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12th out of 513 books
—
496 voters
Out Stealing Horses
We were going out stealing horses. That was what he said, standing at the door to the cabin where I was spending the summer with my father. I was fifteen. It was 1948 and one of the first days of July.
Trond's friend Jon often appeared at his doorstep with an adventure in mind for the two of them. But this morning was different. What began as a joy ride on "borrowed" horse
Trond's friend Jon often appeared at his doorstep with an adventure in mind for the two of them. But this morning was different. What began as a joy ride on "borrowed" horse
Hardcover, 258 pages
Published
April 17th 2007
by Graywolf Press
(first published 2003)
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I have a feeling this book may take root and blossom further within me over time, but for now, I must stop one star short of my top rating.
"Out Stealing Horses" won the world's richest literary prize (The Impac, out of Dublin) last year, and it has had enough buzz that I had to wait weeks for it to come off the reserve list at our local library.
It is the tale of a 67-year-old Norwegian man who retreats to the north woods to review his life, and particularly, a fateful summer in 1948 when he was...more
"Out Stealing Horses" won the world's richest literary prize (The Impac, out of Dublin) last year, and it has had enough buzz that I had to wait weeks for it to come off the reserve list at our local library.
It is the tale of a 67-year-old Norwegian man who retreats to the north woods to review his life, and particularly, a fateful summer in 1948 when he was...more
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A quiet, reflective novel of one man's attempt to understand and escape from a deep sadness he has carried with him since he was a child. Alone in a remote cabin with the harsh Norway winter fast approaching, Trond searches for a way to explain a single, piercing childhood tragedy that has echoed hauntingly throughout his life. As the focus of the novel shifts seamlessly between a summer Trond spent working with his father and the silent time he now spends alone in his cold, tiny cabin, the deta...more
As I said in an update, this book has some of the most effortless to read prose I've ever encountered, but also seems very worth re-reading.
This story of a father and son's relationship, linked by mentions of the titular phrase, holds so much emotion: love, loss, pain, regret, hope and hopelessness, moments of overwhelming joy followed by inevitable sadness. I found the earlier part of the book absolutely poetic, the latter less so....but I'm unsure if that was the book (the story) or me and my...more
This story of a father and son's relationship, linked by mentions of the titular phrase, holds so much emotion: love, loss, pain, regret, hope and hopelessness, moments of overwhelming joy followed by inevitable sadness. I found the earlier part of the book absolutely poetic, the latter less so....but I'm unsure if that was the book (the story) or me and my...more
I was sorry when I turned to the last page. And surprised--my right hand still held several pages of the book, and I hadn't realized they were the blank ones that often come at the end.
I was sorry, because I wanted to spend more time in this space--rural Norway, mostly, with ventures into Oslo and Sweden. I wanted to spend more time with the narrator, Trond, whose name rarely emerges in the text and who we follow when he is fifteen and when he is sixty-seven, with ventures elsewhere in his life....more
I was sorry, because I wanted to spend more time in this space--rural Norway, mostly, with ventures into Oslo and Sweden. I wanted to spend more time with the narrator, Trond, whose name rarely emerges in the text and who we follow when he is fifteen and when he is sixty-seven, with ventures elsewhere in his life....more
having finished:
The story grew on me as it began to center more on the father-son relationship, but I did not fall in love... I liked how it was structured, I liked the evocation of landscape and season, but the characters were shadowy for me and it never reached the point of intensity that I wanted it to...that was perhaps the point: not to, to have many small flickers of light instead of one really bright & intense one, but it's what I wanted. I wanted less shadowy characters--for at least...more
The story grew on me as it began to center more on the father-son relationship, but I did not fall in love... I liked how it was structured, I liked the evocation of landscape and season, but the characters were shadowy for me and it never reached the point of intensity that I wanted it to...that was perhaps the point: not to, to have many small flickers of light instead of one really bright & intense one, but it's what I wanted. I wanted less shadowy characters--for at least...more
"You decide yourself when it will hurt."
Pet Petterson's novel about a man in late middle age who has exiled himself to a cottage in the remote Norwegian countryside has garnered literary prizes and rave reviews almost everywhere. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I was... well, underwhelmed.
I confess I'm an aficionado of bleak fiction, of those sour almost hopeless ruminations on the fate of age and solitude that might fill more cheery readers with despair. So I was expecting to savor Out Ste...more
Pet Petterson's novel about a man in late middle age who has exiled himself to a cottage in the remote Norwegian countryside has garnered literary prizes and rave reviews almost everywhere. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I was... well, underwhelmed.
