| Title | : | Before You Sleep |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 067088698X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780670886982 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 291 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1998 |
| Awards | : | P2-lytternes romanpris (1998) |
Before You Sleep Reviews
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This was a pretty dull and uneventful book, a disappointment although not painful to read. I should have heeded the warning, "European Best-Seller", because this usually doesn't augur well - memories of "Night Train to Lisbon" - where the author gets so philosophical and complex that the plot doesn't really matter. Here, that wasn't the case but the book never took off for me. Since it was hailed as a "feminist empowerment" novel, or some such, I thought that it was me but my wife didn't much like it either. It covers three generations of strong Scandinavian women, and the men who aren't worthy of these women, and hence the poor record in matrimony. This is not a new topic and no new ground was covered here. (In another note, this reminded me of Carrie Fisher's documentary on her mother, Debbie Reynolds, and her grandmother, three strong women with (at least for the last two) a string of failed relationships, something at the center of the film.) In spite of the rather favorable criticisms it received, many others just didn't get into it so I don't feel alone in this.
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Mistet boka i beruset tilstand et eller annet sted i Bergen, men det var uansett bare sånn 30 sider igjen og jeg var lei.
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Hon bara ljuger och ljuger och det är en jättefin bok
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Ok, 4,5* maar die gemiddelde rating moet echt naar omhoog. Geweldig geschreven met de nodige crunch, het verhaal stáát maar draait al eens een pirouette, beetje wacko, beetje flou artistique, beetje geniaal. Zeer graag gelezen en er van genoten.
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3.5 zvaigznes. Latviešu valodā tulkojums saucas Karina Bloma. Stāsts ir par viņu, atmiņu uzplaiksnījumi par viņas dzimtas sievietēm - māti, vecmāmiņu, vecmāmiņas māsu, arī Karinas māsu Julie. Karina ir pavedinātāja, bet mīlestību tā arī nesaņem. Pēc izlasīšanas ir tāda diezgan sērīga sajūta.
Mana asociatīvā noskaņa ir šajā citātā:
Es redzu bālas sejas, citu pēc citas, citu pēc citas apkārt balti klātajam galdam, un aizvērtās acis. Es redzu riebumu, tik daudz riebuma ap vienu pusdiengaldu nevar iedomāties pat pašā nelaimīgākajā ģimenē, un mēs pat nebijām īpaši nelaimīga ģimene, bet nelaimīgi bija daudzi no mums. Laimīgi vai nelaimīgi, kurš to var zināt? Gan viens, gan otrs. Bet droši varu teikt, ka mēs bijām daudzi. -
Well, this took forever and a day to read, because every time I got going, one of the protagonists (and our occasional narrator), Karin, would do something humiliating to herself to attract the attention of some random dude. And I would be so embarrassed for her that I had to stop reading for a few days or week.
Other than that.. I don't know. Ullmann maybe tries a little too hard, at times? The stone metaphor, for example, maybe it goes on a tad too long? Still, the writing is interesting, and I am a sucker for this type of "families be awful" story, so three stars it is. -
Nja den tog sig lite på slutet men saknade handling och kändes mest flytande. Blev besviken efter att ha läst andra från Ullman som var betydligt bättre. Fick aldrig känsla för karaktärerna och ville helst läsa bara ut den. Men litet plus för fina liknelser ibland!
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Я успела соскучиться по скандинавам. Они неизменно приносят в мою жизнь горстку меланхолии и трепетное ощущение родства душ. Лин Ульман я заочно полюбила еще несколько лет назад, не читав ни одной ее книги – поэтому, наверное, так долго откладывала чтение. Чтобы не разочароваться.
