From the Mouth of the Whale, (Paperback)

from JBD1

I've generally not had very good luck when I try to get into Icelandic fiction, but Sjón's "From the Mouth of the Whale" (English translation by Victoria Cribb published by Telegram in 2011) was really quite an enjoyable read. Perhaps it was the historical nature of the narrative that appealed to...

from berthirsch

FROM MOUTH OF THE WHALE BY SJON An Icelandic tale that takes place in the mid 1600's. This is the story of one Jonas Palmason who lives an extraordinary life of tragedy, magic, torture and travail. His innate knowledge of the natural world gives him unique insight into the very essence of the nat...

from LynnB

I usually avoid "stream of consciousness" novels, but this one intrigued me since it was from Iceland. And, I was not disappointed. The author makes this style work with his blend of gritty detail and abstract philosophy. There are also sections of dialogue (some imagined) that break up Jonas's m...

from jenngv

It took me a little while to understand the story because it is so lyrical and uses imagery and metaphors. I tried to take it too literal in the beginning, but when I let that go and embraced the poetry, I enjoyed it. Although it was bleak and with little hope, it was the small things that gave l...

from Yells

It took a few attempts to really get into this story and in the end I am glad that I finished. There is a lot going on and so it is not a book that one can easily skim through. Jonas is a man exiled to a remote, barren island and the story is his thoughts on what occurred to bring him there. It i...