Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Italian Shoes

by Henning Mankell, Laurie Thompson (Translation)

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 1,856 ratings · 338 reviews

"Living on a tiny island entirely surrounded by ice during the long winter months, Fredrik Welin is so lost to the world that he cuts a hole in the ice every morning and lowers himself into the freezing water to remind himself that he is alive. Haunted by memories of the terrible mistake that drove him to abandon a successful career as a surgeon, he lives in a stasis so co...more

Hardcover, 247 pages

Published March 10th 2009 by New Press, The (first published 2006)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

Best Scandinavian and Nordic Literature

177th out of 514 books — 503 voters

To Build a Fire and Other Stories by Jack London

Out in the Cold

91st out of 165 books — 62 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 2,800)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 13, 2011 okyrhoe rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookcrossing, sweden

What I knew of Henning Mankell prior to reading this novel is limited to a Greek TV interview (parts 1, 2, and 3 here – the interview itself is in English, so feel free to watch) and also the various essays he’s published related to his activism in Mozambique and Palestine.
To a certain extent, therefore, as I read I was comparing the protagonist & narrator of Italian Shoes to the author himself. This is not to say that the novel is autobiographical, but there are specific themes in Italian...more What I knew of Henning Mankell prior to reading this novel is limited to a Greek TV interview (parts 1, 2, and 3 here – the interview itself is in English, so feel free to watch) and also the various essays he’s published related to his activism in Mozambique and Palestine.
To a certain extent, therefore, as I read I was comparing the protagonist & narrator of Italian Shoes to the author himself. This is not to say that the novel is autobiographical, but there are specific themes in Italian Shoes that I recognized as being rooted in Mankell’s life history.
I would characterize this book as a very readable novel of introspection, in which a elderly man ponders his past and tries to come to term with himself, after a decade or so of living in isolation in a remote part of cold and wintry Sweden.
The retired physican Welin has only his immediate surrounds for company. His daily routine, as well as his mood and temperament, follows the seasonal changes in the landscape and the weather. The very presence of other human beings disturbs him profoundly. Other moving life forms are barely tolerated. It seems he takes a stronger liking to dead creatures & to insects, than to his own pets. And when the pets themselves die or disappear, it’s only then that he is able to express some concern for their existence (or not). Fortunately the narrator is a man of little words, as the brief notations in his logbook attest, and the reader isn’t assaulted by too heavy a dose of misanthropy.
When unexpected events disrupt Welin’s safe routine, he is forced to explain the whos, whys, whens and wherefores of his past. This is achieved in a factual and direct exposition so the timeline is easy to follow. Despite the ever-increasing eccentricity of the characters that enter the scene and move the story forward, the narrative follows a natural progression, and is presented in a laconic, straightforward manner. Welin is a retired doctor, this matter-of-fact narrative is typical of his persona.
It is this terseness that makes the novel readable; the pace progresses quickly, there are no drawn out meditations, convoluted flashbacks, or lengthy discussions between the characters slowing down an understanding of what is going on. Rather atypical of the detective fiction genre, for which Mankell is best known for.
This direct and straightforward exposition reminds me more of American fiction than anything else. Instead of the Scandinavian terrain, this story could easily be transposed to the rugged North American landscape. All the characters could very well be American or Canadian. I’m not saying that there is a lack of “Swedishness” or “Europeanness” to the novel. Loners are a staple of American fiction writing (the characters, as well as the authors themselves) and that's another element in the novel's readability score. Likewise, the mirroring & interaction between the “loner” characters and their (usually remote) natural environment is a device & theme often found in contemporary American literature, more so than in the traditions of European literature.
In Italian Shoes Welin discovers he is not the only loner in his immediate family, and that there is some, if not valuable, comfort to be had in the company of strangers. I can't say I was drawn to the protagonist, nor did I find him particularly interesting. To what extent does Welin evolve by the story's end - does he act from the heart or out of necessity, when he realizes he cannot be self-sufficient anymore in his reclusive abode? Welin remains laconic to the end, without revealing his true motivations. (less)

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 10, 2013 João Carlos rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

