A different choice of book for me, and it took a while to get into. It's an atmospheric and thoughtful story, which transported me to another place and time. It was moving, but I didn't always feel engaged with the characters. The writing was beautiful.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this book and didn't finish reading it. I thought the writing was good, and some of the detail was interesting, but it was slow to get going.

It's a shame because I can tell that the book is beautifully written and I'm sure there are lots of interesting aspects about development and how this impacts on people's lives. But unfortunately it just didn't grab me.

Rich with Norwegian folklore, myths, local dialect and traditions, The Bell in the Lake starts with the first story which is the birth of the legend of "The Sisters" bells that hang in the Stave Church in a remote village on the shores of Lake Losnes.
The main story is played out in 1880, life for the local people is hard and the Stave Church is past its prime. The lives of local girl Astrid, the new pastor Kai and German architect Gerhard are brought together and changed forever in the Pastors quest to upgrade the Stave church.

A very immersive story.

I was given a copy of The Bell in the Lake by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased opinion.

What a beautiful, engulfing, unsettling read. I found myself immersed within these pages, as if i lived in this town and knew its people. Its my favourite thing about reading and im so glad i got to experience this.

Full of wonderful characters. A beautifully written book of folk lore, romance and myth this was a really good read. I loved the description of the setting both harsh and cold, A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Set in 1880 in Norway.A german architect is sent to supervise the deconstruction of a local stave church which is being sold to raise money for a new church. Ingrid, a local peasant girl catches his eye but he isn't the only one aiming for her, he has competition.
I found this story rich on historical detail and I found myself transported back to the 19th century with this story. The twin bells story evoked such emotion in me. The pace of the story matches life in this Norwegian town so it wasn't a dragging boring book.
A fantastic beginning to a trilogy that I am so glad I was able to read and can't wait for the next story.
The translation of this book is perfect as well. Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of the book.

I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. I am not in the category of reader who loves this book. I have real difficulties with the language - I don't know if this is the fault of the author or the translator and whilst I know there are connections between Norway and Scotland I found it very difficult to read all the "Norwegian" translated as Scottish dialect, this was particularly pronounced in the conversations between Astrid and Gerhard.

This book has many elements that I liked, I enjoyed the traditional belief systems and the introduction of "ghosts" to the narrative. It gave the idea of a greater power underlying what happened. However I found it a stolid read at times, I felt I was struggling through it and it was only towards the end that I felt a real cadence or rhythm to the narrative

I don't think it deserves as low as a 2 star rating but struggle to say I liked it overall. Generosity is taking over and I will give it 3 stars

I'm not really sure how to summarise this book. It starts in the past as we understand the legend of the 'sister bells'. I enjoyed this part of the story, its sad but eerie and sets quite a mythical tone. We then move forward in time to meet the new pastor of the church and follow the journey of what happens when the church is dismantled to be rebuilt in Germany. It's got a dark, gothic feel but its full of misery, suffering, loss, darkness and cold. Life is hard for these people and their animals. While I have no doubt this is a very well researched book, overall I struggled to get through it as it was all a bit grim for me.

This book is well researched, well written and the translation is good. I dont think it was quite what I was expecting and consequently I struggled.

The Bell in the Lake is a translated historical fiction novel originally written in Norwegian. it tells the story of Astrid and her small village in late 19th century Norway, and what happens when a modern man tries to change the people's old traditions. ⁠
⁠
The Sister Bells have rung in the church since the 16th century, and the new pastor wants to sell them and the old church to raise money for a new, more modern and practical one. This causes much disruption in the lives of the villagers, but most of all to the life of Astrid Hekne. ⁠
⁠
I really enjoyed Astrid's characters. She's a feisty woman, unafraid to say what she means and go after what she wants. There is a subtle love triangle between her, the pastor, and the architect sent to supervise the dismantling of the old church, but it works within the story⁠ and doesn't overwhelm the rest of the book. ⁠
⁠
The language in The Bell in the Lake is beautiful, and reading it is very much akin to sinking into bed with a warm cup of tea. I could feel myself in these frozen lands, and I empathised a lot with Astrid. ⁠
⁠
I didn't enjoy the two other perspectives (those of the pastor and the architect) as much as I did Astrid's, but that's a small niggle in what is otherwise a deeply enjoyable, slow, lush story. ⁠

This beautifully written novel, translated from the original Norwegian by Deborah Dawkin, is the first in a planned trilogy based around the legend of the Sister Bells. The bells commemorate conjoined twin sisters Gunhild and Halfrid Hekne, who lived in the remote village of Butangen and died within hours of each other. Their family donated the bells to the local church in memory of the twins and they are still hanging there, in the bell tower, in 1880 when the novel begins…

As the rest of the world heads towards the twentieth century, Butangen appears to be frozen in time, a place where life is still ruled by superstition and folklore, where people still believe in evil spirits and ill omens. When Kai Schweigaard, an ambitious young pastor, arrives in the village he despairs of ever bringing change to a population so resistant to progress and modern ways of thinking.

