Hanna's Daughters, or The Book That Was Almost There

I've finished reading Hanna's Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson. I have to say, I agree with CelloBella. I'm rather unimpressed. I kept waiting for the story to take hold, to deepen and engage me, but it fell disappointingly flat. The sparse storytelling spanning three lives of the characters did not put much meat on the bones of the saga. I expected more detail and emotional revelations; the book seemed to skim the surface of decades of life far from ordinary. Perhaps, as CelloBella has mentioned, this novel lost its warmth in translation, or perhaps it is just a dish served cold. --Elle

Hanna's Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson

It looks like I'm the first to finish - or at least the first to review Hanna's Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson.

It's the saga of three women - Hanna - who lives at the turn of last century in a remote town near Norway, Joanna - her daughter (who in the present is dying in a nursing home) and Anna the grand-daughter - who is piecing their stories together.

I didn't think I was going to like this book at all. The opening sequence of Anna stressing out about her mum in a nursing home left me cold. But the story of Hanna kept me turning the pages and then I wanted to finish it.

The cover reads as if Anna is finding out the history of her forebears but the text doesn't read like that and it spoils it a bit as you are constantly fighting against the logic of it all. After all it's not like she can ask her mother anything - she's not speaking - and Hanna is long gone... Once you let go of that logic it draws you in.

The writing is sparse. It's hard to tell if that's a function of the translation. I didn't mind it but it didn't feel warm or engaging. I just didn't feel the sympathy I felt I should have especially for Joanna or Anna. I connected with the story of Hanna until she moved to the city and then... she lost me.

Overall I felt it was an interesting book, but it left me a little cold. A bit like Scandinavia I suspect! Well, in winter anyway...

Your thoughts?

Hanna's Daughters it is

Alrighty,
I think we should read Hanna's Daughters first.
I guess everybody needs to get a Copy.
So, once you get a Copy we can all start reading and discussing. I can't wait.
Oh, and post on how you think we should run this Book Club! Also, does anybody know how to get a cool template for free for this Blog?

Time to choose a Book

So, I think it's time to select a Book to read. Don't you all agree? Now, I don't know what kind of Books you guys prefer but I selected a few that I've been wanting to read.
Here's a List of Books I think would be great. Of course everybody is more than welcome to make their own selections.

• Noah Gordon - The Rabbi
• Khaled Hosseini - The Kite Runner
• Khaled Hosseini - A Thousand Splendid Suns
• Marianne Fredriksson - Hanna's Daughters
• Marianne Fredriksson - Simon's Family

There you go. Let me know which one all of you'd like to read.

Starting A Project & Being A Mother

by A Girl For All Status

One sunny day, I just thought to myself, "Why not design my own website from scratch?" This, coming from a computer and techie idiot. But it's not a wildly original idea. In fact, anyone can do it given the proper knowledge or education. So I said to myself, "It's time for everyone to see my greatness. I'll do it." I would enroll in a short course, learn the ropes and design my own website. Great!

The next day, I enrolled in web page design course which would last three weeks. I paid for it and left excited that I would be tech-savvy in no time. I could now see how my website would look. Plus, I had become obsessed with all the fortune I could make designing other people's website. I know I'm not the first one to have this idea but bear with someone who has not made a single cent after giving birth to her second child. This could be hallucinations. I also imagined socializing with my classmates while sipping coffee during breaks and listening appreciatively to one another's efforts to rule the internet world.

After that I went to pick up my kid from her therapy and fetch her big brother at home so we could have lunch. While driving along West Avenue, I excitedly told my son that I enrolled in this class and informed him my schedule and that while I'm in school, he's responsible for his sister. Of course, I didn't tell him beforehand since it's still vacation and he's not doing anything worthwhile so I suppose it would be ok with him.

I forgot that my son is now a teenager and he also has some wild ideas of his own. During Fridays, he has badminton with his friends and that's only day he gets to see his girlfriend. At first, I couldn't understand it. What's more important? Him seeing his girlfriend or me taking over Microsoft and the internet. I could be rich and famous as a matter of fact. But the mother in me took over and unfortunately, this project has to be put on hold.

No more bright ideas, no more creative endeavors, no more projects. I think I heard someone say to me before, if a thing is worth doing, it's worth putting off. Where the hell did it come from? If something is worth doing, do it now. Right? Or the moment just passes you by. Now, that I know came from My Bestfriend's Wedding.

So, ok. I'm willing to give this up for the time being and just stay home taking care of my kids and seeing them do their million projects. But it's a comfort to think that I'm not the first mother to miss opportunities to better themselves and put on hold starting a project you've been dreaming about.

It's Mother's day in a few days, write about your personal sacrifices so I can add yours to the magnificent tales of sacrifices I'm already getting. "For the kids, for their sake. For always." Now, where did I get that?

My first reading experience with my mother

(This post was first published in Residual Matters)

I have no remembrance of any preschool books in my younger years, I don’t remember if my mother bought me even a single one. However, I do remember I get hold of ABAKADA (first reading publication in grade school) in my first grade.

My imagination was showing me an illustration of a mother and child having a journey through reading a simple Filipino alphabet, wearing happy faces as they seem to be. But the story that my mother once told me disrupted my thoughts.

All were left was a child crying. I didn’t know why I was crying then.

My mother told me, I cried because she was so mad because I couldn’t read the letter K so I asked her, and she didn’t like that I couldn’t read it. She was mad at me as much as she was mad at herself.

Because she also, can’t read some letters in the book. That’s what she told me later, when I was old enough to understand.

Of course, we didn’t believe her. The we are I and my two other sisters.

“How could that be? It’s just a simple K, I don’t think you can’t read it. You finished grade 2 at least you can read simple alphabet. Don’t be too hard on yourself mother.” my sister blurted.

“Okay, maybe I can read that. But I was too busy thinking how can I give you a decent meal instead of tutoring you with the things I didn’t even experience. When I was your age that time, I need to leave the classroom because I have to assist my father to plant seeds in the farm. While the kids my age was enjoying the school, I was farming.” cried my mother.

First Post for the Book Club!

Hey!
I just wanna say Hi to everybody and say that I can't wait to get to read some good Books.

Everybody,
is anybody willing to do us a Banner or something like it?
Also, we need some suggestions for the First Book we wanna read!