Apparently, my great love for “Babette’s Feast” fooled me into thinking I would love every single thing that Karen Blixen (pseudonymously known as Isak Dinesen) wrote. If you read my review of Out of Africa, you’ll know that’s not the case. And it’s certainly doubly true here. Three of the four essays in here were largely unmemorable, but there was a rather arresting one that stood out. Full review here.
No sparks of joy flying here.
Ever since I’ve begun Marie Kondo-ing my bookshelves, I have discovered plunder that I never knew was there. I have also discovered headscratchers that made me angry I moved them from my parents’ house to my MA program, to my first house with The Chancellor, to our current apartment. All throughout my reading of Out of Africa, I could not help thinking, “I moved this book? TWICE??” [possibly more, dear reader, but I refuse to think about it] My full review is rather baffled and […]
Out of Denmark
My final review for 2014 is a collection of short stories by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), perhaps best known for Out of Africa and Babette’s Feast. This collection is my first exposure to Dinesen’s work; the title and time of year made it seem appropriate. I have read a few re-imagined fairy tales this year, but Winter’s Tales does not fit the fairy tale model. In fact, after reading the first few stories, I wasn’t sure what to make of them at all and considered […]