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A Hundred Million Years and a Day
‘On the mountain, the only monsters are the ones you take with you.’
Summer 1954. Stan has been hunting for fossils since the age of six. Now, having made a career out of studying the remains of tiny lifeforms, he hears a story he cannot forget: the skeleton of a huge creature, a veritable dragon, lies deep in an Alpine glacier. And he is determined to find it.
Leaving his life in Paris behind, Stan sets out in pursuit of a legend. But he is no mountaineer, and to attempt his dangerous expedition he must call on loyal friend and colleague Umberto, who arrives with an eccentric young assistant, and expert guide Gio. Time is short: the four men must descend before the weather turns. Bonds are forged and tested as the hazardous quest for the earth’s lost creatures becomes a journey into Stan’s own past.
Summer 1954. Stan has been hunting for fossils since the age of six. Now, having made a career out of studying the remains of tiny lifeforms, he hears a story he cannot forget: the skeleton of a huge creature, a veritable dragon, lies deep in an Alpine glacier. And he is determined to find it.
Leaving his life in Paris behind, Stan sets out in pursuit of a legend. But he is no mountaineer, and to attempt his dangerous expedition he must call on loyal friend and colleague Umberto, who arrives with an eccentric young assistant, and expert guide Gio. Time is short: the four men must descend before the weather turns. Bonds are forged and tested as the hazardous quest for the earth’s lost creatures becomes a journey into Stan’s own past.
240 pages, Paperback
First published August 21, 2019
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2004 people want to read
About the author
Jean-Baptiste Andrea
10 books280 followersJean-Baptiste Andrea, né le 4 avril 1971 à Saint-Germain-en-Laye, est un écrivain, scénariste et réalisateur français. Il reçoit le prix Femina des lycéens et le prix du premier roman pour son premier livre, Ma reine, sorti en 2017, le Grand Prix RTL-Lire en 2021, ainsi que le prix Goncourt 2023 et le Grand prix des lectrices de Elle pour son quatrième roman, Veiller sur elle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 326 reviews
April 2, 2024
Het was de fraaie (hard)cover van het door Uitgeverij Oevers prachtig uitgegeven kleinood dat me aantrok, of specifieker: de tekening van Giovanni Giacometti uit 1930.
- Hulde aan de ontwerper.
En wat meer was: het loonde. Het boek openslaan was het in één ruk uitlezen.
“Vind hem!”, was het enige dat ik maar tegen mezelf blééf herhalen, “Vind de draak!”.
Want dat doét Andrea met je: je laten meeleven met het hoofdpersonage - alsof je hem bént.
Het moet van Friends geleden zijn dat ik een paleontoloog zo in het hart heb gesloten.
(Stan is the new Ross!)
En van een Frans schrijver is het zo mogelijk nóg langer geleden.
- Hulde aan de vertalers.
Je het warm doen krijgen van een boek dat zich voor 90% afspeelt op een gletsjer, faut le faire!
- Hulde aan de ontwerper.
En wat meer was: het loonde. Het boek openslaan was het in één ruk uitlezen.
“Vind hem!”, was het enige dat ik maar tegen mezelf blééf herhalen, “Vind de draak!”.
Want dat doét Andrea met je: je laten meeleven met het hoofdpersonage - alsof je hem bént.
Het moet van Friends geleden zijn dat ik een paleontoloog zo in het hart heb gesloten.
(Stan is the new Ross!)
En van een Frans schrijver is het zo mogelijk nóg langer geleden.
- Hulde aan de vertalers.
Je het warm doen krijgen van een boek dat zich voor 90% afspeelt op een gletsjer, faut le faire!
December 16, 2025
История за бавно четене. За потапяне в красотата на природата, за вдишване на студен планински въздух. История за потапяне в преживяванията на героите, в спомените им, в мислите им, в промяната която настъпва в тях - там горе, в планината. История за мечтите, за вярата в тях, за упорития труд по пътя на сбъдването им. История за лудостта в най-красивата и форма, за дързостта и вярата. История за детството, за порастването и приятелството. За смелостта, за доверието и изпитанията. История за предаността, за науката, за самотата и за загубата. История за премълчаното, за всички неизречени думи, отекващи в съзнанието и в безбрежната планинска шир. История за шепа думи, изречени в детството, които те преследват до сетния дъх…
История, която на теория не би следвало да харесам, камо ли да я заобичам с душа и сърце. Четирима мъже се отправят на рисковано приключение високо в Алпите, в преследване на една мечта родена в местните приказки и легенди. Скали, чукари, катерене в снежни бури, описани по възможно най-красивия начин. Докато тримата учени и техния планински водач опознават планината и суровата природа малко по-малко се запознаваме с малкия Стан, началото на любовта му към палеонтологията и семейството му. Финалът е заковаващ и ме разпиля емоционално. Няколко изречения бих искала да препрочитам много, много пъти. Още със затварянето на последната страница ми се иска да се върна към първите редове - “Ще забравя много неща, може би дори името си, но това е неизбежно.”
