Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow - Peter Hoeg

I rarely read translations now I read almost exclusively in English: the world of literature, pop-fiction and non-fiction in English is so huge and varied that with all the time in the world one would not mange to explore it; so no wonder translations seem often just a spurious extra. And yet, every so often, a translated book crops up on my reading list and virtually every time it happens the result is my wondrous astonishment. From Italian to Russian to French to Danish they seem - well, different. I cannot exactly pinpoint why, it might be the question of language which even in translation retains some memory of the original rhythm, melody and structure; ...  Read the complete review

To us snow may just be a type of weather precipitation but to Smilla, born and raised in Greenland, it is a part of life. She has grown up with snow and ice; she knows how it forms, how to live with it, how to treat it with respect and that it can tell a story, for Smilla has a feeling for snow. THE STORY The snow has told Smilla a tale and that tale is different from the one she hears from the police. Isaiah, a young boy with whom Smilla has formed a close friendship, has thrown himself from the snow-covered roof of a building and died instantly from the fall. However, Isaiah had a terrible phobia of heights and Smilla finds it hard to believe that ...  Read the complete review

I’m still not quite sure why I started reading this book, strangely enough. I had seen the trailer for the film of the same name a while back, but it didn’t appeal to me – and then out of curiosity, I read the back cover of the book when I saw it lying on the table at a mate’s flat not long ago. It might not have sounded too auspicious, being the story of Smilla Jaspersen, a single lady of Greenlandic descent who lives in Copenhagen and investigates the mysterious death of Isaiah, the boy who lives in the flat above hers, but the critics’ comments made me take a closer look. All the reviews I have read of ‘Smilla’ praise ...  Read the complete review

Is it a good idea to see film versions of books? Yes, if the film is well made; what does it matter where the plot comes from? NO, NEVER, if you’ve read the book! How wonderful is it to imagine what the characters might look like, I can create my own fictitious world and people it with my own imaginary creatures. But how can I possibly use my imagination, when I see an actor’s or an actress’s face in my mind’s eye whenever a name comes up? (A logical consequence of this is that a book made from a film is an absurdity and completely superfluous). No, I haven’t mixed up the categories, I’m dealing with ‘Miss ...  Read the complete review

"Isaiah is lying with his legs tucked up under him, with his face in the snow and his hands round his head, as if he were shielding himself from the little spotlight shining on him, as if the snow were a window through which he has caught sight of something deep inside the earth." But Isaiah hasn't caught sight of anything deep inside the earth. Isaiah won't be going on another childhood journey of exploration; nothing more will catch his eye and demand his hungry, inquisitive attention; nothing more will absorb him completely as children are absorbed completely by their latest discoveries. Finding out is something Isaiah won't do ...  Read the complete review