Lene Kaaberbøl
Author of The Boy in the Suitcase
About the Author
Lene Kaaberbøl was born in 1960. She writes fantasy novels usually set in the medieval period. Lene is the author of the The Shamer Chronicles, W.I.T.C.H. Adventures, The Tale of Katriona Teresadatter, and The Shadow Gate. She is the co-author, with Agnete Friis, of The Boy in the Suitcase. Lene show more teaches English and drama when she is not writing new stories or translating her own books into English. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Lene Kaaberbøl
The Boy in the Suitcase & Invisible Murder: Books 1 and 2 of the Nina Borg Series (A Nina Borg Novel) (2016) 16 copies, 1 review
El poder de la música 2 copies
W.I.T.C.H. - Spáry orla 1 copy
Uglens skygge 1 copy
Salamanderens hjerte 1 copy
rnens klr̜ 1 copy
Den onde keiserinnen 1 copy
Brimestones' musikk 1 copy
Střepy času I: Kamenný sokol 1 copy
Střepy času II: Spáry orla 1 copy
W.I.T.C.H. - Pekelná hudba 1 copy
Kaaberbol Lene 1 copy
Den første bog om Tina og hestene : hvori Tina får til opgave at tage sig af et moderløst, gyldenbrunt hingstføl - (1975) 1 copy
Gėdytojos ženklas 1 copy
De Tolv Portene 3 1 copy
De Tolv Portene 2 1 copy
Vildheks, Ildprøven 1 copy
Vildheks, Viridians Blod 1 copy
De Tolv Portene 1 1 copy
Witch: El poder de la música 1 copy
Verbannen van Bard 1 copy
Gėdytojos karas 1 copy
Gyvatės dovana 1 copy
Associated Works
The Usual Santas: A Collection of Soho Crime Christmas Capers (2017) — Contributor — 160 copies, 10 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Kaaberbøl, Lene
- Birthdate
- 1960-03-24
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of Aarhus
- Occupations
- fantasy writer
crime novelist
children's book author - Short biography
- Lene Kaaberbøl was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and grew up in the small town of Malling, in the Jutland countryside south of Aarhus. She published her first book when she was only 15 years old. It was the first book of what became the "Tina" children's fantasy series, which has never been translated from Danish. She graduated from Aarhus Katedralskole and earned a degree in both English and drama from Aarhus University. In 1988, her first fantasy novel for adults, The Morning Land, appeared. In addition to writing, she has also worked as a high school teacher and a translator. With Agnete Friis, a journalist, she is co-author of the Nina Borg series, beginning with The Boy in the Suitcase (2011), a bestseller.
- Nationality
- Denmark
- Birthplace
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Places of residence
- Frederiksberg, Denmark
Malling, Denmark - Associated Place (for map)
- Denmark
Members
Reviews
Nina Borg is a fascinating character who can make a reader feel strong and conflicting emotions. Her work for the Danish Red Cross is her mission in life. She is compelled to save the world through every single person she helps. She is a person to be admired for her strength, determination, and protective instincts. But that very same zeal has come at a great price. By focusing on the care of strangers, in this third book in the series Nina has lost her husband and children, who have given show more up demanding-- at the very least-- equal billing with her work. Nina is in sad shape, made all the sadder by the fact that it is all her own doing. Her working life may be a cause for admiration, but her personal life is reason for exasperation.
As she fights to keep little Katerina safe, she does find time to reflect on her actions and their consequences. Her soul searching is unflinching and brutally honest. Nina knows what she's done wrong, and she doesn't know if she's capable of making the necessary changes to get her family back-- or even if there's a chance of reconciliation at all. This is a wonderful, nuanced characterization that I've come to love in this series of books.
But Nina is not the only fierce soul in this book. Natasha Doroshenko can match her stride for determined, unflagging stride. Natasha's life has often been a nightmare, and she has learned to be ruthless and cunning in order to survive. As the story alternates between present-day Denmark and 1930s Russia, the reader learns how people's behavior is often shaped by events in the past. The Russian chapters are chilling and horrific, and as the story unfolds, we not only learn about the distant past, we learn about Natasha's life with her husband, a man who was paid for keeping secrets.
With differing timelines and characters' stories, Death of a Nightingale can be a bit confusing occasionally, but everything is woven together satisfactorily before book's end. Once again, Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis have constructed an emotional roller coaster ride peopled by characters of marvelous depth and nuance. With Nina in such a state, I'm certainly looking forward to the next book in this series to see how she progresses. show less
As she fights to keep little Katerina safe, she does find time to reflect on her actions and their consequences. Her soul searching is unflinching and brutally honest. Nina knows what she's done wrong, and she doesn't know if she's capable of making the necessary changes to get her family back-- or even if there's a chance of reconciliation at all. This is a wonderful, nuanced characterization that I've come to love in this series of books.
But Nina is not the only fierce soul in this book. Natasha Doroshenko can match her stride for determined, unflagging stride. Natasha's life has often been a nightmare, and she has learned to be ruthless and cunning in order to survive. As the story alternates between present-day Denmark and 1930s Russia, the reader learns how people's behavior is often shaped by events in the past. The Russian chapters are chilling and horrific, and as the story unfolds, we not only learn about the distant past, we learn about Natasha's life with her husband, a man who was paid for keeping secrets.