" If only people had light, he thought. If there was a strong lamp in every home, which could illuminate faces and edifying books, I could banish these mad notions in a few years. But at sunset the village grew dark, and with it folk’s minds, and these unknown powers ruled until sunrise. "

One of the ways in which Kai hopes to improve life in the village is by replacing the ancient 12th century stave church where a parishioner actually froze to death during Mass with a larger, warmer, more comfortable building. The old church, complete with its pagan carvings and twin bells, is to be dismantled and reconstructed in Dresden, and a young German architect – Gerhard Schönauer – has arrived to make drawings of the church before it is taken down. However, Kai and Gerhard face opposition not only from the people of Butangen, who are suspicious and resentful of anything new, but also from the Sister Bells themselves. The bells are said to have supernatural powers and to ring on their own when danger is approaching – and it seems that the bells don’t want to be removed.

As well as the two men, a large part of the story is also written from the perspective of twenty-year-old Astrid Hekne, who works as a maid in Kai Schweigaard’s household at the parsonage. Despite the differences in their social standing, Kai is considering making Astrid his wife, but complications arise when Astrid finds herself drawn to Gerhard Schönauer. Meanwhile, as a descendant of the twins Halfrid and Gunhild, Astrid feels a responsibility for the bells and decides she must do whatever it takes to prevent Gerhard from transporting them to Dresden with the rest of the church.

The Bell in the Lake is a wonderfully atmospheric novel thanks to Lars Mytting’s beautiful descriptions of the landscape around Butangen, particularly in winter with its frozen lakes and snow-covered hills and valleys, while the supernatural elements and the role of the Sister Bells legend give the story an eerie and mysterious feel. The sense of time is as strong as the sense of place and the characters feel like real 19th century people, rather than modern day people dropped into a random historical setting. However, I think the decision to have Astrid and the other villagers speak in a dialect which seems to be mainly Scottish is a bit strange. I suppose the translator had to find a way to differentiate between the speech of the local people and the outsiders (who speak in standard English), and using Scottish words makes sense because of the close ties with Norway, but I found it slightly distracting and kept forgetting that Astrid was actually Norwegian!

One of my favourite themes in fiction is the conflict between old ways of life and new, and in this novel we see how the inhabitants of Butangen are reluctant to move away from the traditions they have always followed and try to resist any kind of social, scientific or religious progress. Although Astrid has been brought up with the same beliefs, she has a more adventurous spirit than most of her neighbours and longs to see more of the world, which is what draws her to Gerhard. The demolition of the old church, which Gerhard has come to oversee, and the building of the new one is symbolic of all of this. If you’ve never seen a Norwegian stave church, by the way, I recommend googling them – they look amazing and it’s sad to think that there are so few of them left.

Having enjoyed The Bell in the Lake so much, I am looking forward to the other two books in the trilogy and hope we won’t have to wait too long for the next one!

“Ye shall shuttle wide, and I shall shuttle close, and when the weave be woven we two shall return”

I can’t recall a year when so many books have made it to my ‘favourites’ shelf, with the full 5 star recommendation.

I just couldn’t leave my experience with The Bell In The Lake, feeling anything other than awe and wonder. This was very much a story of personal journeys and unique reader experiences and one which had a tangible link with reality, in that Butangen is a place which exists and can be visited, and to which I duly made my ‘virtual’ pilgrimage.

The story was the complete package; an opening which drew me in all the way; a strong, well constructed storyline, which always knew where it was heading, albeit there were a few unexpected twists and turns along the way; leading to an ending which, whilst by no means satisfactory for those of us who like to see the happiness shared around, left me with a promise of hope, forgiveness and closure.