“Съвсем в дъното недалеч от Италия, огромен кипарис е заковал селцето към планината. Наредените в кръг къщи се блъскат и протягат напечените си керемиди да я докоснат.”
“Долината е рана в планината от вечната вендета между скалата и водата.”
“Обаче на подобно, толкова отдалечено от света място е опасно към тишината да се добавя и мълчание. То можеше да стане прекалено тежко, да се срине само върху себе си и да ни задуши.”
“Човек става палеонтолог, защото обича приказките. За да ги разказва на себе си и на другите. Аз наистина вярвах, че тази си заслужаваше да бъде разказана”
Корицата и цялостното оформление на романа са невероятни!
История, която на теория не би следвало да харесам, камо ли да я заобичам с душа и сърце. Четирима мъже се отправят на рисковано приключение високо в Алпите, в преследване на една мечта родена в местните приказки и легенди. Скали, чукари, катерене в снежни бури, описани по възможно най-красивия начин. Докато тримата учени и техния планински водач опознават планината и суровата природа малко по-малко се запознаваме с малкия Стан, началото на любовта му към палеонтологията и семейството му. Финалът е заковаващ и ме разпиля емоционално. Няколко изречения бих искала да препрочитам много, много пъти. Още със затварянето на последната страница ми се иска да се върна към първите редове - “Ще забравя много неща, може би дори името си, но това е неизбежно.”
“Съвсем в дъното недалеч от Италия, огромен кипарис е заковал селцето към планината. Наредените в кръг къщи се блъскат и протягат напечените си керемиди да я докоснат.”
“Долината е рана в планината от вечната вендета между скалата и водата.”
“Обаче на подобно, толкова отдалечено от света място е опасно към тишината да се добавя и мълчание. То можеше да стане прекалено тежко, да се срине само върху себе си и да ни задуши.”
“Човек става палеонтолог, защото обича приказките. За да ги разказва на себе си и на другите. Аз наистина вярвах, че тази си заслужаваше да бъде разказана”
Корицата и цялостното оформление на романа са невероятни!
December 19, 2022
Wie nood heeft aan berglucht: vergeet "De acht bergen". Ondertussen is het er trouwens toch veel te druk. Kan niet tippen aan "Honderd miljoen jaar en een dag" van Jean-Baptiste Andrea!
May 18, 2023
Sprakeloos !
December 16, 2025
Не знам как го прави Жан-Батист Андреа, но има моето най-дълбоко уважение.
Книга за палеонтолози и изкачване на невъзможна планина ми звучи като най-скучното нещо на света.
Реално се оказа брутално истинска история, написана велико, без пози, без разтягане на локуми, без излишества.
Този човек пише като звяр и завинаги влиза в пантеона на литературните ми любимци.
След като прочетох "Сто милиона години и един ден", държах 15 минутна реч в офиса и половината ми колеги си я поръчаха веднага. Смятайте.
Книга за палеонтолози и изкачване на невъзможна планина ми звучи като най-скучното нещо на света.
Реално се оказа брутално истинска история, написана велико, без пози, без разтягане на локуми, без излишества.
Този човек пише като звяр и завинаги влиза в пантеона на литературните ми любимци.
След като прочетох "Сто милиона години и един ден", държах 15 минутна реч в офиса и половината ми колеги си я поръчаха веднага. Смятайте.
June 16, 2020
For a short book, this is a truly spectacular piece of literature. The lyricism is incredibly special and the story just invokes so much emotion. Not only does it look at ambition and the lengths people will go to achieve a life dream, it also beautifully displays relationships and friendships as well as the harsh power of nature. I highly recommend this book, it will just utterly absorb you.
March 27, 2025
Een ongelooflijke leeservaring. Eenvoudig, gebald, vol spanning en onderhuidse emoties.
Met de bergen en het weer als extra personages naast de paleontologen.
Wat een prachtige omschrijvingen van de natuur en menselijke relaties, zonder één woord teveel.
Aanrader!
Met de bergen en het weer als extra personages naast de paleontologen.
Wat een prachtige omschrijvingen van de natuur en menselijke relaties, zonder één woord teveel.
Aanrader!
May 26, 2021
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
A Hundred Million Years and a Day by Jean-Baptiste Andrea is a very philosophical book and as I am not a philosophical person I struggle a little to understand what the author was trying to teach us and it took longer to read this book than it should have.
