Larsmo’s...sobering, realistic portrayal of Swedish immigration to America pulls readers into a richly detailed world peopled with unforgettable characters. Extensively researched and beautifully translated, Larsmo’s novel is the epic story of a family and a community struggling to survive and an intimate look at the complexities of immigration.
The book is not a cheerful read, but this was not a cheerful life. Life in Swede Hollow is unremittingly grim ... The decades pass through the eyes of the different characters in turn. One quibble would be that their voices are not sufficiently differentiated. However, the passages that are examples of 19th- century journalism, showing how the Swedes were seen by the majority population of the time, are particularly powerful ... Published at a time when migration is a hugely topical issue, this story has obvious but telling parallels with today. Over a century later, only the nationalities have changed.
Ola Larsmo’s epic novel Swede Hollow is...stirring...and a timely reminder of the trials and uncertainties often faced by immigrants—and the courage they show in overcoming them ... it is a message sure to tug at the heart of every immigrant and every descendant of an immigrant.
...[an] affecting, scrupulously detailed novel ... Those looking for a conventional plot won't find it here: Larsmo writes believable scenes grounded in sensory experience, with relatively complicated characters, in some sort of chronological order, but also seems content to branch out into what are essentially self-contained short stories about characters peripheral to the main intertwined family saga.
...poignant ... Larsmo’s well-researched, dynamic story illuminates the Swedish immigrant experience and will transport readers into a little-known historical community.
