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Astrid and Veronika
by
Linda Olsson
With extraordinary emotional power, Linda Olsson's stunningly well-crafted debut novel recounts the unusual and unexpected friendship that develops between two women. Veronika, a young writer from New Zealand, rents a house in a small Swedish village as she tries to come to terms with a recent tragedy while also finishing a novel. Her arrival is silently observed by Astrid
...morePaperback, 272 pages
Published
July 26th 2007
by Penguin Books Ltd
(first published 2005)
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Nov 24, 2009
catherine
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
myabsolutefavorites,
2007
perhaps it is my scandinavian background that drew me to this book and allowed me to relate to it so, i really liked reading about the relationship between these two amazing women. it turns out that my bestemor (grandma) was reading it at the same time i was so we had a nice discussion of scandinavian literature. since reading it i haven't stopped thinking about moving to the tip of denmark, skagen, where i would rent a small house and write and read. just like Veronika.
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What's the Swedish for "blech"? I was really looking forward to this book - a New Zealand/Scandanavian hybrid, the story of two women, a picture of food on the cover - what else could you ask for? How about good writing? An ear for dialogue? A decent editor?
This novel emerged from a First Novel writing workshop and I'm sorry it was allowed to enter the world instead of being mercifully smothered in a drawer. Well-worn plots (sensitive woman who has endured a Great Tragedy runs away and encounte...more
This novel emerged from a First Novel writing workshop and I'm sorry it was allowed to enter the world instead of being mercifully smothered in a drawer. Well-worn plots (sensitive woman who has endured a Great Tragedy runs away and encounte...more
9 likes
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Wasn't sure I'd like this as I always like an ongoing story, but the friendship is blossoming between Astrid and Veronika and the secrets are being shared. I like it! A lovely story and there is no reason to think these women are 60 years apart in age...a friendship blossomed and they lived it.
At book club last night I revisited this book...interesting how i totally ignored Veronika's one big secret in my review above...hmmm.
At book club last night I revisited this book...interesting how i totally ignored Veronika's one big secret in my review above...hmmm.
3 likes
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Apr 15, 2008
Tristan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Tristan by:
Charlotte
This was a book about friendship built on timing and need. Two individual women very far in age and likeness form a strong bond that is necessary for both to overcome trials and the sadness of life. The author had a sweet way of expressing a very human need to feel loved and needed. I enjoyed that she was able to show the joys in life even when it seemed there would never be happiness again for these women.
4 likes
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This is a story of two halves of one spirit finding one another. It is the story of a brief, yet transformative, relationship. Astrid, and elderly, isolated soul meets her new neighbor, Veronika, a devastated and wandering soul. It is the sharing of each others' wounds and loves which transform both of their lives. The themes in this book include: love, friendship, transformation, sharing, confessing, forgiving, and accepting. Absolutely lovely. It receives four rather than five stars because it...more
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Starts with dreams, escalates into fevered nightmares of Veronika 32, new renter next to recluse Astrid 81. Senior checks on ill author, brings nourishment. Both know their happy times will not last; no surprise to reader when most frightening memories shared first. New Zealand boyfriend died surfing, miscarriage right after. Mother suicided when Astrid ten, father ordered her to strip naked, loveless marriage at 18 (to older 25 ugly yuck), (view spoiler)...more
There are so many phrases and descriptions which I found simply beautiful and hauntingly familiar. As other's have stated, poetic/lyrical writing. Wild strawberries, surpising finds with a sweetness out of the ordinary. The water theme through out the story gave me pictures of the moods and feelings of the events happening, melting snow or ice, the huge terrifying waves of the sea, the river flowing under the bridge, the rain and wet snow. Also mentioned often were open windows, scenes through t...more
2 likes
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sweet....beautiful......deep..... quiet.....thoughtful
I had forgotten I read this book until I saw it displayed in Borders. A good friend recommended it at a time I needed a good friend. It deals with the friendship between two characters, one young, one old, from very different worlds,a New Zealand/Scandanavian hybrid. Conversations develop with each other,thus, their respective pasts are revealed. Both share their hardship in life. Even with such sadness as a background, I found this such a beautiful, gentle read, well-written and believable. Tho...more
some of my favorites:
-come sit by me, and i shall tell you all my sorrows; we shall talk to each other about secrets.