O sueco Henning Mankell é um dos meus escritores preferidos, que acompanho de uma forma contínua os seus magníficos livros policiais, com destaque óbvio para os protagonizados por Kurt Wallander. A sua longa ligação a Moçambique onde é Director do Teatro Avenida em Maputo e o seu envolvimento em inúmeras “causas humanitárias” no continente africano, com destaque para “SOS Children´s Villages” e “Save the Children”, colocam-no na vertente pessoal, num patamar de relevo inquestionável.
A edição em...more O sueco Henning Mankell é um dos meus escritores preferidos, que acompanho de uma forma contínua os seus magníficos livros policiais, com destaque óbvio para os protagonizados por Kurt Wallander. A sua longa ligação a Moçambique onde é Director do Teatro Avenida em Maputo e o seu envolvimento em inúmeras “causas humanitárias” no continente africano, com destaque para “SOS Children´s Villages” e “Save the Children”, colocam-no na vertente pessoal, num patamar de relevo inquestionável.
A edição em Portugal de “Sapatos Italianos”, originalmente publicado em 2006, que não sendo um livro policial se enquadra numa novela de cariz introspectivo – numa viagem às profundezas da alma humana, da solidão, do arrependimento e do remorso - mas também da esperança.
Logo na primeira página do livro Mankell escreve - “A vida é um frágil ramo suspenso sobre um precipício” – e é nesse contexto, da fragilidade das relações humanas, que ficamos a conhecer Fredrik Welin, um personagem atormentado, inicialmente, por uma infância sem afecto, sobretudo, por parte da mãe e depois por um acontecimento trágico, no exercício da sua profissão de médico-cirurgião, que motiva a sua auto-reclusão numa pequena ilha situada no Mar Báltico – “Cometi um erro. E recusei-me a aceitar as consequências.”
A minúscula ilha – herança dos avós - como espaço limitado e claustrofóbico, em que tem exclusivamente por companhia diária a presença de um cão e uma gata a que se junta as visitas regulares do hipocondríaco carteiro Jansson.
A evolução da história do livro decorre de acontecimentos completamente inesperados, que lhe permitem reavivar as suas memórias traumáticas e saldar contas com o passado – para que de uma vez por todas possa recuperar a sua capacidade de viver sem se esconder da realidade.
Mankell constrói a narrativa do livro decompondo-a em quatros andamentos - Gelo, A Floresta, O Mar e o Solstício de Inverno – e exerce um domínio absoluto no ritmo narrativo e mantém como habitualmente uma capacidade descritiva excepcional.
No entanto, até por razões profissionais, o que me surpreende de uma forma subtil são as preocupações ambientais e climatéricas que Mankell evidencia em toda a narrativa. Welin escreve um “diário de uma vida que perdeu o rumo”, mas que serve prioritariamente para nos “lembrar” das alterações climatéricas que estão a ocorrer naquela zona do planeta Terra – apenas, alguns exemplos: a espessura do gelo, a mudança de folhagem das árvores, a direcção do vento, a presença das aves migratórias, o solstício de Verão e de Inverno, duração dos dias, estações do ano, o frio/calor… O sueco Henning Mankell escreve um magnífico livro, que nos desassossega e asfixia numa narrativa específica daquelas latitudes e daqueles ambientes. Numa frase resumo: “Encontrava-me nas profundezas das melancólicas florestas do norte da Suécia.”
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 19, 2013 Inga rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wenn es einen schwedischen Schriftsteller gibt, den ganz Deutschland kennt, dann ist es wohl Henning Mankell. Seine Wallander-Romane haben sogar einen Weg in die Regale von echten Lesemuffeln gefunden. Das ist ja auch gut so. Irgendwann fand Mankell wohl nur, dass es sich ausgewallandert hatte, denn nach dem Wechsel zur Wallanderin (Tochter Linda ermittelte, siehe "Vor dem Frost") trat Ruhe ein in Ystad.
Dann kamen einige Afrika-Romane, in denen Mankell von seiner neuen Wahlheimat berichtet.
Mit "...more

like · see review

Jul 13, 2012 Esme rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

Im Vergleich zum ersten Wallander-Kriminalroman von Henning Mankell sind Die italienischen Schuhe (Italienska skor) angenehmer zu lesen, wenn auch der Gesamteindruck, den dieser Roman hinterläßt, dann doch nicht wesentlich besser ist.

