Journal Entry 1 by ruzena from Vantaa, Uusimaa Finland on Sunday, May 29, 2011

Orig. Ennen päivänlaskua ei voi, 2000. Translated by Herbert Lomas. The book is originally published in 2003 in GB under the title Not Before Sundown.
This edition, Troll: A Love Story by title, is published in 2004 by Grove Press, NY. Paperback, 278 pages.


From library sale, and in excellent condition!

Back cover: Winner of the Finlandia Award, “Troll” is an enchanting novel that has become an international sensation. Angel, a young photographer, comes home from a night of carousing to find a group of drunken teenagers in the courtyard of his apartment building, taunting a wounded, helpless young troll. He takes it in, not suspecting the dramatic consequences of this decision. What does one do with a troll in the city? As the troll’s presence influences Angel’s life in ways he could never have predicted, it becomes clear that the creature is the familiar of man’s most forbidden feelings. “Troll” is a wry, beguiling story of nature and man’s relationship to wild things, and of the dark power of the wildness in ourselves.


Could be categorized as Science Fiction & Fantasy, but I prefer Literature & Fiction.

I loved this book as soon as I had perceived its plaintive beauty and its elegant method of work. The storyline itself is economically written; the characters, each in turn, briefly tell what happens. The action-packed plot is stopped by interwoven elements: quotations, or “quotations”, from Finnish literature, folklore, myths, and “facts”. The interrupting add-ons might be annoying for a plot-dependent reader, but I found them essential.
Several themes can be found. Questioning the civilization, the author reveals the thin line between man and other animals, and shows the macabre side of man’s model role. The book also deals with the wide variety of eroticism, and I greatly appreciated the naturalness and equality with which the queer characters were described. Another issue is a feministic one, presented by an imported Filipino concubine.

I can, and I think I will, reread the book in Finnish, so I’m offering this copy for a bookray book.


-ruzena

Bookray: (to join, please send me PM with your shipping preferences)

Arvores (Portugal)
Ossiefry (Portugal, int'l)
earthcaroleanne (UK, prefer mailing to EU)
Vekiki (UK, prefer EU)
greenbadger (UK, EU)
flambard (UK, int'l)
Tsjara (NL, prefer EU)
VictoriaWagtail (Swe, int'l)
Dancesports (Australia, int'l) --- reading ---
innocencelost (Australia, int'l)
madpocky (Philippines, int'l)
gothamgal (USA, prefer to ship within the US)
ealasaidmae (US, int'l)
azuki (US, US or CAN)
innae (US, int'l)
Kally93 (Canada, int'l)
...
...

Bookray Rules:

1) When you receive the book, please journal it so that the group knows where it has landed.
2) Plan on keeping the book for no more than 4 weeks. If you think you might need more time, please make note as a journal entry.
Be considerate to the others in the bookray and do not stall the book.
4) When you’re ready to pass the book along, PM the next person on the list to get their address. Journal again when you've sent it on. Let everyone know what you thought of the book and where you’ve sent it. Set the book’s status code to “traveling”. 

Journal Entry 2 by ruzena at Fellow Bookcrosser, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Released 1 yr ago (5/31/2011 UTC) at Fellow Bookcrosser, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Happy Reading, Arvores! 

Journal Entry 3 by Arvores at Viana do Castelo, Viana do Castelo Portugal on Monday, June 06, 2011

It has arrived today!
Thanks a lot. And thanks for all the info on the National Urban Park. Sounds like lots of fun :)
 

Journal Entry 4 by Arvores at Viana do Castelo, Viana do Castelo Portugal on Thursday, July 21, 2011

I must apologize for taking so long to post this JE. The thing is that I have spent some time in a summer cottage, here in Finland, and I didn´t have access to Internet there. Besides that, you know how people go so crazy, during Finnish summer :)
The best thing about this book is that I read it in the middle of Finnish forest, in Northern Finland, the perfect scenario for Trolls :) But, I must say that, after a very promising beginning, the book somehow turned out to be a little disappointing. I liked very much the way Johanna Sinisalo made the approach on Finnish society, some of the “big issues” that I found here, myself. And, of course, her approach on Finnish Mythology was really interesting. I felt like “googling” all the time, to find out if all those things were there, on the web. I guess, most of them weren´t, which makes it much more interesting. But, somehow, there was something missing in this book.
Anyway, I´m very grateful for this chance to read a Finnish author. And I will follow their track :)
Kiitos, ruzena. The book will be on its way to the next reader, as soon as I get back home (next week)
 

Journal Entry 5 by Arvores at Viana do Castelo, Viana do Castelo Portugal on Friday, August 05, 2011

Released 9 mos ago (8/5/2011 UTC) at Viana do Castelo, Viana do Castelo Portugal

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to ossiefry this morning.
Happy travelling and happy readings!

