General information | review summaries | our review | links | about the authorĭas Leben nach dem Happy End - Deutschlandī : penetrating variation on the mystery/thriller genre Top 30 Book Review Blogs on the internet as voted by ShoutAbout.Trying to meet all your book preview and review needs. Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Recommend to Others the Most #TopTenTuesday #TuesdayBookBlog May 9, 2023.“Secrets of Clearwater Castle” by Emma Davies – Book Review #BlogTour #SecretsOfClearwaterCastle May 10, 2023.Have you heard about Libby’s “Big Library Read” online bookclub? May 11, 2023.“Before You Knew My Name” by Jacqueline Bublitz – Book Review #BeforeYouKnewMyName May 12, 2023.“Remaindered” by Peter Lovesey – Book Review #bibliomysteries #ShortStory May 12, 2023.Fictionophile’s archives Fictionophile’s archives.The Murder of Halland won Denmark’s most important literary prize, Den Danske Banks Litteraturpris. Pia Juul has published nine books of poetry, three short story collections and two novels. Thanks to Coach House Books via Edelweiss for providing me with a digital copy of this novella in exchange for my candid review. “ The murder of Halland” won Denmark’s most prestigious literary prize, Danske Banks Litteraturpris. Kudos go out to Martin Aitken who translated “ The murder of Halland” from the Danish losing none of its profound nuances. I recommend this literary novella to everyone on the basis of the brilliant writing and the fact that reading it causes the reader to become ruminative and introspective. Bess was just too ‘out there’ for me to genuinely connect with her on a personal level. That doesn’t mean that it is not deserving of more, only that my personal taste considers it just a bit too quirky to merit five. This is more a book about grief, guilt, and of course, love.Įven though the writing is wonderful and almost like the poetry that the author is famous for, I cannot in good conscience give this more than four stars. We don’t know who killed Halland at the beginning of the book, nor do we know at the end. Bess longs to be reconnected with her daughter…įirst, let me state categorically that this is NOT a murder mystery. Recently, the handsome and much older Halland has been ill. She has been estranged from her daughter, Abby ever since. She left her first husband and her daughter to be with Halland. Bess seems to be struggling and fighting her way out of a murky gloaming. Since she is drunk a lot of the time, this view can be skewed and whimsical, not to mention peculiar. The story is told solely from Bess’s point of view.

A grieving, eccentric, bizarre writer who drinks more than she writes. What a clever, enigmatic, and disorientating book!īess is a writer.

The Murder of Halland by Pia Juul