Der Protagonist und Ich-Erzähler ist ein 66 Jahre alter Mann, der mit einem Hund, einer Katze und einem Ameisenhügel auf einer abgelegenen Schäreninsel ein isoliertes Leben führt. Etwas in seiner Vergangenheit, das er nur "die Katastrophe" nennt, ließ ihn die Einsam...more

like · see review

May 01, 2012 Steven Langdon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Henning Mankell has written some amazing books -- his Kurt Wallander mystery stories about a Swedish policeman are superb, and recently he has also written interesting books set in whole or part in Africa (such as "The Eye of the Leopard.) "Italian Shoes" is a much different work. It is set mainly in an isolated coastal area of Northern Sweden, is not an action or mystery novel, and recounts the late-life changes that hit a grim and self-punishing Swedish doctor who has turned himself into a nea...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 02, 2012 Monica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: scandinavia

Well, not so much liked as admired. Mankell is a master of bleak and empty, and this is one of those books. Perfect for a grey, blustery January day, if you are a bit of a masochist. Or for a black and white Ingmar Bergman film is such things were still possible.

Welin is a 66 year old surgeon who cut off a young woman's healthy arm by mistake and has retired to an empty island left him by his grandparents, where he has spent 12 years with a crippled old dog, an elderly cat and a giant anthill fo...more

like · see review

Nov 22, 2011 Virgil Larson rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book produced a number of vivid and often bizarre images for me. Here is a list of the most memorable: the desolate island seascape; the cold white of the bitter winter; the living room with the ant hill slowly consuming the table cloth; Jansson, the hypochondriac postman with the hydrocopter and his many layers of clothes; Fredrik chopping a hole in the ice and bathing in the icy sea water just to remind himself that he is alive; the appearance of Harriet after 37 years, standing with her...more

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 22, 2011 Verena rated it 3 of 5 stars

When Garrison Keiller talks about the “dour Swedes” he’s right on track as far as this book is concerned. The protagonist is a prime example. He has lived by himself on a bleak island for 12 years, making little attempt to connect with other human beings. He jumps into icy lake water every morning just to remember that he’s still alive. He allows the property he inherited from his grandparents to deteriorate to the point of living with a giant anthill in the living room. Years ago he walked out...more When Garrison Keiller talks about the “dour Swedes” he’s right on track as far as this book is concerned. The protagonist is a prime example. He has lived by himself on a bleak island for 12 years, making little attempt to connect with other human beings. He jumps into icy lake water every morning just to remember that he’s still alive. He allows the property he inherited from his grandparents to deteriorate to the point of living with a giant anthill in the living room. Years ago he walked out on a woman with whom he had been romantically involved, giving no warning or explanation.

Of course there is a back story to help explain why he has isolated himself from society. As a physician he was responsible for a horrific surgical error that caused him to leave the profession forever. But his antisocial character reaches back into childhood, living with two unhappy parents, and later with uncommunicative grandparents. He has always had a sneaky streak of spying on people by looking through their personal items.

Other characters are almost as dour. The woman he abandoned many years ago arrives on his island, dying of cancer. She demands that he take her to a forest pool in northern Sweden. Then she introduces him to the daughter he didn’t know he had. The mother, Harriet, and the daughter, Louise, are not close. Louise is hostile to the father she has just met and who has never been in her life. She lives in a hidden forest world with other people who have satisfying, if bizarre, lives. Some of them have boxing matches in the woods. A talented cobbler from Italy hides away from the noise of the modern world and makes shoes with such care that it takes him a year to finish one pair.

Having seen Henning Mankell’s well known character, Kurt Wallender, portrayed in PBS’ Masterpiece Mystery series, I wasn’t surprised about the dour tone. I knew there would eventually be an epiphany of sorts for Fredrik Welin. When he finally faces the tragedies he inflicted on his lover, daughter, and the victim of his surgery, he begins to despise himself less. He allows himself to include and even welcome the companionship of the women who have intruded into his world.

A minor theme is a look at society’s rejection of problem children. It adds a somewhat preachy tone to the book, but it also adds more importance to a story of dysfunctional characters leaving odd lives.
(less)

like · see review

Oct 22, 2011 Ken rated it 3 of 5 stars

I much prefer Mankell's crime series featuring Kurt Wallander, however, ITALIAN SHOES, is a fairly engaging study of middle-aged depression. Former surgeon, Fredrik Welin, has been living alone on a small island in Sweden when he gets a visit from an ex-girlfriend who he has not seen in over forty years. She is dying of cancer, and asks him to accompany her to a remote lake, and along the way he learns that he has a daughter by this woman. Later, they visit Louise, his daughter, and he forges a...more

like · see review

Oct 07, 2011 Livia rated it 5 of 5 stars

This novel is a little different to the well-known Wallander series. It focuses on a retired surgeon who left his profession in disgrace and lives alone on a small island in the Stockholm archipelago. His heart is as frozen as the Baltic waters in winter and he believes that the rest of his life will be lived out in this way. However, all this changes when his former lover, a woman whom he had abandoned many years previously, turns up unexpectedly on the island to demand that he fulfills a promi...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 20, 2011 Betty rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arlington-library

