| Title | : | Effekten af Susan |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 876383264X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9788763832649 |
| Language | : | Danish |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 336 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2014 |
Peter Høeg står bag spændingsromanen “Effekten af Susan”, der fører den ellers helt almindelige Susan ud på noget af en mission.
Susan kommer til at slå en skuespiller ned i et indisk kasino, og nu får hun brug for en hurtig redning, hvis hun ikke skal ende i et indisk fængsel. Med én klar betingelse, tilbyder en tidligere dansk embedsmand, at hente hende hjem. Hun skal bruge sine særlige evner, til en særlig mission.
Men det er en kompliceret mission, og det står hurtigt klart, at Susan er endt lige i centrum af en magtkamp, som hun ikke kan vinde.
Effekten af Susan Reviews
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This is an intense and thrilling dystopian crime fiction from Peter Hoeg, set in Copenhagen, Denmark. Susan, and husband, Laban and their twin 16 year old children, Harald and Thit have spent a year in India and every single one of them is in serious trouble. To avoid prison and other charges, Thorkeld Hegn, an extremely powerful man, offers to make all their troubles disappear if Susan will do him a favour. They return to Copenhagen and their family home, and Susan who has a gift for making those around talk without people being able to avoid it, visits Magrethe Spliid to get her hands on missing minutes of meetings of a powerful and under the radar group, The Future Commission, and identify members of the group for Hegn. Susan has used and abused her gift in the past, and her entire family have similar aspects of this gift. She is a notable Physics Professor, and sees the whole world through the lens of science and Physics in particular such as cooking and relationships, a fascinating approach. She sees troubling issues and problems as koans until they dissolve.
There are two timelines in the novel, in the present where Susan and her family find themselves in dire circumstances being spied on and having attempts made on their lives. There are forces that do not wish the Future Commission and its doings be accessed and are willing to be ruthless in their efforts to pursue this aim. We are then given information about Susan's past, her connections with the Nobel prize winning Andrea Fink through whom she met her composer husband, Laban, and other events in her life. The gifted members of the Future Commission, all of whom are wealthy, are being murdered in horrendous ways, such as within a washing machine. With Susan's entire family under threat, Susan digs deep and resolves to protect her children, irrespective of the cost to her. The gifted family's talents get them access to almost anywhere. As they become aware of the turbulent future forecast that threatens the entire nation, Susan finds herself confronted with her past and her family in the battle to survive.
Not everyone will be comfortable with reading a book that is firmly located within a scientific framework. I found it an absorbing, engaging and compelling read. The character of Susan is not always likeable but she is a charismatic, determined and inherently mesmerising, you never know exactly what she or her family will do, or come up with. Susan carries a crowbar with her as her weapon of choice, and even saves the life of a man colluding with keeping the family interned. It is wonderful to have Peter Hoeg writing again, tackling huge global themes which are likely to lead to the dystopian future that he imagines here. A superb read that I recommend highly. Thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC. -
Q:
She smiles. It’s a smile that ought to open all doors for her. All the way to a padded cell. (c)
This is probably the most unusual group field theory implementation imaginable. Or not. Or one of those.
The effect of too much weird bullshit stuffed all at once into just one book. Way too much bollocks on crudesticks for my liking. Maybe I'll still finish it at a later date. Ahem.
I should've DNFed it. Darn.
Q:
‘You could have been his mother.’
I make no comment. In purely biological terms, she’s right. ‘Dad’s interested in young girls. Harald wants money. And I …’
We hold our breath.
‘I want a house by the sea. Six horses to ride. And people to do the cleaning for me.’
We breathe out again. Respectfully. Not many girls of sixteen have the courage to peer so deeply inside their souls. (с) Well, color me not impressed here.
Q:
In a way I suppose I recognised him. Without ever having seen him.
Sometimes recognition has nothing to do with having seen each other before. Sometimes, as then, it is a sombre feeling of falling victim to an inexplicable and already existing intimacy, the origins of which cannot be pinpointed. (c)
A problematic protagonist:
‘You’re in touch with the body. That’s something I look for. The deep insights never come from the brain alone. You’ve a flair for mathematics and physics. You’ve got looks. So what’s the problem?’
‘Men.’
My letter hadn’t mentioned anything about problems.
‘What about them?’
‘They’re scrumptious. Like apples. It’s hard for me to stop myself. Afterwards it’s a mess.’
...
‘I want to get into physics... (c) I'm sorrry but am I the only person here feeling the logic here's really bumpy?
I would've never in a million years thought I'd say this but what's up with the objectifying the men?
Q:
I’VE FOLLOWED WITH pleasure and interest the increasing role women’s sexual fantasies have come to play in the public mind during my lifetime.
What’s more, we’ve only seen the start of this beneficial trend. ...
I’ve always been aware of how fortunate it was for Bohr to have passed away before I was born. Otherwise I’d have been compelled to try it on with him. It would only have got complicated. (c) Imagine someone saying something along these lines about a woman? Not right? Why should the gender reversal be right?
Some trashy physics:
Q:
‘You say you’re preoccupied with group field theory. And that you have personal experiences. What do you mean?’