With differing timelines and characters' stories, Death of a Nightingale can be a bit confusing occasionally, but everything is woven together satisfactorily before book's end. Once again, Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis have constructed an emotional roller coaster ride peopled by characters of marvelous depth and nuance. With Nina in such a state, I'm certainly looking forward to the next book in this series to see how she progresses. show less
Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis return with their third book - Death of a Nightingale - featuring protagonist Nina Borg.
Nina is a Red Cross nurse working in a Danish refugee camp. She's passionate about her work and the people she looks after - to the detriment of her own life. Her marriage has broken down and she's lost custody of her children.
Death of a Nightingale continues the story of two of the residents of Coal House Camp - Ukrainian national Natasha and her daughter Katerina. show more Natasha has been convicted of the attempted murder of her abusive Danish boyfriend, but escapes custody on her way to sentencing, determined to reclaim her child.
Alternate chapters tell the story of two little girls in Stalinist Ukraine in 1934. The glimpse into the past is chilling and compelling. Written from a child's viewpoint, I found these chapters fascinating and found myself heading to the 'net to read more about this period in history. Slowly but surely Kaaberbol and Friis meld the two story lines together. I enjoyed the well plotted and slow paced reveal.
Friis and Kaaberbol have populated the book with incredibly strong female characters, each with dogged and determined wills. Lines are blurred often - what is right versus what is lawful. And what needs to be done. I think this is why I like Nina so much. She is far from perfect, but tries to do right by everyone in her life. She's failing, but is able to see her shortcomings and indeed acknowledges she may not be able to change - her family may be lost to her.
The plot is well crafted and the story moves along quickly, with lots of action and bite your nails moments. The ending is tied up but leaves the door open for the next in the series - one I will be picking up for sure. show less
Nina is a Red Cross nurse working in a Danish refugee camp. She's passionate about her work and the people she looks after - to the detriment of her own life. Her marriage has broken down and she's lost custody of her children.
Death of a Nightingale continues the story of two of the residents of Coal House Camp - Ukrainian national Natasha and her daughter Katerina. show more Natasha has been convicted of the attempted murder of her abusive Danish boyfriend, but escapes custody on her way to sentencing, determined to reclaim her child.
Alternate chapters tell the story of two little girls in Stalinist Ukraine in 1934. The glimpse into the past is chilling and compelling. Written from a child's viewpoint, I found these chapters fascinating and found myself heading to the 'net to read more about this period in history. Slowly but surely Kaaberbol and Friis meld the two story lines together. I enjoyed the well plotted and slow paced reveal.
Friis and Kaaberbol have populated the book with incredibly strong female characters, each with dogged and determined wills. Lines are blurred often - what is right versus what is lawful. And what needs to be done. I think this is why I like Nina so much. She is far from perfect, but tries to do right by everyone in her life. She's failing, but is able to see her shortcomings and indeed acknowledges she may not be able to change - her family may be lost to her.
The plot is well crafted and the story moves along quickly, with lots of action and bite your nails moments. The ending is tied up but leaves the door open for the next in the series - one I will be picking up for sure. show less
I have very mixed feelings about The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol. On one hand, I did find this to be an intense and rather dark thriller, but on the other hand, the lead character Nina (or ninny as I like to call her) was just so unbelievable that the whole book just felt wrong.
A three-year old Lithuanian boy goes missing and his single mother tries desperately to put the pieces together and find her son. Meanwhile, in Denmark, a nurse named Nina Borg finds a small, naked boy in a show more suitcase. Nina is a Red Cross Nurse, used to dealing with emergency situations and so should be have been quick to respond to the situation she found herself in. Instead of calling the police and ensuring the boy was healthy and safe, she dithers around, driving aimlessly in her car while she decides what to do. Even when she realizes the type of people that she has rescued this child from, she still doesn’t contact the authorities. In fact she makes one bad decision after another and her absolute disregard and neglect toward her own husband and children drove me crazy. I realize that the plot hinged on Nina’s reluctance to call the police, but it was so illogical that I just couldn’t buy into this story.
It’s unfortunate that this plot device ruined the story for me, but since the series continues on with Nina as the main character, I doubt that I will be reading any more of these books. show less
A three-year old Lithuanian boy goes missing and his single mother tries desperately to put the pieces together and find her son. Meanwhile, in Denmark, a nurse named Nina Borg finds a small, naked boy in a show more suitcase. Nina is a Red Cross Nurse, used to dealing with emergency situations and so should be have been quick to respond to the situation she found herself in. Instead of calling the police and ensuring the boy was healthy and safe, she dithers around, driving aimlessly in her car while she decides what to do. Even when she realizes the type of people that she has rescued this child from, she still doesn’t contact the authorities. In fact she makes one bad decision after another and her absolute disregard and neglect toward her own husband and children drove me crazy. I realize that the plot hinged on Nina’s reluctance to call the police, but it was so illogical that I just couldn’t buy into this story.
It’s unfortunate that this plot device ruined the story for me, but since the series continues on with Nina as the main character, I doubt that I will be reading any more of these books. show less
Delighted with a new Madeleine Karno mystery -- still gory, still medicinally focused, still psychologically intense. I'm also really enjoying the portrait of the time period. I'm a little puzzled at the ramifications of the ending, given Madeleine's thoughtful aversion to motherhood, and am deeply interested to see where the series goes next, if the series continues.
Also, urgh, vivisection.
Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.
Also, urgh, vivisection.
Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 106
- Also by
- 5
- Members
- 4,891
- Popularity
- #5,137
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 240
- ISBNs
- 487
- Languages
- 24
- Favorited
- 12
