i would just like to say that east of the sun & west of the moon is a wonderful book. i am 16 years old and i have had this book since i was in first grade. the little boy i babysit for begs me to read this book to him every time. it is a wonderful story and the art in this book is beatiful. it's definetley a book that your children will remember and love.

My new wife and I recently moved into a new apartment in Seattle. While unpacking we came across a hard cover eddition of East of the Sun and West of The Moon. It is probably one of the most cherished books of my childhood and I can not wait to read it to children of my own. The illustrations are so unique and fantastic that we have decided to buy a paperback eddition so that I may frame some of the Illustrations. It is a shame to have such wonderful artwork confined by a cover, but a joy to flip through the pages in awe of each image.

This is one of my favorite children's books of all time. I first recieved East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon when I was eight years old. The elementary school I went to had "Author's Day" once a year, and that was the year I met Mercer Mayer and fell in love with his books.
East Of The Sun combines mesmerizing artwork with intriguing story-telling, making it a great book for children who don't like to read or get bored easily. Mayer creates a world that triggers the imagination. This book actually made me want to become an artist.
I hope my children and yours will enjoy it as much as I do

'Music for the Third Ear' is a deceptively simple and quick book. But it lingers, it doesn't go away, and it keeps you thinking about it long afterwards. There are so many levels that meet or careen into each other... It is an extremely saddening book, with no happy ending, and barely a ray of hope. It is pessimistic, as many of the characters are sucked down into and feed on their own vortexes of hate or need. It is a violent protest about man's inhumanity to man, and what to depths our egocentricity allows us to stoop---Mette feels all she does is OK because she is childless; Mesud rides on a cloud of ethnic hate that becomes its own reason to exist and be nurtured; Dr. lo Schiavo has no qualms about removing love and trust in the name of 'charity' and 'humanity', and so on. The only truly innocent one is as always the child, who might be the eternal loser.

Susan Schwartz Senstad examines in unflinching detail the mingling worlds of Nazi Holocaust survivors and survivors of the atrocities in Bosnia. With a sensitive ear for the music of relationships, the fragile harmonies of faith, and the clashing dissonances of war, she creates characters who will not quickly leave your mind - babies held like bundles of laundry, a man with cigarette burn tattoos across his chest, a woman who can't bear to look at her ravaged body, the child Zero clutching his toy pistol.

The situations in which these people find themselves - and the situations they create from their own passions - echo like melodies heard faintly from a distant room; yet, when examined, seem to be coming relentlessly from inside one's own skull.

This is not an easy book, but one that I recommend for its clarity and for the overwhelming tenderness and respect with which Senstad draws her characters. The sensationalism of press coverage is firmly laid to rest as these complex personal histories evolve.

Music for the Third Ear is deeply touching and unforgettable... a miraculous first novel.

Susan Schwartz Senstad could not have written a more timely and powerful work of fiction. The book is about the aftereffects of the rape genocide/ethnic cleansing policies carried about by Slobodon Milosevij on a couple coming back from their ordeal who meet up with a child of Auschwitz survivors, looking to take them in and "fix" what happened to them. .... In this powerful intersection of the Shoah that could not happen again, with the one that has happened and is now being debated--like its predecessor--Schwartz Senstad understands the human need to rid ourselves of survivor guilt, the resilience of the survivors of the Balkans and of other atrocities, and the great silence that, for the victims, is often the only possible response to what has happened to them. In this short and powerful tale, the main character,Zhelijka, a Croation Catholic woman, endures deliberate cruel and constant mass rapes, until she becomes pregnant by an anonymous father. Zhelijka's soon-born son becomes the pivotal character in the story. She calls him "Zero" and despite her strong ties to her child, is finally forced to endure yet another horror--she allows her Muslim husband Mesud to put the child up for adoption. Ultimately, the rejected child re-enters the lives of the four adult characters, Zhelijka and Mesud and Mette (the first-generation holocaust survivor) and her Norwegian husban Hans Olav.A perfect book club book, which manages to transcend its sad moments with emotion writ large and beautifully, a la Alice Walker or Joyce Carol Oates. Destined for the Oprah show! Thanks to Picador, USA for publishing a paperback version that exceeds the beauty of "The Red Tent."