Not a mystery, Mankell fans! A very good, yet profoundly sad, novel about a man who has isolated himself against the world as much as possible over the past 12 years. The sudden, unexpected appearance of an old lover--the main love of his life, in fact--sets the narrator on a path that forces him to confront his past and himself. Often painful to read--the mistakes, the aversions, the lies, and betrayals common to every life--"Italian Shoes" nonetheless makes the case that it's never too late (t...more

like · see review

Aug 28, 2011 Ivy Pavlova rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

um, yes, i enjoyed this. the central character isn't really very nice, but you are so far under his skin right from the start that you like him anyway. essentially he's decided to wait out the remainder of his life in solitude on a tiny island. taking 'ice baths' every morning, ostensibly to feel he's alive, but apparently as a way of numbing himself. he is rescued by an old love he abandoned, and pulled back into life by her, another woman he's wronged in a very different way, and the young wom...more

like · see review

Aug 01, 2011 Scherry Siganporia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Readers! This is truly a book which is beautifully written, narrated with emotions which complex you, simple characters, simplicity personified through the life of the main character who banishes himself to the cold freezing ice covered island of Sweden where he lives a life of loneliness, sorrow and repent. But footprints in the snow one fine morning changes his life forever...the book is meant to be slow, taking the reader through all the emotions of cold biting winter and cold biting remembra...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 30, 2011 Cheryl Bradley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not a mystery, for once! After distrastrously amputating the wrong arm of a patient, former surgen Fredik Welin hides himself out in his grandparents' old house on an isolated island in Sweden's outer archipelago. During the winter, just to remind himself he is still living, he cuts open a hole in the ice and drops down naked into the freezing water below. Life has had little meaning for him the last 12 years since his great catastrophe as a surgeon, but all that changes when one winter morning,...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 26, 2011 Cameron rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to explore some Swedish fiction and was directd to Mankell. I had no expectations when I started The Italian Shoes. Other reviewers outline the story very well so I won't repeat that here.

I found the main character in the book very unappealing. It's hard to like him. He's an old slob of a man with little personality and little charm. However I am heartened by the fact he decides to get hs life together somewhat.

What could have been a tedious exercise of introspection is saved by the p...more

like · see review

Feb 16, 2011 Rod rated it 5 of 5 stars

This novel is not part of the Wallander series and no crime is involved. It may be unusual in that the two most important characters are both old. Frederick Welin is a surgeon, now retired, who lives on a Swedish island. But for his cat and his dog, both of whom are also old, he lives alone. Given his anti-social tendencies that may be just as well. The only regular contact he has is with Jansson, a postman who delivers what little mail he gets. Jansson is a hypochondriac who regularly has Welin...more This novel is not part of the Wallander series and no crime is involved. It may be unusual in that the two most important characters are both old. Frederick Welin is a surgeon, now retired, who lives on a Swedish island. But for his cat and his dog, both of whom are also old, he lives alone. Given his anti-social tendencies that may be just as well. The only regular contact he has is with Jansson, a postman who delivers what little mail he gets. Jansson is a hypochondriac who regularly has Welin check him out even though his health is excellent. Welin does not like Jansson and is always brusque with him. Regardless of how bad the weather is he never invites him into his house.

Though safely isolated, Welin’s past catches up with him in the person of Harriet, a woman he had loved in his youth but deserted without a word of explanation. Despite terminal cancer and requiring a walker, Harriet seeks him out and asks him to keep a promise – to take her to the pool where Welin and his father bathed. She may well have wanted to see it, but going to the pool takes them close to where she now lives with her daughter Louise. Welin does not know that he has a daughter, nor that he is about to meet her. Louise is also unprepared for the meeting, which takes place in the caravan where she lives.

As a result of Harriet’s visit Welin revisits the incident that caused him to give up surgery, amputating the wrong arm of a promising swimmer called Agnes. With her agreement he visits her, finding that she now looks after troubled girls one of whom, Sima, will later visit him on his island.

