Berlin Poplars

by Anne B. Ragde

Book Overview

On a remote farm in northern Norway, eighty-year-old Anna Neshov is rushed to hospital after suffering a stroke. Her three sons have not spoken in some time. Margido, a devout Christian, works in Trondheim as a funeral director. Erlend, a successful window dresser, lives a life of luxury in a penthouse in Copenhagen, while Tor, the eldest brother, remains rearing pigs on the decaying family farm.

Aware of her failing health, the trio reluctantly...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0099502577
• ISBN13: 9780099502579
• Release Date: December 2009
• Publisher: Vintage UK
• Length: 298 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Hard to put down, pure joy

I absolutely loved this story! I fell in love with all the characters and really almost felt I knew them personally. I read it in Danish so I don't know how the English translation is. I am close to done with the last book in the trilogy and it has taken me a little over a week. I just can't put the books down! If I were to say anything, it is that the characters may be a bit stereotypical, but it doesn't harm the story in the slightest as all are likeable and to a large degree egocentrical, each in their own way. I loved the portrayal of Copenhagen, Denmark, and the most Northern part of Norway, both places that I love and have visited many times. This book made me smile and cry, and it has a very surprising turn of events...

First in trilogy

This is the first book in the trilogy about the pigfarmer in rural Western Norway, the dysfunctional Neshov family and their family history. The second book "Eremittkrepsene" was published in 2005 and the third, "Ligge i grønne enger" in 2007. Each book won literary prizes, and are personal favorites of mine! READ THEM ALL IF YOU CAN GET THEM!!!!! The story at large spans from pre WW II up until present time and is a brilliantly written tragic comic saga about the hard life of a pig farmer; about loneliness, illusions, secrets, tabus, despair, love, hate, indifference, family ties, dreams both lived and crushed; and hope. Each person is so vividly described that he or she feels like someone you know intimately; places and scenarios so detailed that you can smell it! If reading the story about a Norwegian pig farmer does not seem all that interesting or tantalizing, it actually is. The whole cast of characters (the pig farmer's daughter and brothers primarely)is a study in human psychology, and each book on its own is a gem and a delight to read, almost impossible to put down. The first two books were filmatized by NRK (The Norwegian state run broadcastng company)in 2007 and is available on DVD; apparently the third book has now also been filmed. Regretfully Ms Ragde is adament about not writing further follow-ups, which should almost be considered criminal.