‘I evoke sincerity.’ (c)
Q:
Some people believe in psychology. I don’t. Everything is biochemistry on a substrate of quantum-electric effects. (c)
Some spoilers (beware!):
Q:
‘When I’m waiting for the bus, it only takes a few minutes and the man in front of me in the queue starts telling me about his wife’s illness. Once I’m inside, the woman on the seat next to me tells me how much she loves her dog. The boys getting off at the same stop as me tell me how worried they are that they won’t make the first team, and then all about the girls they’re secretly in love with.’ (c)
I sincerely hope that this was satire:
Q:
We argued all the way home, or at least as far as Kirkevej, where we got stopped by a patrol car and a well-mannered police officer pointed out to us that there was a new centre just opened called Dialogue Against Violence, and would we be interested in him showing us the way? (c)
Some quotes:
Q:
Her eyes, as ever, contain elements of train wrecks and maritime disasters. And some smidgeon of religious ecstasy. (c)
Q:
The profound scientific truths are no different than any other kind: they must be presented in small measures and with the utmost consideration. (c)
Q:
One of the phenomena for which no one yet has produced a wholly irrefutable and exhaustive explanation is the peculiar occurrence of serial instances of good luck. The wind’s behind me all the way along Strandvejen, all the traffic lights are green, and when I get to the Eksperimentarium’s ticket booth one of my students is behind the counter, a girl of perhaps twenty who, once she’s got over the shock of realising that one of her teachers, who she hasn’t seen in a year, turns out also to exist in some private form outside the auditoria of the Universitetsparken campus, lets me in for nothing and informs me that the board meeting has briefly adjourned for a coffee break but its members will be back in five minutes. (c)
Q:
when it comes to certain groupings of people, the frequency of instances of verified intuition starts to increase as a function of time – first linearly, then exponentially – until before long, singularities begin to occur, events that go beyond known models of description. (c)
Q:
To me, the brick foundations whisper not of romance and adventure in the colourful Middle Ages, but of disease, dungeons and rape, and an average lifespan that would have me long since dead. (c) -
Jeez. Megalomania detached from reality. The author should seek professional help.
The "special ability" of Susan is quite intriguing...
If only (genius) Claire North had written this book, instead of Høeg ! Wow!
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
By far the most irritating thing about this book is the author has a complete and utter disrespect of science and natural laws. Truly insulting.Truth is to “truthiness”
The characters are unsympathetic, pedantic and speak with almost entirely the same voice as Susan. Yeesh.
as Science is to This Book.
(apologies to Stephen Colbert)
One thing Høeg gets right is how we are raping the planet, faster every day, and are unable to stop. Of course, there are a million other writers and journalists with the same themes.
Our point of departure was a hundred global risks, divided into six categories: economics, environment, geopolitics, society, technology, global resources. We picked out five main issues: chronic financial imbalances, greenhouse gas emissions, unsustainable population growth, extreme income inequality and a shortage of resources that would give rise to highly volatile prices for energy and agricultural products. ... The collapse isn’t some far-off future. It’s already started.
Mixed into this train wreck of a book are some fine quotes:
• “When I was twelve someone showed me the periodic table and I understood it immediately. It was the happiest moment of my life.”
• “Sometimes recognition has nothing to do with having seen each other before. Sometimes, as then, it is a sombre feeling of falling victim to an inexplicable and already existing intimacy, the origins of which cannot be pinpointed.”
• "That’s the problem of physics. It’s always been financed like this. That’s what Fermi meant when he said that regardless of what else the atom bomb might be, it was great physics."
• “That’s how it is with the great traumas. We keep returning to them. To remind ourselves of how irrevocably too late it is to do anything about them. And yet also to continue looking for some way out.”
• “Thit’s relationship to make-up is hard to explain. It’s passionate, but also exotic. She daubs it on the same way she dresses: extravagantly, especially around the eyes, as if bent on demonstrating that, to her, every day is a celebration of Cleopatra’s ascension to the throne.”
• “Great men always have formidable wives. The weightiest Nobel laureates have always had an Amazon at their side: Bohr, Fermi, Alvarez, Gorbachev, Sakharov, Schrödinger. And those who didn’t quite make the final cut were those whose women backed out: Oppenheimer, Szilard.”
• “For a brief, fleeting second, I may even understand what he means. That’s one of the inherent potentials of honesty – that for a moment another person may reveal to us a true mirror image of ourselves.”
I agree 100% ...
“She thought Reagan’s advisers, Perle and Cheney, ought to have been tried for crimes against humanity.”
Something magical happens starting around 48-50% through the book, mainly from the start of Christmas dinner. Pedantic science is transformed into romantic metaphor, truth becomes personal, a painful event of Susan’s past is explained, and the reality of Susan and Laban’s courtship is shown. Marvellous, mostly.
Sadly this doesn’t last. :(
So much stupid "science". Makes my head spin. The tracking device, the spy camera, the use of the word "quantum", the pride in which Susan spouts complete gobble-de-gook as if Høeg understands this in the slightest. Ugh, what a dork.
Cute homage? “Get Smart” (tv show) Cone of Silence ?
In the middle of the room is what looks like a large bubble of clear plastic.
... utter crap ...
“‘A mere five kilograms. Twelve hundred needle rounds a minute and enough muzzle velocity for an adult torso to be torn open by the mere thrust of a single projectile passing by at twenty centimetres. Not only did I design and construct it, I can also hit thirty out of thirty-five moving targets in a minute and a half, at a range of eight hundred and fifty metres.’"
... Super STUPID. One cubic metre of helium lifts about 1 kilogram. So Høeg's ballon could only lift 100 kg. This stupidity will never fly.
“At close quarters the balloon doesn’t look like a balloon at all, more like a modern art installation. The buoyancy element itself comprises at most 100 cubic metres, harnessed within a lightweight metal framework that moreover holds the sail, a thirty-metre-tall construction of ...”
And finally, a Trumpian level of stupidity here -
“We would have set up a magnificent laboratory, you and I. Even the collider was going with us. I’d drawn up plans for a small electricity station. Fifty megawatts of hydraulic power.’"
So much potential in this book, some fine moments, but mostly drowning in technobabble and megalomania.
And the "James Bond" ending was laughably bad.
Ugh.
--
In addition, there are quite a few "translation failures" from the Danish to English.
