|
Judith Lindbergh
(Viking; $25.95)
This is the perfect book to settle in with for the winter stretch. If you like historic fiction -- this should be your fiction pick for the winter. The Thrall's Tale is being described as an "epic debut novel" which may be a little over the top since it falls just short of 500 pages; nonetheless, it is a big book written in an older, more formal, style of English.
This is a story of the early Viking colonies in Greenland told through the voices of three women who are the central characters in the story -- Katla, a thrall enslaved in a Viking raid who is emigrated to Greenland by her master in A.D. 985; Thorbjorg, a seeress who is Katla's friend, mentor and support in Greenland and her daughter (the result of a brutal rape), Bibrau. Wonderfully researched, this is a time period that people do not tend to know much about past our grade school lessons about Leif Eriksson.
The Thrall's Tale offers a lot for everybody -- a bit of the feminist mysticism associated with The Mists of Avalon, imbeccably researched ancient history associated with The Historian or A Conspiracy of Paper and a fascinating view into the religious and social upheaval in the early Viking world. Lindbergh is a solid writer who brings early Greenland to life as you read this fascinating and engaging story.
Don't miss a chance to meet Judith on February 1 at Arcadia Coffee Co. at 7:30 PM. Don't forget your book club -- this is a great choice for a book club willing to look at history, religion and social mores.
To order this book online click here.
|
