De thuiskomst in Netherlands & Flanders group

May 18, 2012 Jan rated it really liked it

Shelves: lit-21st-century, lit-dutch

first Dutch, afterwards English
Bij het lezen van dit boek raakte ik meer meegevoerd en ontroerd dan gemiddeld bij een ander boek. Enquists Inlevingsvermogen mag van mij met een hoofdletter. De schrijfster heeft knap toegewerkt naar ‘het van een andere (karakter)kant leren kennen’ van James Cook. Een historisch aspect van het verhaal is de ‘dubbele moraal’ waarmee het respect betonen aan onbekende culturen, soms onwetend, gepaard gaat. Dat aspect komt redelijk uit de verf. Een prachtig geheel, ee ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 26, 2014 Sanne rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-dutch, atw-europe-netherlands, historical-fiction, abandoned

nb. this book has not been translated into English (as far as I know), but is available in Dutch (original language), French and German, and perhaps some other languages as well.

I will say before I start with the review that I did not finish this book. I read until half-way and then I gave up. It's not that it isn't any good, it's just that this main character is written in such a way that I couldn't finish it. The entire review is under the spoiler, as I couldn't write it in any way without the nb. this book has not been translated into English (as far as I know), but is available in Dutch (original language), French and German, and perhaps some other languages as well.

I will say before I start with the review that I did not finish this book. I read until half-way and then I gave up. It's not that it isn't any good, it's just that this main character is written in such a way that I couldn't finish it. The entire review is under the spoiler, as I couldn't write it in any way without the spoilers (well spoilers for those of us unfamiliar with the life of James Cook).

(view spoiler)[First the positive. There are many good things about this book. It's about Elizabeth Cook, wife of the famous explorer James Cook. I think this is a very interesting premise for a novel: instead of writing the story about James and his adventures and discoveries, we get to read about the woman who stayed behind, who had to do things all on her own and despite years of marriage didn't spend more than one entire year in her husband's company. That was the reason I wanted to read this novel. It's an interesting, fresh subject and it's so interesting to explore the role and life of women like Elizabeth Cook. I do think the novel succeeds in this. It shows the loneliness, the doubt, the self-denial and generally the harsh life of a woman who has to do everything on her own - from running the household to mourning over her children who died at a young age.

The writing is clean and gives a great sense of the period and the confined world of Elizabeth: her home, the daily rounds she walks, her imaginations about James' travels.

However, I had a major issue with the way Elizabeth was written. The author clearly meant to get across to the reader to show how hard life was for Elizabeth, and the effect it had on her mental wellbeing. After all, she lived to be well into her nineties, she lost all her children, her husband, her best friend, etc. That's hard, I get that. But from page one of the novel (when she still has her husband, who is on the return after a long journey! shouldn't you be happy about that?), we get nothing but a defeated character. If the writer set out to write a depressed character, she succeeded. However, I personally cannot read about such defeatism, such self-loathing, self-denial and self-sacrifice, without a spark of hope that it will change. I just don't handle narrow POV stories about depressed characters very well.

I kept on reading until halfway through the novel, hoping for Elizabeth to change quickly, but everything just circled back to her defeatism. There was nothing to feel for this character except pity and frustration that she didn't try to do anything on her own initiative, for herself, or her own happiness. I had to abandon the novel.

Perhaps others find this a really wonderful portrayal of a woman who had centered her life around a husband who was never there, and as a consequence had a tough, unhappy life, and the kind of effect it had on her psyche. Sadly, it was not for me. (hide spoiler)] ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 02, 2008 Mips rated it liked it

Shelves: fictie, nederlands

Historische roman over het leven van de vrouw van Thomas Cook...
Ik zag mezelf toch maar (met een zwangere buik en jengelende kinderen om me heen) ZONDER gsm weken en weken eindeloos staan wachten op de kade. Tof, zo'n avontuurlijke partner. (Vraag me af of ik het zou uitgehouden hebben).
In die zin was het boek toch wel confronterend :)
Vrees wel dat dit een typisch 'vrouwenboek' is. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 10, 2013 Janet rated it really liked it

Dit boek schrijnt. Je voelt het verdriet van de hoofdpersoon Elisabeth Cook. Heel mooi beschreven door Anna Enquist.
Je zit voortdurend in haar gedachtenwereld, ook wanneer ze in de war is door het verdriet.
De wereld om haar heen komt binnen in de vorm van brieven en conversaties.
Boek over overleven.

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 14, 2020 An C. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2020

Mijn eerste boek van Anna Enquist, maar zeker niet het laatste! De Thuiskomst is een prachtig, aangrijpend boek. Ik werd van begin tot einde meegesleept in het verhaal van deze sterke en dappere vrouw. Vijf sterren waard voor mij!

Like · see review