Let Me Sing You Gentle Songs

Let Me Sing You Gentle Songs

by Linda Olsson (Author)

Synopsis

Veronika, a writer in her early thirties, rents a house in the Swedish countryside to finish her novel. She is also cocooning herself from her past. She befriends Astrid, a reclusive older woman who has lived in the village all her life. Olsson leads us through the flowering of their unusual and tender friendship, as they slowly and carefully reveal their life histories and sometimes heart-rending pasts. The Swedish landscape is always a powerful presence and measures the progress of the women's relationship; as the icy winter and bare trees give way to spring and then summer, the women's friendship deepens. Veronika divulges the death of her fianci James, a New Zealander, and Astrid exposes her terrible family background- a mother who committed suicide, an abusive father, an unhappy marriage and the death of her daughter. As the women grow closer, they find peace within themselves. A stunning first novel by a new writer with genuine talent. She is highly praised by her mentor Witi Ihimaera. Also available as an eBook

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 276
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: 06 Dec 2005

ISBN 10: 0143020285
ISBN 13: 9780143020288
Book Overview: 'the braiding together of the two women's voices is simply so beguiling' - New York Times

Author Bio
Linda Olsson was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1948. She graduated from the University of Stockholm with a law degree, and worked in law and finance until she left Sweden in 1986. What was intended as a three-year posting to Kenya then became a meandering tour of the world with stops in Singapore, the UK and Japan, until she settled in New Zealand with her family. Linda's first novel Let Me Sing You Gentle Songs was published in New Zealand in 2005 and became an international success, selling hundreds of thousands of copies in Scandinavia, Europe and the United States. It was followed by the heart-breaking and moving Sonata for Miriam, also a bestseller in Scandinavia.