligen gjort sig bättre som fackbok.

[Anna Björklund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mycket intressant om svenskar i Swede Hollow, Minnesota. Hur de klarar det tuffa livet som illa sedda invandrare. En roman men med en del intressanta fakta invävt i berättelsen.

[Mollie Lannebo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Är såklart omöjligt att inte dra liknelser till Vilhelm Mobergs serie om Utvandrarna. Denna skiljer sig dock då karaktärerna anländer till en plats som redan existerar. Jag tycker om att boken behandlar ett kollektiv och att fokus låg på Dalen och dess invånare snarare än en enskild individ. Här berättas om en historia och en plats som jag tror många inte känner till. Också skickligt av författaren att skifta språket mellan olika personer och generationer. Efter att ha läst klart boken var jag snabbt inne och bildsökte på Google.

Det som ändå sänker bokens betyg är att den känns trögstartad, kanske har det att göra med att jag just kommit ur en lässvacka. Det känns inte svårt att komma nära karaktärerna, men det dröjer tills åtminstone halva boken innan en når dit. Rekommenderar dock denna bok då den berättar en okänd del av en välkänd historia.

[Arlakan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is fantastic—even in translation from Swedish. If you are looking for an uplifting story of Swedish emigrants who find much happiness and success in the so-called New World, choose another book. If you want to know the true story of a Swedish family who moves to the shantytown of the twin cities Minnesota—read this! It was a hard life. Those Swedes who are thriving in modern Minnesota should pay homage to their ancestors every chance they get!

[Emma Sterner-Radley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds you that people always find reasons to dislike other groups of people. Someone always gets shoved to the bottom of the pecking order. In the slum called Swede Hollow, Minnesota, USA, in the early 1900s it was these Swedish families. A fascinating and hugely human story. Highly recommended!

[Marieinsweden · Rating 4 out of 5]

En mörkare bild av utvandringen till Amerika (än Mobergs om Kristina och Karl-Oskar).

[Stina Arrhenius · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5🌟

[Tonstant Weader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swede Hollow tells the story of a Swedish immigrant family, Gustaf and Anna Klar, their three children, and successive generations. It begins in Liverpool where the family traveled from Göteborg before boarding a White Star Line ship to New York and by rail to Minnesota, When my uncle and grandparents immigrated, they also went from Göteborg to Liverpool and boarded a White Star Line ship though they went to Quebec City instead. My grandparents took the Canadian Pacific to Minnesota while the Klars took the Great Northern. Still, the similarities were striking at the beginning. My grandfather and Gustaf Klar were both shoemakers, too. From there they diverged, my grandparents choosing to homestead while the Klars were city folk, trying their luck in New York City before settling in Swede Hollow in St. Paul.

This is the story of their struggle and the struggles of their neighbors to carve out a life in the city. There story reflects the true history of the immigrant community. While the Klars and their neighbors are inventions, the happenings are based on historical events. This is emphasized by some story elements presented as news articles. Their lives are hardscrabble marked by ambition, hard work, labor strife, and poverty. I loved the book and hated it to end.

Swede Hollow is an excellent book and you don’t have to be the granddaughter of Swedish immigrants to enjoy it. The characters are well-developed and complex. Even when wrong-headed, the reader can understand why they do what they do. It is a timely reminder that xenophobia is a constant and that immigrants often are people with deep, abiding ambition.

There is a fairly large group of characters, fellow travelers on the White Star Line, neighbors, and employers. There are ethnic rivalries and biases. Hamm’s Beer, for example, would only employ Germans. The narrative shifts from one to another. One of the more interesting characters is Inga, a woman who immigrated on her own mind and influenced the others. These immigrants struggled to wrest a life for themselves and build a future. I am grateful for them and the people who inspired them. I am also grateful someone had taken on the task of telling their story.

I received an e-galley of Swede Hollow from the publisher via NetGalley.

Swede Hollow at University of Minnesota Press
Ola Larsmo author site (Swedish) & at Swedish Book Review (English)

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...

[Marita Ailomaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historiska romaner är lite av en favoritgenre hos mig och den här var exceptionellt bra! Huvudpersonen är en plats snarare än en person, och författaren lyckas verkligen ge liv åt detta svenska ghetto i Minnesota genom att växla mellan olika personers perspektiv: den hårt slitande äkta mannen, den oroliga modern, barnen som växer upp där och sedan bryter sig loss eller blir kvar. Tidsmässigt rör det sig om samma period som i Utvandrarna och Mina drömmars stad och det lockar till jämförelse. Jag konstaterar t.ex. att arbetsförhållandena i Minnesota var precis lika grymma som i Stockholm vid sekelskiftet. Det fanns ingen reglering av lön, arbetstider eller skaderisker. Människor dog i fruktansvärda arbetsolyckor.

