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#12BooksOf2025 - day 7 July

Another book not in the database, so tagging a previous novel by the author

Harstad‘s latest isn‘t in the database, so tagging the only other book by him that I‘ve read

I read this in August. Every once in a while you read the first page of a book and know that you‘re gonna love it. This was one of those times

Ingmar gets a call from a childhood best friend who says he‘s returning to Stavanger and will Ingmar meet him?

So starts a journey from Shanghai to Stavanger (the friend), a journey down memory lane (Ingmar)

I tune into Youtube @ceciliablomdahl?si=ch5bzcrrEqSTPzw6" rel="nofollow" target="_top">https://youtube.com/@ceciliablomdahl?si=ch5bzcrrEqSTPzw6 every Sunday to watch Cecilia, Christoffer, and Grim, so I was delighted when Life on Svalbard came out last fall.

Read seasonally through Polar Night, Pastel Winter, Sunny Winter, Polar Day, & Golden Autumn.

Tue when Polar Night returned, I traded my usual tea for latte in Cecilia's honor and settled in to read last few pages of this amazing adventure. ☕️🌌🐶

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Introduction
“My name is Cecilia, and I live on Svalbard, an island close to the north Pole.”
Chapter 1
“Each year in late October, the sun says goodbye for the final time, plunging Svalbard into a state of uninterrupted darkness.”

I loved this beautifully written and moving story. A tale of family and grief set in Tasmania, Copenhagen and the Faroe Islands, it wonderfully explores the path to healing. I enjoyed the growth experienced by the main character, the 80's parties, the sheep, the myths and fairy tales, the romance, the descriptions of nature and the many strong women. It made me both tear up and laugh out loud. Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC. 5/5 stars!

This was a long read for me. At first, it was because the protagonist was driving me crazy but I was so damn intrigued already. But I was rewarded for accompanying Esther through the journey because it was breathtaking with the poetic prose. The descriptions dreamy, the story symbolic.

A love letter from the author to Føroyar and its' people after spending a year away from his London home to experience life and death on the islands.
Mentioning much about everyday Faroese life which includes shepherding, ornithology of the MANY bird species that nest there, and yes hunting whales, hares, and birds. All makes up the beautiful and centuries old culture that makes the Faroe Islands seem like a place from the past.

I love books that can express the beauty of nature. This book doesn‘t just express it, it embodies it.

2/5

Quite disappointing. Despite very well written parts, the way the book was constructed made it hard to read and to follow the story.

The way the book was constructed was a disservice to the interesting themes presented in the book: expatriation, homecoming, the feeling of not belonging (especially for the future generations), etc.