There is a good deal of bad temper and brusque dialogue in this book, and the main characters tend to come straight to the point with each other. There are also deaths, none of them violent.

I liked this book a lot. It is very well written, effectively conveying the often hostile and very cold environment in which Welin lives. A stock word might be ‘atmospheric’. Josephine Sandegren (author of Dimmaletting) has wondered whether Swedish might be less expressive than some other languages. On the evidence of this book, and though I read it in translation, I think Swedish, in good hands, is expressive enough for quality writing.

The characters are also well conveyed. It may be that older people, especially if they are experiencing physical pain, are more direct – less interested in pussy-footing around a subject. Not all authors deal with older people (an exception being Ring Lardner who, despite dying young himself, featured them in several of his stories).

Although some of the events might be considered unlikely or far-fetched, I found them easy to accept. My only problem was with the ant-hill in Welin’s house. This is mentioned several times and I didn’t entirely believe it. There is also a reference to Tony Blair, which has the unwelcome effect of reminding the reader that he exists
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

May 01, 2010 Kathleen Hagen added it

Shelves: 2010-audio-books, 2010fiction

Italian Shoes, by Henning Mankell, A. narrated by Henry Strozier, produced by recorded Books, downloaded from audible.com.

Henry Welin was a retired surgeon who lived on a deserted island in Sweden. He retired from medicine twelve years earlier after he had made an astronomical mistake during a surgery. He hid himself away from the world in exile. Then one day, in the middle of the winter, he heard the sound of a hydrocopter coming from the mainland. When he looked out, someone was laying on the...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 24, 2009 Diane rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Boston Globe calls Henning Mankell the "master of atmosphere." This sense of atmosphere is what keeps me reading his Kurt Wallander mysteries, set in Sweden. This book, Italian Shoes, is not a Kurt Wallander mystery; however, it contains many of the elements of the Wallander series: a wounded main character who is lost in his own past failings; a landscape as cold and barren as the main character's life; and a parade of secondary characters as eccentric as they are deeply developed. Also, th...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 21, 2009 Margot rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: scandinavian, translation, fiction

A novel of isolation, several lonely and alone characters come into contact with each other over the course of a year. The time is characterized by the presence or absence of ice, and sunshine appears briefly. The protagonist, Fredrik, has spent his life running, or hiding, and during this year he is discovered and reveals himself to past associations.

Here's a taste:
"We're always being made promises,' she said. 'You make them yourself and you listen to others giving theirs. Politicians are alway...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 03, 2012 Maria João Fernandes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, henning-mankell, favorites

"Vivia sozinho naquela ilha há doze anos. Agora era como se a ilha tivesse sido invadida por três mulheres."

Fredrik Welin tem 66 anos e é o único habitante de uma ilha do Báltico. Há 12 anos que vive isolado da sociedade, tendo como companhia o seu cão, a sua gata e uma comunidade de formigas que se apoderaram de um cantinho na sua sala de estar.
O único contacto humano que tem é com o carteiro, Jansson, a quem proibiu de trazer publicidade. O antigo cirurgião não gosta muito do homem, mas é ele...more "Vivia sozinho naquela ilha há doze anos. Agora era como se a ilha tivesse sido invadida por três mulheres."

Fredrik Welin tem 66 anos e é o único habitante de uma ilha do Báltico. Há 12 anos que vive isolado da sociedade, tendo como companhia o seu cão, a sua gata e uma comunidade de formigas que se apoderaram de um cantinho na sua sala de estar.
O único contacto humano que tem é com o carteiro, Jansson, a quem proibiu de trazer publicidade. O antigo cirurgião não gosta muito do homem, mas é ele o seu melhor amigo e o único paciente que lhe resta - para mal dos seus pecados, um paciente hipocondríaco. Todos os dias, Welin abre um buraco no gelo, perto do pontão, e mergulha na água insuportavelmente gelada. Este ritual foi a forma que arranjou para se sentir vivo. Mantém, igualmente, um diário onde escreve coisas desprovidas de importância, como anotações sobre o tempo e observações relativas às aves migratórias.