Det var uppslukande läsning och om jag har vägarna förbi St.Paul någon gång så är ett besök vid Swede Hollow ett absolut måste.

[Okidoki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vi möter dem först på båten till Amerika. Familjen Klar, Inga och Lundgrens. Det här är en kollektivroman som växer och fyller oss med vemod och vördnad. Deras och vår stund på jorden skyndar förbi och glöms bort.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Det är en bra bok i grund och botten. Dock är den rörigt skriven och jag har svårt att komma ihåg vem som är berättaren i vissa kapitel. Blir starkare mot slutet. Ger dock bra bild över hur livet för fattiga svenskar i USA kunde se ut.

[Therese Svensson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jag har svårt att placera den här boken. Det jag har svårast att förlika mig med är att jag inte förstår vad boken vill vara. Är det skönlitteratur eller faktabaserat? Anekdoter avlöser varandra och jag hade svårt att hålla reda på alla namn och personer.

[Selina Öberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Svag trea. Känns som ett tydligt exempel där författaren lagt mer vikt på den historiska researchen än fiktionens driv.

[Simen Gunerius Jørgensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ola Larsmo: Swede Hollow (2017), 412 sider



Fra midten af 1800-tallet til tidligt på 1920-tallet, emigrerede omkring 1,5 millioner svenskere til Nordamerika. Drømmen om det forjættede land, hvor jorden var frugtbar og græsset grønnere - der ventede det gode liv. Håb og drømme fik unge som gamle til at tage af sted. Rejsen foregik med båd og man var sågar overladt til havets nåde. Ude på det åbne hav var det svært at forestille sig det nye liv der ventede forude - en rejse uden nogen horisont. Imidlertid var drivkraften, og måske den eneste bagage, håbet og drømmen om et bedre liv.



Vi følger familien Klar. Far Gustav, mor Anna, døtrene Ellen og Elisabeth samt sønnen Karl. Efter et kort ophold i New York går rejsen til Swede Hollow, eller svenskedalen, beliggende udenfor Minnesota. Her bor de sammen med sine landsmænd, samt italienere, Irlændere. Tilværelsen bliver alt andet end det man havde forestillet sig. Hver dag bliver til en kamp. Stedet kan bedst beskrives som et hul i jorden, slum, sygdomme som difteri, tyfus og skarlagensfeber – misererne regerer. Som menneske er man marginaliseret. Man befinder sig på det nederste trin hvad angår intelligens og moral, som en paria. Umiddelbart skulle man ikke tro at nogen med fri vilje skulle ønske at leve sit liv der.



Så langt, så godt, forstå mig ret. Historien er interessant. Den beskriver hvordan de svenske emigranter bliver siddende fast i armod, hvor håb og drømme bliver knust. Jeg kan sagtens se for mig hvordan livet har været. Imidlertid får jeg ingen relation til personerne. Det bliver til en lang opremsning. Når jeg først begynder at komme ind på en person, ens tanker og følelser, bliver pludselig en ny person introduceret. Det bliver til mange løse tråder som gør at beskrivelsen af personerne mangler dybde, det føles konstrueret. Som læser bliver jeg ikke bevæget. Som roman er bogen mislykket. Den har mere en form som en fagbog.



Simen Gunerius Jørgensen, 10.11. 2017

[Cathy Geha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Swede Hollow by by Ola Larsmo

Mixed feelings on this one. I ended up reading the entire book because I wanted to find out what happened but can’t say that it was an uplifting or happy book in any way. I know immigrants had it rough and this book spelled that out well but there is usually some happiness somewhere along the way for at least some in a family saga.

This book spans the period from 1897 to 2007 and includes the voyage to America, landing in New York then living there awhile before moving to Swede Hollow. The Klars have it tough and really don’t get much of a break in life. One of their daughters does better herself and removes herself somewhat from the others. As with many families there are family tragedies and issues to contend with. I have to say that the 2007 bit lost me...I had not a clue who the person in that section actually was and wonder if it was just an add-on to make the story conclude on a more positive note. Another part that seemed odd was the inclusion of newspaper articles from various time periods that were put in just to explain what was happening in history but did not always refer to any of the characters in the story.