The main plot is set in the 1950s with Stan our protagonist and palaeontologist looking for a ‘dragon’. He was told the story about a man who as a teenager got lost up in the alps and took refuge in a cave where there was a ‘dragon’ skeleton, a huge one that was longer than the eye could see with a tiny head. Stan decided he needed to find out for himself if this ‘dragon’ truly existed. He enlists the help of his old colleague from work Umberto to assist him, though he isn’t best pleased when Umberto turns up with his young assistant Peter. Plus, they need a guide too.
The team set off up into the mountains but their task isn’t an easy one, with harsh weather, mountaineering by the inexperienced crew, and only the mind of another who believes he saw a skeleton to follow. Along the way, Stan reflects on his past life and what brought him to this moment.
There is no doubting that A Hundred Million Years and a Day is a touching and beautiful read. It has been translated superbly and as such the story flowed naturally. The plot was certainly different from anything I had read before and the characters too. I can’t say I’ve read a book where the main character is a palaeontologist.
The book is quite short at just 176 pages but author Jean-Baptiste Andrea has packed a lot in. You get a very atmospheric feeling from this book. You can feel the harshness of the mountains, the effort it takes the crew to just move a few metres, their mental health taking a battering from the lack of oxygen and the cold terrain, and appreciate just what these men are trying to prove.
I’m not always a lover of flashbacks but this worked well here. It was enjoyable to read about Stan in his younger years, about his turbulent relationship with his father and his mother who supported him when he was little, but then was no longer present in his life.
This is a powerful book that will have those readers who look at life philosophically adoring. It is entertaining and intriguing too. I wanted to know would the men survive, would they find the ‘dragon’, or was it just in the imagination of a teenager lost in a bitter, harsh land?
A Hundred Million Years and a Day by Jean-Baptiste Andrea is a very philosophical book and as I am not a philosophical person I struggle a little to understand what the author was trying to teach us and it took longer to read this book than it should have.
The main plot is set in the 1950s with Stan our protagonist and palaeontologist looking for a ‘dragon’. He was told the story about a man who as a teenager got lost up in the alps and took refuge in a cave where there was a ‘dragon’ skeleton, a huge one that was longer than the eye could see with a tiny head. Stan decided he needed to find out for himself if this ‘dragon’ truly existed. He enlists the help of his old colleague from work Umberto to assist him, though he isn’t best pleased when Umberto turns up with his young assistant Peter. Plus, they need a guide too.
The team set off up into the mountains but their task isn’t an easy one, with harsh weather, mountaineering by the inexperienced crew, and only the mind of another who believes he saw a skeleton to follow. Along the way, Stan reflects on his past life and what brought him to this moment.
There is no doubting that A Hundred Million Years and a Day is a touching and beautiful read. It has been translated superbly and as such the story flowed naturally. The plot was certainly different from anything I had read before and the characters too. I can’t say I’ve read a book where the main character is a palaeontologist.
The book is quite short at just 176 pages but author Jean-Baptiste Andrea has packed a lot in. You get a very atmospheric feeling from this book. You can feel the harshness of the mountains, the effort it takes the crew to just move a few metres, their mental health taking a battering from the lack of oxygen and the cold terrain, and appreciate just what these men are trying to prove.
I’m not always a lover of flashbacks but this worked well here. It was enjoyable to read about Stan in his younger years, about his turbulent relationship with his father and his mother who supported him when he was little, but then was no longer present in his life.
This is a powerful book that will have those readers who look at life philosophically adoring. It is entertaining and intriguing too. I wanted to know would the men survive, would they find the ‘dragon’, or was it just in the imagination of a teenager lost in a bitter, harsh land?
August 13, 2024
Ist es ein edles Unterfangen, die Sicherheit eines stabilen Lebens zu opfern, um einen Traum zu verfolgen, oder ist es schlicht Wahnsinn?! Zuerst scheint es für Stan, einen Paläontologen mittleren Alters und Professor in Paris, völlig töricht, in einer abgelegenen Höhle, die in einem Alpengletscher versteckt ist, nach den Knochen eines Drachen zu suchen. Im Sommer 1954 begibt er sich auf diese gefährliche Suche nach einem zufälligen Treffen mit einem Mädchen, das ihm die Knochen einer seltsamen Kreatur beschreibt - also versammelt er eine kleine exzentrische Gruppe von Männern, um in die Berge zu reisen und dieses unvorhersehbare Gebiet auszugraben. Er ist überzeugt, dass dort die Überreste eines Dinosauriers sind und entwickelt schlichtweg eine Obsession. Während wir der gefährlichen Suche der Gruppe in die Wildnis folgen, erhalten wir auch Rückblenden zu Stans von Einsamkeit geprägter Erziehung. Er war ein sensibler, wissbegieriger Junge und litt unter seinem dominanten Vater, dem sogenannten „Kommandanten“. Es wird offensichtlich, dass sein Drang, dieser tollkühnen Suche nachzugehen, weitgehend durch seine Unsicherheit und den Wunsch motiviert ist, seinen Wert einem abwesenden Vater zu beweisen, der ihn verunglimpft hat. Andrea balanciert eine zunehmend angespannte Abenteuergeschichte mit melancholischen Reflexionen über die Bedeutung von Selbstwertgefühl. Er verbindet auch die Lebensdauer eines einzelnen Mannes mit einer weitreichenden Vision der Weltgeschichte und eröffnet eine neue Perspektive auf die Zeit.