-my life now consists of fragments, where some are so blinding in their intensity that they make everything else indistinguishable. what shall i do with these glittering shards? there is no pattern; i can't make them fit. with each other, or with the whole that should be my life. it feels as if my existence was extinguished in a flash, and afterwards my universe became incomprehen...more
-come sit by me, and i shall tell you all my sorrows; we shall talk to each other about secrets.
-my life now consists of fragments, where some are so blinding in their intensity that they make everything else indistinguishable. what shall i do with these glittering shards? there is no pattern; i can't make them fit. with each other, or with the whole that should be my life. it feels as if my existence was extinguished in a flash, and afterwards my universe became incomprehen...more
This is a book I have wanted to read for such a long time - and bliss it is my real life book club read for November!
I can't wait but I have two to read first....
Well worth the wait. I had previously read Linda Olsen's second book and loved it. I now see that in her second book she built on the first refining her skill. That is the descriptive narrative of places she has been. The sensuous quality she adopts to describes a place is stunning. In this book I feel I would recognize the part of Swe...more
I can't wait but I have two to read first....
Well worth the wait. I had previously read Linda Olsen's second book and loved it. I now see that in her second book she built on the first refining her skill. That is the descriptive narrative of places she has been. The sensuous quality she adopts to describes a place is stunning. In this book I feel I would recognize the part of Swe...more
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This was a fantastic book. I had my doubts when I picked it up but the stories of these two women were so touching and beautiful that I didn't want this book to end. The language and writing was simple yet honest and it just had a purity about it I can't describe. There was nothing I didn't like about this book. It is a light read, but so rich in content!
Overview:
Veronika, a 30-year-old Swedish writer, rents a home in a remote village to finish work on her second novel. Her only neighbor for miles is Astrid, a reclusive octogenarian who has earned a reputation (perhaps undeserved) as the village witch. Veronika and Astrid gradually become friends, taking long walks and sipping wine made from the wild strawberries in Astrid's garden. Each shares painful secrets along the way.
I liked this book and the writing was truly beautiful. I enjoyed how t...more
Veronika, a 30-year-old Swedish writer, rents a home in a remote village to finish work on her second novel. Her only neighbor for miles is Astrid, a reclusive octogenarian who has earned a reputation (perhaps undeserved) as the village witch. Veronika and Astrid gradually become friends, taking long walks and sipping wine made from the wild strawberries in Astrid's garden. Each shares painful secrets along the way.
I liked this book and the writing was truly beautiful. I enjoyed how t...more
1 like
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Maybe this book is one that came at the right time for me, but I really really liked it and slowed down my reading so I would not finish it. It is about a friendship between a younger and an older woman in a small town in Sweden. They both are healing from events in their past. Each chapter begins with a line or two of poetry which I liked. I also liked the author's descriptions of light and of food.
The author is Swedish but now lives in New Zealand and the book is set in both places, but most...more
The author is Swedish but now lives in New Zealand and the book is set in both places, but most...more
5 likes
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A beautiful, wonderfully written story about two women; one at the beginning of her life, the other at the end of her life, who meet and because of this discover hope and love again.
This book is written in such a way that I want to go back and copy parts of it; so poetic and grand.
I recommend this book for anyone who has felt a loss and the accompanying hopelessness that goes along with it. It may just provide you with the spark of hope you needed or the breath of love that was always there.
Fi...more
This book is written in such a way that I want to go back and copy parts of it; so poetic and grand.
I recommend this book for anyone who has felt a loss and the accompanying hopelessness that goes along with it. It may just provide you with the spark of hope you needed or the breath of love that was always there.
Fi...more
3 likes
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Jan 12, 2009
Kristen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Women
Recommended to Kristen by:
Cindy
Shelves:
high-brow
This book deals with two characters from very different worlds who become close friends. Through their conversations with each other, their respective pasts are revealed, and they have both been through considerable hardship in their lives. Even with such sadness as a background, I found this such a pleasant and gentle book to read. Somehow, it just makes you feel good. It's also well-written, believable and the characters are fleshed out well.
