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Butterflies In November (2004)

by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir(Favorite Author)
3.39 of 5 Votes: 4
ISBN
080212318X (ISBN13: 9780802123183)
languge
English
genre
publisher
Grove Press, Black Cat
review 1: This is a curious book, written (mainly) in the first person by an oddly detached narrator, who treats running over a goose, being dumped by her husband, and winning the lottery with the same unemotional practicality.In many respects, this is a book in which nothing very much happens, although as readers we learn more about the (unnamed) narrator's life and a event in her past)Unit is a gentle and ultimately optimistic book, and I enjoyed it.
review 2: Butterflies in November is a beautiful novel by an author who I would perhaps never have come across without the help of Lovereading.co.uk. The book draws you in from the very start with a mixture of black comedy and as the story develops and becomes more emotionally moving it holds you riveted. The book tells
... morethe story of one woman’s journey across her home country of Iceland with the young boy whom is suddenly thrust into her care. The first third of the book explores what has driven the narrator to undertake this trip – predominantly relationship issues and how the young child, the deaf-mute son of her best friend, comes to be thrown into her care. It is this part of the book which I found to be the most humorous leaving me smiling long after I had put it down. Whilst the black comedy element remains, the story evolves into an ultimately refreshing and uplifting novel which fully explores how the relationship between the narrator and the child in her care develops. With the narrator being resolutely childfree prior to the trip the reader is intrigued to see how she will cope with the child and what will occur on this grand road trip.Butterflies in November is highly readable and left a resounding impression on me long after I had finished reading it, being more emotionally involving than I had first expected at the start of the novel. I loved the quirky comedy element, the sentiment and the writing style and intend to read the authors previous novel, The Greenhouse, next. less
Reviews (see all)
mezzy
Normally I'm into "quirky" books, but this was too disjointed for me.
Janabanana
Quirky, fascinating. I'm still thinking about this book
izefczech_111
Unusual style and setting
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