Um dia, vê uma figura a aproximar-se, com dificuldade, da sua casa. "Quem será? O que procura?". À medida que estas questões se apoderam dele, Welin observa o vulto com os binóculos e apercebe-se que a mulher que se encontra perante si, é a mulher que abandonou há 30 anos atrás, Harriet.
Neste livro,tanto história da vida da personagem principal,como os traços da sua personalidade, são revelados lentamente. Gradualmente, o leitor depara-se com os acontecimentos passados que explicam as atitudes e acções do presente. O nosso passado define-nos. Não importa qual o caminho que escolhemos, ele estará sempre um passo atrás de nós e, mais cedo ou mais tarde, irá voltar e caminhar ao nosso lado.

Um livro com muito mistério que nos faz reflectir sobre a vida e a morte. Nesta obra, narrada por Fredrik Welin, estão presentes temas como o isolamento, a solidão, o amor, a perda e a redenção Henning Mankell é conhecido como um autor de policiais, contudo, no livro "Sapatos Italianos" não há lugar para crimes, nem violência. Mankell transporta-nos para outra realidade, além do crime e do mistério, conduz-nos até à alma de um único homem. Esta viagem aos confins do coração de Fredrik Welin faz-nos reflectir sobre o nosso papel neste mundo e a importância de partilharmos o nosso dia-a-dia com aqueles que nos são mais próximos.

Fredrik Welin parte numa viagem de auto-descoberta, durante a qual conhece outras pessoas (e animais) com qualidades que o autor Henning Mankell tanto aprecia. Uma comunidade de músicos estranhos, uma activista que vive numa caravana, um sapateiro que faz dois pares de sapatos por ano, uma mulher que acolhe raparigas em fuga, uma adolescente refugiada traumatizada, uma cadela que procura ajuda para a dona que morreu são algumas das personagens que o leitor tem o prazer de conhecer neste romance. Os cenários não podiam ser mais apropriados para o enredo.Por um lado uma ilha com sete habitantes, incluindo o carteiro, por outro uma densa floresta, onde os segredos se escondem.

Mais uma obra-prima do meu autor preferido, Henning Mankell.Foi com alguma tristeza que li a última página, pois são poucos os livros que me afectam da mesma forma que as obras deste escritor sueco.

"Todas as portas que tinha dentro de mim batiam ao vento, que parecia cada vez mais forte."(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 18, 2011 Rachelle Urist rated it 4 of 5 stars

Anything Mankell writes is a pleasure to read, no matter how dark, brooding, or forbidding. Redemption is often possible, even at hand, and nature's icy beauty is always reason to live. As usual, the settings are Nordic and cold: lots of frozen water, isolated islands, strange connections between people, and lots of feeling, usually long dormant, and hardly recognized until a lifetime has passed. The protagonist of this story is a former surgeon. An error haunts him. He abandons his medical care...more

like · see review

Jan 23, 2012 Connie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: src-winter-2011, europe, contemporary-fiction

Fredrik Welin has been living on a small rocky Swedish island with no houses in sight. He retreated from the world twelve years ago after making a terrible mistake as a surgeon. Then Harriet, a lover he abandoned years ago, shows up at his island asking Fredrik to keep an old promise to take her to a special forest pool. From that beginning, a series of other connections begins.

The book is a psychological study where Fredrik attempts to redeem himself for past mistakes. The other characters also...more

like · see review

Jul 27, 2011 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction

I was first introduced to Henning Mankell through a DVD I ordered by mistake through Netflex. That got me hooked on his Kurt Wallander mystery series produced by BBC. One of the special features featured an interview with him about his writing, and I learned that he is a famous Swedish author. Since then, I've read three of his novels this year (translated from Swedish--once you get used to the pacing and wording, it has an "atmosphere" of its own!), of which this is one. This particular book is...more

like · see review

Jun 20, 2010 Deborah Moulton rated it 4 of 5 stars

A book rather spectacularly misnamed. For such a fine writer, it's a poor inducement to pick up and read the book. Everything other than that is mighty fine in this story of late middle age.