Es fühlt sich wie eine ausgeprägte männliche Eigenschaft an, sich auf ein solches Abenteuer zu begeben, das mehr von Selbstbestimmung als von Logik angetrieben wird. Obwohl Stans Psychogramm und sein nahendes Abdriften in den Wahnsinn mit einem gewissen Maß an Komplexität dargestellt werden, überkam mich der eine oder andere Moment des Zweifels und es fehlte mir an Sympathie für diesen Charakter - die Verwendung von etwas mehr Subtilität hätte der Darstellung einer solchen Figur gut getan. Auch wenn bestimmte Charaktere aus der Gruppe interessante Exzentrizitäten - wie Umbertos beträchtliche Größe und Peters Bauchrednerpuppe - erhalten, hätte ich den Figuren mehr Entwicklung und Tiefe gewünscht, um ihnen Empathie
entgegenbringen zu können.
Ich bewunderte die Art und Weise, wie der Autor die Dynamik zwischen den Männern herausarbeitete, besonders da der Sommer dem Herbst weicht und jeder Tag ein neues Hindernis zu bieten scheint, das es zu überwinden gilt, um ihr Ziel zu erreichen. Die Frustration und Wut, die unter der Oberfläche eitert, wird in einem unvergesslichen Absatz, der im Bewusstseinsstil geschrieben ist, lebendig, regelrecht zum Leben erweckt.
Ein weiterer auffälliger Aspekt des Buches ist die Verwendung von Anthropomorphismus, so dass selbst das Wetter ein Eigenleben zu zeigen scheint. Zum Beispiel wird der Herbst als "am Rande des Plateaus herumlaufend... ein Tier aus Fleisch und Krallen" beschrieben. Wenn sich Wochen in Monate verwandeln, wird es einem Kampf des Verstandes zwischen den Männern und dem Gletscher ähnlich, als ob der Gletscher aktiv versucht, ihre Bemühungen zu vereiteln. Es fühlt sich für Stan sicherlich so an.
Für einen kurzen Roman passiert sehr viel. Erstens gibt es die erhabene Darstellung der Bergkette in ihrer alten und gefährlichen Schönheit. Die Bergwelt in dieser Geschichte konkurriert um den Protagonisten und strahlt eine traurige, geheimnisvolle Atmosphäre aus. Stan erzählt allmählich seine Lebensgeschichte, und obwohl es scheint, dass er dabei kein völlig zuverlässiger Erzähler ist, wird klar, dass dies teilweise auch eine Geschichte über persönliche Dämonen ist. Er mag eine legendäre Kreatur suchen, aber die wahren Monster sind seine Einsamkeit, Trauer, sexuelle Verwirrung und Enttäuschungen. Während es viele Differenzen in der Handlung gibt (aber hier keine Spoiler), erinnert mich dies an den brillanten Film Everest, der auf wahren Ereignissen basiert. Beide porträtieren, wie blendend vereinnahmend und zerstörerisch Ehrgeiz sein kann. Außerdem sind es beide kraftvolle Geschichten von Freundschaft, Loyalität und Integrität. Ich würde „Hundert Millionen Jahre und ein Tag“ wahnsinnig gerne als Film adaptiert sehen, Jean-Baptiste Andrea schreibt unglaublich bildhaft!
Es fühlt sich wie eine ausgeprägte männliche Eigenschaft an, sich auf ein solches Abenteuer zu begeben, das mehr von Selbstbestimmung als von Logik angetrieben wird. Obwohl Stans Psychogramm und sein nahendes Abdriften in den Wahnsinn mit einem gewissen Maß an Komplexität dargestellt werden, überkam mich der eine oder andere Moment des Zweifels und es fehlte mir an Sympathie für diesen Charakter - die Verwendung von etwas mehr Subtilität hätte der Darstellung einer solchen Figur gut getan. Auch wenn bestimmte Charaktere aus der Gruppe interessante Exzentrizitäten - wie Umbertos beträchtliche Größe und Peters Bauchrednerpuppe - erhalten, hätte ich den Figuren mehr Entwicklung und Tiefe gewünscht, um ihnen Empathie
entgegenbringen zu können.
