Hendrik E Sadi

In a nutshell: A fascinating look into the harsh life faced by people following the Civil War. Read as a farm is started, a family raised, automobiles are introduced, and women's independence is growing. It is a story full of family, responsibility, and abandonment; only the strong choose to remain on the farm to face the day-to-day challenges. The story itself is well-developed, giving the reader a good feeling of what life was like for earlier generations. At times I struggled with the writing style, as the story is written by a man born in Norway, who lived in the Middle East and Far East prior to moving to the United States. Overall, a great book that really feels like a real family history!

Extended Review:
This book provides a very interesting look into farming life after the Civil War, when people faced harsh times and changes including automobiles and women's independence.

Characters: The author has created a very diverse group of characters. While the focus seems to be on those who remain at the farm, there are characters who leave a lasting impression throughout the book.

Story-Line: We see progress being made, and leaving an impact on one particular family post-Civil War.

Readability: I enjoyed reading the book, although I had to re-read a few conversations to make sure I really knew who was speaking as the dialog was written a little differently than I am used to.

Overall: An interesting look into a small family and how they and their farm developed post-Civil War. Not being a huge historian myself, it at least gave me a better idea of life during that time, and some of the struggles and influences that people faced.… (meer)

How does one approach a novel that, at it's core, is a beautiful story idea and solid foundation, but the mechanicals of the actual writing are hampering the telling of that story?

The premise is solid: a grown man returns to his childhood home in a Northeastern farming community for a routine visit and pays a visit to one of their neighbors, an elderly man whose family had been farming their land since the Civil War. A picture on the wall sparks an interest in the history of the area and the elderly neighbor relates his poignant family history. As one of the original families to settle the area, their history is the town's history and parallels such as these are drawn throughout the book.

The telling of this insightful story, however, gets lost in the presentation. There is a overuse of ellipses in the dialogue, which is a bit distracting and confusion often arises over inconsistencies with the characters.

To be fair, one has to understand that the author, Henrik E. Sadi, is not a native English speaker, being born in Norway and growing up in the Middle and Far East. I simply cannot imagine the inherent difficulties in writing a novel in another language, so I feel compelled to applaud anyone who would try.

But again, aside from the technical portion of the writing, I cannot emphasize enough the heartfelt premise of the story. To seek out our own history and where we come from is a inherent human desire (okay, salmon have it to, but don't get picky with me here) and Mr. Sadi has struck a chord in this novel.

Our own stories, like the ones in Jenford, are filled with sadness and disappointment. Mr. Sadi does a commendable job of portraying this sadness without dragging the story into desolation. And while you shouldn't expect a happy ending, you can expect a satisfying one.… (meer)