Over moeders en dochters. Over patronen die worden doorgegeven en het verzet daartegen. Over emancipatie en tijden die veranderen (Zweden, 1871-1987). Over mannen en hun moeders (“En ik wist beter dan wie dan ook dat mannen die hun moeders niet overwinnen wraak nemen op hun vrouwen, echtgenotes, dochters”). Over geluk en het noodlot.

Decent story but I didn't care for Anna, her mother and grandmother were fabulous though. Well written story overall!

I struggled with the beginning of this book, but as I got my head around the number of characters and the changing of time periods in Anna's sections, I enjoyed it more and more. By the end I did not want it to ever be finished. This book explores the relationships between women unlike any book
I have read before, and it did so perfectly.

Lisa T

Nice, but never really grabbed ahold of me. There was also some confusion with characters and times and tenses not clearly explained.

LOVED this book! I couldn't put it down. I love how the story flows between generations. It's nice that the book reflects the truth of some relationships... such as the quick observations of the grandmother regarding the granddaughter. Definitely recommend this book.

allows you to see the same story from different perspectives and generations.

I think I'd give this 3 1/2 stars if I could. I'd like to give it at least 4 because the idea of a 3-generation saga about strong women reminds me of my own history (growing up with my mother, grandmother and great-aunt). But, it never quite pulls me in the way I wish it would. The story of Hanna -- the first generation -- is the most memorable and deeply developed, I think. I never felt that I got to know Johanna very well at all; she was overshadowed by her larger-than-life eldest brother, Ragner, and her melodramatic daughter, Anna whose observations serve as bookends at the beginning and ending of the novel. Johanna is also the saddest of the three, I think. I yearned for a stronger bond among the women, more similar to my experience.

What a perfect book to read around Mother's Day, as it truly made me reflect on the roles we moms play in our children's lives... and the myriad of long-term effects we can have on the choices they make. This book may take place in a different time and place than my life, but I could make connections nonetheless. Even when I couldn't directly relate to the characters' experiences, I was still drawn to them and enjoyed attempting to figure them out. Sidenote-- one day I asked my son to get this book for me from a different room and I told him the title. My own little Hannah came over and grabbed the book from me saying, "I want my daughters." :)