This book illustrates the blind alleys, circular logic, dead ends, and emotional stultification that comes with the bridge of middle age into old age. It also shows in a fine light the mysteries, unexpected turns, reawakenings and last chances that life still has in store. Even for the most hardened characte...more

like · see review

Feb 27, 2010 Paul Patterson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: scandinavian-mysteries

Not a page turner. Not a mystery, at least, not a typical Mankell mystery. Italian Shoes is rather like an exercise in learning how to read slowly and sumptuously. Sixty-six year old Frederick Welin for the last twelve years has lived reclusively on an island, formerly owned by his grandparents, in an archipelago off the coast of Sweden. He was an educated man, a medical man. who made a mistake which drove him Grendel-like to the edge of civilization. As a result, he had all the time in the worl...more Not a page turner. Not a mystery, at least, not a typical Mankell mystery. Italian Shoes is rather like an exercise in learning how to read slowly and sumptuously. Sixty-six year old Frederick Welin for the last twelve years has lived reclusively on an island, formerly owned by his grandparents, in an archipelago off the coast of Sweden. He was an educated man, a medical man. who made a mistake which drove him Grendel-like to the edge of civilization. As a result, he had all the time in the world to contemplate. We readers are summoned to his contemplation of the meaning of regret, the twists and turns of the aging process, the geniuses who live on the margins, and a heart thawing that comes through ruthless honesty.

Fredrick's lessons don't come cheaply; they arrive in the form of shocks, body blows to the soul, that rattle him out of his dreary no-life. Initially he is jolted by seeing the image of an old woman hobbling hunched on an aluminum walker making her way across the frozen ice. Recognizing her as his former lover that he had abandoned many years ago, he welcomes her onto the island; in that act, his compassion and need for recompense is stirred.

Harriet, Fred's old beau, kindled a process within him that moved from one unexpected secret to another, starting with the discovery that he had a daughter Laurie who shares his eccentricity and feistiness. Through her Fred is made aware that geniuses often live in out of the way places like forests, truck stops and islands.

A displaced Italian shoemaker is introduced to Fred. He makes shoes that fit more than just the soles of his clients feet, these shoes are soul-crafted in such a way as to allow them to live naturally. Fred first saw this when his daughter wearing a red pair of high heels effortlessly glided her way across the icy driveway. Laurie's gift to her lost father is a pair of shoes made lovingly by the Italian artisan living in the forest. It takes a year to craft these shoes but then Fred recreation over that year is as suitably fashioned as his shoe. Reviving hope, facing death and learning to love, he eventually learns to walk free at least for now.

There are passages in Italian Shoes that put a lump in my throat not only because Mankell touched my heart but because the artistry of his writers craft, like the shoemaker, is authentically soul-making.

(less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 26, 2012 Amandine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Après avoir entendu beaucoup de bien à propos de ce livre sur la blogosphère, j’ai eu envie de le découvrir, passant outre une illustration de couverture et un titre qui n’attiraient guère mon regard. La lecture commune organisée par Métaphore m’a semblé une bonne occasion pour le faire. Finalement, je suis globalement mitigée : j’ai apprécié, mais sans plus, et n’ai clairement pas été emportée par ce récit.

Le style, tout d’abord, m’a déçue, voire déplu à certains moments : je l’ai trouvé commun...more Après avoir entendu beaucoup de bien à propos de ce livre sur la blogosphère, j’ai eu envie de le découvrir, passant outre une illustration de couverture et un titre qui n’attiraient guère mon regard. La lecture commune organisée par Métaphore m’a semblé une bonne occasion pour le faire. Finalement, je suis globalement mitigée : j’ai apprécié, mais sans plus, et n’ai clairement pas été emportée par ce récit.

Le style, tout d’abord, m’a déçue, voire déplu à certains moments : je l’ai trouvé commun, sans charme, sans « petit-quelque-chose-de-plus », sans étincelle. J’ignore s’il en aurait été de même en langue originale (et ne le saurai sans doute jamais), mais la traduction d’Anna Gibson ne m’a clairement pas convaincue. De plus, j’ai été souvent gênée par l’usage du « tu » dans les conversations entre les personnages : même lorsqu’ils sont l’un pour l’autre de parfaits inconnus, ils n’utilisent pas la forme polie « vous ». C’est un petit détail, mais il revient à plusieurs reprises et m’a dérangée (peut-être suis-je trop vieux-jeu).

