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Ingrid Barrøy #2
Witte zee
Na het grote succes van de roman De onzichtbaren vervolgt Roy Jacobsen met Witte zee zijn epos over een Noorse familie die in de tumultueuze twintigste eeuw een bestaan probeert op te bouwen. In deze los te lezen roman gebruikt hij een nog groter canvas om het verhaal van de familie Barrøy te vertellen.
Noorwegen, 1944. Ingrid is alleen op Barrøy, het eiland dat haar familienaam draagt. De oorlog die tijdens haar jeugd woedde heeft plaatsgemaakt voor een nog ergere strijd en Noorwegen lijdt onder het juk van de nazi’s. Tijdens een zware storm spoelen de lichamen van een gezonken Duits oorlogsschip aan op de kust van het kleine eiland. Tussen de Duitse soldaten bevindt zich de nog levende Russische krijgsgevangene Alexander. Ingrid neemt hem mee naar huis en volledig onverwachts komt er tijdens deze koude wintermaanden een einde aan haar eenzaamheid. Maar op dat moment heeft Ingrid nog geen weet van wat zij zal moeten doorstaan om haar geliefde te beschermen tegen de Duitsers en de Noorse collaborateurs, en welke reis ze zal moeten maken, ver weg van het eiland.
'Witte zee' is het meeslepende vervolg op de internationale succesroman 'De onzichtbaren', en een ijzersterke vertelling over een buitengewone liefde tijdens de donkerste periode uit de geschiedenis van Noorwegen.
Noorwegen, 1944. Ingrid is alleen op Barrøy, het eiland dat haar familienaam draagt. De oorlog die tijdens haar jeugd woedde heeft plaatsgemaakt voor een nog ergere strijd en Noorwegen lijdt onder het juk van de nazi’s. Tijdens een zware storm spoelen de lichamen van een gezonken Duits oorlogsschip aan op de kust van het kleine eiland. Tussen de Duitse soldaten bevindt zich de nog levende Russische krijgsgevangene Alexander. Ingrid neemt hem mee naar huis en volledig onverwachts komt er tijdens deze koude wintermaanden een einde aan haar eenzaamheid. Maar op dat moment heeft Ingrid nog geen weet van wat zij zal moeten doorstaan om haar geliefde te beschermen tegen de Duitsers en de Noorse collaborateurs, en welke reis ze zal moeten maken, ver weg van het eiland.
'Witte zee' is het meeslepende vervolg op de internationale succesroman 'De onzichtbaren', en een ijzersterke vertelling over een buitengewone liefde tijdens de donkerste periode uit de geschiedenis van Noorwegen.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2015
142 people are currently reading
3034 people want to read
About the author
Roy Jacobsen
45 books382 followersRoy Jacobsen was a Norwegian novelist and short-story writer. Born in Oslo, he made his publishing début in 1982 with the short-story collection Fangeliv (Prison Life). He was winner of the prestigious Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 398 reviews
January 21, 2025
The follow up to The Unseen, o novel shortlisted for Booker International Prize and probably my favourite from that year. The novel is set, as the previous one, on a remote island in Norway. This time, WW2 is ongoing and Ingrid finds and protects an enemy soldier, which has some unexpected consequences. The writing is beautiful, as I remembered and at some point the timelines and reality become a bit fuzzy but things do clear up. I did not remember almost anything from the previous novel but it wasn't too much of a problem, I figured my way gradually.
June 10, 2021
Sequel to “The Unseen”, this novel picks up a decade later and focuses on Ingrid, who is now a competent woman of 35 years of age who lives in solitude in the small island of Barroy in Northern Norway after her family has dispersed across the country.
It’s 1944 and Norway is now occupied by the Germans. Ingrid will be forced to leave her safe haven after taking in a Russian refugee who narrowly escapes death when the vessel he was kept prisoner in is bombed near Ingrid’s island. Their meeting will mean the beginning of a journey that will alter the way Ingrid understands life.
Partly historical novel, partly thriller and residually, a romance, this sequel is a more conventional tale than its predecessor. Even though the minismalist style becomes once again the protagonist of the narration, the resulting effect of this novel is less lyrical and more action-based than it was in “The Unseen”.
This is a story of a woman facing adversity provoked by the horrors of war, provoked by human beings, whereas the first book was focused on the island and the way of life of its inhabitants who had to fight against the elements, against extreme weather and hostile sea, to survive in isolation.
Even though no man is an island, I missed the becalmed pulse of the first novel.
The long paragraphs evoking the rage of a blizzard or the furious gales of unforgiving winter. The sound of nature never silent and the sun burning Ingrid’s young face when she was listening to the waves crashing against the cliffs of Barroy, thinking how alone and how fortunate she was to feel one with the earth, for good or for worse.
In “White Shadow” that communion is severed when mankind imposes on the natural rhythms of life and the minimalist narration, which resulted extremely poetic in the first novel, has the perverse effect of dehumanizing actions that shouldn’t be described aseptically but with the upmost care.
A pity that Ingrid’s journey ends up in the shadowy maze of human nature, always much harder to understand than the tough even cruel but balanced ways of the natural world.
It’s 1944 and Norway is now occupied by the Germans. Ingrid will be forced to leave her safe haven after taking in a Russian refugee who narrowly escapes death when the vessel he was kept prisoner in is bombed near Ingrid’s island. Their meeting will mean the beginning of a journey that will alter the way Ingrid understands life.
Partly historical novel, partly thriller and residually, a romance, this sequel is a more conventional tale than its predecessor. Even though the minismalist style becomes once again the protagonist of the narration, the resulting effect of this novel is less lyrical and more action-based than it was in “The Unseen”.
This is a story of a woman facing adversity provoked by the horrors of war, provoked by human beings, whereas the first book was focused on the island and the way of life of its inhabitants who had to fight against the elements, against extreme weather and hostile sea, to survive in isolation.
