I was pleased and excited by the wonderful review of Shocked Earth that has just appeared on the Translating Women blog.

The reviewer, Dr. Helen Vassallo, declares that this is one of her favourite books of 2021 one that she kept thinking about when she wasn’t reading it, and couldn’t wait to get back to.

The review is generous in length, as well as in its praise, and gives a very perceptive account of the story, its characters and themes.

“This is a book that is simultaneously about big issues and everyday people, and in which profound truths appear when you least expect them...”

And I was particularly pleased by Helen’s final paragraph, which she devotes to assessing the English novel as a work of translation:

“Antoinette Fawcett’s translation is extremely accomplished– the ominous threat is delicately conveyed throughout, as is the tension in the farm, and in particular Fawcett excels at describing the sights and sounds of the countryside in all its lowering greyness (and occasional Spring promise). ”

This is the first full-length review of the book that has come to my attention and I am delighted that the author was so enthusiastic about Saskia Goldschmidt’s creation and my translation.

For the full review, see here.