Thanks again, ruzena. I'll keep on track of Finnish authors.
Kiitos! 

Journal Entry 6 by Ossiefry at Aljezur, Faro Portugal on Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Book arrived safly and I will read it as soon as I have finished the one I am reading at the moment.
Thanks for this bookray! :) 

Journal Entry 7 by Ossiefry at Aljezur, Faro Portugal on Wednesday, August 17, 2011

I enjoyed this book, but yes, I did find the "interrupting add-ons" a bit annoying!
PMing the next reader. 

Journal Entry 8 by Ossiefry at sent by post, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases on Friday, August 19, 2011

Released 9 mos ago (8/19/2011 UTC) at sent by post, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

On it's way to the next reader! 

Journal Entry 9 by earthcaroleanne at Falkirk, Scotland United Kingdom on Thursday, September 01, 2011

Waiting for me when I got home yesterday. Good timing - started it on the bus this morning. 

Journal Entry 10 by earthcaroleanne at Falkirk, Scotland United Kingdom on Saturday, September 03, 2011

I can't remember why this book ended up in my wishlist. Was it recommended, did I read a review, I don't know? So I started reading this book not knowing what it was about and there were a few surprises at the beginning and a few more suprises when I read the blurb on the back of the book. That said, I did enjoy it, in a slightly guilty way at first. I really needed to know what was going to happen next.

Arvores was really lucky to be reading this in a Finnish forest, a perfect setting which I think would have added to the atmosphere especially towards the end. I do disagree with ruzena on a couple of points though. Like Ossiefry, I did find the "add-ons" annoying and I began skimming them towards the end when I wanted to follow the story. Also I don't understand why the imported Filipino concubine was important. It wasn't really part of the love story and there wasn't enough of it to make an issue. Any neighbour could have been the necessary distraction. Much as I loved the book and it had a kind of happy ending, there did seem to be something missing but I don't know what. 

Journal Entry 11 by earthcaroleanne at London , Greater London United Kingdom on Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Released 8 mos ago (9/6/2011 UTC) at London , Greater London United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Off to the next person in the ray. 

Journal Entry 12 by Vekiki at -- somewhere in Greater London --, Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, September 07, 2011

arrived today :) why do bookrays always arrive in a glut? 

Journal Entry 13 by Vekiki at -- somewhere in Greater London --, Greater London United Kingdom on Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Released 8 mos ago (9/20/2011 UTC) at -- somewhere in Greater London --, Greater London United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

a simple but beautiful and powerfully told story. Unputdownable. Thank you so much for sharing!

posted to next person yesterday 

Journal Entry 14 by greenbadger at Kings Langley, Hertfordshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Received this as part of a book ray.

I couldn't put this down! The way the narrative is interwoven with quoted articles from various sources is very clever and really draws you in - I found myself starting to doubt that trolls are folklore. 

Journal Entry 15 by greenbadger at Kings Langley, Hertfordshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Released 7 mos ago (10/11/2011 UTC) at Kings Langley, Hertfordshire United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Posted to flambard as part of a bookray. 

Journal Entry 16 by flambard at Horsham, West Sussex United Kingdom on Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Arrived! Thank you greenbadger and ruzena! 

Journal Entry 17 by flambard at Horsham, West Sussex United Kingdom on Sunday, October 16, 2011

Odd and disturbing. Not so much a love story, more a lust story with unsettling undertones of bestiality which the folk-tale references to maidens being lured into the woods by, or kidnapped by male trolls as their 'wives', did little to assuage. Rather lightweight, but entertaining nonetheless. Ready to pass on.  