... translation failure: “My guess is it saves images and sound for no more than a few minutes, before compromising them and sending them as a very short signal.”
Use: Compressing!
Thit’s Indian lover is called a “priest” in this translation. I would suggest “guru” or other more Indian equivalent.
... magnetic barriers?
“‘There are security checks,’ I tell him. ‘I’ve seen it on TV. At the entrance to the Folketing. Magnetic barriers, like at the airport. Guards round the clock.’"
... about 1/3 of the book is filled with crap like this:
“Somewhere behind it I can hear the sound of a washing machine.... I can identify it as an industrial model with a digital inverter."
-------------------
Notes while reading:
3.0% "... choppy writing style in the NetGalley preview"
4.0% "... “When I was twelve someone showed me the periodic table and I understood it immediately. It was the happiest moment of my life.”"
5.0% "... “The pizza base, so thin it’s no longer bread, just an intense taste of grain from the Italian flour, an ethereal crispness beneath the stable-like aroma of melted cheese, the tartness and sweetness of scalding-hot tomatoes and the corpulent bitterness of olives.”"
6.0% ".... LOTS of lovely quotes, already ....
“Sometimes recognition has nothing to do with having seen each other before. Sometimes, as then, it is a sombre feeling of falling victim to an inexplicable and already existing intimacy, the origins of which cannot be pinpointed.”"
8.0% "... “‘That’s the problem of physics. It’s always been financed like this. That’s what Fermi meant when he said that regardless of what else the atom bomb might be, it was great physics.’”"
9.0% "... “That’s how it is with the great traumas. We keep returning to them. To remind ourselves of how irrevocably too late it is to do anything about them. And yet also to continue looking for some way out.”"
16.0% ".... “Thit’s relationship to make-up is hard to explain. It’s passionate, but also exotic. She daubs it on the same way she dresses: extravagantly, especially around the eyes, as if bent on demonstrating that, to her, every day is a celebration of Cleopatra’s ascension to the throne.”"
19.0% "... translation failure: “My guess is it saves images and sound for no more than a few minutes, before compromising them and sending them as a very short signal.”
Compressing!"
20.0% "... Peter Hoeg is certainly enthusiastic about his science, and his protagonist, Susan, waxes eloquent describing the world “scientifically” but often erroneously. Strange."
23.0% "... Thit’s Indian lover is called a “priest” in this translation. I would suggest “guru” or other more Indian equivalent."
25.0% "... “Great men always have formidable wives. The weightiest Nobel laureates have always had an Amazon at their side: Bohr, Fermi, Alvarez, Gorbachev, Sakharov, Schrödinger. And those who didn’t quite make the final cut were those whose women backed out: Oppenheimer, Szilard.”"
27.0% "... Hoeg’s understanding of computer tech and electronics is laughably bad. Almost insulting to the reader to be so precise in descriptions which are ridiculous"
28.0% "... The cod-science is laughably bad in far too many places. There's no need for "scientific plot explanations" that are bad science."
39.0% ".... about 1/3 of the book is filled with crap like this:
“Somewhere behind it I can hear the sound of a washing machine.... I can identify it as an industrial model with a digital inverter.”"
40.0% "....
Truth is to “truthiness” (apologies to Stephen Colbert)
as science is to This Book."
41.0% "... just so you know...
The discussion of Thit’s and Harald’s religious inclinations is hilarious. What a fun name for a kitten “Holy Spirit”"
42.0% "... “If you’re dead lucky you might just be able to shield your kids from assault and abuse. But you can’t shield them from the real problem. Because the real problem is life itself.”"
43.0% "... magnetic barriers?
“‘There are security checks,’ I tell him. ‘I’ve seen it on TV. At the entrance to the Folketing. Magnetic barriers, like at the airport. Guards round the clock.’"
54.0% "... something magical happens starting around 48-50% through the book, mainly from the start of Christmas dinner. Pedantic science is transformed into romantic metaphor, truth becomes personal, a painful event of Susan’s past is explained, and the reality of Susan and Laban’s courtship is shown. Marvellous, mostly. Sadly this doesn’t last."
59.0% "... same as my list, almost exactly
“Our point of departure was a hundred global risks, divided into six categories: economics, environment, geopolitics, society, technology, global resources. five main issues: chronic financial imbalances, greenhouse gas emissions, unsustainable population growth, extreme income inequality and a shortage of resources that would give rise to highly volatile prices for energy & food"
63.0% "... Get Smart Cone of Silence....
“In the middle of the room is what looks like a large bubble of clear plastic.”"
66.0% ".... Edge, not incision
“‘A grafting knife,’ he says. ‘The incision has to be precise.’”"
80.0% "... utter crap ...
“‘A mere five kilograms. Twelve hundred needle rounds a minute and enough muzzle velocity for an adult torso to be torn open by the mere thrust of a single projectile passing by at twenty centimetres. Not only did I design and construct it, I can also hit thirty out of thirty-five moving targets in a minute and a half, at a range of eight hundred and fifty metres.’"
81.0% "... I agree 100% ...
“She thought Reagan’s advisers, Perle and Cheney, ought to have been tried for crimes against humanity.”"
90.0% ".... “For a brief, fleeting second, I may even understand what he means. That’s one of the inherent potentials of honesty – that for a moment another person may reveal to us a true mirror image of ourselves.”"
93.0% "... STUPID. One cubic metre of helium lifts about 1 kilogram. So this ballon stupidity will never fly.
“At close quarters the balloon doesn’t look like a balloon at all, more like a modern art installation. The buoyancy element itself comprises at most 100 cubic metres, harnessed within a lightweight metal framework that moreover holds the sail, a thirty-metre-tall construction of ...”"
96.0% ".... Jeez. Megalomania detached from reality. The author should seek professional help."
