*Winner of the prestigious Norwegian Booksellers' Prize*
*A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection (Holiday 20... read full description
reviews
Oct 19, 2011
Stephen
rated it: 
"Child Wonder" is the story of a boy, his widowed mother, and her reckless decision to take her stepdaughter into their household.
There is something not quite right with the little girl: "Linda was not of this world," the child narrator, Finn, tells us, "one day I would come to understand this -- she was a Martian come down to earth to speak in tongues to heathens, French to Norwegians and Russian to Americans."
Her ailment is developmental, More...
There is something not quite right with the little girl: "Linda was not of this world," the child narrator, Finn, tells us, "one day I would come to understand this -- she was a Martian come down to earth to speak in tongues to heathens, French to Norwegians and Russian to Americans."
Her ailment is developmental, More...
Sep 28, 2011
Matt
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This story is set in Oslo and describes the life and emotions of an 8 year old boy, " Little Finn" in the 1960's. Finn's father died in an industrial accident and his mother is having a tough time financially. Finn begins to realize exactly how tough it is when his mother places an ad for a lodger. However, the person who also sees the ad, is Ingrid, a former wife of his father, who is a drug addict with a daughter Linda, by Finn's father. She contacts Finn's mother and asks her to tak
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Dec 19, 2011
Biblibio
rated it:
Child Wonder may not be groundbreaking in its writing style, characterization or storytelling, and is, at its core, a coming of age-story, but it is nonetheless special - perhaps even extraordinary - in the way Roy Jacobsen is able to write realistically through the eyes of a child. Jacobsen further makes excellent use of subtle hints to carry his story along.
Jacobsen does wonders building Finn (our child narrator), managing to avoid the typical cliches of a clever child character, i More...
Jacobsen does wonders building Finn (our child narrator), managing to avoid the typical cliches of a clever child character, i More...
Aug 01, 2011
Jill
rated it: 
Navigating that shaky bridge between childhood and adulthood is never easy, particularly in 1961 – a time when “men became boys and housewives women,” a year when Yuri Gargarin is poised to conquer space and when the world is on the cusp of change.
Into this moment of time, Norwegian author Roy Jacobsen shines a laser light on young Finn and his mother Gerd, who live in the projects of Oslo. Fate has not been kind to them: Gerd’s husband, a crane operator, divorced her and then died i More...
Into this moment of time, Norwegian author Roy Jacobsen shines a laser light on young Finn and his mother Gerd, who live in the projects of Oslo. Fate has not been kind to them: Gerd’s husband, a crane operator, divorced her and then died i More...
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Aug 26, 2011
Diane
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It's the 1960's, and Little Finn is an 8 year-old boy who lives with his mother Gerd, in a working class area of Oslo. It's been just he and his mother for a while, since his parents divorced, and his father later died in an industrial accident. Finances were a problem, so his mother went to work part-time in a shoe store to help out. She later decides to take in a lodger for extra money and places an advertisement. One of individuals who sees the ad is Ingrid, a drug-addict, former wife to More...
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Oct 21, 2011
Kasa
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Spanning the course of one year for most of its length, this coming of age novel from Norway is one of the few books arriving from Scandinavia that is not a thriller. Finn and his mother, living in a working class neighborhood, have their lives disrupted by two newcomers -- a lodger to help with the bills, and a half sister for Finn, whose presence is a catalyst for change in both mother and son. The sixties have not yet arrived with all their changes, but change is inevitable for Finn whose pro
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Jun 22, 2011
Outi
rated it:
Absolutely amazing, it grew slowly but steadily on me, drew me into it's powerful depiction of child's mindset in a world not so reliabe and steady.
The main character Finn was charming. He was brave, smart and humble and tried so hard to keep everything flowing softly and help his mother and half-sister. The way Jacobsen wrote about how Finn and his mother slowly drift apart and Finn's childhood starts to end was the best part to me, the little pieces of un-innocence, adulthood and i More...
The main character Finn was charming. He was brave, smart and humble and tried so hard to keep everything flowing softly and help his mother and half-sister. The way Jacobsen wrote about how Finn and his mother slowly drift apart and Finn's childhood starts to end was the best part to me, the little pieces of un-innocence, adulthood and i More...
Nov 17, 2011
June
rated it:
Child Wonder is the latest novel of Norwegian author Roy Jacobsen. He immerses himself into the world of eight-year-old Finn and his mother Gerd during the 1960’s. Finn lives with his single mother—single after a divorce—in a working class neighborhood in Oslo. Tough economic times, dictate that Gerd look for other sources of income besides her job in a shoe shop. She’ s convinced that her decision to take in a boarder will do the trick and places an ad in the paper for just such a one. This eve
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Sep 01, 2011
Ti
rated it:
The Short of It:
A touching, coming-of-age story.
The Rest of It:
Finn and his mother live in a small apartment in Oslo, in the early 60s. She works in a shoe shop and does her best to make ends meet. They are comfortable and happy. Finn’s father died long ago in a crane accident but he left a little something behind…a daughter. Linda, age 6 and only a few years younger than Finn, comes to live with them. With another mouth to feed, Finn’s mom takes in a quirky More...