Сначала меня отпугнули подробности, иногда настолько отталкивающие в своей интимности, что хотелось перелистнуть страницы. Но ближе к середине я втянулась и поняла, что без этих мелочей мне не удалось бы прочувствовать книгу. Грандиозную в своей камерности историю трех поколений одной семьи рассказывает Карин, выдумщица и врушка. Более-менее верить можно только половине — тому, что она говорит о жизни других. Вторую половину составляют россказни о том, как она ставит себе цель подцепить мужика и впоследствии завоевывает его внимание, пускай даже самыми стран��ыми и идиотскими способами. Супермаркет, ресторан, паб, чужая свадьба. Билли, привязанный ко многим местам неприятными воспоминаниями. Карл с волшебными сапогами, без которых он превращается в рыбку. Карин, набирающая горячую ванну в самый жаркий день лета для мужчины, которого задумала соблазнить.
Нельзя сказать, что все персонажи ярки, и поэтому запоминаются. Наоборот, они скучны 90% времени, и только тост, невзначай переросший в речь или ухваченная взглядом сцена на кухне раскрывают в них нечто особенное, то, что делает их Осе и Оге, Рикардом, Юне, Сельмой, Анни, Жюли, Карин, Александром, Арвидом и Торильд, тетей Эдель и дядей Фрицем. Потрясающие люди, каждый в своей скорлупке. За резкую и бескомпромиссную старую кочергу по имени Сельма — отдельное спасибо.
Книга началась с Карин-шлюхи, Карин-алкоголички, Карин-фантазерки, поливающей читателя из шланга образами, спеленутыми легкой ностальгической дымкой, а закончилась такой нежностью, какой хватило бы на весь мир.
annikeh.net -
Inte så förtjust i språket, det kändes alldagligt men som om det försökte vara poetiskt. Fast inte på ett bra sätt. Och vissa av upprepningarna hon gjorde var otroligt krystade.
Samt lite svag historia ibland.
Däremot: vissa partier var väldigt fina vilket absolut lyfte betyget! Samt ändå lite spännande?
Lutade mot en fyra tills jag läste slutet -
Διάφορες κωμικοτραγικές οικογενειακές καταστάσεις Ν. Υόρκη 1930 - Όσλο 1990
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3.5
Muy guay y todo eso pero la manera de ir hacia delante y luego hacia atrás en la historia me ha liado un poco. En sí la historia ha estado muy interesante y el final pues eso. No spoilers. -
Bra skriven men för mig var det något som skavde med porträttet av huvudpersonen.
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Generalnie dałabym 2.5, ale ze względu na wartość sentymentalną dam 3. No i była sirkelkomposisjon, także dodatkowe punkty.
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Orkar int skriva nåt så här e några quotes från mina favorit Goodreads reviews om boken:
“Like Ullmann's other novels, Before You Sleep is full of mean and unlikeable characters.”
“Kaunis, absurdi ja välillä hauskakin”
“Nearly impossible to understand, and equally difficult to follow”
“Reminds me of how you remember memories.”
“Special, but I liked it. About a crazy family.”
“The character is embarrasing.”
“Den handlar iaf om en tjej och hennes familj och släkts historia, men har svårt att beskriva vad den handlar om mer specifikt haha... “
“(boyfriend turns into fish when his cowboy boots are taken off) “
“hard..”
“...du kommer på dig själv med att läsa det absolut galnaste och ba "hm, okay, makes sense”
“Hon bara ljuger och ljuger och det är en jättefin bok”
"Mistet boka i beruset tilstand et eller annet sted i Bergen..." -
Erzählt wird eine Familiengeschichte aus der Sicht der Norwegerin Karin von den 1930er Jahren bis heute. Karin ist notorische Lügnerin.
In Ihrer Erzählung übertreibt sie und wiederholt sich, oft mit kleinen oder großen Abweichungen, so dass man als Leser gelegentlich unsicher ist, welche Version die ist, die sich ereignet hat. Es gibt auch Anekdoten, die völlig unrealistisch sind. Aber so ist das nun mal bei Lügnern.