99.0% ".... Trumpian level of stupidity here -
“We would have set up a magnificent laboratory, you and I. Even the collider was going with us. I’d drawn up plans for a small electricity station. Fifty megawatts of hydraulic power.’" -
What a weird ride and writing style! The first half of the book was the strongest to me; the second half lost me a little bit. But now that I’ve finished it, I think I kind of liked it all in all :)
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Spriežot pēc atsauksmēm, Hēgam ir izdevies nokaitināt daudzus: Vieniem ir par daudz zinātnes un tehnoloģiju, citi nespēj pieņemt, ka par fiziku var runāt tādas muļķības, vēl citi nesaprot, kāda x pēc viņi vispār bija Indijā un kā var tik nesakarīgi rīkoties. Es esmu neizvēlīga. Par daļu no fizikai veltītajām atsaucēm zinu, ka tās ir patiesas, par daļu - šaubos un par atlikušo daļu nesatraucos, jo pieņemu spēles noteikumus. Tikai tā var izbaudīt šo lielisko darbu, kurš ļoti atgādina "Smillas jaunkundzi". Sūzana ir kā 43 gadīga Smilla ar gandrīz pieaugušiem bērniem-dvīņiem un gandrīz bijušo vīru-komponistu. Negaidīti patīkams pārsteigums.
-
Peter Høeg schafft es in seinen Romanen, die Wirklichkeit ein kleines Stück in Richtung SF oder Fantasy zu verschieben, ohne, dass es unmöglich oder weit hergeholt wirkt. Das liegt zum einen an den Ideen, welche meist in geltenden Forschungen und Möglichkeiten verortet sind, zum anderen an der wunderbaren Sprache, mit welcher der Autor Gedanken und Figuren beschreibt. "Der Susan-Effekt" ist bis nach der Hälfte ein solches Buch, das mit viel Intelligenz und wunderbaren Ideen bezirzt.
Doch leider endet die Geschichte um Wissenschaftlerin Susan und ihren unerklärbaren Effekt auf die Menschen zu stark in der Nähe der Action-Kultur. Was zuvor mit Feingefühl und Geheimnissen dargestellt wurde, das wird am Schluss zu einer Erzählung voller Zufälle, Klischees und überhasteten Verknüpfungen. Trotzdem lohnt sich das Buch, denn gerade die Möglichkeiten, welche der Effekt der Hauptfigur bietet, lassen vieles über unsere Ehrlichkeit, Offenheit und Direktheit zu unseren Mitmenschen neu auffassen. Wie persönlich, empathisch und wahrhaftig sind wir denn selber? -
Neesmu Pētera Hēga fanu klubā, bet man patika.
No grāmatas apraksta gaidīju psiholoģiju, bet dabūju fiziku (no kuras neko nesaprotu, tāpēc ticēju autoram uz vārda).
"Jebkuriem augļu salātiem ir sava koordinātu sistēma, - es bilstu. - Banāni ir horizontālais līmenis, X ass, bass. Banāni ir saistīti ar zemi, tie veido plašo, krēmīgo pamatu saules augļiem - apelsīniem un ananasam. Kuri atrodas uz Y ass. Citrusaugļi piešķir virzību augšup, caururbjošo, bezmaz sāpīgo skābumu. Zemenes ir Z ass. Tās piešķir telpiskumu. Pat tagad, decembrī, tās garšo pēc Dānijas. Tās paplašina šo tropisko pretmetu satikšanos un padara to par globālu projektu. Akāciju medus un putukrējums ir ceturtā dimensija. Gan putukrējumam, gan medum ir dzīvniecisks piesitiens. Tie šo Ņūtona trīsdimensiju svaigumu ieceļ Einšteina telplaika sarežģītībā.
- Un rozīnes? - Haralds jautā.
- Rozīnes ir pretestība. Ir, kur iekosties. Tas atgādina, ka priekšā gaida protēzes. Nespējnieku nams. Putriņas."
Sūzanas ģimene vien ir ko vērta. Efekts (izraisīt atklātību) piemīt arī viņas vīram Lābanam. Bērni - 16gadīgi dvīņi ar' ir izdevušies - gudri, spītīgi un kādi vēl tur.
"Kad Lābans, dvīņi un es esam izkārtoti pareizi, kā pirmīt gadījās Torkilda Hegna viesistabā, un kad pavisam īsu laika sprīdi starp mums nav disharmonijas, mūsu sistēmas ir koherentas, mēs pastiprinām cits citu veidā, kas šķiet gluži kā interference. Interference ir tā, ko mēs ar Andreu Finku pētījām, interference ir tā, kas mūs novedusi tur, kur tagad esam."
Grāmatu autors ir sadalījis trīs daļās. Pirmo, kas ir pusgrāmatas biezumā, es izbaudīju. Ne gluži notikumus, bet kolorītos cilvēkus, viņu attiecības, notikumus un izteiksmes veidu. Otrā daļa bija ok – tāds diezgan rāms ievads trešās daļas savērptajam trillerim (trilleris, protams, ir visa grāmata, bet trešajā daļa ir šī žanra esence). Trešajai daļai es galopā pārlēkšoju pāri – man tā likās salasīta no jau lasītām trilleru epizodēm. Tagad ar laika atstarpi vairs neesmu tik kritiska (kad esmu pārgulējusi ar grāmatu) – neticu, ka Hēgam pietrūktu fantāzijas meistarīgam noslēgumam. Sāku turēt viņu aizdomas, ka autors speciāli ir savācis spožākās trilleru un sazvērestības teoriju atšķetināšanas pērles un sabēris tās vienā kastē. Un vienalga - šīs trešās daļas dēļ noņēmu vienu zvaigzni.