Ich bewunderte die Art und Weise, wie der Autor die Dynamik zwischen den Männern herausarbeitete, besonders da der Sommer dem Herbst weicht und jeder Tag ein neues Hindernis zu bieten scheint, das es zu überwinden gilt, um ihr Ziel zu erreichen. Die Frustration und Wut, die unter der Oberfläche eitert, wird in einem unvergesslichen Absatz, der im Bewusstseinsstil geschrieben ist, lebendig, regelrecht zum Leben erweckt.
Ein weiterer auffälliger Aspekt des Buches ist die Verwendung von Anthropomorphismus, so dass selbst das Wetter ein Eigenleben zu zeigen scheint. Zum Beispiel wird der Herbst als "am Rande des Plateaus herumlaufend... ein Tier aus Fleisch und Krallen" beschrieben. Wenn sich Wochen in Monate verwandeln, wird es einem Kampf des Verstandes zwischen den Männern und dem Gletscher ähnlich, als ob der Gletscher aktiv versucht, ihre Bemühungen zu vereiteln. Es fühlt sich für Stan sicherlich so an.
Für einen kurzen Roman passiert sehr viel. Erstens gibt es die erhabene Darstellung der Bergkette in ihrer alten und gefährlichen Schönheit. Die Bergwelt in dieser Geschichte konkurriert um den Protagonisten und strahlt eine traurige, geheimnisvolle Atmosphäre aus. Stan erzählt allmählich seine Lebensgeschichte, und obwohl es scheint, dass er dabei kein völlig zuverlässiger Erzähler ist, wird klar, dass dies teilweise auch eine Geschichte über persönliche Dämonen ist. Er mag eine legendäre Kreatur suchen, aber die wahren Monster sind seine Einsamkeit, Trauer, sexuelle Verwirrung und Enttäuschungen. Während es viele Differenzen in der Handlung gibt (aber hier keine Spoiler), erinnert mich dies an den brillanten Film Everest, der auf wahren Ereignissen basiert. Beide porträtieren, wie blendend vereinnahmend und zerstörerisch Ehrgeiz sein kann. Außerdem sind es beide kraftvolle Geschichten von Freundschaft, Loyalität und Integrität. Ich würde „Hundert Millionen Jahre und ein Tag“ wahnsinnig gerne als Film adaptiert sehen, Jean-Baptiste Andrea schreibt unglaublich bildhaft!
Read
June 9, 2021A literary bestseller in France this is the first novel by Jean-Baptiste Andrea to be made available in English. It concerns Stan a middle-aged palaeontologist on a last-chance mission to make his name and fortune. He hears about an elderly man who frequently boasted of a youthful encounter with a dragon in the mountains close to his remote village, Stan is convinced the dragon was actually the intact remains of a dinosaur. So he sets off on an expedition with his trusted colleague Umberto to find it. The journey to locate this elusive fossil's intercut with flashbacks to Stan's isolated boyhood and difficult relationship with a surprisingly stock, overbearing father, only alleviated by Stan's bond with his dog Pepin. Although on paper this sounded like a promising variation on the standard quest narrative, I found the premise far more interesting than the actual book. I've noticed other reviewers mention an underlying philosophical dimension but if that's the case it's a very superficial one.
I made it halfway through this before giving up, I found the depiction of Stan's youth a rather trite representation of trauma, and other elements of the story equally annoying, the image of Umberto the gentle giant and faithful companion - presumably the human equivalent of Pepin - came a little too close to sentimental stereotype for my taste. This also tended towards what, for me, felt like a rather old-fashioned tale of thwarted male ambition/mid-life crisis. And the writing although decent enough, in Sam Taylor's fluid translation, wasn't sufficiently striking to sustain my attention. But Andrea has a background in cinema, and I could see that this might make a far more engaging film. Also couldn't help comparing this unfavourably with Michelle Paver's expedition novels which managed to combine a literary flavour with far more gripping plotlines.
I made it halfway through this before giving up, I found the depiction of Stan's youth a rather trite representation of trauma, and other elements of the story equally annoying, the image of Umberto the gentle giant and faithful companion - presumably the human equivalent of Pepin - came a little too close to sentimental stereotype for my taste. This also tended towards what, for me, felt like a rather old-fashioned tale of thwarted male ambition/mid-life crisis. And the writing although decent enough, in Sam Taylor's fluid translation, wasn't sufficiently striking to sustain my attention. But Andrea has a background in cinema, and I could see that this might make a far more engaging film. Also couldn't help comparing this unfavourably with Michelle Paver's expedition novels which managed to combine a literary flavour with far more gripping plotlines.
January 14, 2024
****1/2
January 2, 2025
Ik las het einde van het boek op een P&O ferry. Ik zat er tussen uitgelaten schoolgroepen tieners. Maar stil dat zij waren!