Roland Huntford has written perhaps the best study of polar exploration. The contrast between the two , Amundsen and Scott, is so striking, it is a wonder that Scott is generally remembered at all.His methods were so slack, his personality so ill-suited to the task at hand, his leadership bordered on being criminally negligent. Scott became that strange type of British hero, one whose incompetence is romanticized into fame( i.e. The Titanic or the Charge of the Light Brigade). Amundsen however, dispays all the qualities necessary for a polar explorer (or any leader). He was smart, adaptable, inventive, and organized. He did have some faults(somewhat unforgiving, vanity), but his results made him the greatest polar explorer of all time.His deeds included the Northwest Passage, 1st to winter in the Antarctic, Of course the South Pole, first to complete the Northeast and Northwest Passage, first to fly across the Arctic Ocean.He was a modern Viking, always seeking the unknown. It is somewhat baffling that he is not more recognized for his accomplishments.

It has been over 80 years and only now the truth about 2 different Antartic expeditions have come to light.We can finally see Capt. Robert Falcon Scott as the bumbling, incompetent that he was. For his lack of planning, his weakness towards animals, and his general lack of coming to terms with the enviromental conditions he would be experiencing caused the deaths of 4 of his team mates, and his own as well.But we also see Capt. Roald Amundsen as a hard, cold man. He wouldn't accept criticism of his ideas and concepts. He could never forget an insult, or deny a friendship.This book details the ups and downs in both expeditions. Giving the reader of being along side each of the groups, and trying to cope with the hardships that each group endured.

An excellent book. Being English I was raised on the myths surrounding Scott. This book exposed his shortcomings as an explorer and planner of an expedition. By contrast I was overwhelmed by Amundsen's lifelong committment to polar exploration. The lengths to which he went to make sure that he was as well prepared as possible contrasted sharply with the Brittish expedition. This book is well written and spurred my interest in the Antartic. The photographs and additional information such as the dietary allowances per man found at the back made it even more interesting that it's spectatcular subject matter.

This was the first of the Knut Hamsun novels that I read, and my favorite. It's a love story like no other, there's a mixture of emotions throughout the novel, which makes it a scarcely unwritten type of love story. The use of words in this novel is excellent. You feel like you really learn when you're done reading this book, which will not take long because it's hard to put down.

Would the the doomed lovers depicted in Victoria be as heart wrenching in a 21st century United States setting as they were in Norway in the 1800's? Would honor,social standing, duty and stubborness still doom Johannes to a life of yearning for the unattainable Victoria? Through the years,as he sublimated his unrequited passion into poetry, Johannes the lowly miller's son became a modest literary celebrity. Meanwhile Victoria's self worth plummeted, the result of promising to marry a wealthy suitor able to provide desperately needed funds necessary to save her father's deteriorating castle and land. Thus, loyalty and duty toward her father drove her to repress her strong attraction to Johannes. The tragedies which resulted perhaps triggered her subsequent illness. In an outpouring of love in the letter to Johannes which she insisted be withheld until her death, she declared the love which she had denied him in life. Was the ending poetic justice for two persons whose adherence to rules outweighed their willingness to "risk it all for love"? In this novel, originally published in 1898, Knut Hamsun has demonstrated that the conflicts and consequences of love and life are universal. I enjoyed every page of this timeless masterpiece.

While one of Hamsun's other novels such as "Mysteries" or "Hunger" might be artistically superior to "Victoria", this novel is a favorite of Hamsun readers because of its lyricism and beauty. I cannot help but think of the passionate but doomed loves of my own life when reading this book, and so perhaps will you. This novel was a favorite of Henry Miller, who has a reputation as a sex-hound but was actually, like Hamsun, an old-fashioned romantic. "Victoria" does not succeed as a complete depiction of love, because the book describes a love that never came to fruition. Readers searching for an epic representation of mature, complex love might find "Victoria" to be too flowery and adolescent in its approach to romance...those looking for the final word on love will be disappointed. Instead, Hamsun's success lies in his capturing for all time the nature of passion and longing, the rawness of emotion and soaring of the heart that many of us, sadly, have forgotten. Anyone who has become numbed over the years by life's events may find that their long-slumbering heart awakens again upon reading this novel. Hailed as a classic in its day, "Victoria" may be even more valuable now in this era of cynicism and hearts that have forgotten the majesty of love.

