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msand3's review
2.0
After the dreadful purple prose of [b:Niels Lyhne,|456977|Niels Lyhne|Jens Peter Jacobsen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347998800l/456977._SX50_.jpg|445510] which I was willing to chalk up to a poor translation, I decided to give Jacobsen another shot after reading a glowing description of his work by Rilke in [b:Letters to a Young Poet|46199|Letters to a Young Poet|Rainer Maria Rilke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1321994947l/46199._SY75_.jpg|1208289]. In the first couple chapters, this historical novel seems promising: Marie is introduced in a sympathetic (if clichéd) manner as a beauty stuck in a dreary home life. Unfortunately, the novel soon begins to suffer from the same flaw as Niels Lyhne: a numbing combination of melodramatic, flowery prose and narrative tedium that made the second half of the novel a slog. I only finished it because I had checked out the book from my local library, and some other poor soul placed the book on hold before I could renew it. That gave me the motivation to push through so as to get the book back on time. I’m afraid I can’t blame the translator in this case. Jacobsen’s prose just doesn’t appeal to me at all. My condolences to the next library patron who reserved this one.
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