Of lag het eerder aan mij, zat ik daar te kijken naar een andere realiteit, stokstijf te staren naar de andere ik en de ondergaande zon.
Het boek is goed, het einde magistraal.
Of lag het eerder aan mij, zat ik daar te kijken naar een andere realiteit, stokstijf te staren naar de andere ik en de ondergaande zon.
Het boek is goed, het einde magistraal.
February 7, 2023
Niemand is eenzamer dan een kind dat jong zijn moeder verliest, dat alleen staat in een wereld met andere verwachtingen.
Wat houdt hem gaande dan? Het is die ene droom die hem voortjaagt.
Prachtig boek, een trage stroom van woorden dat je hart een beetje doet opschuiven.
Wat houdt hem gaande dan? Het is die ene droom die hem voortjaagt.
Prachtig boek, een trage stroom van woorden dat je hart een beetje doet opschuiven.
April 13, 2020
Really enjoyable literary adventure novel. A great book for climbers, dreamers, those with an interest in paleontology. Or, really, anyone whose ever had that burning sense of adventure but never done anything about it.
A middle aged French palaeontologist acts on a random scrap of a rumour he heard about a 'dragon' fossil in a remote cave on the Italian border. Resolving that it could be the eponymous brachiosaurus the paleo world is waiting for, he reconnects with an old colleague and, along with a guide and an assistant, they head out to try and achieve immortality. What they find is a beautiful landscape and a reason to be alive. But, as summer gives way to autumn, the mountain turns harsh and unforgiving.
Well written and beautifully translated (as always, by the excellent Sam Taylor) it is a great story that appealed to the little kid inside me.
A middle aged French palaeontologist acts on a random scrap of a rumour he heard about a 'dragon' fossil in a remote cave on the Italian border. Resolving that it could be the eponymous brachiosaurus the paleo world is waiting for, he reconnects with an old colleague and, along with a guide and an assistant, they head out to try and achieve immortality. What they find is a beautiful landscape and a reason to be alive. But, as summer gives way to autumn, the mountain turns harsh and unforgiving.
Well written and beautifully translated (as always, by the excellent Sam Taylor) it is a great story that appealed to the little kid inside me.
July 1, 2024
Dit boek is waarom we lezen.
Het niet kunnen wegleggen want je wil weten hoe het verder gaat. Maar tegelijkertijd ook niet te gulzig willen verder lezen omdat je weet dat je spijt gaat hebben als het boek uit is.
Waaw.
Het niet kunnen wegleggen want je wil weten hoe het verder gaat. Maar tegelijkertijd ook niet te gulzig willen verder lezen omdat je weet dat je spijt gaat hebben als het boek uit is.
Waaw.
July 19, 2023
Kleinood
July 27, 2023
Als je denkt "deze zomer wil ik 1 klein boekje lezen" : lees dan deze parel.
December 21, 2025
Жан-Батист Андреа поставя човека сред величието на планината и времето. Природата присъства като тих свидетел на живота ни.
December 30, 2022
Dit boek werd me aangeraden door de uitbater van Books and Booze te Gent samen met een fantasy mystery. Ik begon in dit boek en had meteen het gevoel dat het niets voor mij was.
En dat duurde zeker 100 pagina's, maar toch was ik geïntrigeerd en begon ik plezier te vinden in de poëtische beschrijvingen en de uitzonderlijke goede vertalingen.
Wat er vervolgens gebeurde is even raadselachtige als de tijdloze en onmerkbare bewegingen van gletsjers, maar ik vond het de meest logische keuze om 's ochtends, in mijn pyjama, buiten in het koude ochtendlicht, vergezeld van een wind die me aanmaande om haar niet verder te tarten, de laatste hoofdstukken uit te lezen. Een soort sympathie voor de verteller en een eerbetoon aan zijn zoektocht. Een roman voor aan het houtvuur, een verhaal waar de winterse rillingen niet enkel door de kou veroorzaakt worden.
En dat duurde zeker 100 pagina's, maar toch was ik geïntrigeerd en begon ik plezier te vinden in de poëtische beschrijvingen en de uitzonderlijke goede vertalingen.
Wat er vervolgens gebeurde is even raadselachtige als de tijdloze en onmerkbare bewegingen van gletsjers, maar ik vond het de meest logische keuze om 's ochtends, in mijn pyjama, buiten in het koude ochtendlicht, vergezeld van een wind die me aanmaande om haar niet verder te tarten, de laatste hoofdstukken uit te lezen. Een soort sympathie voor de verteller en een eerbetoon aan zijn zoektocht. Een roman voor aan het houtvuur, een verhaal waar de winterse rillingen niet enkel door de kou veroorzaakt worden.