Vairāk esmu izpaudusies šeit:
https://lililasa.wordpress.com/2019/1... -
The first third of the book is intriguing. The main characters are interesting, the tension is building fast, the "effect" is promising, the "future commission" mysterious. As the plot unfolds, new characters enter the stage and things turn awkward. The characters become increasingly bizarre and unrealistic. The connections between individual characters and the plot becomes forced, strenuous and increasingly unbelievable. In the course of events, the main character interestingly looses depth and believability. The last third of the book is simply so ridiculous to be annoying. I felt that all the promises that the story held were squandered for cheap thrills and in an effort to create "effectual" encounters, dialogues and images.
While the book is well written for a thriller, it turned out a disappointment - especially if you have read 'Smilla's sense for snow'. -
Pirmo daļu lasīju neatraudamās - Pētera Hēga sarkastiskā valoda, humoriņš kopā ar fiziku, bioloģiju, pat mērniecību un tāds nereālisma piesitiens, kas jau bija iepazīts Smillas jaunkundzes sniega izjūtā. Šo grāmatu pat lasīju ar lielāku aizrautību, bet tad otrajā daļā tas burbulis it kā sadrumstalojās un trešajā daļā tā rāmi pačabēja.
Ziemassvētku vakara saruna pie galda, kur Sūzana atbild uz dēla vienkāršo jautājumu, kādēļ vecāmāte mammu divpadsmit gadu vecumā ievietojusi internātā, likās tik ļoti skandināviska :)
Grāmata man ļoti patika, neskatoties uz to, ka bija līdzīgi kā ar Smillu - rakstniekam pašam pagrūti pabeigt ko tik nereālistisku. Kaut gan, realitāte ir tikai tāds kāda nodefinēts jēdziens...
Turpināšu lasīt Hēgu, ļoti garšīgi viņam sanāk :)
''Mamm, droši vien tā arī tas jāsaprot, kad runā par apziņas evolūciju. Ka vecākiem ir bijis jāķeras pie urbjmašīnām un terases skrūvēm. Bet nākamā paaudze iztiek ar intelektu.''
"Mēnesnīca, kas krīt uz viņiem, padara viņu ādu teju vai caurspīdīgu. Un tad piepeši es to zinu. Gūstu atbildi taisnā ceļā no mēnesnīcas vizmas uz dvīņu seju.
Gaisma patiesībā ir glāsts.'' -
Hēga darbu vidējais aritmētiskais manā atskaites sistēmā vienmēr ir “ļoti labi”.
-
Trocha Smilly, trocha Dětí chovatelů slonů, brutalita ze severské krimi, páčidlo, které otevře každou překážku a poslouží k obraně před kýmkoliv, utajování, konspirace, trocha zvláštních schopností a obrovská spousta náhod či jakýchsi neuvěřitelných řešení. K tomu hromada postav, které se mihnou dějem, nebo se záhadně objeví, je tam i trocha humoru a hlavní myšlenka celého díla je určitě dobrá, ale jako celek to působí tak nějak neuspořádaně a překombinovaně a není to uvěřitelné.
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There are lots of reviews of this book, some even favourable, so I’m using that fact to justify not bothering to write much of one myself. Much like I couldn’t be bothered to persevere with this largely (to me, at least) incomprehensible and essentially strange and rather silly novel.
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Susani efekt on selline efekt, et Susani juuresolekul muutuvad inimesed avameelseks ja hakkavad südant puistama. Kogu Susani kõik pereliikmed satuvad Indias pahandustesse ja et vanglast pääseda, võtab naine vastu pakkumise otsida üles 1970. aastatel loodud tulevikukomisjoni liikmed, et teada saada, mis oli komisjoni viimases protokollis. Tulevikukomisjon koosnes tippteadlastest ja suutis ette ennustada ühiskonnas toimuvaid sündmusi. Pealtnäha lihtne ülesanne osutub aga painajalikuks unenäoks, kuid selle tee läbib perekond üheskoos.
Tegemist on sellise painajaliku põnevikuga, kus pinget jätkub kuni viimaste lehekülgedeni. Mis teeb raamatu lugemise veel huvitavamaks, on see, et Susan on füüsik ja nii mitmedki asjad on seletatud füüsika vaatevinklist.
Nagu ikka, leidsin raamatust mitmeid tsitaate, mis hetkel kõnetasid. :)
* Kui vanemad täidavad sind seesmiselt, siis peab olema väga ettevaatlik, et nende krempli sisse elama ei jääks. (lk 56)
* Kui lapsed on väikesed, siis väljendavad nad kogu oma olemusega täiskasvanute paljastatud sisemust. (lk 64)
* Sügavate teaduslike tõdedega on nii nagu aususega: neid tuleb doseerida hoolikalt. (lk 104)
* Suure hulga intelligentsusliikide seas on üks, mille moodne psühholoogia on kahe silma vahele jätnud, ja see on peointelligentsus. Labanil on see olemas. Ta suudab vestelda kogu laudkonnaga, nii et noortel on tunne, et neid respekteeritakse, meestel, et neid imetletakse, ja naistel, nagu silitaks nähtamatu käsi nende kõrvanibusid. (lk 158)
* Vägivald pärineb kohast, kuhu mõistus ei ulatu. (lk 214)
* Kui inimene saab ehitada koha, kus ei ole kannatusi, siis muutub see ohtlikuks, sest siis tekib tahtmine sinna jääda. (lk 219) -
Atkal mācāmies fiziku un skrienam līdzi aizraujošam notikumu progresam. Vietumis sasmejoties, piemēram, par katru gadu izdzenamo dēmonu - Ziemassvētkiem, ko bērni katrreiz atdzīvina.