Even though no man is an island, I missed the becalmed pulse of the first novel.
The long paragraphs evoking the rage of a blizzard or the furious gales of unforgiving winter. The sound of nature never silent and the sun burning Ingrid’s young face when she was listening to the waves crashing against the cliffs of Barroy, thinking how alone and how fortunate she was to feel one with the earth, for good or for worse.
In “White Shadow” that communion is severed when mankind imposes on the natural rhythms of life and the minimalist narration, which resulted extremely poetic in the first novel, has the perverse effect of dehumanizing actions that shouldn’t be described aseptically but with the upmost care.
A pity that Ingrid’s journey ends up in the shadowy maze of human nature, always much harder to understand than the tough even cruel but balanced ways of the natural world.
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November 13, 2025This is Part II of the Barrøy Chronicles about the life and times of fictional character Ingrid Barrøy, born on the island of Barrøy in the early twentieth century.
In this second book, author Roy Jacobson has skipped forward through more than a decade of Ingrid's life. It is now the 1940s and Norway is under German occupation. Life for everyone, even the inhabitants of remote islands, has changed completely.
I mourned that change for selfish reasons because, when the book opens, the island of Barrøy is uninhabited.
Yes, the various members of the extended Barrøy family that I had enjoyed spending time with in the first book, have been scattered far and wide. I wondered if I wanted to continue reading, if I was going to be interested in life on the mainland with a host of new characters.
But I'm resilient so I did continue reading, and it wasn't long before I was rewarded. Ingrid gets tired of filleting fish in a mainland factory and hitches a lift back to her island home on the mail boat. Now she has to face into surviving alone until her aunt and the other family members can return. There are no animals left on the island—the cows and sheep had been taken to the mainland when the family left—so it's a very solitary existence. But although she's completely alone, she's not unhappy, and neither am I. The two of us are back in the world of the first book, and there is the possibility that some of the other characters from that book might return soon.
However, Roy Jacobson had other plans for this second book, and Ingrid and I have to make the best of them. In the first book, I'd noticed how removed Barrøy was from the reach of the law—but I hadn't reckoned with the long arm of the occupying forces. Yes, the story goes in the direction stories about wartime often go, and Ingrid has to leave her island once again.
Still and all, wars do end, and displaced peoples sometimes get to go home. And so it is for Ingrid and her extended family. They manage to return to Barrøy before the end of the book, and I, eager once again, began the third book in the series.
In this second book, author Roy Jacobson has skipped forward through more than a decade of Ingrid's life. It is now the 1940s and Norway is under German occupation. Life for everyone, even the inhabitants of remote islands, has changed completely.
I mourned that change for selfish reasons because, when the book opens, the island of Barrøy is uninhabited.
Yes, the various members of the extended Barrøy family that I had enjoyed spending time with in the first book, have been scattered far and wide. I wondered if I wanted to continue reading, if I was going to be interested in life on the mainland with a host of new characters.
But I'm resilient so I did continue reading, and it wasn't long before I was rewarded. Ingrid gets tired of filleting fish in a mainland factory and hitches a lift back to her island home on the mail boat. Now she has to face into surviving alone until her aunt and the other family members can return. There are no animals left on the island—the cows and sheep had been taken to the mainland when the family left—so it's a very solitary existence. But although she's completely alone, she's not unhappy, and neither am I. The two of us are back in the world of the first book, and there is the possibility that some of the other characters from that book might return soon.
However, Roy Jacobson had other plans for this second book, and Ingrid and I have to make the best of them. In the first book, I'd noticed how removed Barrøy was from the reach of the law—but I hadn't reckoned with the long arm of the occupying forces. Yes, the story goes in the direction stories about wartime often go, and Ingrid has to leave her island once again.
Still and all, wars do end, and displaced peoples sometimes get to go home. And so it is for Ingrid and her extended family. They manage to return to Barrøy before the end of the book, and I, eager once again, began the third book in the series.
July 25, 2021
Ik vond dit net zo mooi als het eerste boek. De voortzetting van de familiesaga. Hopelijk worden deel 3 en 4 snel vertaald.
I find that the 2nd instalment of the series is just as good as the first one. The continuation of the family saga. Hope they hurry up with the translation of book 3 and 4.
I find that the 2nd instalment of the series is just as good as the first one. The continuation of the family saga. Hope they hurry up with the translation of book 3 and 4.
February 16, 2020
When I realized the second book is going to be Ingrid-centered, I was a bit upset, because I wanted to see the whole family in the picture, so to say. But I was again hypnotized by waves and snow and seagulls and I went into the trans of reading. It was like coming home.
And Ingrid wasn't alone anymore.
Will be waiting for the ending part impatiently.
And Ingrid wasn't alone anymore.
Will be waiting for the ending part impatiently.
January 29, 2020
Labai laukiau šitos knygos, nes "Neregimieji" - mylimiausiųjų lentynoje. Smarkiai nenusivyliau, nes nujaučiau, kad tęsinys, kaip itin dažnai pasitaiko, bus silpnesnis nei pirmoji dalis. Bet vis dėlto tikėjausi kažko kito. Tikrai ne
November 30, 2024
Eerlijk? Dit vervolg op De Onzichtbaren is archislecht. Alles wat ik prachtig vond aan het eerste boek is gewoon verdwenen. Deze roman is veel conventioneler dan zijn voorganger, veel minder lyrisch en meer op actie gericht. In het eerste boek stonden het eiland en de levenswijze van de bewoners centraal. Je leefde met hen mee terwijl ze vochten tegen de elementen, het extreme weer, de vijandige zee. Je kreeg het beeld voorgeschoteld van een werkelijk meedogenloze natuur. Hier moet een vrouw het hoofd bieden aan de verschrikkingen van de oorlog, uitgelokt door de mens. Het verhaal is geschreven in een infantiele stijl met dialogen die naam onwaardig. Hij zegt… Zij antwoordt… Hij vraagt… Zij bevestigt... Ik heb de laatste bladzijden gescand. Had er geen zin meer in, had totaal geen klik met ook maar iemand van de personages. De rest van de boeken? Die sla ik over.
