The Tsar's Dwarf

by Peter H. Fogtdal (Goodreads Author), Tiina Nunnally (Translator)

book data

55 ratings, 3.75 average rating, 23 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		21%
4		45%
3		20%
2		10%
1		1%

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published

October 1st 2008 by Hawthorne Books

details

Paperback, 289 pages

characters

Sørine Bendtsdatter, Frederik IV

isbn

0979018803 (isbn13: 9780979018800)

description

Sorine, a female Danish dwarf tormented by her past, is given by the king of Denmark to Russian Tsar Peter the Great, who is smitten with the unusual …more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 109)

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Sep 03, 2008

Pam rated it:

bookshelves: arc-review-copy

recommends it for: to lovers of serious fiction

Sorine Bentsdatter had the misfortune to be born in 1684, in Europe, as a dwarf. (Dwarf was one of the better words she was called in Denmark, where she was viewed as the work of the Devil.)

We find her at the beginning of the story in a ghetto: poor, louse ridden, and full of hate. And why shouldn't she be. She is ugly and reviled, handed around like doll, and offered no dignity. Soon however, she comes to the attention of King of Denmark, and Sorine finds herself drawn into his cour...more

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1 comment

Jun 09, 2009

Katie(babs) rated it:

The Tsar’s Dwarf is set in early to mid 18th century in Denmark and Russia seen through the eyes of Sorine, a deformed female dwarf who is a gift to Tsar Peter the Great. The first paragraph of chapter one gives us a simple overview of Sorine’s life up to the starting point of the story:

"My name is Sorine Bentsdatter, I was born in 1684 in the village of Bronshoj. My father was a pastor, my mother died in childbirth. When I turned six my body decided not to grow anymore."...more

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Mar 15, 2009

Bethany rated it:

Read in January, 2009

It was, for lack of a better word, interesting. I wouldn't really recommend it, as such. I was a bit disappointed, like some others, by the lack of a solid plot. I felt like the book was building to something, but never quite got there.

Sorine is a fascinating self-loathing character, but I couldn't make myself feel anything for her. I'd like to say more about this, but I can't really describe why her honesty and black-humour doesn't quite seem to be enough to make me truly invested

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Jun 30, 2009

Maggie rated it:

Read in June, 2009

By a local(ish) author and a local PDX press.

This book is all that is properly grotesque - deftly mixed repulsion and fascination. This is Sorine's story, the story of a Danish dwarf "gifted" to Peter the Great. She's angry yet tender, confused yet wise. This book is rich but handled with a delicate touch, so it's not too cloying. This is not a proper bildungsroman. Her life is ugly with moments of brightness and if you're the sort who needs a clear path and a clear pl...more

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Dec 21, 2008

Vinnie rated it:

bookshelves: translated

Read in December, 2008

After reading all the other reviews of this book here on Goodreads, I find that I don't have much to add to the review stream. I agree with most all the other positive reviews of this book. What makes this book great is the protagonist, Soerine. Those who dislike the book seem to all say that they wanted a stronger plot. For me, a contrived plot would have killed the book. Sorine had little control over her own life. Her physical condition, social status, and gender placed her at the mercy of ma...more

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Aug 28, 2008

Matt rated it:

Read in August, 2008

when i first spotted 'the tsar's dwarf' in the amazon vine product page, it struck me as a gimmicky title and a gimmicky plot device--both of which generally dissuade me from diving into a book. but, the great thing about the amazon vine program is the opportunity to read something i might otherwise not. so, i threw caution to the wind...

well, i should have trusted my initial instincts. while not a fatally flawed book, i found very little to redeem it. for starters, the prose is e...more when i first spotted 'the tsar's dwarf' in the amazon vine product page, it struck me as a gimmicky title and a gimmicky plot device--both of which generally dissuade me from diving into a book. but, the great thing about the amazon vine program is the opportunity to read something i might otherwise not. so, i threw caution to the wind...

well, i should have trusted my initial instincts. while not a fatally flawed book, i found very little to redeem it. for starters, the prose is excessively dull and uninspired and illustrates the problems with writing in the present tense. i don't know how much of the blame lays with the source material and how much lays with the translator, but it reads very much like a rushed first draft. it's the kind of prose that desperately wants to be literary and profound in its simpleness, but more often than that not it comes across as sophomoric and pretentious. you get plenty of sentences like, 'he walked to the door,' 'she looked out the window,' 'he picked up the paper,' 'she sat down.' you even get the following: 'everything is repeated. everything is repeated.' sorry, that's just too meta, pretentous, and self-referential for my tastes. i honestly can't remember reading a single sentence and thinking, 'wow, that was great!' additionally, i highly doubt a dwarf in the early 1700s would say something like, 'you're a mama's boy.' maybe that was party of the vernacular of the day, but i highly doubt it.

secondly, sorine, the narrator, isn't in the least a compelling character or even one worth rooting for. this may have been the author's intention, but given sorine's continual complaining, condescension, contempt for everyone around her, and general bitterness i found it difficult to allow myself to get emotionally involved. it's a shame because it could've have been a much more enjoyable read were the protagonist more sympathetic. during the first 100 pages i found myself growing very tired of her constantly comparing dwarves and human and portraying humans as evil and unkind, all the while unaware of her own rottenness. again, this may have been entirely the point, but i just didn't care for it.

lastly, historical fiction requires an authoritative feel. 'the tsar's dwarf' feels anything but. it doesn't read like the author did any research, but rather guessed what like in the tsar's court would've been like in the early 1700s [and incidentally, was there really a russian stock exchange in the early 1700s??]. i'm sure the same goes for the historical figures that show up throughout the book. overall, the novel just didn't feel authentic, which, of course, just kills any credibility.

unfortunately, all these factors prevent me from recommending 'the tsar's dwarf.' as a snapshot into the tsar's court and the role of dwarves therein, i suppose it's serviceable, but it's hardly compelling and rewarding reading.(less)

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Aug 23, 2008

Amy rated it:

bookshelves: 2008-books-read, amazon-vine

Read in September, 2008

The Russian Tsar Peter the Great collects dwarves like some people collect stamps. So when he visits Denmark, the Danish king has a complimentary dwarf jump out of a cake for his pleasure. Only, this is an ugly little dwarf named Sorine with a mind of her own. And, to the tsar's amusement she's jumped out of the cake naked.