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Miss Susan’s feeling for empathy
I really liked Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow, so I really liked this. Why? Because it follows a very similar narrative arc. Imagine a Smilla who is a married mother in her early 40s and you have Susan. Like Smilla, Susan has a gift; when people are with her, they cannot help but confess the truth and reveal their feelings. Her talented, difficult family, composer husband, 16 years old twin boy and girl, also have gifts and together they fight an anarchic war against the entrenched plots of an establishment conspiracy.
Even if the plot is tosh (and all the science), this is so well written, remaining just on the right side of plausibility (only just!), so suffused with verve, energy and imagination that it charmed me utterly. I loved the characterisation, especially of Susan’s apparently dysfunctional family. I loved the very clever and witty narrative, Susan’s own acerbic repartee, the unravelling of the labyrinthine plot. A pleasurable aspect of the novel, also, is the picture drawn of Copenhagen, a city which is almost a character in itself, and which the author portrays with great affection. Thank you Mr Hoeg. -
Peter Hoeg did not fail me. He usually doesn't.
Once again this was a book you must read with one go. Thrilling, interesting, compelling, complex... and all that in a very entertaining format. Let alone the topical dystopia message which was in the essence of the adventurous conspiracy story.
I hope readers will see that the forecasts made by the fictious "future fellowship" are absolutely relevant in our world today. Prophecies in their own right. Anybody can see and nobody does anything truly relevant about the big issues.
Even the conspiracy (or more) may be reality in some countries, the Noah's Ark for elite. It would be childish to think that nobody nowhere has plans for the upcoming times when societes collapse due the population explosion, famine, pollution and the huge unfair distiction between the rich and the poor.
The novel may be a prophecy in itself. Except for the quite happy ending perhaps. -
Susanin vaikutuksessa Peter Høeg on löytänyt vaikutusvallalle kiinnostavan muodon: Susan saa ihmiset avautumaan estottomasti. Avatumisista seuraa monia hulvattomia hetkiä, mutta se on myös valtava erityislahja, joka pelastaa Susanin perheen perikadolta.
Hauskuudesta huolimatta Susanin vaikutus ei ole mikään hilpeä kirja. Se on itse asiassa dystopia eli kuvaus ei-toivotusta yhteiskunnasta. Siihen meidät ajavat oraakkelien ennustukset, tieteen väärinkäyttö ja etiikasta piittaamattomien salaseurat.
Susanin vaikutus oli elämäni ensimmäinen Peter Høeg, jonka seurassa viihdyin. Ja olen sentään jo aika monta lukenut. Ehkä olisin voinut antaa neljäkin tähteä, mutta ihan niin pitkälle en vielä heltynyt. Tämä siksi, että minusta Høegin tarinoista katoaa loppua kohti viehätys, kun tärkeintä on vain vauhti.
Lisää ajatuksia Susanin vaikutuksesta löytyy blogistani
http://keltainenkirjasto.blogspot.fi/... -
Musím říct, že za mě fakt hodně dobrý. Nějak se mi to trefilo do noty v řadě směrů, zajímavé nápady a situace, takové to "co by kdyby.." je tu rozvinuto s velkou precizností.
Zkoumání toho, jak se lidé navzájem dokážou ovlivňovat, co z různých typů interakce může vzejít a jak se to dá využít a zneužít. Příběh sám není vlastně až tak složitý, ale navazuje na něj dokonale vytvořená síť vztahů, složitých vazeb a situací, které dohromady vytvořily pro mě výbornou četbu. -
Susanin vaikutus oli epämiellyttävyydessään kiehtova ja paikoin danbrownmaisessa uskottavuudessaan huvittava. Taustalla kuitenkin kiinnostavia teemoja ja teksti sen verran vetävää, että teos tuli ahmittua päivässä. Ei varmaan hassumpi tapa korkata Høegin tuotanto.
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Vauhdikas trilleri ja samalla synkkä dystopia (vaiko jo monin osin totta...) Kirjan luki ahmaisemalla, ja se tarjosi hyvän lukukokemuksen.
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Cerēju, ka kļūdīšos, taču pēc trešās šī autora grāmatas sapratu, ka Hēgs līdz galam nav manējais. Kaut kas manī disonē ar to pasauli, ko rāda viņš.
Taču stāsts ir spraigs un interesants, lasīju ar aizrautību, un noteikti šī stāsta lielākais pluss ir galvenā varone.Sūzana ir stipra, ļoti gudra un par sevi pārliecināta sieviete, kura lieliski pārzina fiziku. Sapnis, ne sieviete, vai ne?! -
A family returns from India in various forms of trouble ranging from criminal (Susan and her son Harald) to the socially unacceptable (the daughter Thit, and the husband - separately!) Susan is a physicist, married to Laban a star music composer and conductor and together they have 16 year old twins. Susan returns to Copenhagen where the powerful Thorkeld Hegn offers her a way out of their problems and a return to normal life - All she has to do is find out the names of some individuals who attended a meeting and the last 2 sets of minutes of those meetings. The family’s quest to obtain this information quickly turns extremely dangerous and their lives are endangered from the outset.
This is a fantasy set in Denmark in the near future; so some technological inaccuracies and over- presumptions can be excused (as who’s to say they’re not possible by then?) I went along with this idea – it certainly made the plot easier in places. Then there’s Susan’s ‘talent’; her (and to a lesser extent, the rest of her family's) strange effect on people: They tell her their deepest feelings/fears/secrets when ‘the effect’ comes into force.
This can either be viewed again as part of the fantasy element of this tale or (for the cynical) it could be said to be an easy method of facilitating the story without having to explain how certain details are discovered by those that need to know. They simply use ‘the effect’ to get people to tell them...
Susan is not a particularly likable character; she seems cold, detached and expresses herself in a sort of pseudo-scientific manner even if she’s discussing what to have for dinner that night. I found this ‘high talk’ rather draining at times, but also dryly entertaining at others. There were some great quotes (and some awful ones). Sometimes it just felt too ‘clever-clever’ by half.
