Desirée lies in a hospital bed thinking, dreaming. Born severely disabled, she cannot walk or talk, but she has other capabilities. Desirée is an A...
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Apr 15, 2008
Jeansue
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In this best-selling, award-winning Swedish novel, five women encircle their lives. There is Ella, mother of Desirée and foster mother to Christina, Margareta and Birgitta. Desirée lies in a hospital bed, stricken with cerebral palsy and epilepsy since birth, mute and unmoving, but with a keen interest in the integrity of the universe and a capacity for out-of-body experience. Christina is the “good girl” whose birth mother is a fearsome hag and who determinedly succeeds. Margareta was left in a
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Apr 16, 2010
Stephanie
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April Witch
Majgull Axelsson (Translated by Linda Schenck)
I breezed through this 408 page novel in three days. Being who I am and knowing the plot of this book it is easy to understand why I devoured this book so voraciously. Originally published in Sweden in 1997, it won the coveted August Prize and created a stir in its home country, mostly due to its realistic and harsh description of Sweden’s post-war welfare state.
This book has much deeper topics to pond More...
Majgull Axelsson (Translated by Linda Schenck)
I breezed through this 408 page novel in three days. Being who I am and knowing the plot of this book it is easy to understand why I devoured this book so voraciously. Originally published in Sweden in 1997, it won the coveted August Prize and created a stir in its home country, mostly due to its realistic and harsh description of Sweden’s post-war welfare state.
This book has much deeper topics to pond More...
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Mar 08, 2010
Stacy
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Read in the summer of 2003. I remember because I sat on my porch, drinking coffee and reading... until the porch light had to come on and then I switched to wine. I almost finished this in a weekend!
Desiree was abandoned at birth, a hideous child of disfigurement and riddled with birth defects (Cerebral Palsy). As she grows, Desiree becomes bitter to her 'three sisters' who she feels stole her life, as she was supposed to live it. The story is about Desiree and how even though she may not More...
Desiree was abandoned at birth, a hideous child of disfigurement and riddled with birth defects (Cerebral Palsy). As she grows, Desiree becomes bitter to her 'three sisters' who she feels stole her life, as she was supposed to live it. The story is about Desiree and how even though she may not More...
Dec 13, 2009
Ria
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Hoe sterk is de relatie tussen een moeder en haar drie pleegdochters als blijkt dat de moeder ook een kind van zichzelf heeft?[return][return] Een van mijn zussen heeft het leven gestolen dat voor mij bestemd was. Ik wil weten wie. Zo denkt de gehandicapte Desire, die al een leven lang op bed ligt. Als baby is Desire begin jaren vijftig door haar moeder, die vroeg weduwe was geworden, in een inrichting geplaatst. Daarna heeft de moeder drie pleegdochters opgevoed zonder hen te vertellen dat z
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May 03, 2010
Tom
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Ella, whose pelvis was malformed (unknown to her, and apparently to her obstetrician) by achildhood of malnutrition, tries to give birth to a child in Motala, Sweden, near Stockholm. By the time the baby, Desiree, is born, she (the baby) has suffered brain damage. Following the custom of the times, A guilt-ridden Ella consigns Desiree to an institution and tries to forget about her.
Although she suffers from brain damage (affecting the muscular control centers, not the intelligenc More...
Although she suffers from brain damage (affecting the muscular control centers, not the intelligenc More...
Aug 15, 2011
Molly
rated it:
Oddly redeeming story about how kids with twisted upbringings get through their adult lives. One particularly great paragraph caught my eye:
"Bitterness is an ancillary disease. It afflicts those who have not been allowed to grieve properly. And I have lived in an era when grief was not acknowledged, in a time when people looked for problems instead. Problems are easier to deal with, they can be solved, whereas grief must be endured. More over, grief is contagious and frightens othe More...
"Bitterness is an ancillary disease. It afflicts those who have not been allowed to grieve properly. And I have lived in an era when grief was not acknowledged, in a time when people looked for problems instead. Problems are easier to deal with, they can be solved, whereas grief must be endured. More over, grief is contagious and frightens othe More...