In this case of medieval date rape and the grim consequences which follow hard upon it, Sigrid Undset created a wonderfully literate experience using the saga "voice". Although I detected slippages in tone, here and there, and felt the ending too contrived and overwrought to be pure saga, I was still swept along by this book, finishing it in a single sitting. It is short, yes, but also a very compelling narrative as it details the tribulations of two would-be lovers who are yet too proud and self-willed for their own good or for the society in which they find themselves. As with the typical viking hero, Viga-Ljot is overly confident of his own charms and impatient of results. And Vigdis, the maid he has set his heart on, is no less aloof and overbearing in her own way than that historical figure, Sigrid the Haughty, who so angered King Olaf Tryggvesson that he slapped her in the midst of their courtship and thereby sealed his doom. Viga-Ljot does much worse in this tale and his fate is thus forever bound up with a woman who cannot forget or forgive him. Like Gudrun Osvif's daughter in Laxdaela Saga, Vigdis bides her time and nurses her pain but, in the end, that pain is not assuaged by the actions she takes, for it is ultimately destructive to everyone it touches.

A good example of the saga form in modern literature indeed, and yet, despite the finely tuned prose of this novel, capturing the nuances and understatement of the saga voice with masterly strokes, there is an underlying stridency here, an almost emotional overreaching which is not, itself, true to the saga form. In some ways this book is too modern and its author's sensibility, at this juncture in her career, almost too young and unseasoned. Undset seems to be reaching for the tragic denouement of the Greek classics to end her tautly told tale rather than content herself with the flatly understated and finely nuanced wrap-up more appropriate to the saga form. But this Greek-like ending left me much colder than the drily tossed-off afterthought of a true saga might have done. And yet, for all that, Undset has here given us one of the best modern novels done in saga form. My hat is off to her.

Undset, Lagerlof, Bjornson, Hamsun, Gustafsson; five stars aren't enough to reflect the masterpieces that they all wrote, and, in the case of Gustafsson, are still writing. Read all their books and grow a lifetime in a couple of years.

I suppose that anything that sells books makes it to the top of the page, although I appreciate that the first review I read about this book was straightforward, unbiased and sans agenda. I have been reading the great writers of the world since I learned to read. I began to explore the works of Undset, Lagerlof, Bjornson, Hamsun, Gustafsson, etc., thirty years ago and it irks me no end that the works of a Scandinavian writer like Undset, who lived in a time when women had all the rights in the world, should be referenced by your commentator from Brattleboro, VT as womens fiction. If she has read "The Master of Hestviken" or "Kristen Lavransdatter", then she must have missed all the suffering endured by the men and women. Great works of creativity do not address personal agendas. They are wrought from the soul. Lagerlofs' "Saga of Gosta Berling", another masterpiece, explores the same moral questions with a male protagonist. I say to you, dear lady from Vermont, that feminism is dead; we are all feminine and masculine regardless of our plumbing, and the last GREAT female poet, Sylvia Plath, lived the pain of that polarity until it killed her. Shame on you Amazon.com for using divisiveness and the promulgation of hatred, fear, and misunderstanding to make a buck. Publish this!!

Sigrid Undset's Gunnar's Daughter weaves Scandinavian folklore, mythology and violence to ensnare the reader into the period of the Saga Age. In this book, we meet Vigdis Gunnarsdatter -- a survivor in many different levels who is raped and delivers an illegitimate child. As it is said that time heals old wounds, that is not the case with Vigdis. Even with her eventual redemption, peace of mind still eludes her until she takes her very last breath. The scope of history and folklore in Gunnar's Daughter makes this an interesting and quick read. However, it is highly recommended that the reader marks the introduction and notes by Sherrill Harbison -- as they provide much information that makes the book more insightful and pleasurable to read.