Heureusement, tout ne m’a pas déplu dans cette lecture. Les thèmes abordés par l’auteur notamment, comme la peur de vivre et la mort, sont intéressants et traités de façon touchante, sans sensiblerie. J’ai également apprécié le fait que les personnages ne soient pas présentés de façon idéalisée et romanesque, mais apparaissent profondément humains : Fredrik Welin n’est pas un héros, plutôt un homme terrifié par la souffrance, ce qui le rend assez égoïste, irascible et asocial. On pourrait penser qu’Harriet est une pauvre femme abandonnée, jusqu’à ce que cette illusion soit démentie par la suite : elle aussi a eu ses mensonges, ses lâchetés et son égocentrisme. Autour de ce couple central, gravitent une série d’autres personnalités, atypiques et originales, loin des standards présentés par la publicité et les politiciens (pour reprendre une des répliques de Louise). Au fil du texte, on finit par s’attacher à tous ces êtres fragiles à leur manière et imparfaits, à notre image.

En conclusion, une belle découverte, mais pas aussi extraordinaire que je l’espérais.

http://minoualu.blogspot.com/2012/02/...(less)

like · see review

Apr 21, 2012 James rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: family, fiction

I read this book expecting it to be a thriller and was surprised to find that it is instead a story of making mistakes, living with the consequences and growing old. A surgeon makes a mistake and banishes himself to a hermitlike existence on a small island in Sweden. One day a woman who he abandoned 40 years earlier appears demanding one last favour and eventually with a surprise. He is jolted out of his old life and painfully comes to grips with this.

In some parts the book is rather beautiful a...more

like · see review

Mar 14, 2011 Kelly Keefe rated it 2 of 5 stars

I have an intense dislike for this book lol. Or at least I did when I started it. I cant lie...it literally took me like 4 weeks to get through 50 pages. Then I came and read some of the reviews and I decided to dedicate myself to finishing it in a timely fashion...lets face it, it had to get better because it sure wasnt getting any worse lol. That being said, it DID get better but I think it was a case of too little too late. There was not a character that I could really empathize with in the b...more

like · see review

Nov 03, 2011 Sonja rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ik ben niet gekomen om je aan te klagen, maar om je te vragen je belofte na te komen’. Na veertig jaar komt Harriet, de vrouw die hij in de steek heeft gelaten, bij Frederik langs met deze mededeling. Het zet zijn leven op de kop. Frederik heeft zich jaren geleden teruggetrokken op een eiland en leeft als een kluizenaar. De komst van Harriet maakt dat Frederik geconfronteerd wordt met zijn verleden en de keuzes die hij daarin heeft gemaakt. Ze gaan samen op reis om de belofte –samen zwemmen in e...more

like · see review

May 12, 2013 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book started slowly, but about a third of the way, I was hooked.

Frederik Welin lives alone on an island off the coast of Sweden. Something horrible has happened, but you don't know what. Daily he cuts a hole in the ice and steps in to remind himself that he is alive. Then, he sees a woman crossing the ice with a walker, and everything changes.

Mood in this book is fabulous - you feel, the loneliness and cold. Great imagery and symbolism. An unwavering look at death whether emotional death,...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 93 94 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (46)

More editions...

Genres

European Literature > Scandinavian Literature

13 users

Mystery > Crime

11 users

Mystery

10 users

Cultural > Sweden

9 users

Literature

4 users

European Literature > Swedish Literature

3 users

Novels

3 users

Thriller

3 users

Cultural > International

3 users

Adult Fiction

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Henning Mankell

Henning Mankell is an internationally known Swedish crime writer, children's author and playwright. He is best known for his literary character Kurt Wallander.

Mankell splits his time between Sweden and Mozambique. He is married to Eva Bergman, Swedish director and daughter of Ingmar Bergman.

More about Henning Mankell...

Books by Henning Mankell

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Italian Shoes

6 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Italian Shoes

“It was a clear, starry night, dead calm. Whenever I see a sky
like that, I wish I could write music” — 21 people liked it

“We’re always being made promises,’ she said. ‘You make them yourself
and you listen to others giving theirs. Politicians are always going
on about providing a better quality of life for people as they get older,
and a health service in which nobody ever gets bedsores. Banks promise
you high interest rates, some food promises to make you lose weight if
you eat it, and body creams guarantee old age with fewer wrinkles. Life
is quite simply a matter of cruising along in your own little boat through
a constantly changing but never-ending stream of promises. And how
many do we remember? We forget the ones we would like to remember,
and we remember the ones we’d prefer to forget.” — 11 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Italian Shoes
avg rating	preview: Italian Shoes Goodreads rating: 3.67 (1856 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5660487-italian-shoes?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1323179980l/5660487.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5660487-italian-shoes?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Italian Shoes by Henning Mankell[/url]

Italian Shoes

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website