December 25, 2023
Dit boek is even adembenemend als de ijle lucht in de bergen waar paleontoloog Stan en zijn team op zoek gaan naar een 'draak' (het skelet van een dino). In iets meer dan 200 pagina's krijg je een poëtische en verfijnde avonturenroman (de bergen leven!) die spannend blijft tot op de laatste pagina (vinden ze de draak?)maar ook genoeg diepgang biedt, zodat je alleen maar vol ontzag kan terugblikken op het alpiene uitstapje dat je net met Stan en co hebt gemaakt. Top! (pun heel erg intended)
December 13, 2025
6⭐️
Втора среща с автора, второ влюбване до живот.🩵
Книга, която те изпълва със студ, мраз, сняг, планинската ярост, човешкия огън, красиви изречения, красиви разсъждения, тъжни разкъсвания на душата.
Втора среща с автора, второ влюбване до живот.🩵
Книга, която те изпълва със студ, мраз, сняг, планинската ярост, човешкия огън, красиви изречения, красиви разсъждения, тъжни разкъсвания на душата.
February 19, 2025
Stan. Umberto, Peter, Youri, Gio.
De Commandant zijn vader, Pepijn de hond, zijn moeder die stierf op zijn negende.
"Ik wilde iets over littekens zeggen, de mijne delen. Hem bekennen dat ik op mijn tweeenvijftigste nog steeds mijn naam in de kraag van mijn truien naaide, omdat mijn moeder me had uitgelegd dat ze me op die manier altijd zou terugvinden." Pg 153.
Ongelofelijk hoe 'spannend' ik dit boek vond. Niet kunnen wegleggen terwijl het over een oude professor op een eenzame expeditie in de bergen gaat. Er zijn meer zielen mee dan dat er fysieke mensen aanwezig zijn, mensen waarvan Stan zich niet bewust was dat hij ze meezeulde op die berg...
De Commandant zijn vader, Pepijn de hond, zijn moeder die stierf op zijn negende.
"Ik wilde iets over littekens zeggen, de mijne delen. Hem bekennen dat ik op mijn tweeenvijftigste nog steeds mijn naam in de kraag van mijn truien naaide, omdat mijn moeder me had uitgelegd dat ze me op die manier altijd zou terugvinden." Pg 153.
Ongelofelijk hoe 'spannend' ik dit boek vond. Niet kunnen wegleggen terwijl het over een oude professor op een eenzame expeditie in de bergen gaat. Er zijn meer zielen mee dan dat er fysieke mensen aanwezig zijn, mensen waarvan Stan zich niet bewust was dat hij ze meezeulde op die berg...
February 13, 2023
Ik hoopte op een mooi boek toen ik hieraan begon. Ik kreeg een onverwacht prachtig boek, dat me helemaal meenam, me deed lachen en dat me ontroerde. Ik heb het in een ruk uitgelezen, binnen twee uur.
Magnifique!
update 13 februari: mijn hele bespreking is hier te vinden: http://bettinaschrijft.blogspot.com/2...
Magnifique!
update 13 februari: mijn hele bespreking is hier te vinden: http://bettinaschrijft.blogspot.com/2...
May 23, 2025
Eenzaamheid, vriendschap, bevlogenheid, trouw, loyaliteit en een jeugd die je een leven lang met je meedraagt. Ik vond het een goed en meeslepend boek, al heb ik niks met de gedrevenheid van de hoofdpersoon. Maar ik snap de paleontoloog Stan wel, met zijn achtergrond. Mocht het boek ooit in Hollywood worden verfilmd, dan krijgt het vast een ander slot. Het boek speelt in 1954, een wereld zonder mobiele telefoons. Dat verklaart veel.
August 2, 2025
4,5 ster
May 19, 2020
Is it noble to sacrifice the security of a stable life to chase a dream or is it madness? At first it seems utterly foolish for Stan, a middle-aged palaeontologist and professor in Paris, to go searching for the bones of a dragon in a remote cave hidden within an Alpine glacier. During the Summer of 1954 he embarks on this dangerous quest after a chance meeting with a girl who describes the bones of a strange creature to him so he assembles a small eccentric group of men to journey into the mountains and excavate this unpredictable territory. He's convinced they are the remains of a dinosaur and becomes obsessed with recovering this rare prize. As we follow the group's perilous quest into the wilderness we're also given flashbacks of Stan's lonely upbringing as a sensitive, scholarly boy and life under his domineering father the Commander. It becomes evident that his drive to complete this foolhardy quest is largely motivated by his insecurity and a desire to prove his value to an absent father that disparaged him. Andrea balances an increasingly tense adventure story with melancholy reflections about the meaning of self-worth. It also pairs the lifespan of a single man against a sweeping vision of global history to offer a new perspective about time.