I chose The Threee Billy Goats Gruff by Stephen Carpenter because it was my Mom's favorite story book growing up. The day I brought it home she sat down and read it to me and my sister. My favorite characters are the three billy goats because there funny and can play tricks on the troll. The troll was foolish to let the small and middle size billy goats go across the bridge, and then have to fight with the big billy goat. He ended up falling off the bridge and all three billy goats enjoyed the grass on the other side of the bridge. Now they will be able to come and go whenever they want. There is a lesson to be learned in this book. Don't let someone influence you by saying that something is bigger and better if you wait for awhile. Overall the book is alot of fun to read. I would definitely share this story with my children.

Many of the reviews listed here are for other versions of this story. I have checked out all seven versions of Three Billy Goats Grufff available from our library just to see which was best for a three year old. This one by Stephen Carpenter has large, clever, uncluttered pictures and tells the story in simple language. The troll is not too scary and, all in all, this one seems just right for little ones. Another version, the elaborately illustrated one by Janet Stevens, uses a colorful, imaginative vocabulary and would have more appeal to adults and older children (5 or 6 and up?).

This book has brought great joy to my daughters life. She is 2 1/2 years old and she just loves this story. I highly recomend this book to any parent who enjoys seeing their children envolved with a book.

I have read books written by Lisa before and enjoyed them but this book surpases them by far. I love the Norwegian history and the language, as it is my own heritage and it reminds me of my Great Grandmother. The tale of the Norwegian immigrants tells the story of more than one family and covers so many difficulties and hardships that the immigrants and so many families faced then and now. The characters come to life and are so intwined with each other, but still each have there own stories. I so appreciate the way the characters rely on God, but are still real people with the tempatations that we face. The learn that God's way is best, but not always the first time. I felt encouraged as I read the book. What a wonderful way to spend a lazy weekend. Thanks for the wonderful new style of writing that you have started in this book, Lisa. The history is great and I can't wait to read the next book.

This book is a joy to read. You become quickly involved with the lives of each of the characters. They are people that you feel you know because they are so realistic. They have strengths and weaknesses and its amazing to see how God works in their lives. Its a story that builds you up as you read along.

Lisa Tawn Bergren at her very best! What an incredible tale of adventure, from Norway's sparkling fjords to the high seas of Cape Horn, to the rocky shores and plains of America in the 1880s. Even with such a panoramic backdrop, THE CAPTAIN'S BRIDE keeps its spyglass trained on the lives of people you'll care about deeply, from first page to last, as they wrestle with the temptations of spirit and flesh we all know too well. It's an old cliche, but I really could NOT put this book down until I hit the last page and THEN I couldn't wait to read the next in the series! Do yourself a favor and buy all three--The Captain's Bride, Deep Harbor, and Midnight Sun--so you won't have to say good-bye to these characters until their stories are fully--and wonderfully--told. I loved all three!

As a teenager the self-willed Dina is married off to the much older merchant Jacob Gronelv of Reisnes. As a child she was responsible for the death of her mother and she carries this burden with her. After the, again unnatural, death of her husband she reigns over trading post Reisnes. She does not behave like a women, but she is still respected and accepted by the others. She is not capable of real love until the mysterious Russian Leo arrives, but this love also ends tragically.

The book Dina give a beautiful description of the the rough life in northern Norway during the 19th century. It also gives an magnificent impression of a strong woman who cannot or does not want to adapt. A book that is difficult to put down once one has started reading.

Herbjørg Wassmo is a Norwegian writer writing about Norwegian people. Her characters are always strong and Dina is no exeption. This book is one of the best I have ever read...

Herbjørg Wassmo has a fantastic, colorful language, and as soon as you are drawn into this small North Norway community of the 1900th century you will stay there through the book and still for a long time after the book is finished. The book is not at all an easy beach read, but you should give yourself the opportunity to read the book. It will change you as a person.