Deze haalde zelfs mijn lijst van slechte boeken in 2021.
Deze haalde zelfs mijn lijst van slechte boeken in 2021.
June 9, 2019
Kažkas džiugaus yra šioje knygų serijoje. Atrodo, kad skaitau apie meilę kasdienybei ir jos iššūkiams, ir taip ramu ir gera nuo to darosi.
July 22, 2021
Van een adembenemende melancholische schoonheid.
'De vis was er het eerst. De mens is slechts een halsstarrige gast aan zee.'
August 5, 2019
Görülmeyenler ve devam romanı Beyaz Deniz bu sene okuduğum en iyi romanlar arasında yer alacaklar.
İlk romandakinin tamamen tersinde bir atmosferle açılıyor kitap. Barrøy hala kuzeyde ıssız, bir başına, doğanın, mevsimine göre okşadığı ya da tokatladığı bir ada. Lakin bütün kıta Avrupa’sını yerinden oynatan savaş, ıssızlık ya da uzaklık tanımıyor. Dünyanın değişen dengeleri adayı ve ufacık ada halkını da hallaç pamuğu gibi ordan oraya savurmuş.
Görülmeyenler ne kadar insan ve doğanın mücadelesini anlatıyorduysa Beyaz Deniz de bir o kadar insanın insanla mücadelesini/savaşını anlatıyor. Hangisi daha yıpratıcı? Bence cevap çok açık.
Roy Jacobsen’in net ve ne zaman ne söyleyeceği belli olmayan bir üslubu var, okumak gerçekten bir keyifti. Özellikle de bölüm girişlerinin beni hep yükselttiğini söylemem gerek.
Barrøy üzerine o kadar çok hayal kurdum ki hayalimde bile olsa kaçabileceğim, şekli şamali sınırları tabiatı herşeyi kafamda bir adam var artık. Kitap bitmek üzereyken onu düşündüm; edebiyatta sevdiğim adalar diye bir liste yapsam birinci sırada kesinlikle Yaşar Kemal’in Karınca Adası olur. O renklilikte, o insan ve tabiat çeşitliliğinde bir adada yaşamayı hayal etmişliğim çoktur. En nihayetinde yaşamımı da (tabiat olarak) ona benzer bir, ada olmasa da, yarımadada kurdum yıllar önce ama zaman geçtikçe ve insanlardan ziyadesiyle yoruldukça kuzeyde, daha ıssız, sakin ve yalnız, Barrøy gibi bir adada yaşamayı daha çok ister oldum Karınca Adası’na göre.
Son olarak kuzeye dair okuyacağımız şeylerin çoğalması mutlu ediyor beni.
İlk romandakinin tamamen tersinde bir atmosferle açılıyor kitap. Barrøy hala kuzeyde ıssız, bir başına, doğanın, mevsimine göre okşadığı ya da tokatladığı bir ada. Lakin bütün kıta Avrupa’sını yerinden oynatan savaş, ıssızlık ya da uzaklık tanımıyor. Dünyanın değişen dengeleri adayı ve ufacık ada halkını da hallaç pamuğu gibi ordan oraya savurmuş.
Görülmeyenler ne kadar insan ve doğanın mücadelesini anlatıyorduysa Beyaz Deniz de bir o kadar insanın insanla mücadelesini/savaşını anlatıyor. Hangisi daha yıpratıcı? Bence cevap çok açık.
Roy Jacobsen’in net ve ne zaman ne söyleyeceği belli olmayan bir üslubu var, okumak gerçekten bir keyifti. Özellikle de bölüm girişlerinin beni hep yükselttiğini söylemem gerek.
Barrøy üzerine o kadar çok hayal kurdum ki hayalimde bile olsa kaçabileceğim, şekli şamali sınırları tabiatı herşeyi kafamda bir adam var artık. Kitap bitmek üzereyken onu düşündüm; edebiyatta sevdiğim adalar diye bir liste yapsam birinci sırada kesinlikle Yaşar Kemal’in Karınca Adası olur. O renklilikte, o insan ve tabiat çeşitliliğinde bir adada yaşamayı hayal etmişliğim çoktur. En nihayetinde yaşamımı da (tabiat olarak) ona benzer bir, ada olmasa da, yarımadada kurdum yıllar önce ama zaman geçtikçe ve insanlardan ziyadesiyle yoruldukça kuzeyde, daha ıssız, sakin ve yalnız, Barrøy gibi bir adada yaşamayı daha çok ister oldum Karınca Adası’na göre.
Son olarak kuzeye dair okuyacağımız şeylerin çoğalması mutlu ediyor beni.
November 7, 2021
It's a year and half since I read the first book in Roy Jacobsen's "Ingrid Barrøy Trilogy", The Unseen. It follows in the family saga tradition and even though it's set on a tiny island, the number of characters presented is intimidating. Herein lay a problem. I probably should have re-read the first volume before embarking on White Shadow. I remembered the main characters, but such is the nature of memory, I could recall few of the myriad other characters who cropped up from time to time...
The Unseen made a huge impression on me. I read White Shadow quickly and was entertained but not quite as impressed. The former occasionally seemed improbable, the latter all the more so. This time, we find Ingrid alone, at first, on the island of Barrøy during World War Two. Over the course of the novel, she becomes involved - quite literally, at times - with a whole raft of refugees and fugitives. Over the course of the novel, we learn of their hardships and how they survive them. Many of the events are unspoken and off the page - it's an elliptical but highly effective approach, merely hinting at the horrors the characters may have suffered. As I've suggested, for me at least, some other events lacked credence.
