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The End of Drum-Time
FINALIST FOR THE 2023 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
An epic love story in the vein of Cold Mountain and The Great Circle, about a young reindeer herder and a minister’s daughter in the nineteenth century Arctic Circle
In 1851, at a remote village in the Scandinavian tundra, a Lutheran minister known as Mad Lasse tries in vain to convert the native Sámi reindeer herders to his faith. But when one of the most respected herders has a dramatic awakening and dedicates his life to the church, his impetuous son, Ivvár, is left to guard their diminishing herd alone. By chance, he meets Mad Lasse’s daughter Willa, and their blossoming infatuation grows into something that ultimately crosses borders—of cultures, of beliefs, and of political divides—as Willa follows the herders on their arduous annual migration north to the sea.
Gorgeously written and sweeping in scope, Hanna Pylväinen's The End of Drum-Time immerses readers in a world lit by the northern lights, steeped in age-old rituals, and guided by passions that transcend place and time.
An epic love story in the vein of Cold Mountain and The Great Circle, about a young reindeer herder and a minister’s daughter in the nineteenth century Arctic Circle
In 1851, at a remote village in the Scandinavian tundra, a Lutheran minister known as Mad Lasse tries in vain to convert the native Sámi reindeer herders to his faith. But when one of the most respected herders has a dramatic awakening and dedicates his life to the church, his impetuous son, Ivvár, is left to guard their diminishing herd alone. By chance, he meets Mad Lasse’s daughter Willa, and their blossoming infatuation grows into something that ultimately crosses borders—of cultures, of beliefs, and of political divides—as Willa follows the herders on their arduous annual migration north to the sea.
Gorgeously written and sweeping in scope, Hanna Pylväinen's The End of Drum-Time immerses readers in a world lit by the northern lights, steeped in age-old rituals, and guided by passions that transcend place and time.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 24, 2023
906 people are currently reading
14281 people want to read
About the author
Hanna Pylväinen
8 books172 followersHanna Pylväinen graduated summa cum laude from Mount Holyoke College and received her MFA from the University of Michigan, where she was also a postgraduate Zell Fellow. She is the recipient of residencies at The MacDowell Colony and Yaddo, and a fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachussetts. She is from suburban Detroit.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 694 reviews
February 6, 2023
The End of Drum-Time explores the cultural clashes among the Nordic people. Sami people, also called Lapps, kept being pushed up north above the Arctic Circle as no one wanted to bother with them and wanted them out of the way. Sami received some freedom in the north as they crossed the borders with their reindeers. But with time, the Christian settlers started dominating even this most norther land. With their domination, they were suppressing Sami traditions.
Set in the middle of 19th century Sweden. The characters are superbly developed. We meet an array of very interesting characters.
Lars Levi is the pastor, who seems to be affected by the death of his son. His sermons have become wild, supposedly affecting some people with sickness. Curiosity got hold of some people filling the church as they wanted to see who’d go crazy next.
Henrik in his store sells alcohol illegally. He came to this remote area and would have left the same day if he had money. But he got fooled by his uncle who promised it’d be easy to make a fortune off of Lapps’ drinking.
Ivvar is the main character, and the love attraction for some women in this story. With his father, Biettar, they’re both Sami herders. Biettar has a religious awakening and afterwards absorbing Christian values. As a result, more and more Sami people abandon their traditions and beliefs.
When it comes to plot, what drives it are the love connections to Ivvar and the change his father experiences. After meeting this phenomenal array of characters, I was ready for something more happening in their lives. The plot is not the strong force of this story.
There is a lot to praise about this story: rich in character development and culture exploration and the way of life and beautiful prose. But I wished the plot was stronger to make the pace faster.
Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Set in the middle of 19th century Sweden. The characters are superbly developed. We meet an array of very interesting characters.
Lars Levi is the pastor, who seems to be affected by the death of his son. His sermons have become wild, supposedly affecting some people with sickness. Curiosity got hold of some people filling the church as they wanted to see who’d go crazy next.
Henrik in his store sells alcohol illegally. He came to this remote area and would have left the same day if he had money. But he got fooled by his uncle who promised it’d be easy to make a fortune off of Lapps’ drinking.
Ivvar is the main character, and the love attraction for some women in this story. With his father, Biettar, they’re both Sami herders. Biettar has a religious awakening and afterwards absorbing Christian values. As a result, more and more Sami people abandon their traditions and beliefs.
When it comes to plot, what drives it are the love connections to Ivvar and the change his father experiences. After meeting this phenomenal array of characters, I was ready for something more happening in their lives. The plot is not the strong force of this story.
There is a lot to praise about this story: rich in character development and culture exploration and the way of life and beautiful prose. But I wished the plot was stronger to make the pace faster.
Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 4, 2023
**ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**
I do not DNF books but this one almost broke me - it took me almost 3 weeks to finish it even though I was reading it during my vacation and had plenty of time to read.
