Out Stealing Horses: A Novel by Per Petterson and Anne Born
Ring a ding a ding… Time to start the Virtual Pageturner’s meeting (and our grand experiment) to have a discussion using the blog on Out Stealing Horses. And by the way, anyone who is reading this is an honorary book club member, so don’t be shy. Please post (just click on “add a comment”) to add your word and number. Just need to use your first name (and last initial if you are Mary or Wendy). To read the comments, you can click on the title, or click on add a comment. The word is a summary of your feeling about the book, and the number is how you would rate from 1 -10, 10 being the best. You can also add any other thoughts or questions or opinions about the book (and OK to do multiple posts).
I’m about half way through the book, and so far I’m really enjoying it… but have a feeling something dreadful will happen.
And while you are at it, please let us know what else you are reading! Hope everyone is having a great summer.
i m waiting for book on order. just finished The House At Riverton-a great English WWI story from a maid's perspective--love and mystery-sort of like rosamunde pilcher & DuMurier combined. hope everyone is having a good June so far.
Deb was right about discussion whether you read the book or not--I think the books are only catalysts for us to discover ourselves.
Vy
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My number is 7 my word is quiet. I liked the book although it was not a page-turner. A gentle read with wonderful nature descriptions and I liked the dogs especially the description of Lyra eating --page 97. The other comment I have is regarding style. The book starts put with simple sentences like Hemingway. Then I come across the world's longest sentences in literature. I counted one. It had 210 words! The daughter has one with 105 words so maybe it is hereditary. Speaking of daughter whete did she come from? No mention of her and then she appears out of the blue--what was the purpose of that scene? I liked his relationship with his dad and it was sad when he kept looking for his return. Summary: not my favorite read but some good writing.
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I also noticed the short / long sentence structure. I found it provided an interesting cadence.
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On page 91 he dresses up for dinner even tho he is alone. I liked that. Someone said what u do when no one is looking reveals your true character
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Word: Convergence Number: 8
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This book appealed to me on several levels. First, there was a good dog. Something about the need to be self reliant, but able to get help when you need it. Appreciating peace and quiet, and a little routine. The writer did a great job of starting with a couple of threads, adding in more, and wrapping up most .. but not all .. the loose ends.
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7...sooooo Norweigan!
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Self reliance abounds, as does stoicism. My gosh, could there be any less dialogue?! I kept hoping my inferences were correct, as I wasn't 100% sure of what was going on. The book had a palpable mood to it.
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Rated the book a 7. Verbose but liked the characters and the time frame of the story.
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I'm sorry to say that I didn't get a chance to get this one read. I'm looking forward to everyone's comments to see if I should go ahead and order it from Amazon. Hope to see all of you later this summer. Wendy M.
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I rated the book 8. My word is/are...Norwegian men. Nuff said. Men aren't chatty anyway and if that man should happen to be Norwegian...well, forget it. I had to smile at the way the characters would intentionally avoid being with or talking to someone. This is their "gentle" influence on each other. Mother Nature was an important character and the author did a good job of describing the setting, the weather and the effect on the other characters. I liked the description of the hot days while cutting the trees and the cold day during the war when Jon's mother was rowing the boat trying to get the man in the thin suit to safety. Also the sounds of the boat and the oars. For such a seemingly bland set of characters there were several scenes of intense violence which came as surprises. (Wow I'm only at 814 characters...and I am allowed up to 3000!)
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Somehow, you are expecting not much to happen, but the actions (granted, it takes 50 years or so)add up to a good story.
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