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Freyas Geheimnis Roman (2008)

by Christina Sunley(Favorite Author)

3.89 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

3442370868 (ISBN13: 9783442370863)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Blanvalet

review 1: The four stars are rounded up from a 3.6 or so. This book is full of fascinating descriptions of Iceland, its culture, history, and mythology. We even get a taste of the language itself! Being as I am obsessed with Iceland, it was a wonderful read for me. The writing is mostly strong and often poetic. However, there are some things that just got on my nerves. One thing that bothered me ALOT was the author's description of sounds, given in italics. The first time it was clever, the second I said, mmm, the 20th I thought I would scream. I know that is minor, the thing is, this is so close to being an exceptional book, I held the writer to a higher standard I guess. The other thing that most bothered me was I never felt emotionally invested in anyone - not the narrator, an... mored especially not Birdie. I think if I was supposed to believe this connection between them, there would have had to be more positive interaction between them - mostly Birdie was either a bitch, or depressed, around the child Freya. (A side note, would the family really have left a child with someone who had been in and out of mental institutions for all that time while Mary was in hospital? I think not.) After drawing out the "mystery" for so long (and I understand we are supposed to know well before Freya, but it did seem a little long...) the book wraps up a tad quickly too.Still, this is worth a read, it is enjoyable on a number of levels, and the author is one to watch (this is a first novel.)
review 2: This is a well crafted novel that keeps your interest despite some redundancies and an excess of linguistics lectures. I came away with an appreciation for Icelandic culture and language and some curiosity to learn more--always a good thing. It also explored the pain and chaos that results when a family member suffers from severe manic depressionI am eager to pass it on to a friend who lived in Iceland for a few years to get her take on it. less

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