Technically the novel should follow Willa and Ivvar and how their infatuation impacted the local dynamics between the tribe of reindeer herders (Sami) and the Lutheran settlers. In reality there are at least 6 other characters and the novel would shift between their points of view as well. So we have a Lutheran priest - Mad Lars and his two daughters - Willa and Nora. Then we have a local shopkeeper (Henrik) that sells alcohol to everyone but mainly to Ivvar and Biettar (who are both Sami and Biettar is Ivvar's father). Nora has a thing for Henrik and Willa falls head over heels for Ivvar. Then there is Risten - daughter of a very wealthy reindeer herder - that has a thing for Ivvar but is a fiance of Mikkol. The wants and needs of those people will bring their worlds together and end them both in a very brutal finale of this book.
I wanted so much from this book but I did not get even a fraction of it. What was supposed to be a pastoral, beautifully written novel turned out to be a tale of frozen wasteland written in the long, winding sentences where the point of view switches halfway through the paragraph. It did get occasionally pretty but I had to power through sections of pointless, unfocused descriptions to get to them which made me feel that it was not worth it. All the characters are underdeveloped and I feel like only Risten had any personality - and she was getting not enough attention. There are some insights into lives of Sami but they were sparse and left me wanting more. Love between Willa and Ivvar was nonexistent and the resolution to their conflict where a bit too deus ex machina to be satisfying.
And the greates sins of all: it was violently boring and I was looking for anything else to do just to not read this novel. I do not recommend it.
I do not DNF books but this one almost broke me - it took me almost 3 weeks to finish it even though I was reading it during my vacation and had plenty of time to read.
Technically the novel should follow Willa and Ivvar and how their infatuation impacted the local dynamics between the tribe of reindeer herders (Sami) and the Lutheran settlers. In reality there are at least 6 other characters and the novel would shift between their points of view as well. So we have a Lutheran priest - Mad Lars and his two daughters - Willa and Nora. Then we have a local shopkeeper (Henrik) that sells alcohol to everyone but mainly to Ivvar and Biettar (who are both Sami and Biettar is Ivvar's father). Nora has a thing for Henrik and Willa falls head over heels for Ivvar. Then there is Risten - daughter of a very wealthy reindeer herder - that has a thing for Ivvar but is a fiance of Mikkol. The wants and needs of those people will bring their worlds together and end them both in a very brutal finale of this book.
I wanted so much from this book but I did not get even a fraction of it. What was supposed to be a pastoral, beautifully written novel turned out to be a tale of frozen wasteland written in the long, winding sentences where the point of view switches halfway through the paragraph. It did get occasionally pretty but I had to power through sections of pointless, unfocused descriptions to get to them which made me feel that it was not worth it. All the characters are underdeveloped and I feel like only Risten had any personality - and she was getting not enough attention. There are some insights into lives of Sami but they were sparse and left me wanting more. Love between Willa and Ivvar was nonexistent and the resolution to their conflict where a bit too deus ex machina to be satisfying.
And the greates sins of all: it was violently boring and I was looking for anything else to do just to not read this novel. I do not recommend it.
January 5, 2025
Take a deep breath. Be still. Listen as the Northern Lights hum, the reindeer grunt and click, the fire snaps, the snow falls, the healer chants. Not long ago this land had no borders. It was ranged by nomads who migrated with their herds to the sea in summer, to the frozen tundra in winter. Men and women who followed their own guides, their own gods, and kept themselves distant from the world beyond.
But the outside world can tolerate independence for only so long. Here come the politicians and the missionaries, one wanting resources, the other wanting souls. In her quietly devastating novel, The End of Drum-Time, Hanna Pylväinen takes us to a Scandinavian village where Europeans settle in Indigenous Sámi lands, some hoping to convert them to the Christian God, while others view the territory as ripe for the taking, seeking to establish borders to form this royal country or that, Russians fighting the United States of Norway and Sweden for control of the resource-rich seas.
It took me a few days to find purchase in this rich, dense, stirring novel. The opening third is contemplative and slow-moving and I nearly turned it aside. But as the characters' stories began to intertwine, the emotional suspense gripped and I was held firmly in place. When a young Swedish woman flees the confines of her severe family and claustrophobic village to follow her Sámi lover, we are pulled into the Sámi migration north to the sea. A love story unfolds at the same time as families and communities rupture; profound tragedy befitting a Shakespeare play seems inevitable.
Pylväinen takes liberties with the narrative that may trip up readers: she switches points-of-view mid-scene and indulges in emotional exposition that may seem overly leading and lush. But this is a beautifully written and astonishingly researched work, one that well deserved its National Book Award finalist nod. With themes of fervent, forced religion, the fragility of Indigenous culture, and forbidden love, a fascinating setting, and vivid prose, The End of Drum-Time is the best of historical fiction.
Highly recommended.
But the outside world can tolerate independence for only so long. Here come the politicians and the missionaries, one wanting resources, the other wanting souls. In her quietly devastating novel, The End of Drum-Time, Hanna Pylväinen takes us to a Scandinavian village where Europeans settle in Indigenous Sámi lands, some hoping to convert them to the Christian God, while others view the territory as ripe for the taking, seeking to establish borders to form this royal country or that, Russians fighting the United States of Norway and Sweden for control of the resource-rich seas.
It took me a few days to find purchase in this rich, dense, stirring novel. The opening third is contemplative and slow-moving and I nearly turned it aside. But as the characters' stories began to intertwine, the emotional suspense gripped and I was held firmly in place. When a young Swedish woman flees the confines of her severe family and claustrophobic village to follow her Sámi lover, we are pulled into the Sámi migration north to the sea. A love story unfolds at the same time as families and communities rupture; profound tragedy befitting a Shakespeare play seems inevitable.
