What do readers think of The Quiet Girl by Peter Hoeg? Write your own review.

Ten years ago, Smilla’s Sense of Snow, another book by Peter Hoeg was one of my favorite books. I am very disappointed with The Quiet Girl. Kasper, the main character, is a retired world-renowned circus clown. Kasper is a “super hero.” He has the mystical ability to hear the musical resonance of people and objects. Kasper can hear silence. He is searching for a missing young girl who shares the same mystical ability.

The Quiet Girl is a mixture of mystery and fantasy. I appreciated the philosophical undertones. The book is disjointed often changing between past and present. Had this been a library book I would not have finished it. Smilla’s Sense of Snow was made into a movie. I believe that The Quiet Girl was written with that in mind.

Peter Hoeg's much anticipated fifth novel, The Quiet Girl, was an introduction for me to the author. Unlike many books translated into English, this one seemed to lose clarity in the transition. Although the plot was intriguing, the writers rather quirky writing style and the lack of standard English grammar was distracting to me. It was a tough read to finish. Hoeg fans may celebrate The Quiet Girl. I'm ready to move on to a new author.

As expected with a Peter Hoeg book, the story line is complex and unusual. Normally, I enjoy the quirky and unexpected, but this was just too strange and didn't draw me in at all. The constant jumping between present and past; the use of musical references to describe characters and set tone (which really would only work if one were familiar with all the pieces referenced); and the fact that at times it felt somewhat like an improbable superheroes adventure, made it a struggle for me to finish the book. I would classify this as disappointing.

It would be natural for anyone who read Smilla’s Sense of Snow to expect great things from Peter Hoeg. Although I looked forward to re-experiencing his writing magic, I found his latest book, The Quiet Girl, very disappointing. Despite the right ingredients of “unforgettable” characters, mysticism, and mystery, Hoeg’s rambling tome fell off the tracks early in the story and never quite got back on again. Although the endless juxtapositioning of time was disconcerting at first, it was aggravating and confusing well before the middle of the 408-page tome. As all bibliophiles know, even the best writers will crank out a stinker now and then. If nothing else, Hoeg’s latest novel proves this axiom.

I was so excited to have the opportunity to read a new Peter Hoeg novel because I LOVED Smilla's Sense of Snow. It is one of my all time favorite works of fiction. I do NOT abandon books, but after 100 pages of Quiet Girl, I abandoned it! What a disappointment! The character development is so poor, and the plot twists and turns so randomly that I found it is incomprehensible. I gave up, and I'm so glad I didn't spend $$$$$ for it. I would be happy to send it forward to another reviewer if you would like. I eagerly await other reviews to see if I am completely off base and missing something.

Although I don't usually read fantasy novels, I do enjoy characters who are quirky, eccentric, or even gifted with mystical powers, such as Jeremiah Land, who walks on air and performs miracles in "Peace Like a River".

Page by page, I slogged through The Quiet Girl, hoping to find some meaning or endearment in the protagonist, Kasper Krone, who perceives people, places and situations as sounds and music.

It didn't happen. I didn't like (or dislike) Kasper, or anyone else in this novel.
I found myself just wishing he would hurry up and get on with his adventures, so I could read a book I really enjoyed. If, in fact, this had been any other library or purchased book, I probably wouldn't have finished it. Kasper became so annoying by page 250, that I felt like I was reading a book required by my English teacher.
The story was confusing and disjointed, and the characters lacked dimension.


There are occasional phrases with a touch of wisdom or droll humor. Once, when hungry, Kasper has the thought: "Even Buddha and Jesus had fasted for only thirty or forty days. And afterword said it was no fun".

Unfortunately, this engaging content was too rare. Although I did not enjoy this book, it was a treat to be part of the First Impressions program, and I would do it again.

The premise of this book interested me, but I found it insurmountable in its delivery. I patiently waded through pages and pages - then reread them in the hope that basic elements (such as the plot) would become clear. No such luck. I’m sure there is a set of readers out there for which this book would be an exciting challenge that would yield something beautiful. But there was way too much investment asked for my taste. I couldn’t even follow basic elements of the plot. The coherent threads were too disparate and disjointed.

This is the story of Kasper Krone a circus clown from Denmark. The book is set in the present time and centers around Krone's special gift. He is able to "hear peoples' music" and know what they are thinking and feeling. The plot has many twists and turns and I found the story difficult to follow. It follows the kidnapping of several children and Kasper's attempts to rescue them. There are some very touching scenes but I found that the book did not have a smooth flow.