Floortje Zwigtman

After having read this, I have no trouble declaring Floortje Zwigtman my favourite new discovery of the year when it comes to literature.
The book is set in 19th century Romania, and it's about a group of farm boys who leave their village to join a band of robbers. Unwittingly, they become part of a much larger game, a struggle between two opponents who have been battling each other for more than one lifetime.
The book explores the evil that men do - the evil that is part of men. It deals show more with the question whether man is inherently good or evil, and with the choices we have. And it does so while telling a really compelling story, including a figure that at first glance seems to be one of the most talked about characters in history, Vlad Tepes, whom most people know as Dracula. But it's more about the real Vlad Tepes than the myths surrounding him, and while there are vampires, they're much darker and compelling than the ones you tend to find in "literature" these days. *coughs* Twilight *coughs*
Dear Ms. Zwigtman, you have a new fan. show less

I absolutely loved this book. In fact, it's the kind of book I always wanted to write, or at least to exist, back during the days of the height of my Oscar Wilde obsession.
It's set in the 1890s, and it's the story of Adrian Mayfield, a young shop boy. One day, he meets a customer who will later introduce him to a whole new world - homosexual Victorian London, including the circle of men around Oscar Wilde.
It's a fantastic historical novel - as someone who knows quite a bit about that time show more and Oscar Wilde's life in particular I have to say the author does an amazing job playing with the people from that time, interweaving their lives with that of the main character. It's also a wonderful coming-of-age and "coming out" (as much as that was possible during that time) story, and as an added bonus there's a romance that's to-die-for - at least for someone like me who likes it slow and awkward and sweet. I cannot wait to read the sequel. Really. I'm going to learn to read Dutch so I don't have to wait that long. show less

De relatie tussen Adrian en Vincent is nu echt over. Het was ook te mooi om lang te duren. Vincent is achter het geheim van Adrian gekomen, en wil niets meer met hem te maken hebben, en Adriaan is opnieuw terug in de goot. Nu wil hij alleen nog maar wraak nemen op de persoon die ooit van hem hield. Hij wordt hierin geholpen door lady Kinderly en Paul McBride. Deze blijken echter hun eigen agenda te hebben

De eerste twee delen waren wat dat betreft veel soepeler, en meeslepender. Een van de show more stukken in het verhaal dat me wat gekunsteld overkwam, was het café, waar Adrian Trops en de 3 kinderen naar toe had meegenomen, en Martha ongevraagd aanbood om een onderduikadres voor de kinderen te zoeken.

Het boek was te lang, en daardoor langdradig en begon te vervelen. Bepaalde stukken kwamen krampachtig over. Hoewel het boek vooral gericht was op jongeren, meed het moeilijke thema's niet.

Persoonlijk vind ik de cover-art voor de ebook versie veel minder dan die van de hardcover editie. show less

Tweede deel uit de serie 'Groene Bloem' van Floortje Zwigtman.

Na in het eerste deel van straat-jongen opgeklommen te zijn naar geliefde van Vincent, verspilt Adrian dat weer in dit deel. Verder speelt vooral het proces tegen Oscar Wilde en Queensberry een rol.
Sommige delen van dit boek komen nogal 'geforceerd' over, en dat maakt het lezen er niet altijd makkelijk op.