Pylväinen takes liberties with the narrative that may trip up readers: she switches points-of-view mid-scene and indulges in emotional exposition that may seem overly leading and lush. But this is a beautifully written and astonishingly researched work, one that well deserved its National Book Award finalist nod. With themes of fervent, forced religion, the fragility of Indigenous culture, and forbidden love, a fascinating setting, and vivid prose, The End of Drum-Time is the best of historical fiction.
Highly recommended.
November 11, 2022
In the mid-nineteenth century settlers were pushing into the traditional territory of the Sami reindeer herders. The nomadic Sami had no country or political power, the lands they traveled across ruled by the Swedes or the Russians. The Sami were at the bottom in a mix of cultures and languages and states. Christian settlers with their farms and trading posts and churches pressed to dominate and destroy the Sami culture. With them came alcohol, bringing ruin to the Sami who sacrificed more reindeer than they could afford to buy it.
The End of Drum Time captures the story of people caught up in the clash of cultures. The Laps, a derogatory name for the Sami, and the Swedes settling in the North. The Christians condemning the Sami shamanistic religion as devilish magic. The capitalists bent on profit at any cost. Willa, the daughter of the evangelistic and pious preacher Lars Levi, rebels against his teaching; in love with a handsome Sami herder, Ivvar, she pursues him. Ivvar’s father Biettar, once a prominent herder and shaman, hears Lars preach and repents his sins, becoming Lars’ disciple. Unable to care for the herd on his own, knowing that his father’s debt to the store will decimate the herd, Ivvar knows he cannot marry Willa, a girl without reindeer wealth.
I was drawn to this book by the author’s last name, which I immediately thought was Finnish. In 1969, during my senior year in high school, my family hosted an exchange student from Rovaniemi, Finland, called The Capital of Lapland. Elina taught us much about her country over our year as sisters. In 1998, her daughter became my exchange student daughter. Learning that the novel was set in Lapland clinched my interest.
“The church was functionally the Crown, and the pastors not only the arm of God but the arm of the law,” the author explains. Lars Levi attracted people who traveled miles by sled to experience his sermons, the conversions, the talking in tongues. He was particularly against drinking, which was ruining many a Sami. As it was ruining Henrik, who ran the store, and the reindeer herder Biettar.
Biettar was drawn into the church and renounced his sins, staying on to learn, neglecting his herd. His son Ivvar is left to care for the deer himself, which were diminished in numbers to near poverty-level, for Biettar had sold deer to pay for alcohol, It was a round the clock job, overwhelming for one man.
Henrik was in love with Lar’s daughter Nora. He was in debt to his uncle who funded the store. But he was drinking the stock and losing money.
The church authorities considered Lars a problem and reassigned him. Henrik’s uncle Frans, a bishop, decides that he will replace Lars and undo the ‘damage’. He intends to suppress all the emotional demonstrations of Lar’s faith, and he would remove the stigma of drinking. After all, the store had a lot to gain by selling booze to the Sami. Franz is also the law, and he uses his power in a draconian way, spurring a crisis among the Sami.
The end of a culture and way of life is at the center of the novel. The descriptions of the Sami way of life, their migration and the slaughter of the deer, the grass that lined their boots, the way the cold reddened their cheeks, the long, arduous treks herding the deer to feeding grounds, was so interesting. The characters yoik, the songs particular to a person or place or thing, wordless, the singer embodying the subject of the yoik.
The story builds to a shattering climax.
Lars Levi Læstadius was a real person, and the religious movement he inspired did threaten the Sami way of life while his prohibition of alcohol had a positive impact.
The End of Drum Time is a fantastic read about a people few Americans know about, an epic story of a culture in crisis.
The End of Drum Time captures the story of people caught up in the clash of cultures. The Laps, a derogatory name for the Sami, and the Swedes settling in the North. The Christians condemning the Sami shamanistic religion as devilish magic. The capitalists bent on profit at any cost. Willa, the daughter of the evangelistic and pious preacher Lars Levi, rebels against his teaching; in love with a handsome Sami herder, Ivvar, she pursues him. Ivvar’s father Biettar, once a prominent herder and shaman, hears Lars preach and repents his sins, becoming Lars’ disciple. Unable to care for the herd on his own, knowing that his father’s debt to the store will decimate the herd, Ivvar knows he cannot marry Willa, a girl without reindeer wealth.
I was drawn to this book by the author’s last name, which I immediately thought was Finnish. In 1969, during my senior year in high school, my family hosted an exchange student from Rovaniemi, Finland, called The Capital of Lapland. Elina taught us much about her country over our year as sisters. In 1998, her daughter became my exchange student daughter. Learning that the novel was set in Lapland clinched my interest.
“The church was functionally the Crown, and the pastors not only the arm of God but the arm of the law,” the author explains. Lars Levi attracted people who traveled miles by sled to experience his sermons, the conversions, the talking in tongues. He was particularly against drinking, which was ruining many a Sami. As it was ruining Henrik, who ran the store, and the reindeer herder Biettar.