Sep 18, 2011
Carmen
rated it:
I am about to recommend a book that is so different I don’t know how to review it. It is nothing like have ever read. There is no comparative literature. This is a standalone novel. Although it takes place in Sweden post World War II, it reads as a contemporary novel. Many of the themes in the book easily translate into current American issues. This is a highly ambitious novel that covers many different aspects of post modern life contemporary life that do not at first seem to be related. Th
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Feb 10, 2009
Perri
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I was disappointed that, in the end, the long build-up of interlocking storylines did not amount to much. It would not have been as disappointing if there hadn't been hints magic, leading one to believe that there was some surprise just a few pages ahead. While it was interesting to see how each of the three sisters perceived themselves, how they thought of each other, and how their circumstances influenced them, ultimately that could have been done without the promise of revealing some larger s
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May 27, 2011
Paraskevi
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I am undecided between giving this 3 or 4 stars. Neither reflects this book well; as i said, I think that the rating system should be revised and put on 10. This book definitely deserves 7/10. I did not just like it, there was something there... something with which I identified.
My copy is the greek translation, which is not present in goodreads database, and I do not have it handy at the moment.
My copy is the greek translation, which is not present in goodreads database, and I do not have it handy at the moment.
Sep 18, 2011
Cindy
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Strange story of a woman with cerebral palsy who travels with astro projection into birds and people. She talks of the three foster sisters that her birth other cared for after institutionalizing her at birth. all are dysfunctional to varying degrees and don't know about Astrid. I liked it at first, the writing was excellent, but it was a chore to finish.
Jan 24, 2010
Aphie
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A little slow to begin with, and teasingly lacking that crescendo of neat little stories all being wrapped up together at the end, this is a beautifully written, fascinating study of women and their relationships with themselves and each other - especially their mothers. I really enjoyed this book, I thik i'll be mulling it over for some time.
Nov 24, 2010
Debbie
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read a while back. Translated from swedish which give it a different flavor as well as the story which is really different. I am not sure if i should give 4-5 stars as I don't remember it well enough just that I did like it and that it was very unique
Aug 05, 2011
Megan
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A good story right up to the end. Then the end got there and it wasn't the best. Kinda disappointing, but still worth it.
Aug 08, 2010
Michelle
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 28, 2009
Loved it. Wonderfully written. Unusual premise.Fleshed out characters. Satisfying end. What more could you want?
May 07, 2009
Amanda
rated it:
It was well written and kept me reading out of suspense. I was always waiting for something to happen and it just never did. It could have been better than what it was.
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Apr 14, 2011
Anna
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this book was so full of a quite sad solitude that it touched me deeply....
Sep 08, 2008
Carmussel
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This novel tells the story of Desiree, seemingly trapped in a body with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. But Desiree is an April witch, able to travel through time and space, taking over the body of persons or animals . . . or birds. This book is so much more than a story of a woman who is an AAC user, so much more than a study of post-WWII Sweden, so much more than the story of a woman abandoned by her mother . . . it's incredible to me that the translation flows so well - I can't even imagine ho
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Jul 31, 2011
Meg
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Really good novel mixing magical realism, fantasy, and stark realism about disability care, foster care, family ties, and other issues. Although many of the main characters were not very likeable, I still found myself having a lot of empathy for them because of the stories the author shares about them. I liked that it incorporates both individual choices and social structures that affect our choices.
Dec 16, 2009
Lori
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this was one of the worst written books i've read in a very long time. after getting through only half of the book, i couldn't force myself to continue. the characters are talking turns telling the story of their lives through a combination of first person and third person, allowing for the reader to have absolutly no clue of how to follow. being someone who loves to read the obscure, this one was awful!
Dec 16, 2009
Sherry
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Terribly written. The author couldn't seem to decide if she wanted to write in first person or omniscent narrator. I found the book confusing, between the present time and flashbacks. I felt the author was trying to build a climax by witholding information, but only succeeded in leaving out so much information that the book was boring.
Nov 07, 2011
This book is hard to read the first time. There's a lot going on at once. I lost my reading glasses so I had a difficult time keeping up with the storyline because I had to keep putting the book down as it was giving me a headache. I'm in the process of re-reading so I will be able to review this better next time around.
Jun 10, 2008
Nancy
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This was such a great book! I can tell why it was a best-seller in Sweden. The various mother/daughter relationships really pulled me in... as well as each person's individual story and how they all came to be where they were at the end. It wrapped up nicely. I was quite satisfied with this book.
Mar 05, 2008
Erin
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The premise of this book sounded so intriguing, but it was a disappointment. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and as i read more about them and their lives, i cared even less. i was looking forward to it, but was let down overall.
Mar 08, 2008
I've read this book before and still have it, so I'm assuming that I liked it...but I barely remember a thing about it. I'm considering giving it a reread before I decide to remove it from the bookshelf.
Aug 17, 2007
Cameron
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This is one of very few books I never got all the way through. It was honestly one of the worst things I've ever chosen to read.