Allen Unkenrufen zum Trotz (das Buch hat eher schlechte Rezensionen) und obwohl das Ende unklar bleibt, fand ich es gar nicht sooo schlecht....wirklich empfehlen würde ich es dennoch nicht. -
Loved this! A story with "a sting in the tail", as someone used to call this type of plot. Great writer, brilliant idea. Linn gave me a Latvian translation of this book, as this is my (almost) first language, when I was briefly working for her, I would have now loved to read the Norwegian version...
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I bought the book in spanish to practice spanish and thats really all, unfortunately. The character is embarrasing. I understand the idea of picturing an ego based dysfunctional family and how one can be affected by the environment and thus become a horrible person as well but do you really have to romantacize and try this hard? Other than that, clever words and good narrative.
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One of the most bizarre books I've ever read. The ending is confusing. I'm glad to be done with it.
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Ullmann crafts a sometimes fanciful, sometimes gritty tale of the women in a Norwegian family spanning several generations.
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Different and thus refreshing compared to what I normally read. The exaggeration or fantasy in it was not something I enjoyed however.
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For some reason this book took a century and an extra day to finish. Not sure why the reading dragged so much - could it be just my fault (as in my mood at the time). I was so much looking forward to finally start reading Ullman’s books, and I wanted to start with this one, the first allthough the bookshops are now frenetically promoting her latest book.
I loved the interplay of fantasy with the reality while narating the history of a Norwegian family over several generations. The authors gets us from the 90s in Norway (mainly Oslo but also a bit of Trondheim is mentioned here and there) and back to 30s in New York (where «morfar» Rikard Bloom is making a fortune and falls in love with Selma but married her sister June) and back to nowdays in both America (when the story of Anni and Dr. Peterson takes places) ane Oslo.
There are the fabulous reality-fantasy interplays : the mackrel- lover, the stone between husband and wife (Julie and Aleksander) simbolizing the rupture in their couple as he is cheating her with Val Bryn(her best friend), the rude and hated aunt (Selma) watching her own funeral where nobody has anything good to say about her, the liquid face of Anni when Karin picks her from the airport … and so many others. I liked a lot that these fantastical scenes come with no warning, so by the point you decide she is just using a metaphore or another fantasy is taking place of the real situation, the mackrel is already in a bowl with water. ;-)
And allthough I enjoyed a lot all this, for some reason the reading advanced very slow … maybe because I was always afraid Julie and her introvert and suicidal tendencies might dissapear from the scene?! Not sure! And when Sander (the son of Julie and Aleksander) arrives in the story it doesn’t feel as the future will be brighter.
There are many lines though that stayed with me days after I finished the last page of the book.
For example, Karin (the dishonest narrator heroine of the book) and her father discuss her younger sister's (Julie) troubles:
«What's the point of marriage if he's not making her happy?'
The father answers:
«I don't understand who told you that the point of anything is to be happy.»
For some reason this short conversation seems to me to be like the entire motto of this 4-generations family history.
It is also a conversation between Karin and her father that explaines why the narrator becomes a chronic liar that somehow gives you the flavour of the entire book. -
Ma ütleksin selle raamatu kohta, et see oli veidi konarlik. Ebaühtlane, mille vabandab välja asjaolu, et tegemist on Linn Ullmanni debüütromaaniga. Et seda nii paljudesse keeltesse on tõlgitud ja et ta ka Norras väga hästi müüs, tuleb ilmselt sellest, et tegemist on kahe kuulsa loomeinimese, Liv Ullmanni ja Ingmar Bergmani, tütrega. Et kui nii tuntud ja andekate inimeste tütar kirjutab, siis peab seal ju midagi olema.
Tabasin end mõttelt, et Ullmann alustab oma romaane nagu kirjutaks lasteraamatut - lihtlausetega ja lihtsate kirjeldustega ja niimoodi tasapisi hakkab lugu kerima kuni oled loost juba nii haaratud, et ei pane enam tähele neid lihtlauseid või siis neid enam ei olegi. Üks asi on veel tema raamatutes ühine - ta alustab sageli lõpust, nii ka selles raamatus. Nii et mul on juba kombeks algus uuesti üle lugeda, et kogu lugu kindlamasse raami kinnistuks.