Britt Arnhild Lindland

Wow! This book is like ... probably the best I've ever read, and believe me when I say that I read A LOT!

Dina is a child of destiny who becomes a woman of pride.
Now she must use the power within her, and the forces around her to change the past and escape her fate.

Because her past is something she is reminded of every single day... Her mother. When Dina was about six years old, she managed to cause an accident which killed her mother. And after this, Dina sees her mother following her through her live, always appearing whenever Dina makes a decision or a new turn.

The book is about who Dina is, and how she meets the world when she gets married to her father's best friend.

You should also see the movie "I Am Dina" (2002), which is based on this book. Starring the wonderful, norwegian actress Maria Bonnevie as Dina. Also together with Gérard Depardieu. The cast is just simply brilliant, an the movie has it all: drama, humour, suspense, love, betrayel...

I've seen the film twice already, and I feel like I can totally relate to Dina. In an interview, Maria Bonnevie said that all women would feel they have a little Dina inside. And I couldn't agree more!

"I am Dina. This is my story".

Undeniably a book of mystery. The reader always gets a dual sense of distance with Hamsun. There is the proximity - at times alarming - between the narrator and the synaptic impulses of the main character's brain. Yet there is also this persistent sense of not being let into a secret, the key to the disturbing, possibly insane nature of the hero (if you can call the prominent figure in Mysteries that). What Hamsun, and I'm guessing now, was trying to let the world in on was a kind of proto-existential angst - Kafka before Kafka if you like. The hero lives in a constant tornado of emotional highs and lows at times appearing in control, at times not. And this is the unsatisfying, fascinating heart of Mysteries. I urge you to read it, but only after reading Hunger, which set high standards
not only for Hamsun but for modernist writers for decades to come.

He is one of the great writers of the twentieth century, though his best works were written before 1900. He is one of the most influential European novelists of the last hundred years, yet he is not well known in the United States. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, the most important Norwegian author since Ibsen, he is often ignored in his own country. He is Knut Hamsun -- novelist of genius...

Hamsun, in "Mysteries, Pan, and Hunger", wrote three of the greatest novels of the late nineteenth century, novels which created a new literary style and which delineated a new literary hero: the alienated loner. His work was widely admired in the first half of the twentieth century, with writers as diverse as Thomas Mann, Hermann Hesse, and Henry Miller citing Hamsun's work as being of special importance and influence. Isaac Bashevis Singer, in his essay "Knut Hamsun, Artist of Skepticism" goes so far as to claim that "the whole modern school of fiction in the twentieth century stems from Hamsun." Henry Miller said of "Mysteries" that it "is closer to me than any other book I've read." The second of Hamsun's great early novels, and my personal second favorite...!

Mysteries is that rare breed of book which mesmerizes you and pulls you through its pages, transfixed, before you know what's happened to you. With Norway serving as the idyllic backdrop, we are suddenly living life through the eyes of the charming but insane Johan Nagel. Nagel lands as a stranger in a small coastal town and weaves the unwitting residents into the reckless schemes of his disturbed mind. As he does, he gives desperate vent to his frustrations, dreams, romantic yearnings, joys, rage, love, and compulsion to belong. Peopled by the midget Grogaard, the unattainable beauty Dagny Kielland, the disapproving magistrate's deputy Reinert, and the whimsical spinster Martha Gude, Knut Hamsun's narrative genius lies in the things he leaves unsaid at every stage of the story, and doing so especially brilliantly towards the book's end, where everything coalesces and resolves by subtle implication. Hamsun's artistic mastery is overwhelming and refreshing. I hope you enjoy the dazzling display of his talents as much as I did in this book.

Kimberly Nygaard writes a gripping first novel! Enjoyable prose, intriguing story and even educational. If you're at all interested in Norwegian history, this is a must!

Kim definitly did her research. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to the sequel. It was so entertaining!

Great book for this exciting new author! I can imagine Nicole Kidman as Jorunn and Tom Cruise as the first hubby! It would be a fantastic movie. When is the sequel coming!