A touching, coming-of-age story.
The Rest of It:
Finn and his mother live in a small apartment in Oslo, in the early 60s. She works in a shoe shop and does her best to make ends meet. They are comfortable and happy. Finn’s father died long ago in a crane accident but he left a little something behind…a daughter. Linda, age 6 and only a few years younger than Finn, comes to live with them. With another mouth to feed, Finn’s mom takes in a quirky More...
Jul 30, 2011
Håvard
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En verdig "oppfølger" til Seierherrene. Stemninga, omgivelsene og tida er den samme som i storromanen fra 1991, samtidig er her mye nytt. I tillegg til nok et tilbakeblikk til 60-tallets arbeidersamfunn, denne gang fra synspunktet til en ung gutt uten far og dermed med en arbeidende mor, byr "vidunderbarn" også på problemstillinger som er like dagsaktuelle i dag; mobbing, overgrep og den generelle kampen for tilværelsen. Roy Jacobsen befester sin posisjon som en av Norges bes
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Jan 04, 2012
Ann
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Maybe it's my dark, foreboding Scandinavian ancestry, but I love books like this with dark, foreboding characters. It was difficult at first to get used to Finn's voice, but what an accomplishment to accurately capture a nine-year-old's thoughts. Some of the sentences--mainly descriptive ones--took my breath away. Of course, now I cannot remember what they are, but I loved the scene when they were swimming in the lake during the rain.
Jan 17, 2012
Lisa
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I saw many other reader's comments on this book-they all seemed to rave about it, so I am wondering what I missed. I would think something would finally get started in the story to make sense, but then it switched gears and I had no idea what they were trying to say. Story is told through an eight year old boy's eyes and is mostly told in one year and then the end he is a teenager. Lives with his single mom and finds out he has a half-sister who comes to live with them for a year. Just didn'
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Oct 05, 2011
Kyria
rated it:
I won a copy of this this book through First Reads. A nicely-told coming of age story about a boy growing up in Norway during the 60s. Life as he knows it changes completely when his mother decides to take a lodger into their home, and even more so when a half-sister he didn't know existed is suddenly part of their lives as well. For me, it started out a little slow, but the story grew on me as I continued reading.
Feb 14, 2012
Bill
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Written by a Norwegian, this story tells the story of a boy who grows up in a single-parent household that includes his mom, his half-sister, and a lodger. It's a little slow at points and isn't really remarkable in any way, but the writing is occasionally poetic and the plot does end up reaching its hazy destination.
Jan 07, 2012
Sonja
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A prize-winning novel by Roy Jacobsen, a Norwegian writer. A heart-warming story but the translation was a total butcher job. I wish I could read Norwegian so I could get the real taste of the writing. I'd like to read more of what he's written.
Jan 03, 2012
Roxanne
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A wonderful story about growing up and the passing of time. with every new season came a new adventure, challenge and/or a new understanding. The author gave subtle hints throughout the story of the complexities of adult life. Great read.
Oct 19, 2011
Ido
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I am new so I'll be brief. A lovely little story set in an Oslo suburb in the beginning of the 1960's. Delictae encaptivating reading with a unique ability to reflect a 10 year old's point of view, thoughts, etc.
Highly recommended !
Highly recommended !
Aug 03, 2011
Bare en ting å si, vidunderlig! Fantastisk barndomsskildring av Roy Jacobsen, noe av det beste jeg har lest!
Jul 27, 2011
David
rated it:
Efter en lidt svær start viser bogen sit format og bliver ekstremt fængende. Godt blik for et barns voksenoplevelser.
Aug 05, 2011
Jeg gleder meg til å lese flere Jacobsen bøker, to til i bunken! Helt svær bok!
Nov 20, 2011
Rae
rated it:
I got this through goodreads giveaways! Thanks!
I liked this book. Something about the imagery, especially on the island, was really beautiful. That's what I keep thinking about when I think about this book--all the scenery. Secondary really is the characters, my favorite, personally is Kristian. I really enjoyed the relationships between Finn, his mother, and Linda. Finn's fierce protectiveness of her yet his avoidance is so relate-able and familiar.
I recommend it for reader More...
I liked this book. Something about the imagery, especially on the island, was really beautiful. That's what I keep thinking about when I think about this book--all the scenery. Secondary really is the characters, my favorite, personally is Kristian. I really enjoyed the relationships between Finn, his mother, and Linda. Finn's fierce protectiveness of her yet his avoidance is so relate-able and familiar.
I recommend it for reader More...
Aug 01, 2011
Jesse
rated it:
Ein wirklich angenehm geschriebenes Buch. Mit großartigen Worten und Bildern, die im Kopf entstehen. Nur... was wollte mir der Autor eigentlich mit diesem Buch sagen?
Feb 07, 2012
Leslie
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This is one of my favorite Graywolf books. A wonderful, smart, fiercely loyal Norwegian 9-year-old is the narrator, and this is a year in his life.
Feb 06, 2012
Jean
rated it:
A good book, but not outstanding. The first half moved very slowly for me, but the story was good when it finally developed.
