Book Blurb:
In 1807, Johan Israelsson is a hard-working young farmer in northern Sweden. Then, rumors of a pending war with the Russian Empire filter in to Västerbotten county. Johan’s sense of duty compels him to leave his family and fiancé to fight for Sweden. Assigned the soldier’s name, Sparrman, Johan joins his neighbor, Tobias Öhn, on the front lines in Finland facing a battle-hardened Russian army. Here, the wages of war are not only the loss of life and land, but also by the rise of an insidious epidemic. But the epidemic will not be the only evil the war results in. An exiled Swede, fighting on the side of Russia, uses the cover of war to reenter Sweden to exact revenge on those he blames for his expulsion.
Years later, trouble once again finds Johan with the mysterious killing of a drifter near his farm. Johan, along with fellow veterans of the war with Russia, and the later war with Norway, track the killer, or killers, who then threaten Johan’s family.
Johan Sparrman is the exciting sequel to the novel “Lovisa Öhn” released in 2023.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/o5FgP
Editorial Review:
Johan Israelsson walked along the dirt road leading Agnes, the family’s aged mare. He held the lead rope loosely in his right hand and carried an ax over his left shoulder. He had spent the morning cutting and placing pine poles to extend the farm’s fence. Johan could feel the heat of the sun on his back as they walked.
“It’s going to be a hot one, Agnes.”
Standing five foot seven, Johan was of average height with broad, sloping shoulders. He wore a homespun linen shirt, and hand-me-down woolen trousers. Because his legs were longer than those of his older brothers, his mother had lengthened the pant legs with two-inch strips of salvaged material.
“Look at that, Agnes. Soldiers.”
Johan moved Agnes to the side of the road and stood waiting for the marching men to pass. There were twenty soldiers by his count. He recognized a few and nodded to them as they passed. He was not a fan of the new cylindrical hat with the white plume; he preferred the three-cornered hats like the one his father had worn. Some grinned and returned the gesture; others lifted their heads as if to look down on a peasant farmer. It didn’t matter that, just a few months earlier, they too were peasant farmers.
“Soon, Agnes, I will be marching with them.”
Agnes nickered and impatiently pawed the dirt, anxious to get back to her stall.
“Okay, old girl, let’s go home.”
Home was fifteen acres, including thirteen cultivated acres. The farm was once forty acres, but as Johan’s older brothers married, his father subdivided the land, giving each newlywed son five acres. So far, five of Johan’s brothers each received five acres. The downside was, his older brothers appeared to have taken the best lots.
Johan Sparrman by Albert Sandberg starts us off in June 1807 at the Håkansson farm in the Överboda countryside. This is set years after the story in People of the Rote, but this one is also in Sweden. In this story, we are taken behind-the-scenes into life of the time period.
From the first chapter, we are introduced to the family and their home, learning more about the size and conditions of the space they live in, who lives there altogether, and what kind of work they do. It’s a great insider look at life during these times and specifically, life on the Håkansson farm.
Editing and formatting is good throughout – the book is formatted well and there are no spelling and grammatical mistakes that pull you out of the story or make things difficult to understand. It also does a good job of explaining words or customers that may not be obvious to readers who are not familiar with this culture and time in history.
One thing I enjoy about the character development in this book is that Sandberg uses dialogue as a tool for bringing those personalities out.
“Momma,” Maria cried. “She did that on purpose.”
“What’s all the racket in here?” Olof growled, coming into the room.
“The girls are fighting over my clothes.”
“Ahh. It is the oldest who always gets handed down clothes first, and then the second oldest afterward. That’s the way it is and the way it has always been.”
“It’s not fair,” Anna said, arms crossed, and bottom lip stuck out.
“You are right, little one,” Olof said. “Tell you what, you can have my trousers when I outgrow them!”
“Eww,” Anna said. “They smell like pee.”
“Anna!” Kattis cried, then grinned when Olof bellowed laughter.
“What’s this?” Maria asked, pulling out a long, wooden object from the back of the closet.
“That’s my bow,” Kattis said. “I haven’t seen that in years.”
“This is yours? Do you know how to shoot it?”
“Maria, your mother is the best bow and arrow shooter in all of Sweden,” Olof declared from his seat on the bed.
“Poppa, I am not,” Kattis said.
Through the most simple-seeming interactions between the family members, we learn so much about them as individuals, as well as their customs and more history of the time. I felt this was a strong suit of the book and really brings the characters to life.
Another thing this story does well is continuity. We are dealing with things in the past and historical stories can get confusing if things are not laid out well in the formatting of the book, as well as the continuity of the story. Sandberg excels with this as well.
The last chapter takes us all the way to 1814, and a conclusion that wraps up many things from the previous parts of the story, tying it all together for the ending.
Johan woke inside a small room, lying on a stiff cot. Looking around, he saw one wall of log, and three walls paneled with white-washed, mill-sawn boards. The scratched and dented floor, and ceiling, were of painted pine, and a small window of wavy glass was set high in the wall. A poorly made door hung askew with gaps on the top left and bottom right edges, providing access points for the dozens of mosquitos that were now feasting on his face and neck. A heavy, itchy blanket covered him from chest to toe. Johan curled up under the blanket’s protection, closed his eyes, and drifted back to sleep, still confused as to how he got to this place.
The squeaking of hinges roused Johan. He lifted his head, and watched a short, stocky dog with a thick, rough looking coat enter the room. It was the same dog Oskar and Magnus had drawn away from the house. The dog started when he saw Johan, dropped his head and tail low, and crept warily toward him.
We get a satisfying ending that ties up the story for us. Without revealing spoilers, the short epilogue has an absolutely shocking conclusion. All in all, this was a unique story that shows us a part of the world at a time in history that is not often written about.
Johan Sparrman will take you deep into Sweeden in the early 1800s and show you what life may have been life for families of the time.
*****
“Johan Sparrman” by Albert Sandberg receives four stars from The Historical Fiction Company
To have your historical novel editorially reviewed and/or enter the HFC Book of the Year contest, please visit www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/book-awards/award-submission
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