Imagination was stretched to the limit and beyond at times – a particular event where a group of Government Ministers and high level bureaucrats were led away from a top secret vault and led back outside into song by Susan’s husband, and into the car park. Susan is then discovered (hiding in this top secret vault,) by a Chinese man who "understands she wants to grab a bit of shuteye on the bottom shelf after a long day." Hmm Oh, that’ll be ‘the effect’ again, handy that…
The book is entertaining but I found it a bit predictable. It was not a comfortable read (but I don’t think it was supposed to be). Interesting future theory dealing with a topic that has captured the imagination of humans since the threat of ‘nuclear war’. I liked it, sort of, but it did not thrill me. -
Mein erstes Buch vom bekannten Schriftsteller Peter Hoeg das den Weg in meine kleine Bibliothek gefunden hat. Seinen Weltbestseller "Fräulein Smillas Gespür für Schnee" kenne ich nur vom Namen her, habe ich aber nicht gelesen. Entsprechend gespannt war ich auf die literarischer Kost die mich da erwartet. Schnell habe ich gemerkt, dass dies kein Buch ist das sich eben Mal an zwei oder drei Abenden entspannt weglesen lässt. Dieser Spannungsroman braucht den auch die ungeteilte Aufmerksamkeit der Leserschaft aber wenn man sich einmal mit Peter Hoegs Schreibweise und seiner eigentümlichen aber höchst intelligenten Art des Erzählens vertraut gemacht hat und weiss, wie man die Abschnitte und Kapitel anzugehen hat, kommt man von Seite zu Seite immer besser damit zurecht und sich ganz dem Inhalt widmen.
Die titelgebende Susan ist Experimentalphysikerin, 42 Jahre alt und lebt in Dänemark. Sie hat die Gabe, dass sich die Menschen ihr gegenüber öffnen. Diese ungewollte Fähigkeit gepaar mit ihrem scharfen Verstand machen sie für für wissenschaftliche Ausschüsse interessant. Eine Zukunftskommission arbeitet für die Regierung aber Mitglieder dieses kleinen aber erlesenenen Zirkels kommen ums Leben. Die begabte Susan wird in einen gefährlichen Strudel, in dem auch ihr Familienleben eine Rolle spielt, hineingezogen und es entstehen wohl durchdachte Szenen voller mehrdeutige Schattierungen. Der Autor versucht Spannung, Wissenschaft und Familienleben unter einen Hut bzw. zwischen zwei Buchdeckel zu bringen. Meiner Meinung nach, erreicht er seine angestrebten Ziele in den meisten Fällen aber längst nicht immer. Oder ich war den inhaltlichen Anspielungen, die manchmal überflüssig wirkten, schlicht und einfach nicht immer gewachsen.
Ein Pageturner, wie die Kurzbeschreibung / der Klappentext es erwähnt, war dieses Buch für mich nicht. Eher ein tiefgründiges Werk mit teils verwirrenden Passagen die die volle Konzentration erfordern. Ein gutes Buch das mich etwas mehr als eine Woche beschäftigt hat, was bei mir für einen Roman eine lange Zeit ist, aber für mich gehört es dennoch nicht in die Fünf-Sterne Kategorie. Empfehlenswert für Leser mit einer Affinität zur Wissenschaft und Physik, die einen anspruchsvollen Roman mit vielen Verweisen auf das Leben aber einer unterkühlten, eher kopflastigen Schreibweise mögen. -
Susan Svendsen is everything but an ordinary woman. And she and her family are in danger. She is offered a bad deal by the Danish government: use her special ability to provide them with an important information to have all charges against her dropped. Thinking of her twin kids, she has to agree and thus brings herself and her family even more in danger. But what is it about her gift? In Susan’s presence, everybody feels relaxed and comfortable, people cannot keep from sharing their best concealed secrets with her and she is to exploits this for the government. But the politicians have not counted on her intelligence and survival instinct and a most unfair battle begins.
Peter Høeg has made special women his protagonist before. Individuals with a supernatural sense and an extraordinary will to survive. In his latest novel, Susan is equipped with a skill that allows her to manipulate the people unperceivably which in itself is quite remarkable. But what make the character even more interesting is the combination with a straight down-to-earth intellect which does not accept anything outside the world of natural sciences. Susan can explain anything with her knowledge of physics and chemistry or biology, other fields such as music or religion just don’t reach her. This makes her contradictory and ambiguous in a very fascinating way.
The story itself is a fast-paced thriller which combines political complotting with action-packed chases and quite high number of cruel murders. However, the author never forgets his characters and their complicated relationships. The emotional facet blends in smoothly and thus adds to the cleverly constructed plot.
Underlying the whole story is a scenario which nowadays might still be considered something of the faraway future: parts of the planet will not be inhabitable due to climate change. How will we, how will our politicians react to this? If just a limited number of persons can be saved, who will be the selected few? As in other novels before, Høeg creates an extreme setting in which his characters are brought to the edge and have to make hard decisions, decisions about life and death. It seems to be a topic he liked, to play with how human being react in extreme situations. Thus, he provides us with the opportunity the think it through ourselves. Definitely a thriller with a lot of food for thought. -
"The Effect of Susan" can be described as a spiritual sequel to the author Peter Høeg's better known "Smilla's Sense of Snow" but I think it's more of a mirror image.
Both novels start out as murder mysteries that later turn into conspiracy thrillers with science-fiction elements, with similar hyper-competent introverted heroines with extremely specialised skillsets. There is, however, a big difference: Susan is an extremely privileged and respected scientist who is an insider to the shadowy elite as opposed to an outsider from an ethnic underclass like Smilla. I guess that means the sociological and political themes covered before in "Smilla" are here dealt with from another side of the same secretive power apparatus. I don't think "Susan" supposed to be a spiritual sequel to Smilla as much as a different take on the same themes that ends up in some different places.