Most of the new characters in this volume are appealing and well drawn, some who have been battered by the experience of war, others who are roguish natural survivors and have thrived on it. The experience of the occupation is brought alive - a brutal experience and one that, my Norwegian friends inform me, cast a long dark shadow.
And then there's that enigmatic title... It's original title Hvitt Hav means "white sea" not "white shadow". There's only one mention of white shadows in the text. I guess the original title might refer to the snowbound landscapes through which Ingrid moves much of the time but also to the actual White Sea, lying between the territories traditionally occupied by the Russian and Finnish peoples and from where several of the novel's characters have come. Why do translators feel the need to change a book's title? It's for reasons of marketability, I assume, but I'd really rather they didn't. The Unseen is equally elusive but also more allusive, since it's the novel's original title and allows the reader to try to second guess the shades of meaning the author intended.
The writing is again terse and poetic, matched perfectly to the landscape and community it describes. Reading White Shadow is an immersive experience, its narrative driving and relentless. By the end of the novel, a sort of equilibrium has been restored. Now begins the waiting for the translation of the already-written third volume. Something tells me I'll need to re-read this novel before starting on Rigels Øyne...
Postscript: I've just discovered that the Czech title is "Bílý oceán" - when the going gets tough, eh?
The Unseen made a huge impression on me. I read White Shadow quickly and was entertained but not quite as impressed. The former occasionally seemed improbable, the latter all the more so. This time, we find Ingrid alone, at first, on the island of Barrøy during World War Two. Over the course of the novel, she becomes involved - quite literally, at times - with a whole raft of refugees and fugitives. Over the course of the novel, we learn of their hardships and how they survive them. Many of the events are unspoken and off the page - it's an elliptical but highly effective approach, merely hinting at the horrors the characters may have suffered. As I've suggested, for me at least, some other events lacked credence.
Most of the new characters in this volume are appealing and well drawn, some who have been battered by the experience of war, others who are roguish natural survivors and have thrived on it. The experience of the occupation is brought alive - a brutal experience and one that, my Norwegian friends inform me, cast a long dark shadow.
And then there's that enigmatic title... It's original title Hvitt Hav means "white sea" not "white shadow". There's only one mention of white shadows in the text. I guess the original title might refer to the snowbound landscapes through which Ingrid moves much of the time but also to the actual White Sea, lying between the territories traditionally occupied by the Russian and Finnish peoples and from where several of the novel's characters have come. Why do translators feel the need to change a book's title? It's for reasons of marketability, I assume, but I'd really rather they didn't. The Unseen is equally elusive but also more allusive, since it's the novel's original title and allows the reader to try to second guess the shades of meaning the author intended.
The writing is again terse and poetic, matched perfectly to the landscape and community it describes. Reading White Shadow is an immersive experience, its narrative driving and relentless. By the end of the novel, a sort of equilibrium has been restored. Now begins the waiting for the translation of the already-written third volume. Something tells me I'll need to re-read this novel before starting on Rigels Øyne...
Postscript: I've just discovered that the Czech title is "Bílý oceán" - when the going gets tough, eh?
June 5, 2019
Tai antroji skaitytojų pamėgtos knygos “Neregimieji” dalis. Jei pirmoji knyga baigėsi tuo, jog Ingrida užaugo į savarankišką, stiprią ir atsakomybės nebijančią moterį, tai ši linija tęsiama ir toliau. Mėgstantiems savęs pagailėti ir parypuoti kaip sunku siūlau įkvėpimo ir stiprybės pasisemti iš Ingridos- Roy Jacobsen sukurto stipraus personažo. Šiai moteriai niekas nebaisu. Ji grįžta į Briojos salą viena. Sala, iš visų pusių skalaujama jūros ir negyvenama. Galvosite, kad čia moteriai ne vieta? Anaiptol! Antrasis pasaulinis karas Bariojos taip pat nepalieka be pėdsako. Vieną dieną Ingrida aptinka drabužių nuoplaišas, taip pat jūros plaunamas į krantą palaikų dalis. Dar aptinka ir leisgyvį rusą. Tai tampa pirmu jaunos moters susidūrimu su meile.
Lygiai kaip ir “Neregimieji” ši knyga lėta, su daugybe nutylėjimų, kurie privers susikaupti ir ieškoti atsakymų. Tai nėra rožinė meilės istorija su laiminga pabaiga. Tai net ne meilės istorija. Mano nuomone, ši knyga - tylus ir ramus pasakojimas apie paprastą žmogų, jo atsakomybę ir savarankiškumą. Kasdienybės malda. Taip pat tai pasakojimas apie drąsą būti savimi ir už save pakovoti. Pasakojimas iki skausmo realistiškas. Paprasto žmogaus paprastas gyvenimas ir tai kaip jis stovi iškėlęs galvą ir priima viską, ką likimas pasiūlo. Knyga pasirodė šiek tiek silpnesnė nei pirmoji, tačiau iš esmės turi viską, kas man patinka skandinavų kūryboje. Laukiu trečios dalies. Gero skaitymo.
Susitikime Instagrame: https://bit.ly/2HLiWA3
Lygiai kaip ir “Neregimieji” ši knyga lėta, su daugybe nutylėjimų, kurie privers susikaupti ir ieškoti atsakymų. Tai nėra rožinė meilės istorija su laiminga pabaiga. Tai net ne meilės istorija. Mano nuomone, ši knyga - tylus ir ramus pasakojimas apie paprastą žmogų, jo atsakomybę ir savarankiškumą. Kasdienybės malda. Taip pat tai pasakojimas apie drąsą būti savimi ir už save pakovoti. Pasakojimas iki skausmo realistiškas. Paprasto žmogaus paprastas gyvenimas ir tai kaip jis stovi iškėlęs galvą ir priima viską, ką likimas pasiūlo. Knyga pasirodė šiek tiek silpnesnė nei pirmoji, tačiau iš esmės turi viską, kas man patinka skandinavų kūryboje. Laukiu trečios dalies. Gero skaitymo.
