Morning and Evening by Jon Fosse follows the life of a fisherman named Johannes, from his birth to his death, blending reality with mysticism and Christian symbolism. Though the writing is thoughtful and poetic, I wasn’t aware of the book’s religious focus when I started, and it quickly became clear that it wasn’t for me.

That said, I did enjoy the narrator’s calm and reflective tone, which gave the novel a contemplative atmosphere. While Fosse's prose is undeniably well-crafted, the religious themes and abstract structure made it difficult for me to fully connect with the story.

This was my first time trying Fosse’s writing and I’ve since come to find out that he typically writes character driven, reflective books. This isn’t the type of book that I always gravitate toward, but the type that I really enjoy when it’s done well.

Our main character, Johannes is likable enough. We follow him as he sort of slogs through his days. It seems that as he’s aging and having lost his wife, he no longer feels any real purpose to living. I know this can be a common issue with elderly people, so I applaud Fosse for capturing it so effectively. The loneliness really radiates off the page.

There isn’t much in the way of plot, at least not until the twist at the end is revealed. Then you realize that there was something happening beside just an older man reflecting. I thought that was a cool trick.

That said, it was the sort of book I admire, but also find myself getting restless with. It’s very gray and dreary. And I just wish I had gotten to know a bit more about the MC and what he was like before this apathy overtook him.

I listened to the audiobook copy of this and I thought the narrator did a really good job capturing the voice of the main character. The narration was smooth and easy to follow. I would definitely recommend this format.

If you are a fan of slow-paced, character driven novels that muse on the human condition, perhaps you will enjoy this one.

I quite enjoyed listening to the audiobook Morning and Evening (2nd Edition) by Jon Fosse narrated by Kåre Conradi. I was intrigued to read this since this author won the Nobel Prize and this is my first read by him. I liked the quiet contemplation of life in the everyday moments in Johannes life. This is a short book but I would read it again. I liked the writing style and the narrator was very good. I’d be curious to read more from this author.

morning and evening is a fascinating exploration of the beginning and ending of a man’s life. though it primarily deals with the protagonist’s experience of his own death, it’s not a dark book at all. if anything, there’s something quite calming and dreamlike not just about the plot, but also the often elliptical prose. i really enjoyed the stream of consciousness style of the writing, which came across very well in the audiobook too! a very different and interesting read.

MORNING AND EVENING by Jon Fosse (winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature) and translated by Damion Searls is a beautiful, poetic meditation on the beginning and ending of life, with a few glimpses of what unfolds in between. It opens on the first day of Johannes’ life, which we experience through the eyes of his father, then jumps straight to the last day of Johannes’ life, which he does not realize will be his last.

As the reader, knowing that it is Johannes’ last day turns the prosaic details and decisions into moments imbued with significance, lending a tone of gratitude for these small reprieves before the final oblivion. Fosse tenderly and obliquely captures the people who have shaped Johannes’ existence and shows our productivity-driven world that life is more than accolades and accomplishments; each day is a gift (but not in a saccharine way!).

There’s a dreamlike cadence to how Fosse describes Johannes moving through his day, and the hypnotic fluidity of his prose is a highlight of the reading experience. If I have to be carried away to death, having Fosse alongside to shepherd me there would not be a bad way to go. Kåre Conradi narrates the audiobook with just the right mesmerizing rhythms.

A brilliant, incantatory novel that follows a normal man at his life’s opening and at its close. The prose truly feels like magic, as it elevates the quotidian into the sacred. Johannes may not have lived a life worthy of a novel in most circumstances, but in Fosse’s capable, extraordinary hands we get to fully experience a life realized in its smallest, essential moments; the relationships made and the community built.

Morning and the Evening was another great work by Jon Fosse. Even though the audiobook was short, I really got swept up in the writing.

You either love a book or hate a book but hating and loving the same book at the same time, is that even possible?? This book is a perfect example of that.


It was impossible for me to stop myself from listening the book and yet the parts of were so annoying. The book starts with Olai a fisherman is pacing nervously as his wife is giving birth to his second baby , a son. The first part of the story is short but even then it annoyed me that the author chose to say — Olai said and Ana , the old midwife said. And damn he used the whole - Ana, the old midwife said. There are only two people in the scene right now so who else will be talking to each other? Readers are smart people to be honest to deduct the conversations.