I felt this was a dark book with death, prison, murder, abandoned families, riots, lynchings...and the list goes on. The writing was clear but rather more of a narration than being in the story giving it an old fashioned feel.

If you enjoy historical family sagas then t his book is one you will probably enjoy.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes and No
Would I read another book by this author? Probably not

Thank you to NetGalley and University of Minnesota Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

[EmilyP · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Swede Hollow is the fictional account of a true location in Minnesota, which was inhabited by mostly Swedish immigrants. It tells the story of one family's journey from Sweden to the United States, and then it documents their lives in Swede Hollow and beyond. This book is full of detail and character development. There are many stories being told, but they all weave together very well. The entire book chronicles the hardships of the Klar family and others, but the last section was particularly sad and a little difficult to read.

I recommend those book to those with an interest in family sagas and historical fiction.

Thanks to University of Minnesota Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Jennifer Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a tome! This is a thickly written book about the experiences of one particular (fictional) Swedish family as they emigrate to the US and eventually St. Paul, MN. My interest was peaked because the family settled in Swede Hollow, which was a real place in St. Paul and is now parkland. Fascinating history and imagination from the author on what their lives were like and the struggles they had in the early 1900s. I will admit the writing was a bit tedious in parts (it’s dense!) and I did a little skimming but I was entertained by the history and found myself thinking about the lives of people who live less than 5 miles from me more than a century ago.

[Axel Öhman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fin historia om de fattiga svenska arbetare som utvandrade till USA. Det är första gången jag läser om de svenska slummen som uppstod men det känns på något sätt viktigt. Viktigt att höra deras berättelser om det enkla men hårda livet. Viktigt att påminnas om vad vi i Sverige kommer ur. Det ödmjukar. Kanske kan vi genom dessa berättelser bättre förstå de som idag flyr undan liv av död och slit. Vi är ju dem.

Den sista stjärnan saknas på grund av den lite hackiga läsningen då många kapitel har olika stilar, vilket gör det lätt att tappa koncentrationen.

[Judith Squires · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this gem on the website of a store full of Swedish merchandise that I've often ordered from. This great novel follows the story of Swedish settlers who lived in the shantytown of Swede Hollow, part of St. Paul, Minnesota. Some of my mom's immigrant family settled in Minneapolis and the rest came to Galesburg, Illinois. Many of them found miserably hard and low paying work with the railroads. The families in this account struggle mightily just to live a subsistence existence. The very bright older sister, eventually learns to type extremely well, goes to work for a law firm and eventually marries her boss. This was beautifully written by a Swede and this is the English translation. I'm so grateful the author has written this account of a lost time and place.

[Carol E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Swedish immigrants who came to Minnesota in the late 1800s and settled in an area of St. Paul called Swede Hollow. It is a real area that contained poor housing and often experienced floods along with contaminated creek water that they relied on. After many years of Swede Hollow being an actual neighborhood, the city finally condemned it, and it no longer is a developed area. The area still exists, now empty of people, and I have been curious about its history; I was happy to find this book. It follows Swedish immigrants from their arrival in the U.S. in the late 1800s through their struggles, joys, and sorrows up to the modern day. It is fiction but some of the characters and the historical events were taken from Minnesota's real past.

[Emma Fritz]

I really can’t decide what to rate this. I kept changing my opinion throughout the book. On the one hand, it was interesting to read about the origins of many places in the Twin Cities. It was eye-opening to learn about the struggles of early 20th-century immigrants. On the other hand, the second half of the book was filled with dysfunctional relationships, death, and other sub-plots that I found unnecessary. Plus I never knew the entire time how old anyone was, which becomes frustrating in a story that spans entire lifetimes.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Moberg’s 4 novels of the Swedes in America, so I have an idea how things went for immigrants who were poor and had to learn English. I hoped that Gustaf would eventually move to the city and find work as a shoemaker. It seemed that people settled with little. Living in shacks with bad water. What a dismal life. Clearly I understood the “Swedish ways” that I recognize in my own family. Excellent book.

[Johanna Lidfors · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jag hade så höga förhoppningar om den här boken och blev riktigt besviken. Den har alla förutsättningar för att vara en fängslande historia om utvandrade svenskar, men personporträtten går aldrig på djupet. Mest är det nedslag i olika människors liv, och så fort man börjar bli intresserad hoppar författaren vidare till nästa persons historia. Familjen Klar är de karaktärer vi får följa mest, men författaren skrapar bara på ytan av deras känsloliv. Jag läste ut hela boken, men övervägde att sluta läsa vid flera tillfällen.