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Alberta and Freedom (Revised)
Alberta and Freedom (Revised) | Cora Sandel
8 posts | 6 read | 3 to read
Cora Sandel was one of the most important Scandinavian writers of the 20th century and this is the second volume in her richly acclaimed Alberta trilogy. Alberta Selmer escapes from her cold suffocating provincial life in Norway to seek out the summer riches in Paris: a city where the bohemians will never die, where there is absinthe and endless talk of Cubism. But Paris is not all she imagined: although she begins to write small pieces for newspapers and periodicals, Alberta's self-esteem is low, and her inexperience makes her prey to the casual approaches of predatory men. Relationships, when they happen, are neither easy nor happy. Feeling her talent beginning to suffer and her freedom stagnating, Alberta faces a struggle to survive. After its publication in 1931, Alberta and Freedom established itself as an immediate classic and Alberta Selmer as one of the century's great anti-heroines.
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Lindy
Alberta & Freedom | Cora Sandel
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My favourite book in October is the one tagged. If you are curious about the other 7 books that I rated 5 stars on Goodreads, they‘re on my monthly stats blog post: https://lindypratch.blogspot.com/2022/11/october-2022-reading-stats-and-booktube...

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Lindy
Alberta and Freedom | Cora Sandel
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Sunday Reads, October 16: audiobook nonfiction; French language ecofeminism; plus early 20th century feminist fiction from Norway
https://youtu.be/gHRU9rpAtgI

#BookTube #WIT #CanLit en français

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review
Lindy
Alberta & Freedom | Cora Sandel
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Pickpick

I was blown away by this autobiographical novel set in Paris in the early 20th century. The writing is so strong, so evocative, and Alberta is a singular character. She‘s clear about what she rejects, which is pretty much everything expected of her gender & class. What she doesn‘t know is exactly how to move forward creatively, but she‘s determined to figure that out. A beautiful translation from Norwegian by Elizabeth Rokken. #WIT

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Lindy
Alberta & Freedom | Cora Sandel
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“I have always been of the opinion that no more needs to be expected of an author than that they should write books.”
-Cora Sandel, quoted in the introduction to the tagged novel

merelybookish Such a fascinating woman! I read this back in August and loved it. Still have book 3 to read. 2y
Lindy @merelybookish Agreed! I‘m definitely moving on to book 3. 2y
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merelybookish
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Pickpick

Book 2 of the Alberta trilogy is a heartbreaker. Alberta, her parents now dead, has moved to Paris. She leads an aimless life, fraternizing with artists, staying in seedy lodgings, scribbling on scraps of paper but unable to write in a dedicated way. But what does freedom mean? Is not doing a kind of freedom, especially for a woman? Frustrating and yet powerful too.

merelybookish I forgot to add this fits for #wit month and for the year 1931 of the #192025 challenge. @Librarybelle 2y
Librarybelle Frustrating and powerful…good description! 2y
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merelybookish
Alberta & Freedom | Cora Sandel
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"Alberta had always had many forms of idling. She frittered away time with virtuosity."
Same, Alberta. Same.

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shawnmooney
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LeahBergen 😍 5y
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shawnmooney
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TrishB Beautiful ♥️ 5y
Anna40 Agree with @TrishB - Beautiful. Do you like the book? 5y
shawnmooney @TrishB @Anna40 I read the first volume of her Alberta trilogy last year and adored it. Now that I‘m quite a ways into this the second book I am the verge of declaring her my favorite writer. 🥰😍 5y
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TrishB Wow 😮 that‘s some recommendation. 5y
Anna40 I will start off with the first volume. What's it's title? Thank you! - I'm currently in a fiction reading rut, so need something great to lift me out of it :) 5y
shawnmooney @Anna40 sorry, I just saw this now. The first volume is called Alberta and Jacob. I ordered the whole set directly from the publisher peterowen.com. Happy reading! 5y
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