Problems: A lingering issue of sexual abuse was han...more
Problems: A lingering issue of sexual abuse was han...more
1 like
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Review by Philippa Jamieson, published in the Dominion Post, September 2005
Let Me Sing You Gentle Songs
Linda Olsson
(Penguin, $28)
Late winter, and a young woman drives from Stockholm through the snow and gathering dark to a farmhouse for some kind of retreat. Veronika, the well-travelled daughter of a diplomat, has returned to Sweden to come to terms with a tragedy in her recent past, and strikes up an unlikely friendship with her elderly next-door neighbour, the 'village witch'. The reclusive As...more
Let Me Sing You Gentle Songs
Linda Olsson
(Penguin, $28)
Late winter, and a young woman drives from Stockholm through the snow and gathering dark to a farmhouse for some kind of retreat. Veronika, the well-travelled daughter of a diplomat, has returned to Sweden to come to terms with a tragedy in her recent past, and strikes up an unlikely friendship with her elderly next-door neighbour, the 'village witch'. The reclusive As...more
Phew, boring, I couldn't believe how boring this was. One of the reasons why there was no way to finish it: too many way more appealing books out there to waste more time on this.
So, where exactly did Olsson fail so utterly on this? The writing, that's what it comes down to. The story is not the biggest catcher but it drew my attention in the first place, I loved the idea of combining Sweden and New Zealand in the exploration of the friendship of two women who overcame a great tragic in both the...more
So, where exactly did Olsson fail so utterly on this? The writing, that's what it comes down to. The story is not the biggest catcher but it drew my attention in the first place, I loved the idea of combining Sweden and New Zealand in the exploration of the friendship of two women who overcame a great tragic in both the...more
Description: Astrid and Veronika are neighbors, both wishing to live in seclusion, but somehow coming together to form a friendship. Although Astrid has lived in the same area her whole life and is coming to the end of her years, and Veronika has travelled all over the world and has many years to live, both are grieving and in danger of cutting themselves off from the world. Watching them move gradually toward friendship, the reader gets to know them as they become acquainted with one another, b...more
Astrid and Veronika is a remarkable book that is unforgettable. As you begin reading this book you will become so enthralled that the pages will continue to turn themselves.
This is the story of a remarkable friendship that is formed in a small Swedish village. Veronika is a writer from New Zealand who has recently faced tragedy. Astrid is an older woman who is alone and is viewed as a recluse. Astrid and Veronika are complete opposites who come together to help each other move on in their lives...more
This is the story of a remarkable friendship that is formed in a small Swedish village. Veronika is a writer from New Zealand who has recently faced tragedy. Astrid is an older woman who is alone and is viewed as a recluse. Astrid and Veronika are complete opposites who come together to help each other move on in their lives...more
I just finished listening to Astrid & Veronika by Linda Olsson, narrated by Patricia Conolly, Susan Lyons, and Jill Tanner. Astrid & Veronika is a delightful story that develops over time, just like the friendship of characters Astrid and Veronika. Astrid is an elderly, enigmatic character who is often referred to as "The Witch" by villagers in their small Swedish Village. Veronika, a young author writing her second novel, moves to the village after the tragic loss of her fiancé. An unli...more
Teton County Library Call No: F OLSSON
Brie's rating: 2 stars
The cover of this book caught my eye. While my sense of interest in the book (created by the cover image) did not carry on evenly throughout the novel, the image did speak to what I found to be the most evocative relationship in the novel, that of the human to landscape/natural world. Set outside a small town in Sweden, the main characters seem to share little else, initially, than their desires to escape into their own worlds. Veronik...more
Brie's rating: 2 stars
The cover of this book caught my eye. While my sense of interest in the book (created by the cover image) did not carry on evenly throughout the novel, the image did speak to what I found to be the most evocative relationship in the novel, that of the human to landscape/natural world. Set outside a small town in Sweden, the main characters seem to share little else, initially, than their desires to escape into their own worlds. Veronik...more
Apr 01, 2010
Sandy T
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Sandy by:
Stacy
I started this not really knowing what to expect, and at first, it seemed to plod along a little too slowly. But as the story began to develop, the quiet pace seemed just right for this story of two completely different women who meet, and through their friendship are able to help heal each other's pain and grief... Astrid, nearing the end of her life has so much wisdom to share about what she has learned.
