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

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.

Seldom have I had to struggle to read a book. While parts of the story were somewhat interesting and the characters unique, it just did not come together for me. It seemed disconnected and sometimes I felt like I was in the "twilight zone." However, maybe that was the intention of the author. I would NEVER NOT recommend a book to anybody because we all have different tastes.

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.

"The Quiet Girl" by Peter Hoeg was a very interesting read. Hoeg draws you in immediately with his quirky, unusual character Kaspar Krone. Great prose and an intriguing story line kept me hooked to the very last page. Some of the jumps between present and memories of past, were a little confusing at first, but once I got used to the rhythm, everything flowed together. I highly recommend this book.

This book is an intriguing, extremely fast-paced literate psychological mystery. The protagonist is a fascinating character, a circus clown with an extremely acute sense of hearing as well as an unusual talent for sensing each person's musical key which gives him insight into their character and current state of mind. Although the book is confusing at the outset, it very quickly grabs you with short chapters and lots of action. I felt I was viewing a Cirque du Soleil production where there is a multitude of things happening that are all very interesting but need to be observed for a while before a connection and continuity can be established between the events.

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.

Like a spider spinning its web to entice its prey, author Peter Hoeg slowly but adroitly entices readers to suspend their belief in ordinary reality as they enter a world of illusion, mystery, and suspense to join Kasper Krone in his search for the quiet girl.

Bach's music, the mysticism of Gurdjieff, the synchroncities of Jung, the spirituality of the Orthodox Church, and high technology intermingle in this fast-paced novel.

The book begins slowly as the author moves forward and backward in time to develop the characters but quickly springs into high speed action..

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.