Sorine becomes Surinka and goes to Russia to become part of the tsars collection of dwarves. The tsar has even built a dwarf-sized house for his little pets. Sorin...more

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Jan 23, 2009

Athena rated it:

Not enough novels from Denmark come across the ocean, but I'm so glad this one did. Fogtdal brings to life a dwarf in the 18th century who is given to Tsar Alexander by the Danish king. Sorine tells her story--a story of great wealth and horrid squalor, of political intrigue and base instincts, of travel and entrapment. She's a remarkable character who doesn't flinch, even at moments when most of us would collapse in despair.

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Nov 30, 2008

Anne rated it:

Read in January, 2008

recommended to Anne by: My great big nose for good books
recommends it for: those who enjoy challenging reads

Here's another book I highly recommend, about Sorine, a female Danish Dwarf, whose life is both tragic and hilarious! She's a character I won't soon forget, I promise you!

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Oct 17, 2008

katie rated it:

Read in November, 2008

This book is uplifting because(in Fogtdal's imagination) people 400 years ago were as miserable and cruel as they are now. I don't really believe that but that is part of the storyline you buy into in this book. Why is this uplifting? Not because this story is redeemed like so many others by goodness or love, but because of absurdity, and through that absurdity a sense of unique self is claimed by the narrator Surinka. Surinka keeps herself alive through adapting, resisting, using herbs, t...more

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Sep 19, 2009

TinMan rated it:

Read in June, 2009

This is one of those books that started as a work of scholarship and turned into something much better.

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Nov 15, 2008

Rochelle rated it:

I picked up this book at Wordstock and am thoroughly enjoying it. The author is Danish, but spends part of his time in Portland teaching lit and writing at PSU. He's got a great sense of humor and writes a blog: http://fogtdal.blogspot.com/

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Sep 18, 2009

Peggy rated it:

Read in August, 2009

Sort of a bizarre story about a female dwarf in Denmark who catches the eye of Tsar Peter the Great. Gives the reader a glimpse of the living conditions that many people endured during those times, and would turn the stomach of human rights advocates, had there been any at that time. I like to read books by foreign authors from time to time as they have a perspective that can be enlightening or at least very interesting.

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Oct 24, 2008

Marie Madsen rated it:

Read in October, 2008

recommended to Marie by: I found it in a book store in San Francisco.
recommends it for: Everybody but the faint of heart.

I read this in Danish when it came out. In the beginning it was too dark for me, but then I started to love the fighting spirit of the heroin. It's actually a hilarious novel about a dwarf who goes through one humiliation after another but becomes a better person. The Tsar's Dwarf is not a run of the mill historical novel. It's ingenious, post modern, weird, and unpredictable.Tiina Nunnallys's translation is good. I recommend it highly.

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Sep 18, 2008

Justin Matott rated it:

Read in November, 2008

recommended to Justin by: Goodreads
recommends it for: People who like historical fiction.

The writing is wonderful. The characters are well drawn and the main character is very interesting. The plot line left me wanting a bit more. The main character, the Tsar's Dwarf is the narrator and she is quite interesting, however the story basically moves from event to event and doesn't seem to tie much off or create closure. The star system here is 3 stars I liked it and 4 I really liked it, so I am in between the two.

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Nov 02, 2008

Ruth Cour rated it:

bookshelves: scandinavian-books

Read in January, 2008

recommended to Ruth by: A friend
recommends it for: All lovers of Scandinavian literature and historical fiction

This book succeeds in being funny and sad at the same time. It tells us about a Danish dwarf, Soerine Bendtsdatter who is brought to Russia to be a court jester at Peter the Great's court. I usually don't like historical novels too much, but the main character is so interesting, vulgar, angry, and funny that she won me over after 100 pages. I love this book.

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Apr 27, 2009

Erin added it

Read in May, 2009

A topic to which I am closer than most.

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Sep 07, 2008

Daniel rated it:

First person novel about a Danish dwarf in Russia during the time of Peter the Great. This really isn't a very good book. While many passages are written very well, the problem is that the narrative just doesn't make any sense. It's just one damn incident after another, with no connections between them an no lessons learned.

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Aug 11, 2008

Steveg rated it:

An instructor and pal of mine wrote this so go buy it in October. It's a very twisted and dark peice of historical fiction. About a dwarf the king of Denmark gave Tsar Peter in the 18th century. Told from the dwarf's POV, and in the present tense. Did I tell you I know the author??

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Sep 13, 2008

E rated it:

bookshelves: bestest, fictitious-fancies

Read in September, 2008

recommended to E by: came from a box

Sorine Bentsdatter is by far one of the most interesting individuals I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. She lives here! in this book. This is a simply brilliant novel.it is crude and beautiful and philosophical and magical and heartbreaking and enlightening and....

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quotes from this book

"I'm going to die. And as if that weren't bad enough, I'm going to die inside a cake." — 5 people liked it

"In my carpet bag are the mushrooms that I gathered in the woods. With two fingers I pick up a piece and look at it. Then I take a bite and wait for my body to react. Now I'm in a better mood. In a short time I'll be dead. Or alive. I'm not always sure that there's any difference." — 1 person liked it

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