Biettar was drawn into the church and renounced his sins, staying on to learn, neglecting his herd. His son Ivvar is left to care for the deer himself, which were diminished in numbers to near poverty-level, for Biettar had sold deer to pay for alcohol, It was a round the clock job, overwhelming for one man.
Henrik was in love with Lar’s daughter Nora. He was in debt to his uncle who funded the store. But he was drinking the stock and losing money.
The church authorities considered Lars a problem and reassigned him. Henrik’s uncle Frans, a bishop, decides that he will replace Lars and undo the ‘damage’. He intends to suppress all the emotional demonstrations of Lar’s faith, and he would remove the stigma of drinking. After all, the store had a lot to gain by selling booze to the Sami. Franz is also the law, and he uses his power in a draconian way, spurring a crisis among the Sami.
The end of a culture and way of life is at the center of the novel. The descriptions of the Sami way of life, their migration and the slaughter of the deer, the grass that lined their boots, the way the cold reddened their cheeks, the long, arduous treks herding the deer to feeding grounds, was so interesting. The characters yoik, the songs particular to a person or place or thing, wordless, the singer embodying the subject of the yoik.
The story builds to a shattering climax.
Lars Levi Læstadius was a real person, and the religious movement he inspired did threaten the Sami way of life while his prohibition of alcohol had a positive impact.
The End of Drum Time is a fantastic read about a people few Americans know about, an epic story of a culture in crisis.
March 19, 2025
More like a 3.5. Lots of conflicting feelings about this one.
I was intrigued by the setting and the Sámi culture, but I was tired of the missionary and purist agendas (they really rile me up). I liked the prose, and I think I may want to read it again in a few years. But I’m also glad the book is finished.
I was intrigued by the setting and the Sámi culture, but I was tired of the missionary and purist agendas (they really rile me up). I liked the prose, and I think I may want to read it again in a few years. But I’m also glad the book is finished.
November 2, 2023
Set in the 1850s in the land of the Sámi reindeer herders in Scandinavia (Sápmi), this book tells the story of a people with a simple long-established way of life who become embroiled in massive changes. Settlers have arrived. The surrounding countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia) are enacting laws that affect the Sámi without regard to the nomadic needs of reindeer, which must move across boundaries in order to graze. The Sámi are indigenous people with no political power. Their survival is threatened by this new blend of cultures, languages, and laws.
The settlers establish their own farming methods, trading posts, and Christian churches. They also introduce alcohol, which wreaks havoc on the Sámi in the form of addiction. The storyline focuses on Willa and Nora, daughters of preacher Lars Levi. Willa falls in love with Ivvar, the son of a Sámi herder. Nora develops a relationship with the Swedish merchant Henrik, who has a problem with alcohol. While relationships are central to the plot, it is not a romance novel. The narrative builds to a devastating and dramatic conclusion.
It is a sad story of the decline of an ancient culture, told in a manner that inspires empathy. The writing is evocative of the time and place, including detailed descriptions of the Sámi traditions, environment, and weather. Their lives revolve around the rhythms of nature. Be aware that a routine and necessary part of the Sámi existence involves the slaughter of animals. I appreciated reading about this lesser known (to me) region and people. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy learning more about cultures around the world. It provided the immersive experience that I look for in my reading. It is historical fiction at its best.
The settlers establish their own farming methods, trading posts, and Christian churches. They also introduce alcohol, which wreaks havoc on the Sámi in the form of addiction. The storyline focuses on Willa and Nora, daughters of preacher Lars Levi. Willa falls in love with Ivvar, the son of a Sámi herder. Nora develops a relationship with the Swedish merchant Henrik, who has a problem with alcohol. While relationships are central to the plot, it is not a romance novel. The narrative builds to a devastating and dramatic conclusion.
It is a sad story of the decline of an ancient culture, told in a manner that inspires empathy. The writing is evocative of the time and place, including detailed descriptions of the Sámi traditions, environment, and weather. Their lives revolve around the rhythms of nature. Be aware that a routine and necessary part of the Sámi existence involves the slaughter of animals. I appreciated reading about this lesser known (to me) region and people. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy learning more about cultures around the world. It provided the immersive experience that I look for in my reading. It is historical fiction at its best.
October 4, 2023
An extraordinary, heartbreaking and powerful book.The blurb doesn´t do it justice, because it focuses on the love story (which is important) and not on the pivotal elements, which are the culture clash, the loss of a way of life and how each of the characters will cope.
The writing´s clunky at first-rather odd- but evolves into something beautiful,you end up feeling the cold, the pull of the herd, the doubts and,in the final scenes,which lep off the page, all the power of the narration.
It´s a gem, and it will also break your heart.
The writing´s clunky at first-rather odd- but evolves into something beautiful,you end up feeling the cold, the pull of the herd, the doubts and,in the final scenes,which lep off the page, all the power of the narration.
It´s a gem, and it will also break your heart.
July 3, 2022
An absolute masterpiece — magnificent.
March 11, 2023
Scandinavian colonialism on an intimate scale, just below the Arctic Circle. At first I wondered if the limited circumference of life in this remote area would hold my interest, but it did, thanks to the finely drawn characters and the realistic depiction of nomadic Sami life. Perfect match of author voice to story.