I was interested in picking up this novel because of its connection with notable French-English translator Sam Taylor (who has also translated novels by Leila Slimani) and it comes with a blurb on the cover by excellent novelist Sara Taylor. I also liked the concept which is somewhat similar to the premise of Carys Davies' “West” about a man who abandons his responsibilities to chase rumours of a colossal beast in the American West. However, while Davies narrative provides a counter storyline about the repercussions from such a foolhardy journey back at his home, Andrea's novel is focused solely on an internalised look at a man's feverish willpower and the sobering result of his journey. It feels like a distinct masculine characteristic to set out on such an adventure driven more by self-determination than logic. Though Stan's psychology and descent into near madness is portrayed with a degree of complexity I didn't find him to be entirely convincing or sympathetic. I felt like Davies' novel uses more subtlety in its portrayal of such a figure. Also, though certain characters from the group are given interesting eccentricities such as Umberto's substantial size and Peter's ventriloquist doll, I didn't feel like these figures were fully developed enough to connect with or care about them.
Read my full review of A Hundred Million Years and a Day by Jean-Baptiste Andrea on LonesomeReader
I was interested in picking up this novel because of its connection with notable French-English translator Sam Taylor (who has also translated novels by Leila Slimani) and it comes with a blurb on the cover by excellent novelist Sara Taylor. I also liked the concept which is somewhat similar to the premise of Carys Davies' “West” about a man who abandons his responsibilities to chase rumours of a colossal beast in the American West. However, while Davies narrative provides a counter storyline about the repercussions from such a foolhardy journey back at his home, Andrea's novel is focused solely on an internalised look at a man's feverish willpower and the sobering result of his journey. It feels like a distinct masculine characteristic to set out on such an adventure driven more by self-determination than logic. Though Stan's psychology and descent into near madness is portrayed with a degree of complexity I didn't find him to be entirely convincing or sympathetic. I felt like Davies' novel uses more subtlety in its portrayal of such a figure. Also, though certain characters from the group are given interesting eccentricities such as Umberto's substantial size and Peter's ventriloquist doll, I didn't feel like these figures were fully developed enough to connect with or care about them.
Read my full review of A Hundred Million Years and a Day by Jean-Baptiste Andrea on LonesomeReader
September 29, 2024
« Qui dit que les montagnes n'ont pas de sentiments, elles qui rougissent au lever du soleil ? »
December 19, 2025
Не бях сигурен какво да очаквам от книгата, но това, което ми даде, беше едно незабравимо, емоционално и дълбоко трогателно приключение. Това беше книга, която събуди всичките ми сетива и ме остави емоционално променен завинаги. Въпреки че е с малко страници, това е огромна история.
Още в първата му книга ,,Да бди над нея” ме плени с магическото боравене на думи. Историята тогава не ми хареса грам, защото не разбирам от скулптура и не ме влече изобщо. И тук е избрал много рядко срещан сюжет, но тук не беше такъв трактат, който беше в първата му книга. Другото което ме учудва е наблягането му и тук за Италия. Дали всичките му книги я споменава с охота!?
Това беше красива история, в която се влюбих още от първите страници. Търсенето на Стан завладя въображението ми, а способността на Андреа да изплете магическа история от трудности и борби ме изуми през цялото време. Със зашеметяващи описания на гледките и трудностите, преживени по време на изкачването, Андреа ме въведе напълно в света на ледниковия лед и възможностите, които търсенето на Стан включваше.
Цялата история беше една бяла магия.
Страхотно писане, страхотен превод, невероятни герои, невероятна обстановка. Без да ми се разтягат локуми и вмъкване на простодушни клишета и по минимум 3 синонима на дума, ето ти книга от 218 страници…страхотна и ужасяваща в един дъх.
Още в първата му книга ,,Да бди над нея” ме плени с магическото боравене на думи. Историята тогава не ми хареса грам, защото не разбирам от скулптура и не ме влече изобщо. И тук е избрал много рядко срещан сюжет, но тук не беше такъв трактат, който беше в първата му книга. Другото което ме учудва е наблягането му и тук за Италия. Дали всичките му книги я споменава с охота!?
Това беше красива история, в която се влюбих още от първите страници. Търсенето на Стан завладя въображението ми, а способността на Андреа да изплете магическа история от трудности и борби ме изуми през цялото време. Със зашеметяващи описания на гледките и трудностите, преживени по време на изкачването, Андреа ме въведе напълно в света на ледниковия лед и възможностите, които търсенето на Стан включваше.
Цялата история беше една бяла магия.
Страхотно писане, страхотен превод, невероятни герои, невероятна обстановка. Без да ми се разтягат локуми и вмъкване на простодушни клишета и по минимум 3 синонима на дума, ето ти книга от 218 страници…страхотна и ужасяваща в един дъх.
July 23, 2023
Zo mooi geschreven!
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