I confess I'm an aficionado of bleak fiction, of those sour almost hopeless ruminations on the fate of age and solitude that might fill more cheery readers with despair. So I was expecting to savor Out Ste...more
a third of the way through and i was certain i'd give this book four or five stars... spare, strong sentences, a jumping chronology, meandering, mysterious... i loved it. and had it remained how it had started -- that is, a book of sketches strung together by a common element -- i would have loved it... but it doesn't. in a way, i think, petterson lacks confidence in his own abilities: he introduces certain plot elements i found wholly unnecessary (not to mention an incredibly anti-climactic res...more
Per Petterson trusts me. I felt this with some satisfaction while reading Out Stealing Horses. He unfolds his story with no unnecessary signposts or reminders or references, trusting that his reader will care enough to gather up every quiet detail as it is shared and infer those that didn’t need to be put down. It is a simple story with many pieces that never snap together so much as they are smoothed into place with time, just as the narrator’s memories are.
His power of description is sad and...more
His power of description is sad and...more
Memories revealed, pondered, untangled...apearing like nested ornamental Chinese boxes...somehow fit to form a most impressive novel by Norwegian author Per Petterson. It is November 1999 and 67-year-old Trond Sander, who has recently lost his wife and sister, embarks on a new life in a rural cabin in eastern Norway (far from modern Oslo) where he intends to live in a simple setting far away from people, electronic devices, and global events that no longer influence his views. Trond is Thoreau-l...more
The narrator, age 67, recalls the summer when he was 15, which he spent with his father in a somewhat remote cabin in eastern Norway. It was a summer that changed everything for him. Trond has become a fine man, at least in my opinion, but has become removed from the world, both physically and emotionally. Why did that happen?
I am left thinking that we make decisions in life based on who we are at the time. Sometimes life presents dramatic circumstances that change us in such a way that we are n...more
I am left thinking that we make decisions in life based on who we are at the time. Sometimes life presents dramatic circumstances that change us in such a way that we are n...more
You know when books have a flavor? This had a European flavor. The author is Norwegian whose very Scandinavian characters, Trond and Lars, create a feeling akin to those I had watching films at the International Cinema during college, only in book form. The book doesn't happen in black and white, at least not quite, but there was a definite filter on my mind's lens.
Subdued. Cold. Detached. Serious. Unexplained. Unemotional. Unhappy.
What more could you ask for in a book, right?
As dreary as I am...more
Subdued. Cold. Detached. Serious. Unexplained. Unemotional. Unhappy.
What more could you ask for in a book, right?
As dreary as I am...more
This slender yet powerful book is one to read and reread.
Following the death of his second wife when he "lost interest in talking to people," the aging narrator, Trond, has retired to a remote forest-village in Norway. When his nearest neighbor turns out to be a figure from his past, from a summer spent with his father which shaped the rest of his life, Trond’s memories begin to churn, despite attempts to lose himself in the details of surviving in his new environment (wood-chopping, shopping,...more
Following the death of his second wife when he "lost interest in talking to people," the aging narrator, Trond, has retired to a remote forest-village in Norway. When his nearest neighbor turns out to be a figure from his past, from a summer spent with his father which shaped the rest of his life, Trond’s memories begin to churn, despite attempts to lose himself in the details of surviving in his new environment (wood-chopping, shopping,...more
As chilly as its Norwegian setting, Petterson's novel continues to haunt my thoughts weeks after reading it. Its very title and the many allusions to cowboy culture made me think about what frontier and re-invention means if the edge of the world is vast and dramatically sculpted desert that only ends with limitless ocean, or claustrophobic forest that transitions into Arctic ice. But mostly it made me think about no matter how much we think we know about others and ourselves, it's never complet...more
Aug 03, 2008
Amanda
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Saba Afshar
Recommended to Amanda by:
Emily White
Shelves:
knock-your-socks-off
Out Stealing Horses (translated from the Norwegian) is the story of Trond, who has gone to the woods in the twilight of his life with only a dog for company; until a meeting with his only neighbor triggers the memory of a different wood in the summer of 1948. Petterson seamlessly weaves the different chronological threads together, and in general the writing has a quiet sort of beauty. But the novel isn't uneventful -- there's murder, Nazis, poverty, border crossings, timber felling, espionage,...more
Sumptuous Prose, but Largely Redundant
Picking up this novel (translated from its original Norwegian), it is easy to understand why “Out Stealing Horses” has earned such high praise from critics; its author, Per Petterson, is a writer of astonishing talent. There are moments where his astute observations and beautiful descriptions sent chills down my spine. Petterson’s depth of understanding for his main character, Trond, is palpable, and he is carefully rendered in an achingly believable portr...more
Picking up this novel (translated from its original Norwegian), it is easy to understand why “Out Stealing Horses” has earned such high praise from critics; its author, Per Petterson, is a writer of astonishing talent. There are moments where his astute observations and beautiful descriptions sent chills down my spine. Petterson’s depth of understanding for his main character, Trond, is palpable, and he is carefully rendered in an achingly believable portr...more
This books belongs in the category of 'savory fiction.'