April 1, 2023
slow, quiet read but worth the time. read this for the setting, the time period, & way of life. head's up to the shifting perspectives which can be confusing & require attention.
June 9, 2023
I had pre-written a negative review but then I reached part three and I 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣! Seriously incredible and well worth drudging through part one and two.
This book is s l o w. It follows the day to day life of multiple members of a small Sámi community in northern Sweden that is slowly being infiltrated and converted to Christianity. Despite what the summary says, this does not follow one couple, it follows multiple individuals who are all tied together by this town and the surge of Christianity.
In retrospect, I think the pace is a major tool utilized by the author to enable the reader to feel the mostly bumbling pace of everyday life in the 1850s. Life was on a different scale than now and although there was definitely no shortage of hard work to be done the responsibility was to one's family and countryside or small town life. The author provides us with multiple perspectives including local Sámi herders and Christian "outlanders" from the south. As you can imagine, there are two completely different lenses... Which does not bode well.
Initially I felt that only culture and history nerds will appreciate the glimpses into Sámi life which are sprinkled naturally throughout the story. There's not much else to appreciate in parts one and two, because life is quite grim between rampant alcoholism and religious-family abuse.
But part three will absolutely shock your core after being used to dragging on for two-thirds of the book. There is so much to unpack that I need to read it again. Culture and plot truly rails you against the head in a way that leaves you both glad and astonished.
This book is s l o w. It follows the day to day life of multiple members of a small Sámi community in northern Sweden that is slowly being infiltrated and converted to Christianity. Despite what the summary says, this does not follow one couple, it follows multiple individuals who are all tied together by this town and the surge of Christianity.
In retrospect, I think the pace is a major tool utilized by the author to enable the reader to feel the mostly bumbling pace of everyday life in the 1850s. Life was on a different scale than now and although there was definitely no shortage of hard work to be done the responsibility was to one's family and countryside or small town life. The author provides us with multiple perspectives including local Sámi herders and Christian "outlanders" from the south. As you can imagine, there are two completely different lenses... Which does not bode well.
Initially I felt that only culture and history nerds will appreciate the glimpses into Sámi life which are sprinkled naturally throughout the story. There's not much else to appreciate in parts one and two, because life is quite grim between rampant alcoholism and religious-family abuse.
But part three will absolutely shock your core after being used to dragging on for two-thirds of the book. There is so much to unpack that I need to read it again. Culture and plot truly rails you against the head in a way that leaves you both glad and astonished.
October 15, 2024
Irgendwo zwischen 5 bis 6 von 10 Punkten.
Pylväinen hat in diesem Buch zwei massive Stärken versammelt, die mich an den Seiten haben kleben lassen:
1) Das Setting. Lappland, diese Region, die sich über das heutige Norwegen, Schweden, Finnland und Russland erstreckt und in der die Sami (von den erobernden Schweden "Lappen" genannt) von Grenzen unabhängig leben. Schnee, Eis und Rentiere, wohin das geistige Auge reicht.
2) Die Nähe zu den Figuren. Wir dürfen an intimen Gedankengängen teilhaben, an den Gedanken von charakterschwachen Personen, von Sami, Schweden, Pastoren, Eltern, Kindern und alle haben ihre nachvollziehbare, eigene Logik.
Dieser historische Roman, der im 19. Jahrhundert spielt, nutzt die reale Figur von Lars Levi Læstadius und seine wachsende Anhängerschaft als Aufhänger. Zu den Protagonisten gehören seine Tochter Willa und der junge Ivvar, Sohn eines Rentierhirten, der sich durch Læstadius dem Christentum zuwendet. Die beiden Kinder verlieben sich und diese Liebesbeziehung bestimmt die Handlung maßgeblich.
Da kommen wir wohl auch schon zu Schwächen, denn der Plot, also diese Handlung, ist alles andere als sorgfältig ausgearbeitet. Zwar spitzt sich das Drama zwischen Willa und ihrer Familie, zwischen Kirche und Sami immer mehr zu, doch die Handlung kriecht lange vor sich hin, bevor sie wirklich in Fahrt kommt, und - was wahrscheinlich schlimmer ist - am Ende stoppt sie einfach. Trotz Spannungshöhepunkt gelingt kein befriedigendes Ende, das die Handlung abzurunden weiß. Man könnte zur Rechtfertigung anmerken, dass Willa sich entscheidet, wo und wie sie leben will, aber das ist nach all diesen Seiten nicht genug, um die losen Enden zusammenzubinden.
Ähnlich chaotisch ist oft der Schreibstil an sich, der zwar flüssig gleitet, die Sätze aber auch überladen kann. Dabei stellt sich kein Gefühl von barocker Sprachpracht ein, aber auch nicht die Wohlgeformtheit von Sätzen, in denen jedes Wort unentbehrlich ist. Eine Prosa zwischen den Stühlen.
Ähnlich unentschlossen wirkt der allwissende Erzähler, der manchmal scheinbar grundlos von einer Figur zur anderen wechselt, manchmal über Orts- oder Themenwechsel, und diese Bewegungen nicht über Absätze anzeigt, wie sonst üblich. Wenn ein Kapitel mit einer Figur beginnt, nach einer Seite zu einer anderen wechselt und die erste Figur im Kapitel nicht wieder relevant wird, ist das ohne thematischen Zusammenhang auch problematisch. Das Ergebnis wirkt unfokussiert.
