Once a successful surgeon, Frederick Welin now lives in self-imposed exile on an island in the Swedish archipelago. Nearly forty years have passed since he was disgraced for attempting to cover up a tragic mishap on the operating table. One morning in the depths of winter, he sees a hunched figure struggling towards him across the ice. His past is about to catch up with him. The figure approaching in the freezing cold is Harriet, the only woman he has ever loved, the woman he abandoned in order to go and study in America. She has sought him out in the hope that he will honor a promise made many years ago. Now in the late stages of a terminal illness, she wants to visit a small lake in Northern Sweden, a place Welin's father took him once as a boy. He upholds his pledge and drives her to this beautiful pool hidden deep in the forest.On the journey through the desolate snow-covered landscape, Welin reflects on his impoverished childhood and the woman he later left behind. However, once there Welin discovers that Harriet has left the biggest surprise until last.

Really loved this book!!

Ring:
*bestfriends
*Joanazinha
*Tienie
*DeSaatjes
*Misschien jij??
*Of jij??
*bookguide
*-Nika-

Vandaag in de brievenbus. Bedankt!

Ik heb deel III van de Millenium trilogie (Stieg Larsson) bijna uit en dit boek komt daarna aan de beurt. Kan ik fijn nog even in die speciale Scandinavische sferen blijven!

In een paar dagen uitgelezen. Ik vond het een prachtig verhaal. Hoewel er best zware thematiek in voor komt, zoals: eenzaamheid, spijt en sterfelijkheid, die stof tot nadenken biedt, is het allerminst deprimerend om te lezen. Er zit ook veel humor in. Ik heb altijd al erg genoten van Mankell's politieromans (Wallander!), maar in dit totaal andere genre is Mankell ook een meester!

Bedankt dat ik mee mocht lezen. Ik heb om het adres van de volgende lezer gevraagd. Het boek wordt doorgestuurd zodra ik het heb en in de gelegenheid ben het in Nederland op de bus te doen.

Loved this story, although it is not a 'light' read. Lots of thought provoking issues like: loneliness, regrets, mortality and failure could have made it a depressing read, but it was not, at least not for me.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

aan een vriendin meegegeven, die eerder in de buurt van een Nederlandse brievenbus komt dan ik.
Veel leesplezier Joanazinha!

KTMC # 12

Het boek is in Amersfoort aangekomen. Bedankt voor het ringen en het doorsturen!

I discovered to have had the book longer than expected. I just finished it this evening and it took me some while to read it. Partly due to my personal life, but also partly because of the book itself. I loved it. But it was not an easy book to read; having so many difficult issues to be tackled: loneliness, forgiveness, death. It all came to Frederick Welin within a short period of time, after living 12 years in solitude on his island. It must have been quite a schock to him!
Loved the story and the way the different persons came to his life and moreover his reaction to it. Very beautiful prose.

Thank you Yilla for letting me read a very different book by this author then I was used to!

Zaterdag in Oudkarspel aangekomen. Bedankt voor het opsturen.

Ik ga mij scharen achter de eerdere lezers. Inderdaad zware thema's, maar niet een zwaar boek om te lezen. Het verhaal leest makkelijk met mooie beschrijvingen. Er zitten een paar heel verassende wendingen in het verhaal.

Ik stuur hem 19 december naar DeSaatjes in Vlissingen

Het boek is nu bij DeSaatjes. Ik hoop dat het binnenkort nog verder reist.

Safely arrived in a snowy Wijchen. Thank you for sending it on, DeSaatjes. It's a shame DeSaatjes didn't make a JE, so we don't know if he/she read it. I'll try to read it within a month!

This is one of several books in a row (excluding one) which I have read about lonely men in real or metaphorical shacks in the middle of nowhere. It seems to be my theme for the month! It is interesting to note the similarities, as they seem to have a need to develop odd routines (here Frederick Welin jumps into a hole in the ice-covered lake, in 'The History of Love', Leo Gursky also has his personal routine, and in 'The Notebook' Noah sits on the verandah every evening). They also feel a need to prove that they are still alive. For Frederick it is the jumping into the lake every morning and his contact with the postman, even though he rarely has any post. For Leo it is the ritual of going to order something in a diner, and of regularly taking his photograph in a booth. All is sad and melancholy and slightly pointless. All of them are in suspended animation until something happens to change the monotony and to change the man's life for the better, and in each case it is a woman. But it is also the women who caused each of the men to fall into this state of invisibility and put their lives on hold.

I found 'Italian Shoes' an intriguing story with an interesting storyline, but the style of writing wasn't particularly beautiful. I was impressed with the way it was translated, as at no point did I find myself aware that it was a translation, which is not always the case. The descriptions also painted clear pictures in my mind of Frederick's house and the scenery of Sweden, and I can imagine it being filmed with the muted colours of nature and the people dressed in dull colours, and then the contrast with the bright red shoes. There was also a contrast between the quiet life everyone was living, and the brightness and frivolity of the midsummer party, as well as some rather dramatic occurences in the plot. As others have already said, although there is illness and more than its fair share of death in this book, it is not depressing. In fact, the story ends with hope for the future, and reconciliation with the past.

Finally, I just wanted to comment on this quotation: "Reciprocate. When had I last hard anybody use that word in a context like that? I couldn't remember. Perhaps people who live in the depths of the forest use language in a different way? Perhaps people who live in big cities chase down words as if they were outlaws?" This reminded me of the way in which expats often use words which have become outdated in their country of birth, so that their language is suspended in time.

EDIT: Persoonlijk overgehandig aan -Nika- tijdens een gezellige Monopoly meeting in Ede vanochtend, maandag 29 maart.

en het boek is bij mij aangekomen.

Book is back home, thanks everyone! :)

Hallo daar, vinder! Als je dit leest, heb je een boek gevonden. Gefeliciteerd! Hopelijk is het iets dat je leuk vindt; zo niet, dan heeft het je toch tenminste hier gebracht en dat is ook wat waard. Je mag het boek gerust doorgeven aan iemand anders, of zomaar ergens achterlaten. Veel plezier!
Als je het boek ook wilt volgen dan kun je je het beste aanmelden als nieuwe bookcrosser (Engelse pagina). Ik zou het erg leuk vinden als je mijn naam (Yilla) wilt invullen als Referring Member, dan kan ik zien dat je ook een geregistreerde bookcrosser bent geworden.
Oh ja, er is ook een Nederlandse website voor als je nog meer wilt weten over bookcrossing en een groot aantal Official BookCrossing Zones (zeg maar trefpunten) in Nederland waar je boeken kunt vinden en neerleggen en medeBookcrossers kunt ontmoeten.

Thank you for picking up this book. Please make a journal entry on the BookCrossing site to let me know that this book has found a good home with you. You may choose to remain anonymous or to join (its free). If you join, please consider indicating that you were referred by Yilla. I hope you enjoy the book. You can make another journal entry with your comments when you’ve finished reading. Whenever you’re ready to send it on its way, make a journal entry if you are giving or sending this book to a known person, or release notes if you are leaving it “in the wild” again for anyone to catch. Then watch its journey. You’ll be alerted by e-mail each time someone makes another journal entry. It’s all confidential (you’re known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address), free, and spam-free.