These are the titles that you must take your time and enjoy, reading at a slower pace to fully absorb the nuances and flavors of the story.
Out Stealing Horses is a beautiful book, however most of its charm for me was in the way it connected to my own previous experiences (not literally!)... this book and my rural upbringing were giving each other knowing glances behind my back the entire time. Weird.
I would say that this title may be be...more
These are the titles that you must take your time and enjoy, reading at a slower pace to fully absorb the nuances and flavors of the story.
Out Stealing Horses is a beautiful book, however most of its charm for me was in the way it connected to my own previous experiences (not literally!)... this book and my rural upbringing were giving each other knowing glances behind my back the entire time. Weird.
I would say that this title may be be...more
Although my interest in writing about books generally takes a more analytical bent—diving into an author's bag of tricks, dissecting how an effect was achieved or tracing the iterations of a motif along its winding course—there does occasionally come a book that elicits an unexpectedly more personal reaction, one that overshadows my analytical perceptions for a time, and such a book was Per Petterson's 2003 novel Out Stealing Horses. I hope, eventually, to return to a rather crafty meta-techniqu...more
Approaching the end of his life, Trond Sanders leaves tragedy and his identity behind to live alone in a remote Norwegian village where he is haunted by the summer that defined his youth and set the course of his life. He mulls over the events of those months as a fifteen-year-old trying to make sense of the unanswered questions held within, especially with a father he did not know very well. A highly introspective tale, the story wanders seamlessly from the elderly man's physical surroundings t...more
Sep 22, 2008
Lynn
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
gownups 50 and older
Recommended to Lynn by:
Ellen
5 stars! I can't say what it is about this beautiful book, in which not much really happens, but I couldn't put it down. It is a narrative by this 67 year old loner living in the woods in eastern Norway on the Swedish border.
He has moved there following the deaths of his wife and sister to live out the rest of his very simply on his own, with his dog. Much of the book consists of flashbacks of his 15th summer (1948), which he spent in a similar type of place with his father, after which his fat...more
He has moved there following the deaths of his wife and sister to live out the rest of his very simply on his own, with his dog. Much of the book consists of flashbacks of his 15th summer (1948), which he spent in a similar type of place with his father, after which his fat...more
It's been a while, no?
Well, that's because I've been juggling many a book while finishing not a one. I've also been on a roll watching mediocre movies (with the exception of Charlie Bartlett as that was quite good).
Five stars for Per Petterson's novel. According to the New York Times Book Review, this was one of the 10 best books of 2007. I'd like to take a moment to: 1. thank Anne Born for her skill in translating this book and 2. ask someone to teach me Norwegian and all its nuances so I can r...more
Well, that's because I've been juggling many a book while finishing not a one. I've also been on a roll watching mediocre movies (with the exception of Charlie Bartlett as that was quite good).
Five stars for Per Petterson's novel. According to the New York Times Book Review, this was one of the 10 best books of 2007. I'd like to take a moment to: 1. thank Anne Born for her skill in translating this book and 2. ask someone to teach me Norwegian and all its nuances so I can r...more
I have so little time for thoughtful review; instead, I opt for a series of favorite passages from each book; (my apologies to authors everywhere for confounding intent by taking these out of context!) -
"People like it when you tell them things, in suitable portions, in a modest, intimate tone, and they think they know you, but they do not, they know about you, for what they are let in on are facts, not feelings, not what your opinion is about anything at all, not how what has happened to you a...more
"People like it when you tell them things, in suitable portions, in a modest, intimate tone, and they think they know you, but they do not, they know about you, for what they are let in on are facts, not feelings, not what your opinion is about anything at all, not how what has happened to you a...more
Sep 01, 2008
Laura
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone
Recommended to Laura by:
a review from Goodreads
I did NOT want this book to end... ever. The pull of memory and the importance of place in lives marked by loss are the central themes of this small novel, set primarily in the deep woods of Norway, across a span of fifty or so years, from World War II to the present. It's hard to explain the power of such a quiet and modest book, and yet the pure, spare voice of the protagonist plays a large part. The descriptions of the natural world and the work required to live in it, the oblique way in whic...more
This beautifully written coming-of-age story is set in Norway. Told by Trond, a 67 year old man, the book focuses on the summer of 1948 when he was 15 year old and spent several weeks at a cottage in the country with his father. The story flows back and forth in time, recounting a bit of his father's earlier life during World War II when he was a member of the Resistance, a period that greatly affected what happens during that 1948 summer. Now at 67, Trond has found a cottage in the country, now...more
I wasn't familiar with Per Petterson until my wife read this book and suggested that I read it. This is perhaps the best book I've read over the past year. Even when translated from Norwegian, the language is sparse, simple, and beautiful, evoking deep emotions of regret, speaking to the hard-earned understanding of life that comes with age. It's an unusual coming-of-age story, sometimes depressing but always real. I will read more of his work.