Ist das das fehlende oder mangelhafte Lektorat, über das oft geunkt wird? Ist das ein echtes Problem oder eher ein gefühltes? Ich weiß es nicht, aber langsam fange ich an, auch daran zu glauben.
Pylväinen hat in diesem Buch zwei massive Stärken versammelt, die mich an den Seiten haben kleben lassen:
1) Das Setting. Lappland, diese Region, die sich über das heutige Norwegen, Schweden, Finnland und Russland erstreckt und in der die Sami (von den erobernden Schweden "Lappen" genannt) von Grenzen unabhängig leben. Schnee, Eis und Rentiere, wohin das geistige Auge reicht.
2) Die Nähe zu den Figuren. Wir dürfen an intimen Gedankengängen teilhaben, an den Gedanken von charakterschwachen Personen, von Sami, Schweden, Pastoren, Eltern, Kindern und alle haben ihre nachvollziehbare, eigene Logik.
Dieser historische Roman, der im 19. Jahrhundert spielt, nutzt die reale Figur von Lars Levi Læstadius und seine wachsende Anhängerschaft als Aufhänger. Zu den Protagonisten gehören seine Tochter Willa und der junge Ivvar, Sohn eines Rentierhirten, der sich durch Læstadius dem Christentum zuwendet. Die beiden Kinder verlieben sich und diese Liebesbeziehung bestimmt die Handlung maßgeblich.
Da kommen wir wohl auch schon zu Schwächen, denn der Plot, also diese Handlung, ist alles andere als sorgfältig ausgearbeitet. Zwar spitzt sich das Drama zwischen Willa und ihrer Familie, zwischen Kirche und Sami immer mehr zu, doch die Handlung kriecht lange vor sich hin, bevor sie wirklich in Fahrt kommt, und - was wahrscheinlich schlimmer ist - am Ende stoppt sie einfach. Trotz Spannungshöhepunkt gelingt kein befriedigendes Ende, das die Handlung abzurunden weiß. Man könnte zur Rechtfertigung anmerken, dass Willa sich entscheidet, wo und wie sie leben will, aber das ist nach all diesen Seiten nicht genug, um die losen Enden zusammenzubinden.
Ähnlich chaotisch ist oft der Schreibstil an sich, der zwar flüssig gleitet, die Sätze aber auch überladen kann. Dabei stellt sich kein Gefühl von barocker Sprachpracht ein, aber auch nicht die Wohlgeformtheit von Sätzen, in denen jedes Wort unentbehrlich ist. Eine Prosa zwischen den Stühlen.
Ähnlich unentschlossen wirkt der allwissende Erzähler, der manchmal scheinbar grundlos von einer Figur zur anderen wechselt, manchmal über Orts- oder Themenwechsel, und diese Bewegungen nicht über Absätze anzeigt, wie sonst üblich. Wenn ein Kapitel mit einer Figur beginnt, nach einer Seite zu einer anderen wechselt und die erste Figur im Kapitel nicht wieder relevant wird, ist das ohne thematischen Zusammenhang auch problematisch. Das Ergebnis wirkt unfokussiert.
Ist das das fehlende oder mangelhafte Lektorat, über das oft geunkt wird? Ist das ein echtes Problem oder eher ein gefühltes? Ich weiß es nicht, aber langsam fange ich an, auch daran zu glauben.
July 6, 2024
A beautiful and tragic story, from a piece of history and the point of view of a people that are often overlooked: the Saami who found themselves and their reindeer being packed into smaller and smaller spaces by the Swedish settlers. I kept finding parallels between this story and the story of the Native Americans: accusations of drunkeness from the people selling them the liquor, who are themselves drinkers. The taking away of language, the forcing of religion, and the setting down, and enforcing, of boundaries on a people who have roamed those lands for thousands of years.
October 24, 2023
Hanna Pylväinen's novel The End of Drum-Time is a fiction finalist for the National Book Awards. The setting is in Arctic Circle with the Sami people during the mid-19th century.
It begins with some drama, Lars Levi or Mad Lasse is preaching during the height of winter when an earthquake strikes and a inebriated Sami herder stumbles in and is saved.
This is a multi-layered and faceted book which took me some time to open to and feel my way into. There was a contrast between to of Lars Levi's daughters Nora and Willa, both of whom feel somewhat trapped but react differently.
Then there is some suggestion of a romance developing with the young man being described as handsome and yet who feels adrift and powerless.
“The weather,” he said, “probably the weather,” and he winked at her. When he winked at her she was forced to face, again, his handsomeness. It overwhelmed her, the wedge of his cheeks, the even line of his teeth. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to bear his children. She wanted to make a mistake, a good and large mistake, she wanted him to be worth a tragedy. “The next trap is empty,” he said.
Encompassing it all is the encroaching European culture on the Sami:
The Sámi, by and large, had survived the centuries of being pushed north by seeming to go along with the rotating powers outwardly while inwardly they did whatever they wanted, even while they relied on the land itself to protect them: this far north, it tended to be too inconvenient if not impossible for others to bother very much with them.