Susitikime Instagrame: https://bit.ly/2HLiWA3
January 20, 2018
War has come. It does not deeply affect the natives of the coast, except for some refugees. Ingrid is alone on Barrøy, her mentally handicapped aunt Barbro being hospitalized because of a broken leg and the other relatives scattered to the wind and other islands. She is alone when she realizes a vessel has capsized on her little island. There is one lone survivor, a young man, badly wounded.
The author takes "show, don't tell" to such lengths that it's sometimes a little bit difficult to interpret what he is trying to say. Some of the story is open to your own projections. I found it a little bit confusing at times and did not enjoy this second book as much as the first.
The author takes "show, don't tell" to such lengths that it's sometimes a little bit difficult to interpret what he is trying to say. Some of the story is open to your own projections. I found it a little bit confusing at times and did not enjoy this second book as much as the first.
April 23, 2019
“Görülmeyenler”in devamı olan bu kitabında Roy Jacobsen daha iyi bir toparlama yapmış. Yine savrukluklar ve kopukluklar var ama ilk kitaba göre daha derli toplu bu novellası. Sırayla okunmazsa “Beyaz Deniz”i anlamak zor olur. İlk kitabındaki konulara ek olarak savaş ve getirdiği felaketler güzel anlatıyor. Kuzey (İskandinav) romanlarını seviyorsanız önce Görülmeyen’leri sonra bu kitabı okuyun.
October 18, 2019
Skandinavų literatūra turbūt yra viena iš tokių, kurią renkuosi skaityti su didžiausiu malonumu, nes ji turi kažką tokio, kas skaitytoją priverčia suklusti, įsijausti, likti nustebusiam arba tiesiog mėgautis ne tik veiksmu, bet ir vyksmu. Todėl kuriam laikui pamiršus detektyvus, šiuo metu renkuosi širdžiai mielesnę literatūrą, į kurią pasineriu ne tik visomis savo mintimis, bet kartu ir širdimi. Tokiais kūriniais leidžiu sau pasimėgauti kuo dažniau, nes man patinka, kai mane sukrečia, supurto ir priverčia kūrinį išanalizuoti iki smulkmenų. Todėl, kai perskaičiau Roy Jacobsen kūrinį "Neregimieji", buvau sužavėta ne tik kūrinio skambesiu, bet ir šaltumu, kuris sugeba taip giliai prasiskverbti palikdamas ne tik stingdantį pėdsaką mintyse, bet tuo pačiu sukeldamas ir malonius pojūčius, kurie patiriami skaitant šį kūrinį. Tokia jau skandinavų literatūra-šalta, bet paliekanti viduje kažką malonaus ir šilto. O štai praėjus ilgesniam laikui po "Neregimieji" skaitymo, mano rankose jau perskaityta antroji jų dalis "Balta jūra". Perskaičiau ir likau nustebinta. Visų pirma todėl, kad teksto grožis, savita kalba, sakinių struktūra išlaikyta tokia pati kaip ir pirmoje dalyje. Tačiau kitas aspektas, kuris nustebino, kad kūrinys pasirodė toks lėtas, kad prigaudavau save jau galvojant apie kažką kito. Bet čia galbūt ir buvo toks autoriaus tikslas, kad antra dalis ir turi būti kitokia nei pirmoji. Grįžtant prie "Balta jūra" konteksto, knygos veiksmas mus nukelia į 1944-uosius metus, kuomet Barioja stovi tuščia. Į savo gimtuosius namus sugrįžta Ingrida jau būdama suaugusia moterimi. Namų ilgesys ją priverčia vėl prisiminti tai, ką darė tėvams esant gyviems-ruoštis žiemai žvejojant tinklais. Vidinis skausmas drasko jai širdį prisimenant savo tėvus ir artimuosius, tačiau Barioja-ne vieta gedėti. Čia ji patiria pirmąją savo gyvenimo meilę, o naujos gyvybės užsimezgimas jos įsčiose žada kardinalius pasikeitimus. Gimtinė nualinta karo, jos žemėje randama ne tik kareivių kūnų, bet ir rudo medžiagos audinio, nuo kurio ir prasideda ši Ingridos gyvenimo kelionė-lėtai skausminga, bet ir nepaprastai graži, kuri reikalauja ne tik laisvės, drąsos, bet ir atsakomybės. Man "Balta jūra" tarsi stiprios moters išlikimo istorija su daugybę vingių ir pasirinkimo kelių, kuri vietomis verčia ne tik žavėtis, bet ir pakraupti. Todėl per daug neatskleisdama šios knygos siužeto, labai rekomenduočiau skaityti tiems skaitytojams, kurie nori sužinoti, kokia šiandien Barioja yra Ingridos akimis ir kaip ji bando ją sukurti pagal save. Nors ir būsiu kritiška, tačiau "Neregimieji" mane sužavėjo labiau ir paliko didesnį įspūdį. Tad beliks sulaukti trečios dalies ir kūrinį jau vertinti kaip vientisą, o ne dalimis.
October 30, 2024
İlk kitaptaki hikâyenin 16 yıl ilerisindeyiz. II. Dünya Savaşı’nın bitmesine henüz bir sene var ve Almanlar hala Norveç’i işgal ediyor. Barrøy adasında da kimsecikler kalmamış. İlk kitapta küçük bir kız çocuğu olan Ingrid artık 30lu yaşlarının ortalarında ve yakın kız arkadaşı Nelly dışında kimi kimsesi yok. Halası Barbro ve kuzeni Lars da uzaklarda. Ada Ingrid’i çağırıyor ve hikâye başlıyor.
