Hypnotic, atmospheric - Rated 
This is such a lovely book - I haven't read anything quite so evocative and atmospheric for a long time. Simple but majestic prose, I found myself narrating incidents in my own life with the same stark yet intimate tone. (Perhaps that's a strange quirk of mine, but I only do that when I feel completely involved and at one with a book and a writer.)
Set in Norway, the book is about Trond, a man who has set up home in the middle of nowhere almost as a retreat from life; he is nearing old age. So proceeds a description of his current state of mind intertwined with memories of a youthful summer spent with his Dad in a very similar area. And in Trond, Petterson creates a character whose honesty you immediately like, but only really understand at the very end of the book, keeping you engaged throughout. And even then you are left with questions, though perhaps that is the key. Trond is still finding out new things about himself, still surprising himself, even though he tells himself that he has withdrawn. The story burns slowly, but like watching fire grow, it draws you closer. This is a meditation on the things which make us, and the moments which you somehow remember, many of which you don't understand because they happen when we are too young. It's beautifully written, elegtant, and very moving. I loved it.
wonderful - Rated
Just a wonderful book from start to finish. The kind of book you just don't want to end. I stumbled across this by accident and am very glad I did. Simply a great novel.
Father and son - Rated 
A contemplative novel about the relationship between father and son and how it changes as events happen.
A Norwegian, Trond retires to the country to try to find solitude in his old age now his wife has died, but meets someone from his youth that forces him to re-examine his teenage years when he and his father spent summers in the backwoods country close to the Swedish border where later WWII intruded.
Few words jar in this thoughtful translation, but there is drama and tension throughout - however muted. A recommended read.
Left alot to be desired- less than impressive display - Rated 
Billed as "One of Norway's top authors" I had high expectations for this book but was less than impressed by both the style of writing and the story contained within. They say "don't judge a book by it's cover" but this cover sums the book up perfectly- drab, boring and a horse lovers tale.
Whilst I can understand how a horse lover could be addicted to this book, little or no-one else would be able to put up with the constant lack of substance or happening within this tale. When you think it will pick up, it simply doesn't - going on for another drone about a seemingly dislinked part of the story.
I came away- after looking at these reviews thinking that the people here had read an entirely different book to me. Whilst some of the story may have been lost in translation- the writing style is annoying in any shape or form, unchanged throughout the book. Only for horse fans and admirers of unenchanting landscapes.
Deeply atmospheric - Rated
The story has a fascinating final thought, which I'm not sure I entirely agree with, however the power of this book is undeniable. The detailed desciptions of the Norwegian countryside and the events that gradually unfold are remarkable and vivid. Don't get this book if you're looking for something light, but if you value the natural world and the 'human condition'..........do NOT pass this novel by.
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