By the end I was enveloped by the frigidity and fragility of the time and place. I am so impressed with Pylvainen's research for this book. She spent considerable time with Sami families over a decade to properly understand their culture and way of life.
It is one of those books which immediately after reading, I thought "wow!" I am still trying to process and especially the ending.
It begins with some drama, Lars Levi or Mad Lasse is preaching during the height of winter when an earthquake strikes and a inebriated Sami herder stumbles in and is saved.
This is a multi-layered and faceted book which took me some time to open to and feel my way into. There was a contrast between to of Lars Levi's daughters Nora and Willa, both of whom feel somewhat trapped but react differently.
Then there is some suggestion of a romance developing with the young man being described as handsome and yet who feels adrift and powerless.
“The weather,” he said, “probably the weather,” and he winked at her. When he winked at her she was forced to face, again, his handsomeness. It overwhelmed her, the wedge of his cheeks, the even line of his teeth. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to bear his children. She wanted to make a mistake, a good and large mistake, she wanted him to be worth a tragedy. “The next trap is empty,” he said.
Encompassing it all is the encroaching European culture on the Sami:
The Sámi, by and large, had survived the centuries of being pushed north by seeming to go along with the rotating powers outwardly while inwardly they did whatever they wanted, even while they relied on the land itself to protect them: this far north, it tended to be too inconvenient if not impossible for others to bother very much with them.
By the end I was enveloped by the frigidity and fragility of the time and place. I am so impressed with Pylvainen's research for this book. She spent considerable time with Sami families over a decade to properly understand their culture and way of life.
It is one of those books which immediately after reading, I thought "wow!" I am still trying to process and especially the ending.
December 2, 2023
4.5 stars.
Things fall apart. That phrase from Yeats used by Chinua Achebe for his great novel about the clash of cultures echoed through my head as a read this story of the Sami, the nomadic, indigenous people of Scandanavia. The book is set in the 1850s as the Sami's life of moving huge hurds of reindeer abuts against the farmers and townspeople. A charismatic Lutheran pastor Lars Levi Laestadius, a historical character, has arrived with his fiery message of Christ and temperance and has further destabilized the culture of northern Scandinavia. This novel works on many levels with its descriptive prose making the landscape come alive in one's mind's eye and the depiction of the ingenious way in which the Sami survive in this beautiful but cruel climate. But the novel's most impressive characteristic is the way in which it enters the consciousness of the characters, sometimes oozing from one to another in a paragraph. To add to the elements of setting and characters is a plot that moves along with a conclusion that is both surprising and inevitable.
Things fall apart. That phrase from Yeats used by Chinua Achebe for his great novel about the clash of cultures echoed through my head as a read this story of the Sami, the nomadic, indigenous people of Scandanavia. The book is set in the 1850s as the Sami's life of moving huge hurds of reindeer abuts against the farmers and townspeople. A charismatic Lutheran pastor Lars Levi Laestadius, a historical character, has arrived with his fiery message of Christ and temperance and has further destabilized the culture of northern Scandinavia. This novel works on many levels with its descriptive prose making the landscape come alive in one's mind's eye and the depiction of the ingenious way in which the Sami survive in this beautiful but cruel climate. But the novel's most impressive characteristic is the way in which it enters the consciousness of the characters, sometimes oozing from one to another in a paragraph. To add to the elements of setting and characters is a plot that moves along with a conclusion that is both surprising and inevitable.
January 20, 2023
A clash of cultures about a lesser known people and region in the world.
I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. I had basically no knowledge about the Sami people so I thought I could learn some more about their culture. Some of the culture shows through, but I really couldn't find that connection with the characters. I'm not sure if that was due to the style of writing or the frequent character pov switching.
This book is definitely unique topic wise, but wasn't as glistening of a read as I was expecting.
Thank you to Henry Holt and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.
I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. I had basically no knowledge about the Sami people so I thought I could learn some more about their culture. Some of the culture shows through, but I really couldn't find that connection with the characters. I'm not sure if that was due to the style of writing or the frequent character pov switching.
This book is definitely unique topic wise, but wasn't as glistening of a read as I was expecting.
Thank you to Henry Holt and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.
October 14, 2023
A finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction, this is a nicely written story of Christian imperialism in 1850s Scandinavia. The plot develops slowly, and there are so many characters it’s hard to keep track of them, particularly on the audiobook, although Philippe Spall does a fine job narrating the story. 3.5 stars rounding up.
December 20, 2022
This is a fascinating, unique look at native Sami reindeer herders in a remote Scandinavian village in 1851 and the conflict of cultures, beliefs and politics that come about when Christianity is introduced into their society. The story is a memorable one. I did have a great deal of difficulty reading the details of reindeer slaughter so a warning to others who may also have a hard time with this.
Recommended.
Recommended.
January 7, 2023
I received this ARC through a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you for the opportunity to give my honest review.
I really wanted to love this book because the description sounded so good. While I did learn a lot about the Sami culture, and appreciated the map and family tree pages to help keep the characters straight, I thought this story fell flat. The sentences were absurdly long and switched point of view in the middle. By the description I thought this would center more around Willa and Ivvar and how their love (or lack of) would impact their cultures, but in the end there were so many characters that did it instead. Between the shifting perspective mid-sentence, and the long sentences that made up a whole paragraph, I just struggled to become invested and "bond" to any of the characters.