That made me pause the audiobook so many times, it irked me to hear the narrator say it over and over again several times. And the dialogues were short so that made it even worse.

Another thing that annoyed the hell out of me is when Olai goes inside to meet his wife, Magda/Mazda , the description of her breasts and making comment on baby Johannes sucking on her breasts about 4-5 times, what was that all about??

After a brief first part, second part starts with old Johannes. He wakes up and starts his routine but notice small subtle changes in his surroundings and himself too. Again use of "Johannes thinks" was getting on my nerves. If not for this repetition I would have thoroughly enjoyed the story. The book takes you on a journey that spans between two extremes of a human life.

Morning and evening has a dream like feel to it, a day - an early morning which starts with a haze all over where nothing is bright and bold, everything is fuzzy and unclear. There is a calm in the writing as it slowly progresses. The day Johannes spends with his best friend Peter and I had figured it out what is happening and yet when it was revealed I felt it deep inside.

The second part of the book is more lyrical which left a lasting impression on my memory. It is short read and apart from the points I mentioned, i found this book to be overwhelming but not in bad way. It reminded me of Murakami, who has the same distinct writing style which makes the whole experience of reading exquisite.

The more I thought of it, the more profound effect it left on me. This short novella is going to take your breath away.

Audiobook : 4.5 stars
Book : 4 stars

Would have been a 5 star read if I wasn't annoyed.

Thank you Netgalley and dreamscape media for the wonderful audiobook ARC in exchange of an honest review.

A very short book with a very interesting story. It felt more like enjoy the journey, not where it takes you.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for offering a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Well this is like entering a whole new world, this is fiction that is structured in a way that you aren't used to reading. It reminded me a little bit of David Mitchell or Murakami, it is almost hypnotic. Immersive is the word I want I think.

It starts with the birth of a child who is named Johannes. There is a old man also named Johannes who dies, we spend our time with the older Johannes a man who has lived a quiet but purposeful life in a fishing village in Norway. We inhabit his world, his thoughts as he begins and ends his day. But this day doesn't feel like any other, things happen which are slightly off. As he walks on his early morning walk after he begins the day routines, he notices that things don't appear to be right. He has conversations with people which aren't right, he is somehow experiencing a kind of parallel world.

This book is a beautiful look at one man's life, his loves and hopes and experiences of the world. It is quiet and thoughtful. I adored it.

I listened to the audio of this book while I was sick with Covid and having lots of wild and crazy dreams. This book haunted me in those dreams, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Beautifully read and moving in the extreme.

I was drawn to this audiobook because of the prestige that goes along with being Nobel-Prize winner Jon Fosse. I knew of his plays but had never read his prose, and this was a unique listening experience. This novella focuses on the life of Johannes, specifically the day of his birth and the day of his death. We are introduced to his character and learn about his life mainly through the stream-of-consciousness that accompanies his last day. We meet the people important to him and get a close up of one small life amidst an ocean of others. The mundane details in the life of an elderly man make the narrative touching and gives it a universal quality. The reader (or listener) is left to contemplate life’s first, and last, day and how they bookend all the days in between.

I really enjoyed the premise of this story, yet became a little distracted by the use of repetition, that may have been a necessary literary device but grew a little tiresome to the ears. Other than that, the voice of Kare Conradi leant depth and realism to what was at times a hallucinatory swirl of contemplation and conjecture.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the chance to listen to this unique story.

<i>Morning and Evening</i> is a story about the day a man named Johannes was born and the day he dies. The story starts with his dad’s thoughts as his mom is in labor and then takes over with Johannes’ thoughts. Through his thoughts and actions on the last day, you learn a bit about the life he has lived between these two days.

Fosse has a unique writing style that clearly works for him, given the international acclaim he has. However, I personally found the repetition he used annoying, such as sections where every sentence ended in “Johannes thinks”. It is definitely a story with a lot of layers, where can dive into the various meanings and literary devices used in the story. Despite its short length, it is a meaty story.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book.

I was interested in reading Morning and Evening because Jon Fosse won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2023 and I had never heard of him. This was a really interesting novel - really not much happens, it's a very somber story starting with the day Johannes is born, from his father's POV and ending on the day of Johannes' death. Although there isn't much plot, the reader learns quite a bit about Johannes' life through this stream of consciousness story. It's a touching story that made me think a lot about how the small moments of our lives and relationships make up our story.
Thank you Dreamscape media and NetGalley for the audio ARC.