İngilizler, Barrøy adası yakınlarında Rigel isimli, içinde farklı milletlerden savaş esirinin olduğu Alman gemisini asker gemisi sanarak ateş açıp batırıyorlar. Bu batış Norveç tarihindeki en büyük deniz felaketi olarak anılmasına rağmen romandaki karakterler olayın varlığından şüphe ediyorlar. Hatta civar adalardaki gazetelerde olaya belli belirsiz yer veriliyor. Roman, Rigel’in batışını konu ediniyor gibi görünse de aslında savaşın bölgedeki ve Ingrid’in yaşamındaki kaotik etkilerini anlatıyor.
Ingrid adaya vardığında kıyıya vurmuş üniformalı asker cesetlerini görüyor ve kısa bir süre için adadaki yaşamını gemi enkazından kurtulmayı başaran kimliği belirsiz biriyle, Alexander’la paylaşıyor. Aynı dili konuşamamalarına rağmen aralarında bir bağ oluşuyor. Ancak Ingrid, Nazi işgalcilerinin gelmesi ihtimali nedeniyle Alexander’ın bir gün adadan gitmek zorunda olduğunu ya da kendisinin bunu isteyeceğini biliyor.
Alexander’ın gidişinin ardından Ingrid’in iz sürme hikayesi denilebilecek bu geçiş romanının dili serinin ilk kitabına göre daha açık. Ada bu sefer baş karakter olmaktan çıkmış ve salt mekân olarak kullanılmış. Bu arada kıyıda yaşamanın fiziksel dayanıklılık sağladığına atıfla “adalı gücü” diye bir şeyin varlığına Ingrid sayesinde ikna oldum. 175 sayfa boyunca on kaplan gücünden bir an bile taviz vermiyor. Jacobsen’in Ingrid üzerinden insanın şartlara uyum sağlama becerisine ilişkin verdiği mesaj ilham verici.
İngilizler, Barrøy adası yakınlarında Rigel isimli, içinde farklı milletlerden savaş esirinin olduğu Alman gemisini asker gemisi sanarak ateş açıp batırıyorlar. Bu batış Norveç tarihindeki en büyük deniz felaketi olarak anılmasına rağmen romandaki karakterler olayın varlığından şüphe ediyorlar. Hatta civar adalardaki gazetelerde olaya belli belirsiz yer veriliyor. Roman, Rigel’in batışını konu ediniyor gibi görünse de aslında savaşın bölgedeki ve Ingrid’in yaşamındaki kaotik etkilerini anlatıyor.
Ingrid adaya vardığında kıyıya vurmuş üniformalı asker cesetlerini görüyor ve kısa bir süre için adadaki yaşamını gemi enkazından kurtulmayı başaran kimliği belirsiz biriyle, Alexander’la paylaşıyor. Aynı dili konuşamamalarına rağmen aralarında bir bağ oluşuyor. Ancak Ingrid, Nazi işgalcilerinin gelmesi ihtimali nedeniyle Alexander’ın bir gün adadan gitmek zorunda olduğunu ya da kendisinin bunu isteyeceğini biliyor.
Alexander’ın gidişinin ardından Ingrid’in iz sürme hikayesi denilebilecek bu geçiş romanının dili serinin ilk kitabına göre daha açık. Ada bu sefer baş karakter olmaktan çıkmış ve salt mekân olarak kullanılmış. Bu arada kıyıda yaşamanın fiziksel dayanıklılık sağladığına atıfla “adalı gücü” diye bir şeyin varlığına Ingrid sayesinde ikna oldum. 175 sayfa boyunca on kaplan gücünden bir an bile taviz vermiyor. Jacobsen’in Ingrid üzerinden insanın şartlara uyum sağlama becerisine ilişkin verdiği mesaj ilham verici.
January 4, 2022
Heerlijk om weer ondergedompeld te worden in het eilandleven van Barrøy. Ik keek er al even naar uit. Naar de onherbergzame natuur en de al even ontoegankelijke personages. Vrolijk zijn de boeken van Jacobsen niet maar onder de stugheid zit een tederheid verborgen die veel dieper gaat dan in veel gevoeliger geschreven boeken. Door het contrast uiteraard. Maar evengoed door de ijzersterke pen waarmee hij de gevoelswereld van zijn karakters blootlegt zoals zij zelf feilloos hun vissen fileren.
November 30, 2025
It’s good to be back to Barrøy.
The beauty of the language and the simplicity of description of everyday’s life of Norwegian Islands inhabitants is mesmerizing.
The second half of the book is perfect while the first half was a bit confusing otherwise it would be a 5 star like the first book of the series
The beauty of the language and the simplicity of description of everyday’s life of Norwegian Islands inhabitants is mesmerizing.
The second half of the book is perfect while the first half was a bit confusing otherwise it would be a 5 star like the first book of the series
July 9, 2019
Jacobsen iyi ki keşfetmişim dediğim yazarlardan biri. Görülmeyenler'in devamı olan Beyaz Deniz 30'lu yaşlara gelmiş olan Ingrid karakterinin etrafında şekilleniyor. İkinci Dünya Savaşı'nın son zamanları, geçen zor günler adaları iyiden iyiye karamsar bir havaya sokmuş. Ve tüm bu melankolinin içinde yeni duygular keşfeden, bunu kendi sessiz tarzıyla yapan Ingrid. Ölüm sevgiye dair her şeyin üstüne küllerini dökmüş, kitap boyunca onlardan arınmaya çalışılıyor.
"Bir adada yaşamak aramaktır." demiş Jacobsen. Yalnız coğrafyaları anlatan en güzel cümle olabilir. Görülmeyenler'i okuduysanız Beyaz Deniz'de az çok nasıl bir şeyle karşılaşacağınızı biliyorsunuzdur. Gündelik yaşamın sade ve büyülü anlatımının üstüne matem koyun. Bolca matem çünkü Beyaz Deniz başlı başına bir ölüm sonrası yas tutma süreci. Sevdiklerini kaybetmek, yeniden bulmak ve kaybetmek kolay bir şey değil. Daha fazla tarife ihtiyaç duyan bir kitap olduğunu düşünmüyorum, hele ki süslü kelimelere. Yazılmış ve orada. Her kelime en eski anlamına ayna tutuyor, kadim bir kitap gibi.