Journal Entry 18 by flambard at by Post, Bookray -- Controlled Releases on Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Released 7 mos ago (10/18/2011 UTC) at by Post, Bookray -- Controlled Releases

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

To Tsjara 

Journal Entry 19 by Tsjara at Assendelft, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Monday, October 24, 2011

Received the book today (with some very nice stamps on the package). Thanks Flambard!
Great timing, as I just finished the book I was reading, so I will start with this tonight. It does sound very interesting.. Thanks a lot for sharing ruzena! 

Journal Entry 20 by Tsjara at Assendelft, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Tuesday, November 01, 2011

This was a bit unusual, but I really liked it and read it in 2 (or 3?) days.. (I just had to keep reading to find out what would happen next). The way it is told and the bits of information or quotes, makes you doubt whether trolls really do exist or not.. and I didn't find them annoying actually. But it did make me want to read the story about Pessi and Illusia :p (I wonder if there is an English or Dutch translation?). The ending was a bit unsettling though.

Will send it to Victoriawagtail tomorrow. 

Journal Entry 21 by Tsjara at Assendelft, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Released 7 mos ago (11/2/2011 UTC) at Assendelft, Noord-Holland Netherlands

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to Sweden now :)

Happy reading! 

Journal Entry 22 by VictoriaWagtail at Bagarmossen, Stockholm Sweden on Monday, November 07, 2011

The book is with me now, thanks Tsjara for sending it to me and to all of you for keeping the book travelling :) I look forward to read this one, it looks very interesting! 

Journal Entry 23 by VictoriaWagtail at Bagarmossen, Stockholm Sweden on Monday, January 09, 2012

I used to read quite a lot of fantasy when I was younger but mostly the kind of traditional fantasy set in a medieval-like world inhabited by knights, kings and magicans (some of my favourite authours in this genre are David Eddings, Katherine Kerr and Cynthia Voigt). But I havn't read books in this fantasy genre in a long time now, most probably because I'm a little bit bored with it now.

This book on the other hand is completely different from this kind of fantasy (which is also what most people think of when they think of fantasy) and representative of a kind of fantasy that I've come to like more and more during the last couple of years. It involves our modern world instead of distancing it self from it and combines the magic with our everyday life.

I've always maintained that well written fantasy hasn't got anything to do with escapism or rejection of the "real world". It's rather to be viewed as a sort of metaphor for our own reality, never mind the outworldish setting, and can actually sometimes describe "the human condition" just as well as ordinary fiction does. But this book and this form of fantasy (is this what's refered to as "urban fantasy"?) takes it all a little bit further and applies the fantasy to the world we're actually living in, and that makes it all just a little bit more interesting I think. It's a very strong story about love, specially about the dark aspects of love, when it hurts people and breaks them down.

Thanks to Ruzena for sharing this book and to all of you who have sent it on making its travels possible. And thank you for your patiance with me for keeping the book a bit longer than I should have. Sorry but now the book will soon travel on, I'll pm the next person in line now. 

Journal Entry 24 by VictoriaWagtail at Bagarmossen, Stockholm Sweden on Monday, January 16, 2012

Released 4 mos ago (1/16/2012 UTC) at Bagarmossen, Stockholm Sweden

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This book is now finally moving on to its next reader, Danceports in Australia :)

Thanks all for being patient with me.

I support The Swedish Cancer Society with a Pink Ribbon
 

Journal Entry 25 by Dancesports at Petcheys Bay, Tasmania Australia on Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Thank you VictoriaWagtail for sending this book on to me, I'm just finishing off another bookring - an Australia story called 'The Slap' by Christos Tsiolkas its eight chapters have been made into a TV series which has been quite popular. Also thank you for the delicious chocolate bar.

We also have pink ribbon day in Australia.

NB, This book arrived at the same time as a book from Calgary Canada posted on the same day. 

Journal Entry 26 by Dancesports at Petcheys Bay, Tasmania Australia on Monday, May 14, 2012

My apology for the long delay on this book,, it got lost in my book pile and it wasn''t until Ruzena prompted me that I realised I still had the book. Once I started it, it didn't take long to read. I liked the style in short chapters, the story line was fast moving and along the way it triggered all emotions, humour, sadness, anger, fear. Thank you for sharing it with me.,