The actual content of the story and overall atmosphere turns out to be more in stereotypical Hollywood action movie territory, complete with a villainous mercenary henchman whom I can imagine as the bad guy's right-hand man in a James Bond movie. So the down-to-earth gritty crime fiction atmosphere isn't really there, and the science-fiction elements are less the discovery of extraterrestrial diseases coming to earth on meteors than the same "breakway civilisation" conspiracy theories that power the James Bond movies "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker". Høeg being Høeg, he still throws in some thoughtful exploration of the political challenges that the world faces in the near future and uses the science-fiction conspiracy theories as an allegory to examine those.
I still liked "Smilla" much more than "Susan", mind you, that book I consider a once-in-a-lifetime achievement for any author but this is very much worth reading if you like glamourous espionage/conspiracy thrillers with science-fiction elements and serious political commentary. In *that* genre, I find "The Effect of Susan" high above the average. -
May the (Danish) Force be with you...
This crime thriller has been translated from the original Danish and as much credit should be given to the translator, Martin Aitkin, as to the author. Not since I read “Perfume” by Patrick Süskind many years ago has such a good job being done in my opinion.
Susan Svendsen is married to Laban and they have two 16-year-old children, twins Thit and Harald. The story commences at the point where they have returned from a year in India where they all have apparently committed serious offences. The mysterious Thorkeld Hegn appears and offers to make all the charges disappear but of course only at a price. Susan has special powers which make people open up to her whether they want to or not. He needs Susan to extract information from a friend. He needs the last minutes of the secretive Future Commission – and so the fun starts as members of the commission start to be found murdered...
The plot is complex but engaging. I discovered I had to find out what happened next despite the need to pay close attention to the text. The language used does not take prisoners. It will be considered by some to be high-brow and will not please everyone. I revelled in it and was delighted to find an author who did not pander to the lowest denominator. Reading the story was therefore constantly challenging but additionally, the style of writing was at the same time free and in many ways uncomplicated.
I loved the way in which Susan and her twins were brutally honest with themselves and spoke the truth without considering the effects on others. Clearly, this is a modern family in all senses of the word. However, there are family secrets and the subplot deals with Susan’s search for answers to issues in her past.
Whilst it took me a while to immerse myself in the plot, once there I was fully involved and itching to find answers. My only small criticism might be that it is overlong but nevertheless, it earned its five stars.
mr zorg
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review. -
with themes of climate change, conspiracy, surveillance and greed this is a good & timely read. there are plenty of quirky characters (at times it feels that høeg is trying just a bit too hard to be quirky) and a racing plot that goes in so many twists & tangents that it's impossible to keep up. there is a large cast of not always very distinguishable characters, at times i had trouble remembering who was who. at the end of the book i found myself wondering why so many of them had met grizzly deaths - it was rather secondary to the final revelations. as indeed was the so-called "effect" - if susan really does have the ability to inspire people to confess their dark secrets and hidden truths, why on earth doesn't she use it a lot more? it was unclear to me whether she could control the "effect" or not, whether her family also really had it, & why it didn't play a greater role in the plot. too often susan and family got themselves into pretty unbelievable & even stupid situations, where i expected the "effect" to get them out of it, but it wasn't even mentioned. for example, they're held captive in some unknown isolated place for four months - why isn't their guard compelled by the "effect" to tell them the truth of where they are and how they can escape? the only real need for this detail is the reasoning for susan and family being brought back from india to do her "mission", but there could easily have been another reason and the whole book left pretty much as is without the "effect". the opening scenario of the family being in trouble in india also turns out to be entirely irrelevant to the rest of the plot. so it ended up feeling like this "effect" was a gimmick introduced to give some novelty to a novel of overly-complex intrigue and gratutious violence.
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Петер Хьог, авторът на световния бестселър „Госпожица Смила и нейното усещане за сняг”, се завърна на българския книжен пазар с оригинален, спиращ дъха футуристичен трилър.
„Ефектът Сюзан” е дръзка и завладяваща симбиоза между художествена проза и футуристичен трилър, която със сигурност ще покори любителите на напрегнатия сюжет и на литературното визионерство. Както подсказва заглавието, на преден план е Сюзан Свенсен, която работи в сферата на експерименталната физика и има необичаен ефект върху хората – подтиква ги към откровения. Но един ден тя и семейството ѝ са заплашени със затвор. Единственият начин да избегнат присъдата е да съдействат на бивш държавен служител, който ги изпраща на тайна и опасна мисия. Сюзан трябва да открие последния протокол на т. нар. „Комисия за бъдещо развитие“, чиито членове биват убити при загадъчни обстоятелства. Сюзан използва своите задълбочени научни познания, пъргав ум и завидна сръчност, за да разкрие огромна конспирация, която застрашава бъдещето на човечеството.
Роден през 1957 година, Петер Хьог е един от най-четените датски писатели – автор на осем романа, издадени в повече от 30 страни. Най-известен е с „Госпожица Смила и нейното усещане за сняг“ – един всепоглъщащ роман, който му носи редица литературни награди, включително престижната награда „Стъклен ключ“ на Скандинавските криминални писатели. По него е заснет едноименният филм с участието на Джулия Ормонд, Ричард Харис и Ванеса Редгрейв. Хьог се занимава и с хуманитарна дейност. През 1996 г. основава фондация за финансова подкрепа на жени и деца от Третия свят. Самият той има 4 деца.
Преводът е дело на Анюта Качева. Този издателски проект е финансиран с подкрепата на програма „Творческа Европа“ на Европейската комисия.
