The Sand-Hills of Jutland
by H. C. Andersen (1805–1875)
- Free to read
- 5 hours to read
- 8 chapters
- Reading level: 7th grade
"The Sand-Hills of Jutland" by Hans Christian Andersen is a novel written in the mid-19th century. The story unfolds with a young noble couple from Spain who, amidst their lavish lifestyle and dreams of having a family, find themselves caught in a tragic shipwreck. The narrative is interwoven with themes of fate, love, and the unforeseen trials of life, particularly focusing on the consequences of their happy aspirations. At the start of the book, readers are introduced to the young couple as they set sail on a grand ship, brimming with optimism about their future. However, their voyage takes a dark turn when a storm wrecks their vessel, leading to treacherous circumstances on the coast of Jutland. The wife perishes in the chaos, leaving behind a newborn baby girl, who becomes the focal point of the novel as she is taken in by a humble fisherman's family. The narrative hints at her significance in the interconnected lives of the characters and the unfolding sagas that intertwine destiny with the stark realities of life in the sand-hills of Jutland.
- Denmark · Social life and customs
Read the opening
Chapter I
"We had a capital dinner yesterday," said an aged female mouse to one who had not been at the feast. "I sat only twenty-one from the old King of the Mice: that was not being badly placed. Shall I tell you what we had for dinner? It was all very well arranged. We had mouldy bread, the skin of bacon, tallow candles, and sausages. Twice we returned to the charge: it was as good as if we had had two dinners. There was nothing but good-humour and pleasant chit-chat, as in an agreeable family circle. Not a mite was left except the sausage-stick. The conversation happened to fall upon the possibility of making soup of a sausage-stick. All said they had heard of it, but no one had ever tasted that soup, or knew how to prepare it. A health was proposed to the inventor, who, it was remarked, deserved to be superintendent of the poor. Was not that witty? And the old King of the Mice arose and declared that the one among the young mice who could prepare the soup in question most palatably should be his queen, and he would grant them a year and a day for the trial."
Keep reading The Sand-Hills of Jutland →
Download for your e-reader
Files are provided by Project Gutenberg. On a Kindle, the simplest route is to send the EPUB with Amazon’s Send to Kindle. Downloaded copies don’t sync with your place on Classic Book Reader.
About this edition
This free edition of The Sand-Hills of Jutland by H. C. Andersen comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #26491, released 2008-08-30. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Novels.
Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).