This beautiful novella was more lyrical and poetic than I was expecting. I listened to the audio version which was read by Kåre Conradi who had a lovely delivery as he spoke the words much more in the style of a poem, which was perfect for the text.

The first part deals with the birth of a new Johannes into the family with the narration from the expectant father.

The second half of the book deals with the death of old Johannes. It reads almost like a stream of consciousness with the repetition that continues throughout as Johannes senior comes to terms with his death.

Parts of it are quite disturbing as Johannes is unaware of what's happening to him but there is a really comforting side too as he meets his late wife and friend again. The friend has come to help him cross over and isn't that what we all want - someone to help us deal with death.

This is the first Fosse I've read and for a hypnotically comforting read I'd definitely recommend this short book.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio advance review copy.

Morning and Evening is a beautifully translated novella that reflects on life and death through the lens of one man’s birth and final day. The narration of this collection was exceptional and an experience of its own. I’m not sure I would have been able to get through reading this (challenging structure and themes), but I did become fully enthralled while listening. If you’re in the mood for an emotional journey, and have a willingness to explore the nature of life itself, I’d highly recommend this as an audiobook.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.

In the book morning and evening by John Fossey we meet Johannes his father fretting at the bedside of his laboring wife who is giving birth to Johannes then we follow Johannes to being an elderly father of three losing his old wife and eventually realizing his life is over. With Mundain statements Jon Fosse has written a mesmerizing book about one man’s life from birth to death. When I read the author won a Pulitzer Prize for literature I couldn’t resist reading this award winning book and I am so glad I did the author doesn’t keep you glued to the pages with twists and turns but with decisions that essentially everyone makes in their every day life with a narrator that really captures the tone of Johannes and his fulfilled life with children his wife work ET see this is a great book and well I definitely recommend it is a great literary fiction in this it sounds interesting to you trust me when I say you should read it it really is a fun way to pass a couple of hours. I want to thank dreamscape media for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Morning and Evening, the winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in literature from prolific Norwegian playwright/novelist/poet Jon Olav Fosse, is a dichotomy of a work. It about both a child named Johannes who is about to be born and an old man named Johannes who is dying.

The prose of this novel straddles a very delicate balance between beautiful, visceral poetic lyricism and the repetitive, nonsensical rambling of a toddler telling you a story you don’t entirely understand. Every paragraph feels artistically and deliberately crafted and yet equally frantic and cocaine fueled.

Unfortunately, it felt too scant to enjoy as much as I would have liked.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel.

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Kåre Conradi
Content: 4.5 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars

Morning and Evening is a beautiful story of a man named Johannes, of young Johannes, just born and old, reminiscing about his life. These two are probably the same person (but we cannot be completely sure).

Fosse, with his sparse prose and simple everyday moments, tells the life story of Johannes. It's a quiet story, but yet so impactful.

I love Fosse's writing - it's sparse and poetic, and the use of repetition is surprisingly good. This novel, despite the writing, works wonderfully as an audiobook, too. The narrator, Kåre Conradi, did an excellent job reading this.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media for the advance copy and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

Absolutely beautiful, meandering prose expertly written and beautifully narrated. Morning and Evening is a wonderful audio adaptation of what will no doubt be a modern classic.

Perfect for those that love the journey more than the plot. This surreal novella follows a old man in the last moments of his life. I particularly liked the repetitive way Fosse write dialogue. The whole book was meditative, peaceful and, for a surreal book about passing over it felt really quite grounded.

This is a perfect rainy, Sunday afternoon listen! I gave it 5 stars!

Thankyou Netgalley for the ARC.

What a lovely book Jon Fosse has written. The translation was narrated by Kåre Conradi. He is a wonderful choice. He has a beautiful reading voice and read it like the poetic story that I'm sure it is. I believe the audio is a little over three hours.
I was hesitant to read this book as Nobel Prize winning literature is often a bit dense and heavy for me. This certainly was not.
It begins with the birth of Johannes from the POV of his father. His anxiety about the birth is so apparent as is his pride that he will have a son and that son will be fisherman like him. It moves to the second part when Johannes is an old man and dies.. We learn much of his life between these two events.
I have never read anything by Fosse before but I will certainly look for some of his books. Morning and Evening, though a small book, addressed big questions but mostly it was about love.