Book Reviews

‘The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.’ Alan Bennett

“Many a book is like a key to unknown chambers within the castle of one’s own self.” ― Franz Kafka

Friday 23 August 2013

Book Beginnings (10) - Someday We'll Tell Each Other Everything by Daniela Krien



Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

The idea, as stated on the host's blog, is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' There's a hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter etc too, and a master linky list on the host's blog. I've got a couple of books on the go at the moment so I've just picked one out to mention here.



My Book Beginning


Someday We'll Tell Each Other Everything by Daniela Krien 
(translated from German by Jamie Bulloch)



Published by MacLehose Press


'It is summer, a wonderfully hot summer. At the farm the buildings are ranged around three sides of a yard. In the middle is the long, detached house, which has two floors and a large attic; the barn, on the left-hand side, has large wooden doors at the front and back. A few metres behind it is a wide, low wooden building - the sawmill. Meadows and pastureland stretch down to the river; a short way upstream, just before a weir, is a dilapidated shed.'


I've been really looking forward to reading this one, and I'm intrigued by what I've read so far. The setting and the period both appeal to me. I think the opening places a lot of importance on the sense of place. Looking forward to reading on!


Synopsis from goodreads:

It is summer 1990, only months after the border dividing Germany has dissolved. Maria, nearly seventeen, moves in with her boyfriend on his family farm.


A chance encounter with enigmatic loner Henner, a neighbouring farmer, quickly develops into a passionate relationship. But Maria soon finds that Henner can be as brutal as he is tender – his love reveals itself through both animal violence and unexpected sensitivity. Maria builds a fantasy of their future life together, but her expectations differ dramatically from those of Henner himself, until it seems their story can only end in tragedy.

Someday We’ll Tell Each Other Everything is a bold and impressive debut in which love and violence, conflict and longing, are inextricably entwined.

8 comments:

  1. Sounds good Lindsay - Happy Reading :)

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  2. I liked it a lot when I read it a few weeks ago.
    I agree, sense of place is very important.

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  3. Great share, this is definitely a book that appeals to me.

    'The Doctor looked down at the board, sighed and gently knocked over the king with one finger. Lost again. That was the problem with playing chess with yourself. You always lost.' - Doctor Who: Dark Horizons by Jenny T Colgan.

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  4. The title really speaks to me. Hope you enjoy it.

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  5. Sounds intense...and very good. I'm going to see if my library has a copy.

    Here's my Friday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2013/08/friday-focus-friday-56-book-beginnings_23.html

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  6. 'Someday we'll tell each other everything' sounds like a page turner! I look forward to reading your thoughts on it. Have a great weekend!
    Happy Reading,
    Rebecca @ The Key to the Gate

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  7. I love the cover...but have to admit that the beginning did not capture me! Hope you love it though!

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  8. Interesting beginning, Lindsay! I remember reading a review of this book and liking it very much. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it. Happy reading!

    My Friday Book Beginning :)

    "Near the park which my bedroom overlooks there came to stay a family which owned a pack of pugs, five or six of them, active little dogs, none of them overweight as pugs so often are. I saw them recently on their morning walk, and they caused me a pang." - from 'Somewhere Towards the End' by Diana Athill.

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