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bronski's review against another edition
2.0
I struggled getting into this book. Someone mentioned to me this book required patience and it certainly does. About halfway through, the chilling and darkness of the world Ekbäck creates was something I could only take in small doses. There was no relief, no moments of joy to break up the bleakness and for that reason I was relieved when I finished. That said, I have to recognize it was well written and Ekbäck has a great talent for painting a clear image of the haunting scenes in your mind that you wish you could shake.
jrmarr's review against another edition
4.0
This took me a month to read, but that is in no way a reflection of its quality. On the contrary, it is so vividly written that I sometimes could not continue reading for fear of what was coming. A great story, with great characters struggling to find their way in the coldest of cold winters. Excellent read.
punkinmuffin's review against another edition
5.0
"Like a silent fall of snow; suddenly, the reader is enveloped... visually acute, skilfully written; it won't easily erase its tracks in the reader's mind." So writes Hilary Mantel in the scare quote on the front cover of this edition.
Cecilia Ekbäck has created a remarkable world in this strange and haunting novel. Part whodunnit, part coming-of-age story, part morality play, set in 1717 Swedish Lapland. Six homesteads are dotted around the looming Blackåsen Mountain. Settlers tell tales of the mountain: it was sacred to the indigenous Lapps before the Swedish Church demanded they renounce their "old ways". People have gone missing. And now two girls have found one of the settlers dead upon it. The other settlers say it must have been a wolf.
The girls' family has only just arrived from Ostrobothnia, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Bothnia. They are Finns. Paavo was a fisherman. Maija has a past too. Their daughters' grisly find launches Maija on a quest for the truth. What wolf wields a rapier?
Secrets reveal themselves like snowdrops. Something unspeakable is happening around Blackåsen. And there are people who want it to stay hidden...
Cecilia Ekbäck has created a remarkable world in this strange and haunting novel. Part whodunnit, part coming-of-age story, part morality play, set in 1717 Swedish Lapland. Six homesteads are dotted around the looming Blackåsen Mountain. Settlers tell tales of the mountain: it was sacred to the indigenous Lapps before the Swedish Church demanded they renounce their "old ways". People have gone missing. And now two girls have found one of the settlers dead upon it. The other settlers say it must have been a wolf.
The girls' family has only just arrived from Ostrobothnia, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Bothnia. They are Finns. Paavo was a fisherman. Maija has a past too. Their daughters' grisly find launches Maija on a quest for the truth. What wolf wields a rapier?
Secrets reveal themselves like snowdrops. Something unspeakable is happening around Blackåsen. And there are people who want it to stay hidden...
missywinesalot's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
krobart's review against another edition
5.0
See my review here: https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/day-801-wolf-winter/
darumachan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
bluepuppybites's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kathrinpassig's review against another edition
3.0
Interessantes Setting in Eis und Schnee, ich mochte auch die Erzähltechnik und hätte mir nur ein strenges, historisch kompetentes Lektorat gewünscht. Es gab viele Stellen, an denen mein Glaube an die Fiktion bröckelte wegen Fragen wie "wo kommt diese Wolle denn her, die da versponnen wird", "wurden schwedische Betten im 18. Jahrhundert wirklich so gemacht wie nordamerikanische heute", "woher kommt das ganze Licht", "wer hat so viel Geld für Kerzen", "tragen die da wirklich nur 1 Kleid mitten im Winter", "was gibt es zu essen", "wieso wird da der Tisch gedeckt, womit denn", "wieso faltet die Mutter einen Stapel Kleidung, sind die Leute denn reich?", "wieso lungern die Töchter immer nur rum, bis die Mutter ihnen Arbeitsaufträge gibt", "warum reden und denken alle so modern". Es liest sich so, als hätte die Autorin immer da, wo sie nicht Bescheid wusste, auf der Basis von Gegenwartspraktiken improvisiert.
spaghetti75's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. I don't know what it was in it that really touched me. Even now, after months of finishing the book, it still remains somehow in me, in particular Maija, one of the main characters: a strong Finnish woman in the 16th century Lapland.
The characters, the ambiance, and the storyline make this a really enjoyable read.
The characters, the ambiance, and the storyline make this a really enjoyable read.
hoserlauren's review against another edition
3.0
Maija, husband Paavo, and their two daughters trade homes with a relative and move to the Swedish Lapland in 1717. Paavo is a fisherman but has become afraid of the water, making this a good chance for the family to start new. As they move to the mountains, the two daughters come across a dead body. Maija finds other settlers to come examine the body and learns of the dynamics on the mountain. There are a few other families, a priest in the valley, a nobleman and his wife, and the local Lapps. Maija has to wade through old relationships and dredge up past history to determine who has murdered this man. The information does not come easy. When the ghost of this man starts visiting Frederika and she can hear the mountains, the family must quickly find out what happened before anyone else gets hurt.
The majority of this book takes place over the winter and the cold hung over this book giving it an incredibly dreary feeling. Getting through the book, at times, was almost like trying to wade through waist-high snow like the characters. In addition to the winter was the dark. There is no sunlight over the winter in this part of the world and despite all the descriptions for this and the eeriness the book had, I still had troubles picturing this forever night. Despite this, the atmosphere as a whole was incredibly well written.
Reading this book made me feel like I was back watching the TV show Lost. They both keep throwing twists and turns at you and there are varying degrees of supernatural elements at work, but you either never get a full resolution or the questions never get answered. In addition, virtually no hints were dropped about who was responsible. It made for a rather frustrating read, despite being a page turner near the end. I wanted the author to give me some resolution but hardly anything was solved until the last few pages which made things feel unfinished. Some things were never fully explained to my satisfaction either. Like what Frederika did about the wolves and why the letters were kept from Maija.
The majority of this book takes place over the winter and the cold hung over this book giving it an incredibly dreary feeling. Getting through the book, at times, was almost like trying to wade through waist-high snow like the characters. In addition to the winter was the dark. There is no sunlight over the winter in this part of the world and despite all the descriptions for this and the eeriness the book had, I still had troubles picturing this forever night. Despite this, the atmosphere as a whole was incredibly well written.
Reading this book made me feel like I was back watching the TV show Lost. They both keep throwing twists and turns at you and there are varying degrees of supernatural elements at work, but you either never get a full resolution or the questions never get answered. In addition, virtually no hints were dropped about who was responsible. It made for a rather frustrating read, despite being a page turner near the end. I wanted the author to give me some resolution but hardly anything was solved until the last few pages which made things feel unfinished. Some things were never fully explained to my satisfaction either. Like what Frederika did about the wolves and why the letters were kept from Maija.