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| The Danish Girl - David Ebershoff |
Title : The Danish Girl
Author : David Ebershoff
Edition : Paperback (Movie cover)
No. of pages : 310
Goodreads rating : 3.7 out of 5.
My rating : 4 out of 5.
Book synopsis :
It starts with a question, a simple favour asked by a wife of her husband, setting off a transformation neither can anticipate.
Einar Wegener and his American wife Greta Waud have been married for six years, but are yet to have a child. Both painters, they live a life of bohemian languor in Copenhagen until one day their lives are irreversibly altered. The Danish Girl eloquently shows the intimacy that defines a marriage and the nearly forgotten story of the love between a man who discovered that he is, in fact, a woman, and his wife who would sacrifice anything for him.
Set against the glitz, and decadence of 1920s Copenhagen, Paris and Dresden, and inspired by a true story, The Danish Girl is about one of the most passionate and unusual marriages of the twentieth century.
My review :
I've been reading this book to no end. Bought it together with my sister just because we saw the movie trailer. My expectations of it were only a basis from snippets of the trailer, since it is about the psychology and the physical progression of a transgender. I had always wanted to understand them, the way they feel, how their minds work, and believe me, the book made me change my views towards them.
The book settled in Copenhagen in the early 1920s, where Einar Wegener and his American wife, Greta Waud were living in Widow House (as the called it). They were both painters, in which Einar paints landscapes mostly of his life growing up in the bog of Bluetooth, and Greta usually settles for painting portraits of people. I had never once knew that just by a simple request made by Greta that the story begins to set sail into an understanding that I only manage to only observe and not devour.
Lili (soon known as Lili Elbe) was made into a third person by both Einar and Greta. When Greta thought it would always remain as a game, Einar knew that it was something more than just. While reading this book, I began to understand the transition made by Einar, initially judging his personality, but then progressing into me understanding everything about how and why the movement. It took many events that had led Einar to fully convince that he was actually a woman and not a man.
And I think it all began when Greta asked him for a simple favor : fill in the spot for Anna (her model) when she cancelled. After that one simple favor, Greta and Einar has been treating Lili as a third person, only to find out that Einar truly believes that both Einar and Lili can be summoned in and out of the subconscious. This, ultimately led Einar's health to deteriorate and Lili stayed more and more. It is as though Lili has conquered most of Einar, and in the end, Einar was gone forever.
Greta was confronted with a great conflict, and had showed a great tolerance and a show of pure love when she helped her husband into his transition. Before Einar, Greta was married to Teddy Cross who in the end died after a battle with TB. They had a child who died at birth, but even when she was married to Teddy, she had shown great dedication, tolerance and love towards the man she married. I find Greta's character simply mesmerizing in terms of her psyche, and in terms of her sense of humanity.
Throughout the book, I've been very keen in writing most of the details and progression of the book. But, the book is just basically a story revolving only Einar, Greta and Lili. Throughout the book, I even referred to DSM-V and some medical websites to understand about Einar and Lili, which led me to love the book even more.
The book ended with some hints of what will happen to Lili. Even acknowledging the circumstances and her future, Lili had never once regretted her decision.
My review :
I've been reading this book to no end. Bought it together with my sister just because we saw the movie trailer. My expectations of it were only a basis from snippets of the trailer, since it is about the psychology and the physical progression of a transgender. I had always wanted to understand them, the way they feel, how their minds work, and believe me, the book made me change my views towards them.
The book settled in Copenhagen in the early 1920s, where Einar Wegener and his American wife, Greta Waud were living in Widow House (as the called it). They were both painters, in which Einar paints landscapes mostly of his life growing up in the bog of Bluetooth, and Greta usually settles for painting portraits of people. I had never once knew that just by a simple request made by Greta that the story begins to set sail into an understanding that I only manage to only observe and not devour.
Lili (soon known as Lili Elbe) was made into a third person by both Einar and Greta. When Greta thought it would always remain as a game, Einar knew that it was something more than just. While reading this book, I began to understand the transition made by Einar, initially judging his personality, but then progressing into me understanding everything about how and why the movement. It took many events that had led Einar to fully convince that he was actually a woman and not a man.
And I think it all began when Greta asked him for a simple favor : fill in the spot for Anna (her model) when she cancelled. After that one simple favor, Greta and Einar has been treating Lili as a third person, only to find out that Einar truly believes that both Einar and Lili can be summoned in and out of the subconscious. This, ultimately led Einar's health to deteriorate and Lili stayed more and more. It is as though Lili has conquered most of Einar, and in the end, Einar was gone forever.
Greta was confronted with a great conflict, and had showed a great tolerance and a show of pure love when she helped her husband into his transition. Before Einar, Greta was married to Teddy Cross who in the end died after a battle with TB. They had a child who died at birth, but even when she was married to Teddy, she had shown great dedication, tolerance and love towards the man she married. I find Greta's character simply mesmerizing in terms of her psyche, and in terms of her sense of humanity.
Throughout the book, I've been very keen in writing most of the details and progression of the book. But, the book is just basically a story revolving only Einar, Greta and Lili. Throughout the book, I even referred to DSM-V and some medical websites to understand about Einar and Lili, which led me to love the book even more.
The book ended with some hints of what will happen to Lili. Even acknowledging the circumstances and her future, Lili had never once regretted her decision.
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