I don't know what this book is really about. There is much sadness and loss, revelations about self and others that make one wonder if you really know them at all, some times of exquisite joy. And some very irritating sentence structure. Maybe it's just too subtle or the result of a different set of cultural references. But, again, I have no idea what this book is really about.
There are books that are Gifts, and then there are books that are gifts. One gives you something you didn't expect, the other comes wrapped in paper on holidays or birthdays. This is one of the latter.
I can see why it was chosen. Some very heavy hitters have blurbed the crap out of the back cover. The author is from Norway; some of my great-grandparents were Norwegian. Very well.
I think I've said this before, but it bears repeating: I've never had the bother of trying to grow from a boy to a ma...more
I can see why it was chosen. Some very heavy hitters have blurbed the crap out of the back cover. The author is from Norway; some of my great-grandparents were Norwegian. Very well.
I think I've said this before, but it bears repeating: I've never had the bother of trying to grow from a boy to a ma...more
The only negative thing I can say – or, more accurately, am willing to say – about this novel is that it begs to be read by the fireplace, and not everybody has a fireplace. I don't have a fireplace.
I admit the book suffered for me at first because I came to it immediately after finishing vol 4 of Proust, and everything suffers in comparison to Proust. The minimalist, rather flat tone irritated me after Proust's intelligence and effusiveness. But as I read on, I began to take the book on its own terms, and its quite effective. A month after reading it, many of its scenes have stayed with me. Petterson describes action very well--a scene in which a group cuts down a strand of timber is parti...more
Well - this was an odd book. I do ok with stream of consciousness writing, so that didn't bother me. but "one of the 10 best books of the year" - no way!!!!!!!! At first I was thinking that it reminded me of "Duplicity" - a movie I just watched (Julia roberts and Clive Owen). I couldn't keep up with what was going on in that movie. I was tempted to give up on it, because I couldn't tell where it was going....but I persevered, and, sure enough, the ending was interesting, and I was able to make s...more
This book is translated from Norwegian, which I never would have known had I not read the "translated by" note on the cover. The last thing you want is to read something that is obviously a translation.
I found the language to be almost lulling in nature. Trond is an older man, living alone, reflecting on his father, an old childhood friend, and one summer from his adolescence in particular. The characters are interesting and the tone seems spot on to me.
Some favorite quotes:
"Time is important to...more
I found the language to be almost lulling in nature. Trond is an older man, living alone, reflecting on his father, an old childhood friend, and one summer from his adolescence in particular. The characters are interesting and the tone seems spot on to me.
Some favorite quotes:
"Time is important to...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horses | 6 | 92 | Dec 07, 2008 03:03pm |
Petterson knew from the age of 18 that he wanted to be a writer, but didn't embark on this career for many years - his debut book, the short story collection Aske i munnen, sand i skoa, (Ashes in the Mouth, Sand in the Shoes) was published 17 years later, when Petterson was 35. Previously he had worked for years in a factory as an unskilled labourer, as his parents had done before him, and had als...more
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“You decide for yourself when it will hurt.”
—
49 people liked it
“People like it when you tell them things, in suitable portions, in a modest, intimate tone, and they think they know you, but they do not, they know _about_ you, for what they are let in on are facts, not feelings, not what your opinion is about anything at all, not how what has happened to you and how all the decisions you have made have turned you into who you are. What they do is they fill in with their own feelings and opinions and assumptions, and they compose a new life which has precious little to do with yours, and that lets you off the hook. No-one can touch you unless you yourself want them to.”
—
48 people liked it
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