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Out Stealing Horses
 
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Out Stealing Horses (Hardcover)

by Per Petterson (Author), Anne Born (Translator)
4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Harvill Secker (3 Nov 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1843432293
  • ISBN-13: 978-1843432296
  • Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 10.9 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 410,555 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review
"This stunning novel will tell you more about the Norwegian countryside and psyche than the most enthusiastically well-informed guidebook."-"Sunday Telegraph"
"[Petterson] captures the essence of a man's vast existence with a clean-lined freshness that hits you like a burst of winter air - surprising and breathtaking."-"Daily Express"
." . . a true gem, compact yet radiant."-"Independent on Sunday"
." . . a minor masterpiece of death and delusion."-"The Guardian"

"From the Trade Paperback edition."

The Saturday Herald Books of the Year. Chosen by Ruaridh Nicoll.
`It is a small-scale, yet perfect study of humanity. I wish I'd
written it.'
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An evocative coming-of-age story set in Norway, 23 Nov 2006
By kimbofo (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Out Stealing Horses (Paperback)
This is a delightful, thought-provoking and ethereal book by an author the Independent describes as "one of Norway's finest living writers". It's a relatively simple story tinged with nostalgia about a 67-year-old man's remembrance of things past and how events in the summer of 1948 shaped the rest of his life.

The narrator, Trond, is a widower who has lost touch with his children. He is living the life of a recluse in an isolated part of Norway with his faithful dog Lyra. By a strange coincidence his only neighbour, another elderly man, whom he stumbles upon by chance, is someone he has not seen since that fateful summer. This brings some painful memories to the surface and forces Trond to recall what happened all those years ago.

Back in 1948 Trond and his father left Oslo to spend a summer in a cabin in the woods not far from the Swedish border. Here Trond hangs out with Jon -- a tearaway also holidaying in the area with his family -- who encourages him to go 'out stealing horses', a euphemism for riding the local farmer's horses without permission. But then tragedy strikes Jon's family and the rest of the summer becomes a turning point in 15-year-old Trond's life.

Through a series of painful but carefully realised incidents, Trond discovers what it is to grow up, to fall in love, to grieve. He also finds out that life is fragile and not always as straightforward as it seems, that adults sometimes keep secrets and that those closest to you can also betray you.

Essentially, this is a coming-of-age story, but it is written so eloquently and with such a love for Nature -- the descriptions of woods, waterways and the changing seasons is pure magic -- that the reader falls under a kind of spell and does not want the story to end. I found it a deeply atmospheric read that transported me to another time and place as if I, too, was out in the Norwegian countryside rowing down the river or riding horses bareback through the forest.

Having read this book in one sitting, I can see why Out Stealing Horses earned Per Petterson this year's Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. It's a truly accomplished and evocative read.
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31 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting, 26 Oct 2006
By M. Mcilhone "Mary M" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Out Stealing Horses (Paperback)
What a moving wonderful story. I read the book first and found myself reading more and more slowly just to savour the wonderful craftsmanship of the writing. I finished it reluctantly (its one of those books that you just don't want to end) and gave it to my husband who also loved it from start to finish. Not a big or complicated read, it was a joy from the moment I opened the front cover. It is one that I will tuck away for a few years and then read again when I need a treat.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, 21 April 2008
This review is from: Out Stealing Horses (Paperback)
Just a wonderful book from start to finish. The kind of book you just don't want to end. I stumbled across this by accident and am very glad I did. Simply a great novel.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read
This is a first class story. A little quirky, but well written - engages one from the beginning.
Published 12 days ago by anatowle

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful writing
Out Stealing Horses
Loved the writing, reflective, sad, honest and humour as well. Thank goodness for authors like this, nothing flashy,just great writing
Published 4 months ago by Carolyn Court

4.0 out of 5 stars Whoah!
The story imposes it's own tempo on the reader slowing one down to the slow unfolding story and it's seasons. Read more
Published 4 months ago by R. Hick

3.0 out of 5 stars a lonely old man with no redeeming qualities
I'm not sure I agree at all that this is a story about nostalgia. This story is about an old man disconnected from his family, without real friends, who recalls the events of a... Read more
Published 5 months ago by D. J. Keyworth

5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite novel for 2008
A pellucid, gripping and beautifully structured novel which takes one event
and makes the drama out of the psychological repercussions on all those who surround it. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Colonel Mustard

5.0 out of 5 stars Hypnotic, atmospheric

This is such a lovely book - I haven't read anything quite so evocative and atmospheric for a long time. Read more
Published 11 months ago by R. George

4.0 out of 5 stars Father and son
A contemplative novel about the relationship between father and son and how it changes as events happen. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Annabel Gaskell

1.0 out of 5 stars Left alot to be desired- less than impressive display
Billed as "One of Norway's top authors" I had high expectations for this book but was less than impressed by both the style of writing and the story contained within. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Jack Percival

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply atmospheric
The story has a fascinating final thought, which I'm not sure I entirely agree with, however the power of this book is undeniable. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Len Tingle

5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful sparse and atmospheric
I read this book purely because I had heard it had won the IMPAC award. I was not disappointed. It has a cold Norwegian atmosphere to it and a sadness resulting from the plot. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Bonny King

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