I really wanted to love this book because the description sounded so good. While I did learn a lot about the Sami culture, and appreciated the map and family tree pages to help keep the characters straight, I thought this story fell flat. The sentences were absurdly long and switched point of view in the middle. By the description I thought this would center more around Willa and Ivvar and how their love (or lack of) would impact their cultures, but in the end there were so many characters that did it instead. Between the shifting perspective mid-sentence, and the long sentences that made up a whole paragraph, I just struggled to become invested and "bond" to any of the characters.
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October 12, 2023No review. DNF
It was not the onus or deep cultural plotting. It was the style of writing.
Terrible sentence structure with 3 various clauses per and dubious voice within. It also becomes consistent switching and repeated exact words. But the lengthy nature of the sentences! Only a few like Faulkner can begin to approach English this way and by this method of communication.
Too sad to try to decipher the eyes of observation that this author is trying to portray/suggest. I refuse to try to guess who and whom. Could be translation also failed? Not a prose style I can read with comprehension.
It was not the onus or deep cultural plotting. It was the style of writing.
Terrible sentence structure with 3 various clauses per and dubious voice within. It also becomes consistent switching and repeated exact words. But the lengthy nature of the sentences! Only a few like Faulkner can begin to approach English this way and by this method of communication.
Too sad to try to decipher the eyes of observation that this author is trying to portray/suggest. I refuse to try to guess who and whom. Could be translation also failed? Not a prose style I can read with comprehension.
November 24, 2024
Incredible sense of place and time. Pylvainen takes us above the Arctic Circle into the midst of the 19th century, when the Sami people were still in the process of losing their lands and their way of life. Unlike much of what passes for historical fiction these days, The End of Drum-Time feels wholly persuasive. And while everything is incredibly well-researched, Pylvanien lets the book tell its own story. While that story may start slow, tension builds and it eventually becomes heartbreakingly unputdownable. A host of well-drawn characters. Really unique and beautiful.
March 11, 2023
4.5 stars. Fascinating novel about the culture clash between Sami reindeer herders and Nordic settlers set in 1851.
September 3, 2024
Way back in the day, way up in the Arctic Circle area of what once was Sweden/Russian/Finland border, Mad Lasse is trying to bring God to the Sàmi people. While some are into it, others are more into taking care of their reindeer, running them up and down from mountain to coast. However, once a well-known herder is saved, things start to go wonky.
While a little slow at times, I really enjoyed the writing style and the imagery throughout. The characters were believable and done well.
Also, not all the way to a 4 because the ending was a little 🤔 but what can you do.
While a little slow at times, I really enjoyed the writing style and the imagery throughout. The characters were believable and done well.
Also, not all the way to a 4 because the ending was a little 🤔 but what can you do.
October 14, 2024
Enjoyed reading about Sami culture!
February 5, 2024
This book will ruin your life. 5 stars.
June 16, 2024
3.7
Set in the Arctic Circle in the 1800s, this novel follows the Sami people and the growing threat to their way of life by the white settlers. When one of the most respected Sami reindeer herders renounces his way of life and turns to Christianity, and his son begins to fall for a woman he shouldn't, it all sets in motion catastrophic change for them all.
Although I've read this kind of story time and time again and it's not really anything new, I found myself really drawn into this. It won't be for everyone, it's fairly slow moving, and the writing style is slightly clunky at times, but I did find I couldn't put it down!
Set in the Arctic Circle in the 1800s, this novel follows the Sami people and the growing threat to their way of life by the white settlers. When one of the most respected Sami reindeer herders renounces his way of life and turns to Christianity, and his son begins to fall for a woman he shouldn't, it all sets in motion catastrophic change for them all.
Although I've read this kind of story time and time again and it's not really anything new, I found myself really drawn into this. It won't be for everyone, it's fairly slow moving, and the writing style is slightly clunky at times, but I did find I couldn't put it down!
May 9, 2024
Writing that is somehow both intimate and distant; constant perspective shifts that should be confusing but are as clear as the movement of a cold wind. Ended up feeling like 'There Will Be Blood' in 1850s Scandinavia. I've already gone back to re-read the two paragraphs that the title comes from multiple times.
February 12, 2025
when the book title finally drops in the dialogue…. oh yea it was time for a good Cry
April 29, 2025
Well written and interesting, but ends on a depressing cliffhanger, and the pov changing multiple times mid-chapters was disconcerting
June 23, 2024
OMG, I loved this so much. Heartbreaking and lovely and educational. Historical fiction at its best. I learned so much about the Sámi people (those I had formerly thought of as Lapps, in the very north of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia). Terrific writing - such tension between the Christian “settlers” and the indigenous people, factionalized (maybe?) by Willa, Ivvár, Risten, Mad Lasse, Henrik/Rikki - and the reindeer. And the snow, and the sun, and the moon.
there’s a lovely story about this book, with great photos, in the Mount Holyoke Alumnae quarterly: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-al...
I loved this novel.
there’s a lovely story about this book, with great photos, in the Mount Holyoke Alumnae quarterly: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-al...
I loved this novel.
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