"Bir adada yaşamak aramaktır." demiş Jacobsen. Yalnız coğrafyaları anlatan en güzel cümle olabilir. Görülmeyenler'i okuduysanız Beyaz Deniz'de az çok nasıl bir şeyle karşılaşacağınızı biliyorsunuzdur. Gündelik yaşamın sade ve büyülü anlatımının üstüne matem koyun. Bolca matem çünkü Beyaz Deniz başlı başına bir ölüm sonrası yas tutma süreci. Sevdiklerini kaybetmek, yeniden bulmak ve kaybetmek kolay bir şey değil. Daha fazla tarife ihtiyaç duyan bir kitap olduğunu düşünmüyorum, hele ki süslü kelimelere. Yazılmış ve orada. Her kelime en eski anlamına ayna tutuyor, kadim bir kitap gibi.
September 8, 2020
When all around is chaos, pick up a Roy Jacobsen novel.
His lyrical, salty tales of the Barroy family and their windswept and sea-battered island force you to slow everything down and just be. He conjures such a vivid sense of place and time you feel part of the family yourself, invested in their everyday, struck by their misfortune, buoyed by their small successes, entranced by the skill and dignity of their work.
This is a gorgeous follow-up to that most perfect of novels, The Unseen. It can be read and enjoyed alone but I would absolutely recommend reading the precursor first and watching this special saga unfold from the start.
His lyrical, salty tales of the Barroy family and their windswept and sea-battered island force you to slow everything down and just be. He conjures such a vivid sense of place and time you feel part of the family yourself, invested in their everyday, struck by their misfortune, buoyed by their small successes, entranced by the skill and dignity of their work.
This is a gorgeous follow-up to that most perfect of novels, The Unseen. It can be read and enjoyed alone but I would absolutely recommend reading the precursor first and watching this special saga unfold from the start.
October 16, 2016
This very good read opened a window onto a world hitherto unknown. I can strongly recommend it to anyone who reads Norwegian (or is willing to wait - or look - for a translation)!
March 15, 2025
Mało słów, dużo emocji. Piękny styl, wręcz pochłaniająca, immersyjna książka - tak jak poprzedniczka.
October 26, 2020
WHITE SHADOW (2015) is the second part of Roy Jacobsen's trilogy whose first part, THE UNSEEN, introduced us to Ingrid Barrøy, a girl born and raised on a tiny island in northern Norway. THE UNSEEN was nominated for the 2017 Man Booker International prize, and focused on the small world of Barrøy, an isolated and rugged island, in the 1910s and 20s. In WHITE SHADOW, the external world cannot be kept at bay any longer because the Second World War is raging in Europe and has reached the northern shores of Norway. The country is now occupied by German forces.
One day a ship, the Rigel, sinks near the island and Ingrid finds bodies awash on the shore and a single survivor, whom she nurses back to health. He is young and handsome, he seems to be a Russian prisoner of war, and although he cannot speak Norwegian or German, they become lovers. Eventually, Ingrid reports her discovery of the dead because she has to, and the authorities become suspicious. So the handsome POW must flee before he is discovered.
Suddenly, the reader encounters an unexpected and puzzling chain of events. One day Ingrid wakes up in a hospital far from the mainland. Neither she nor the reader know how she got there. A good part of the novel involves Ingrid’s trip home to Barrøy and her slowly returning memories which come back in disjointed flashbacks at unexpected times.
WHITE SHADOW has elements of a thriller and a war-time romance, but mostly it is a novel about the stoic community of the northern Norwegian islands, the brutality and the cost of war on civilians and the plight of the refugees which had to flee from the devastation left by the occupying army. It is a gripping novel, written in a spare and evocative prose, with beautiful descriptions of the landscape and life in those harsh conditions which I highly recommend.
One day a ship, the Rigel, sinks near the island and Ingrid finds bodies awash on the shore and a single survivor, whom she nurses back to health. He is young and handsome, he seems to be a Russian prisoner of war, and although he cannot speak Norwegian or German, they become lovers. Eventually, Ingrid reports her discovery of the dead because she has to, and the authorities become suspicious. So the handsome POW must flee before he is discovered.
Suddenly, the reader encounters an unexpected and puzzling chain of events. One day Ingrid wakes up in a hospital far from the mainland. Neither she nor the reader know how she got there. A good part of the novel involves Ingrid’s trip home to Barrøy and her slowly returning memories which come back in disjointed flashbacks at unexpected times.
WHITE SHADOW has elements of a thriller and a war-time romance, but mostly it is a novel about the stoic community of the northern Norwegian islands, the brutality and the cost of war on civilians and the plight of the refugees which had to flee from the devastation left by the occupying army. It is a gripping novel, written in a spare and evocative prose, with beautiful descriptions of the landscape and life in those harsh conditions which I highly recommend.
July 31, 2021
Aanvankelijk was voor mij deze roman van Roy Jacobsen even goed als zijn boek "De onzichtbaren", waarop "Witte zee" het vervolg is. Maar naarmate ik er in verder las, en zeker naar het einde toe, vond ik het wat warrig en vaag worden, alsof de schrijver niet goed wist hoe verder te schrijven. Het einde zelf deed me denken aan feuilletons met een cliffhanger dus misschien komt er nog een vervolg?
Toch nog 3 sterren omwille van het eerste deel van dit boek.
Toch nog 3 sterren omwille van het eerste deel van dit boek.
July 6, 2021
4,5⭐️
December 3, 2019
"Görülmeyenler"in devamı niteliğindeki "Beyaz Deniz" de en az diğeri kadar güzeldi. Kesinlikle okunmalı...
