Hanna's Daughters
by Marianne Fredriksson
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Read in January, 2008
I didn't get this book. The book tells the life story of 3 women Hanna (grandmother of Anna, mother to Joanna), Joanna (other of Anna), and Anna living in Sweden.
What I liked about the book: Hanna's lifestory was very interesting. Born to a poor country family during the last half of 1800's, Hanna's life was a grim struggle. She was a servant for her uncle and cruel aunt. She was raped, then viewed as a whore by the town, and had a boy by the time she was 13 years old. Later she marr...more
What I liked about the book: Hanna's lifestory was very interesting. Born to a poor country family during the last half of 1800's, Hanna's life was a grim struggle. She was a servant for her uncle and cruel aunt. She was raped, then viewed as a whore by the town, and had a boy by the time she was 13 years old. Later she marr...more
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Read in January, 2008
I had a hard time figuring out if I liked this or not. It's the story of a grandmother, her daughter, and her daughter, starting with the grandmother (Hanna) when she was a child. It takes place in Sweden (it is actually a translation of a Swedish book) and I liked the history and culture. I would not say it is historical fiction, though. I just mean since it covered something like 120 years, it was interesting seeing how things changed (and didn't). However, almost all the relationships ar...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
all families
A memoir of a family on the Norway/Sweden boarder by the 4 generations of women, Maja-Lisa, Hanna, Johanna, and Anna. The author reveals how generational differences within a family can cause misunderstandings and strain. How can one transition from a farming life to city life? How can children who grew up in town relate to their grandparents/parents who seem "country" and "uneducated"? How can the grandparents/parents help their children navigate a completely unknown wor...more
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Read in January, 2008
Hanna’s Daughters , by Marianne Fredriksson, is a Literary Fiction about three generations of Swedish women, starting with Hanna in 1871. I picked up this book from Target early in January. I had just finished Pillar’s of the Earth, which I’d gobbled up entirely and was left wanting more. I decide this book with its historical epic link might fit the bill and satiate me until I could get home and do some research on my next book choice. I don’t usually browse books and buy them rando...more
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Read in February, 2008
Fairly well written this book delves into the evolving relationships between mothers and daughters in almost a cause and effect analysis. You see the evolution of women's roles and ideas as well as dreams. It is a grandaughter's quest into discovering who her mother and grandmother were and in the process is able to understand for the first time and heal herself to abort the pattern of treating daughters poorly.
My one request would be that the author had put in a family tree. I would have...more
My one request would be that the author had put in a family tree. I would have...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommended to Linda by:
Donna Dearinger
This is a wonderful story that flows between three generations of women and the men in their lives. It is told through the eyes of the daughters and granddaughter looking back at the mothers and then the mothers grandmothers as they look at their children.
For myself, being in the "middle-place" at this moment (that of being a mother and still being a daughter) this perspective on life is particularly poignant. The story zooms along through history with foreshadowing that keeps the...more
For myself, being in the "middle-place" at this moment (that of being a mother and still being a daughter) this perspective on life is particularly poignant. The story zooms along through history with foreshadowing that keeps the...more
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Read in March, 2008
So this book was a bit confusing for me at times. Keeping these three women, grandmother, mother, and daughter straight considering their names were so similar was difficult for me at time. Overall I really liked the theme of the book. What we choose to take from the women who shape our lives and what we despise about them. Plus I learned a lot about Norway and Sweden, two countries I've never had much interaction with. Overall I guess I would recommend this book if there weren't much else ...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Carrie by:
costcorecommends it for: Cynthia
A tale of 3 Swedish women, spanning 100 years of Scandinavian history, this book had a few nice moments.... but overall was slow to read.
Anna, Hannah and Johanna- I understand keeping a name in the family.. but for purposed of storytelling, some diversification would have been nice.
One truth exposed is that patterns of emotions in women, tend to repeat themselves as they are passed down through generations.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Copyright 1994/ 2008 Edition
pages: 345
Anna, Hannah and Johanna- I understand keeping a name in the family.. but for purposed of storytelling, some diversification would have been nice.
One truth exposed is that patterns of emotions in women, tend to repeat themselves as they are passed down through generations.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Copyright 1994/ 2008 Edition
pages: 345
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Read in March, 2008
What a good family saga that takes place in Sweden over the past 100 years...I truly felt globally close to my Scandinavian friends and enjoyed the insight to Swedish history. This book obviously resonates with everyone as it has been translated from Swedish to many other languages. Great, great universal theme of family and flux between the generations and the changing world. Please read this!
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Read in October, 2004
I walked into a bookstore in Vimmerby, Sweden, and asked a clerk who might be a good fiction author to read who had been translated into English. Marianne Frederiksson was her choice, and I found "Hannah's daughters" to be compelling. It combined elements unqiue to Swedish history with the timeless themes of love, male-female power, intergenerational relationships and forgiveness.
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Read in June, 2007
For me this book was all about the way women love and how that is passed down generation to generation, mother to daughter to grand daughter. Even though we may feel that we are more free, more advanced, whatever, than the last generation of women we fall into the same pattens of how we love. Thank God, because if we ever really wised up men would be up a creek.
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Read in January, 2007
The first 25 pages are deathly slow, then it picks up during "Part One" and about half of "Part Two" and then falls apart again. I suppose I was meant to cry and be shocked and outraged and also feel joy for the women in the book, but it was a struggle a lot of the time to stay awake. Perhaps if I were Swedish, I would have enjoyed it more. I don't know...
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Read in January, 2007
The idea of a social inheritance passed on from mothers to their daughters is compelling and insightful. The story of Hanna and her daughters provided a perspective that allowed me to inspect my own attachments and dependencies (and those of my foremothers) with compassion and honesty. I immediately passed this book on to my mother and sister.
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I chose this book to read because my grandaughter's name is Hannah. I started to read it out of desperation on a business trip. I continued to read it because I found I loved it. It is about 3 generations of Swedish women and reminded me of my mother, my grandmother, and stories of her mother. And now, my little Hannah joins us.
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Read in March, 2008
This is a story of Hanna, Johanna, and Anna...Grandmother, Mother, and Daughter, their lives in their own time and their relationship with one another. The story reflects the values of each generation and what made each woman who she was.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and am reading it a second time.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and am reading it a second time.
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Read in August, 2006
Excellent! Amazing wisdom & ideas. I had just given a lot of thought to the ideas behind this - so it was super cool to see it validated in words.
This book has totally inspired me to not only get to know the women in my genealogy more especially mother to mother but to really understand.
This book has totally inspired me to not only get to know the women in my genealogy more especially mother to mother but to really understand.
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Read in January, 2004
I didn't love this book. It was a cumbersome read to me - though interesting, especially with an intent of wanting to learn about the lives of Swedish / Scandinavian foremothers as a Swedish-by-marriage woman. Lovers of particularly Scandinavian historical fiction should enjoy.
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LOVED this book! I couldn't put it down. I love how the story flows between generations. It's nice that the book reflects the truth of some relationships... such as the quick observations of the grandmother regarding the granddaughter. Definitely recommend this book.
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
Rachel
Fredricksson infuses her prose with an analysis of gender, class and history. It's the story of three generations of women in Varmland (the area bordering Sweden and Norway) and Sweden. I enjoyed seeing myself through the eyes of Hanna, Johanna and Anna.
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This is our bookclub pick for April. I thought this was an interesting book and it gave me a lot of insight into my Swedish family genetic tendencies. It was a fairly fast read and some people say the first chapter bored them, but I liked all of it.
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