To place The Bell In The Lake into a pre-defined genre is so difficult – social history, cultural history, travel, myths & legends, romance? – all of those definitely, but none of them individually do justice to what can best be described as an epic work of literary fiction, of the highest calibre.

Lars created for me an eloquent and lyrical story where the writing was intense, full of heart and raw passion, skilled in the imagery of words, replete and rich in atmosphere, and exhilarating in its visually descriptive narrative and dialogue.

The medieval ‘stave’ (wooden) church, together with the ‘Sister Bells’, are the prime focus of this lavish story and Lars writes with sheer exuberance of a subject he is clearly passionate about. The history is clearly explained, the architecture described in minutiae and the necessity of preserving such items for future generations left in no doubt for the reader. However, at no point did the narrative become staid or boring, even for me, a non-woodworking, non-churchgoer and I came away amazed at how much I had learned, as I avidly turned the pages. I discovered the timelessness and heart of a country, the challenge and daring of its people and the spirit of their traditions.

This compelling and compassionately written book is not to be rushed, but one to escape into and be savoured slowly, as its multi-layered story unfolds. Set against a vividly, painted-in-words backdrop, highlighting a landscape which offers its inhabitants the harshest of lives, the most meagre of lifestyles, with hunger and deprivation barely concealed, Butangen is a nineteenth century Norwegian village lost in time, steeped in tradition, with its people still holding faith in the myths, folklore and legends of old, which have been passed down through the generations by word of mouth. What will happen when that way of life is challenged and outsiders are sent to live amongst the community, wolves in sheep’s clothing, who are set to destroy the very core fabric of their beliefs and traditions? With total authority and confidence, author Lars Mytting sets about changing the mindset of a church congregation by the power of his words, through the persuasion of the characters he has so painstakingly and vividly crafted. The dismantling of their medieval place of worship, the introduction of modern ecclesiastical practices, and the loss of the famous ‘Sister Bells’, cast to commemorate the death of the ancestral, co-joined Hekne twin girls, are events which will challenge and change forever, the very fabric of the village’s existence and the essence of its ever-growing population.

There was quite a large featured cast of characters in this sprawling saga, whose very nature and essence had been so effortlessly captured with such total authority and intuition, that many of them were difficult to relate to and would have taken a lifetime to understand. I became completely invested in them, to the point where I could imagine myself sharing a place at the Hekne family table, or sitting for so long in the freezing church, listening to Pastor Schweigaard’s lengthy sermon, that I lost the feeling in my extremities. Their taciturn and dogmatic nature belied their fragile hold on life, with their inherent stoicism and downright stubbornness getting them through the bad times, of which there were many!

Young Astrid Hekne’s forward thinking future, takes a whole new turn and becomes irrevocably entwined with the lives of both strangers to the village, architect Gerhard Schönauer and pastor Kai Schweigaard, with all three of them searching for a sense of belonging and acceptance in their individually nuanced ways. Their unusual romantic triangle, and indeed, their very future, is so intrinsically linked with the removal of the Stave Church and Sister Bells, with all its associated strange phenomenon, that the poignant relationship which develops between them, is touching, often volatile and will lead to them paying the ultimate sacrifice. Betrayal, in whatever guise, will always exact its price and retribution will be neither swift, nor painless.

I would also like to pay homage to the truly fantastic linguistical skills of translator Deborah Dawkin, who so beautifully and faultlessly adapted the book from its original Norwegian text.

The Bell In The Lake is reportedly the first in a rich historical trilogy that draws on legend to explore the clash between tradition and modernity. However for me, this first book worked great as a stand alone story and left me completely fulfilled at its ending!

A beautifully written and atmospheric book and will leave wanting more.
This is the first book in a trilogy and I can’t wait to read further into this story and see where Mytting takes us.
The character building was very well done mixing family history and the small town feel.
The atmosphere throughout the book was exceptionally written and gripping.
This book kept me intrigued and will keep you wanting to know what happens next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Bell in the Lake is the first in a trilogy based in a Norwegian village called Butangen and its legendary church bells, The Sister Bells, which were cast in memory of conjoined twins. Legend has it that these bells ring out of their own accord in times of danger. The story begins in 1880 when a new pastor to the village begins a project to replace the medieval stave church with a modern building to better connect with the parishioners and fulfil his duty as pastor. Astrid Hekne a local young woman who is desperate for a better life than she is destined to lead discovers she is connected through the centuries to The Sister Bells. As the church and its famous bells are sold to fund a new church, an interesting young German architect arrives throwing life in the village into turmoil and Astrid must stop these bells from leaving with him. This book is filled with folklore and legend, I found it gripping right from the start. I really enjoyed Astrid’s character, she is headstrong and clever but also desperate for a more modern life and won’t settle for anything less.