October 26, 2023
Görülmeyenler'de başlayan Barroy adası hikâyemiz bu kitapta da devam ediyor.
Bu seri ikinci kitabıyla birlikte bir tarihi kurgu şekline iyiden iyiye büründü diyebilirim. Özellikle gerçek olaylar, gerçek mekânlar kullanıyor olmasıyla ilginç bir eser. Yani meşhur MS Rigel gemisinden bahsediyor. Olaylar Barroya isminde gerçek bir adada geçiyor. Sadece kişiler kurgu. Yani biz öyle biliyoruz en azından. :)
İlk kitapta çocuk olan Ingrid Beyaz Deniz'de otuz beş yaşında bir kadın olmuş. Barroy'e geri dönüyor. O otuz yıla yakın geçmişte kalan ilk hikâyemize göre çok daha sosyal bir metin. Sadece içe kapanık bir Barroy adası/ailesi yok burada. Çok daha fazla mekân, kişi var. Kitabın bir büyük sıkıntısı da burada baş gösteriyor. Sahipsiz kalan adayı çekip çevirmeye çalışan Ingrid, savaşın da etkisiyle kimsesiz kalmış çoluğu çombalağı tutup tutup getiriyor. Bi' acayip kadın gerçekten. Gerçi bunlar babadan oğula nesil zaten. Geçen sefer de Felix'le Suzanne'ı sahiplenmişlerdi. İlginç bir yaklaşım. Bu kadar çocuk ve kişiyi ise o kadar derinliksiz tarif ediyor ki Jacobsen, tam bir karakter karmaşası haline geliyor kitap. Kim kimdir, ne özellikleri vardır, son derece yüzeysel anlatıyor. Biz de içselleştiremiyoruz maalesef bu yüzden.
Ingrid karakterini ben sevmemiştim. Bu kitaba da o yüzden ısınamadım. Kitabın sonlarında aramıza katılan Lars bence çok daha güçlü bir karakter. Bakalım Rigel'in Gözleri isimli serinin son kitabında bizi neler bekliyor.
Bu seri ikinci kitabıyla birlikte bir tarihi kurgu şekline iyiden iyiye büründü diyebilirim. Özellikle gerçek olaylar, gerçek mekânlar kullanıyor olmasıyla ilginç bir eser. Yani meşhur MS Rigel gemisinden bahsediyor. Olaylar Barroya isminde gerçek bir adada geçiyor. Sadece kişiler kurgu. Yani biz öyle biliyoruz en azından. :)
İlk kitapta çocuk olan Ingrid Beyaz Deniz'de otuz beş yaşında bir kadın olmuş. Barroy'e geri dönüyor. O otuz yıla yakın geçmişte kalan ilk hikâyemize göre çok daha sosyal bir metin. Sadece içe kapanık bir Barroy adası/ailesi yok burada. Çok daha fazla mekân, kişi var. Kitabın bir büyük sıkıntısı da burada baş gösteriyor. Sahipsiz kalan adayı çekip çevirmeye çalışan Ingrid, savaşın da etkisiyle kimsesiz kalmış çoluğu çombalağı tutup tutup getiriyor. Bi' acayip kadın gerçekten. Gerçi bunlar babadan oğula nesil zaten. Geçen sefer de Felix'le Suzanne'ı sahiplenmişlerdi. İlginç bir yaklaşım. Bu kadar çocuk ve kişiyi ise o kadar derinliksiz tarif ediyor ki Jacobsen, tam bir karakter karmaşası haline geliyor kitap. Kim kimdir, ne özellikleri vardır, son derece yüzeysel anlatıyor. Biz de içselleştiremiyoruz maalesef bu yüzden.
Ingrid karakterini ben sevmemiştim. Bu kitaba da o yüzden ısınamadım. Kitabın sonlarında aramıza katılan Lars bence çok daha güçlü bir karakter. Bakalım Rigel'in Gözleri isimli serinin son kitabında bizi neler bekliyor.
March 20, 2017
Bílý oceán není biografie zpěváka Billy Oceana ani kniha o koupališti plným skinheadů, jak by se mohli někteří míň vzdělaní lidé a prodavačky z pekárny u Flory domnívat, ale pokračování úspěšného šlágru Ostrov Roye Džakobsena, který mi před rokem a něco málem natrhl gaťata.
V druhém díle je všechno, co by druhý díl měl mít: víc mrtvých, víc sexu, víc dynamitu, víc Němců. Že by to bylo ku prospěchu věci, jako třeba v Terminátorovi 2, se ovšem říct nedá. Jak už poznamenal v recenzi můj kolega Pečivo, právě izolace ostrova držela knihu pohromadě a dělala z ní hutnou masáž. Tady se pořád někam cestuje a do toho tam ještě vystupuje Rus jako kladná postava, takže oproti prvnímu dílu trochu sci-fi.
I když jsem se do knihy nemohl pořádně dostat a nebavila mě rozhodně tolik jako Ostrov (asi i proto, že tam bylo tak moc postav a akce), stejně hodnotím čtyřma hvězdičkama, protože je pořád dost hutná literární a životní šlichta.
V druhém díle je všechno, co by druhý díl měl mít: víc mrtvých, víc sexu, víc dynamitu, víc Němců. Že by to bylo ku prospěchu věci, jako třeba v Terminátorovi 2, se ovšem říct nedá. Jak už poznamenal v recenzi můj kolega Pečivo, právě izolace ostrova držela knihu pohromadě a dělala z ní hutnou masáž. Tady se pořád někam cestuje a do toho tam ještě vystupuje Rus jako kladná postava, takže oproti prvnímu dílu trochu sci-fi.
I když jsem se do knihy nemohl pořádně dostat a nebavila mě rozhodně tolik jako Ostrov (asi i proto, že tam bylo tak moc postav a akce), stejně hodnotím čtyřma hvězdičkama, protože je pořád dost hutná literární a životní šlichta.
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