Jerusalem eBook Selma Lagerlöf Velma Swanston Howard
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Jerusalem eBook Selma Lagerlöf Velma Swanston Howard
A deeply moving story of generations of Swedes and their spiritual pilgrimage that finally and selectively leads them to uproot and settle in Jerusalem. It was especially meaningful to me because of my Swedish roots, the book bringing to life this culture which has been largely lost to me. The story takes place in a time that my ancestors made the decision to come to America. Based on actual events, Ms. Lagerlof drew me to research the historical background which is fascinating. The community in Jerusalem was founded by the composer of the well-loved hymn, "it is Well With My Soul," after suffering great personal loss and tragedy...it's another side of the story. The writing of this Nobel Prize-winning author is as wonderful as one would expect--no disappointments! This is highly recommended and very thought provoking classic literature!Product details
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Jerusalem eBook Selma Lagerlöf Velma Swanston Howard Reviews
Very unusual book. Quite a mixture of faith, greed, family values.
Good
In spite of a few typos, and an unfamiliar approach to the story line, as it seems disjointed at times....this book deals with self interest that is cloaked in an ostensibly noble motive. In the case of the people in the book, they drifted into a situation, that started from being attracted to, influenced by and emotionally controlled by a charismatic preacher, and saw no fallacy in making the idea of unity a primary doctrine (communal living) , while at the same time they separated from their families, in a lack of unity, over doctrinal issues. They go off to Jerusalem, to pursue their goals regardless of the pain this causes to anyone else, including parents or children. The author is so insightful in aspects of decision making that allow people to feel they are doing something right, while they are actually harming others in order to do what they want. But we come to this conclusion from our own reaction to the story. The author does not have to preach the lesson to us at all. ....Probably all my future decisions will be made with more sensitivity and insight, thanks to the effect this book had on me.
Wow, this was a great book. It brought back childhood memories of being raised in a religion that followed a person. Amazing what it did to this town and these people. It was very easy to read and understand and held my interest the whole way. The ending surprised me...
Jerusalem is an outstanding piece of literature. Nevertheless, this edition lacks the second part of the novel, "The Holy Land", so the book is incomplete. I looked in books for that part, but I did not find it. I had to buy the Spanish edition, which has both sections, to be able to finish my reading of the book.
This novel is an exploration of that universal dilemma, the angst shared across countries, across generations, gender and race, which is the conflict between satisfaction with life as it is and the desire for something more, and of the tonic provided by religion to soothe and ease the dilemma. Lagerlof shows both the benefits and the limits of religion in her portrayal of the hopes and trials of rural town in turn of the century Sweden. The people of the town struggle to live by the word of the Lord as preached down by their uninspired pastor and the local lofty school teacher. Bound tightly in traditions, restricted by the rules and eyes of small town life where everyone knows everyone's business, the life choices of each villager, whether rich or poor, are only as good as the neighbors judge them to be, and the only protection against harsh judgment is to do everything in terms of "As God wills." The ruling family of the village always fall back on the phrase, "[a]ll we Ingmars need do is walk in the ways of God " to justify their actions but what guidance does such a phrase really provide?
Lagerlof's novel shows the villagers pursuing their needs and desires, using religion as a screen and an excuse for following whatever path is chosen, good or bad. Yet the judgment of the Lord will show itself in how a farm prospers, or in the violence of a thunder storm, or in the nature of a season, warm and mild or harsh and freezing, and the people then quake in fear of their own evilness. These are not people who do what they want under a label of "religious" they are angst and guilt ridden, unhappy most of the time, and always questioning themselves and their neighbors.
The villagers appeal to notions of fate and chance to help them decide on what to do and how to do it, and call on Providence to do what it is supposed to do best, provide. But who will decipher the messages from Providence, who will interpret the wishes of the Lord? A lay preacher comes to town and instigates a movement towards leaving Sweden, convincing many of the villagers to set out for Jerusalem and leave the past behind. We understand the reasons why such a plan appeals but we also foresee failure. The internal misery these people carry around cannot just be left at the border.
Lagerlof illustrates beautifully the problem inherent in religion, which is that all messages from heaven are interpreted here on earth by man, and according to man's own needs, desire, and fears. Will the lay preacher's religion be enough to save these villagers from Sweden and bring them some peace? The novel ends with children crying and whimpering, "We don't want to go to Jerusalem; we want to go home."
Lagerlof was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, awarded to her in 1909. She is most famous for her children's book "The Wonderful Adventures of Nils" in which a rotten little boy is reformed through traveling with wild geese to spots of natural and wild beauty throughout Sweden. Her writings are known for their mix of realistic portrayals of life in rural Sweden and the fantasy necessary to escape the often harsh realities of such a life. Whether the fantasy is having a spiritual vision (at one point in Jerusalem, two men are on a bridge and the heavens open up to offer them a view of Paradise) or the imaginings of adventures in nature such as Nils has, relief is provided from the daily grind. Lagerlof is wonderful at illustrating the incredible beauty of rural Sweden in all seasons, leading me to think it was not escape from the physical landscape the people in her novels needed, but escape from the suffocating rules of small town life. Religion was one escape provided, but not necessarily the best escape I think I'd prefer the wild adventures of Nils to the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
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Lagerlöf tells it all like a fairly simple story. focusing on the inhabitants of a small village deep in the forests of Sweden, it follows the wave of religious awakening that swept across the Swedish countryside in the late 1800s and led some to abandon everything and everyone they'd ever known to make the pilgrimage halfway across the world to settle in Palestine. She takes her time setting things up; of the two volumes, the first is set entirely in the small parish they all come from, setting up who they are, the life they've led for generations, and the conflicts that arise when the modern world starts getting closer - both material and ideological/religious rules suddenly start changing, and all of a sudden it's not a given that the richest farmer, the schoolteacher and the preacher are unquestionable authorities. The second volume details what happened to the ones who, eventually, sell their farms and give up everything to emigrate to a country about which they know very little apart from what they've read in the Bible.
A deeply moving story of generations of Swedes and their spiritual pilgrimage that finally and selectively leads them to uproot and settle in Jerusalem. It was especially meaningful to me because of my Swedish roots, the book bringing to life this culture which has been largely lost to me. The story takes place in a time that my ancestors made the decision to come to America. Based on actual events, Ms. Lagerlof drew me to research the historical background which is fascinating. The community in Jerusalem was founded by the composer of the well-loved hymn, "it is Well With My Soul," after suffering great personal loss and tragedy...it's another side of the story. The writing of this Nobel Prize-winning author is as wonderful as one would expect--no disappointments! This is highly recommended and very thought provoking classic literature!
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