I loved this book; the writing is beautiful and the descriptions of Norway and Butangen are so vivid I really felt as though I was transported there. Having never encountered a medieval stave church before, I have spent a lot of time since reading this book looking at photographs of some of the most beautiful churches I have seen and reading up about stave churches in Norway, visiting some of these in person is now firmly on my bucket list. I can’t wait for the next in the trilogy to find out what happens and where the story goes next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy for review.

Wonderful historical mystery novel with a hint of folk horror. If this is rhe start of the series I'll have to check out the rest. Loved the Norwegian setting too.

A cracking love story set in a magical land.

This story the first of a planned trilogy for Lars Mytting has an ethereal quality about it from start to finish. He gives us a glimpse of a Norway little known from outside. It is a story steeped in folklore with is tied to the land and the people.

Butangen is deemed to be backward even by the standards of other Norwegian villages of the late 19th Century. Harshly placed on the peninsula Butangen is still in the grip of poverty and chained to the severe weather conditions. One asset the village has is a Stave Church with gifted Sister Bells with magical qualities foretelling future doom.

Conflict enters this tale when the church is deemed beyond repair and the local priest has organised with a German architect to dismantle it and build a newer fit for purpose church.

A young local girl called Astrid becomes intertwined with both men with sad and irreversible consequences. She does everything to protect the sister bells with the dreams of her ancestors who made them, shadowing her many thoughts.. Astrid develops with a curiosity and understanding that the world offers more than her tiny village and she captivates hearts in these discoveries.

The Bell in the Lake is a beautiful, evocative story by a wonderful storyteller. I can highly recommend this book and much thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity of discovery

A fascinating story of Norwegian stave churches , the harsh life of rural villagers, a Pastor new to the village, a German architect, a young woman and the legend of the two bells. This was rich in detail and had many touching moments. I was completely engrossed in the setting and story. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

This was an original and passionate book translated from Norwegian, about the people in a lakeside community where the church and bells are part of their lives. It jumps about in time and there are some historical facts too. It was quite intense to read as Scandinavian books can be but it was really enjoyable. I would love to read more from this author.

Never did I ever think I would be intrigued by Norwegian stave churches and become so obsessed over a primitive community in Norway. The local dialect used in the book, plus the descriptions of the rawness of winter and the insight to the inner workings of a village steeped in folklore. I loved this book purely for the complex relationship between all the characters, the resentment, affection, jealousy but underlying love.

Thank you again @netgalley for the opportunity of reviewing the first in this trilogy. I WILL be reading the others.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a book about the history of the bells at a church in a small village . I love the setting and it was atmospheric and beautiful to read about. It’s an historical fiction and we visit different time periods , which I thought may be jarring to read , but it was very well done. The main female character was well written and I love reading historical fiction where a female character isn’t typical and is ahead of her time

A very interesting premise/synopsis and an engaging start that sadly went downhill fast, plummeting into boredom(as far as I am concerned, of course), not much of a climax and it barely picked itself up towards the end.

Nevertheless it's a fascinating foray into the isolated Scandinavian villages' life. An exploration of religion, of that thin line between Christianity and old Norse believes, of the elusive border between myth and reality, between rumor and materiality. Also very interesting the exploration of what is art and how everyday life can be nothing but hardship for some, yet a wonder for others.

The love element, or love triangle(?) if I could call it that was the weak part of the book, I think. And it's what bored me so ... Also the change in pace, the development of the relationships between Astrid, Kai and Gerhard was way too detailed and slow...and as I was not very interested in that, it obviously dragged. But at least I've enjoyed Astrid as a character: a strong female, so eager to learn and expand her horizons, despite all the limitation she has to deal with/fight against. Actually, truth be told, the male counterparts are interesting, complex characters too.

The coldness and harshness of the environment shines through. It is evident in the coldness of the writing style, of the events and faith of the characters. I liked that. I liked that very much. While sentiments and emotions are very much present, sentimentality has no place and the author managed to stir clear of it. Despite my rating I think this novel is well written, the story has merit and those who don't mind a slow build up will really enjoy it.