Siin raamatus on aeg-ajalt mõnusat absurdihuumorit, mis mulle tavaliselt ei meeldi, aga siin naersin küll paar korda lausa valju häälega. Samas on Ullmanni tegelased siiski suhteliselt õnnetud, rõõmutud ja natuke katkised inimesed. Kurb oli lugeda, kuidas Karin kordas oma ema meestevõrgutuskunsti, justkui see, mida ta lapsena nii palju kordi oli näinud, olekski normaalne käitumismuster. See "lapsepõlvekahjustus" oli siin raamatus väga hästi välja joonistatud. Ja tegelikult mulle meeldib ka Ullmanni keel - kõik need sõna- või lausekordused, millega ta teatud kohti rohkem rõhutada tahab. Nende kordustega loob ta lugejas tunde, mida muidu ei tekiks, sest vastasel korral sa lihtsalt libiseksid neist hetkedest üle. Aga lõpp jälle ei meeldinud, sest mulle ei meeldi, kui otsad lahti jäetakse - sellistel puhkudel alati mõtlen, et kirjanik peab teadma, kuidas tema raamatus asjad on ja miks ta siis ei taha öelda, kuidas kõik lõppes. Ei meeldi mulle need lõputa lood, ei filmides ega raamatutes.
Üldiselt mulle Ullmanni raamatud meeldivad, kuigi see debüütromaan pole kindlasti parim, mida ta kirjutanud on. Väärt lugemine siiski, kuigi vahepeal oli tunne, et annaks sellele vaid kaks tärni ja siis jälle et neli, mis lõpuks andis kokku kolm :) -
This was a really entertaining read for me. Maybe I enjoy other things than expected, because this is definitely a novel about strange characters in a weird family. But I perceived the writing as fast paced and the story as well as funny as sad. My favourite side character was Aunt Selma. The main protagonist is a twenty-one year old woman, who deals with her own unbalanced life as well as with getting along with a lot of different family members with their own difficulties in life. I liked being amongst this family, but maybe that's just me.
#WomenInTranslationMonth
Translated from Swedish into German by Gabriele Haefs. -
U zivotu nisam dosadniju knjigu citala. Bas glupa knjiga. Forsirala da je zavrsim, jer kad jednom pocnem moram i da zavrsim knjigu. Par stvari su jedino bile zanimljive kad Karin prica o svom dedi Rikardu, njegovo zivotu u Americi kako je upoznao njenu baku. Deo kad Ani, Karina majka ide za Ameriku i upoznaje jednog doktora. Totalno bzv sto se ne saznaje sta joj se to desilo sa licem. Lep je i deo kad provodi vreme sa svojim sestricem, Sanderom. Ali sta se desilo sa njegovim roditeljima ne saznajemo. Nikad nisu zvali ....
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Hvis ikke jeg havde en liste så lang over bøger jeg gerne vil læse så kunne det være at jeg havde læst denne bog færdig. Jeg er stoppet på side 168 fordi mit liv er for kort til intetsigende bøger. Jeg kan slet ikke sætte mig ind i hovedpersonens indre dialog og hendes mærkelige familie er så fjern at de ikke bliver interessante nok. Det første kapitel er den eneste grund til at jeg fortsatte så langt. Det startede så fængende men var simpelthen for uinteressant de næste 130 sider til at jeg vil bruge dyrebare læsetimer på at læse den færdig.
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Fick kämpa ett tag för att komma in i denna men efter halva blev det rätt spännande, eller intressant är kanske ett bättre ord. Fint skriven och känns som att det finns mycket att prata om utifrån handlingen samt karaktärerna. Den är lite svårtorkad, men det är det som gör det spännande.
Den handlar iaf om en tjej och hennes familj och släkts historia, men har svårt att beskriva vad den handlar om mer specifikt haha... Svårt att betygsätta men eftersom den gjorde en lite illa till mods och inte är min bästa genre så drar det ner lite även fast det va bra som roman!