Some of my favorites:
"You can become aware of the small kindnesses, the little comforts. Be...more
Some of my favorites:
"You can become aware of the small kindnesses, the little comforts. Be...more
The cover of this book caught my eye. While my sense of interest in the book (created by the cover image) did not carry on evenly throughout the novel, the image did speak to what I found to be the most evocative relationship in the novel, that of the human to landscape/natural world. Set outside a small town in Sweden, the main characters seem to share little else, initially, than their desires to escape into their own worlds. Veronika is a thirty year-old writer, seemingly driven to rent her h...more
This was my choice for our Book Club and it generated one of the most in-depth and lengthy discussions we've had! I was reading it for the second time for our Book Club and found new insights ... it was definitely worth a second read!
"With extraordinary emotional power, Linda Olsson’s stunningly well-crafted debut novel recounts the unusual and unexpected friendship that develops between two women. Veronika, a young writer from New Zealand, rents a house in a small Swedish village as she tries t...more
"With extraordinary emotional power, Linda Olsson’s stunningly well-crafted debut novel recounts the unusual and unexpected friendship that develops between two women. Veronika, a young writer from New Zealand, rents a house in a small Swedish village as she tries t...more
I liked this book both because of the beautiful and unusual nature of the friendship that the author creates among the two women and because of the oddly serene tone and pace of the writing. Whereas most books propel you forward via an urgent pace and dramatic or suspenseful plot elements, this book unfolds gently and sympathetically and then relies upon your genuine interest in and intimacy with the characters to keep you turning pages.
Even when the characters are reliving traumatic events, the...more
Even when the characters are reliving traumatic events, the...more
Astrid & Veronica is a book about two women, one young and the other elderly, who strike up an unlikely friendship. A chance encounter occurs between the two when the younger of the two moves to a small town in Sweden (Switzerland??? what's the difference?). The women find solace in one another, revealing their painful, even disturbing, past. I found the author to be a great writer (although the book was clearly translated from a foreign, germanic language, which always seems to result in a...more
"Amazing" is a pretty strong word for me, so I don't know if I'd go that far. Amazing was seeing a whole school of dolphins in the Sea of Cortez, heading for our ship, in formation like a big beautiful goofy army.
But I did love this book. I've read a few Scandinavian authors and they've all conveyed a sort of wide-open spare wildness both geographically and emotionally. No gushiness but sincerity and a quiet love. Not romantic love but the strong time-tested kind.
These are my people and I have...more
But I did love this book. I've read a few Scandinavian authors and they've all conveyed a sort of wide-open spare wildness both geographically and emotionally. No gushiness but sincerity and a quiet love. Not romantic love but the strong time-tested kind.
These are my people and I have...more
1 like
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I was looking up Veronica by Mary Gaitskill which I want to add to my to be read pile, but came across this one and remembered it. I LOVED this book! What a great story of a friendship between two women, one young and one old, in Sweden, where I have never been and was thrilled to live in for a week or so while I was reading the book. There was one thing about the ending that didn't seem consistent but what the hey. A great read.
Michele
Michele
A story of two women who form an unlikely bond of friendship as a result of circumstance and past tragedies in both of their lives. Veronika, a writer in her thirties moves from New Zealand to a small isolated town in Sweeden after the tragic death of her boyfriend. While there she plans to write her next novel, basically a tribute to her boyfriend and their relationship. Astrid, an 80 year old woman, lives in the house next door. Astrid, who has, for many years been very reclusive, makes no att...more
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Linda Olsson lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Her debut 'Let me sing you gentle songs' was published in September 2005 in New Zealand. Since then the rights for it have been sold to many countries. It has now been published in the US and Canada under the title 'Astrid and Veronika' as well as in her country of birth, Sweden (Låt mig sjunga dig milda sånger).
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“Take risks! That is really what life is about. We must pursue our own happiness. Nobody has ever lived our lives; ther are no guidelines. Trust your instincts. Accept nothing but the best. But then also look for it carefully. Don't allow it to slip between your fingers. Sometimes, good things come to us in a such a quiet fashion. And nothing comes complete. It is what we make of whatever we encounter that determines the outcome. What we choose to see, what we choose to save. And what we choose to remember. Never foget that all the love in your life is there, inside you, always.”
—
69 people liked it
“But once you accept the fact that you have always been alone, and will always be, then your perspective can begin to change. You can become aware of the small kindnesses, the little comforts. Be grateful for them. ”
—
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