I loved this book. Set in Iceland in the 1680s, a stark and desolate landscape haunted by half-forgotten witchcraft and superstition, it follows Rosa, a young woman who marries Jon Eriksson, a wealthy man from a distant village, in order to provide for her ailing mother. When she arrives at her new home, Rosa finds a dark and secretive place full of whispers and paranoia, and finds herself isolated and frightened. There is something strange about her new husband. Local gossip about his recently deceased first wife abounds, and Rosa begins to suspect something sinister. There is a permanently locked loft to which she is denied access, but this is far from a straightforward retelling of the Bluebeard myth. Exquisite writing and stunning descriptions make Icelan'd's landscape as much a character in this book as any of the others. Dark, but beautiful stuff.

his book takes readers to 1686, Iceland. The writing is exquisite and the story unfolds beautifully. The atmosphere of this book is portrayed perfectly. It's creepy, gloomy, eerie, and filled with hauntingly beautiful descriptions. I'd loved the inclusion of superstitions and folklore which added to the intrigue and mystery as the story unfolded.

Our main character Rosa is unexpectedly betrothed to Jon and she agrees so that her mother will be taken care of and survive the harsh winter that Iceland brings. Jon is a mystery and his character is so well done. The story really takes a hold when Rosa moves to Stykkisholmur and finds herself isolated and alone in his croft. The villagers don't trust her and there are whispers of Jon having killed his first wife. Rosa is alone and far from home and strange noises and presences from the locked loft interrupt her sleep. What is hidden in the loft?

This book is one that will have you turning the pages whilst holding your breath at the same time. It transports readers to a time and place where mystery and intrigue fill the pages and nothing is ever as it seems. The supernatural elements had me hooked right the way to the end and the suspense and beautifully written prose make this one of my must reads for 2019. Memorable characters that will stay with you long after you finish the last page. This book has echoes of gothic fiction and those who enjoy historical fiction and books by the Bronte sisters will thoroughly enjoy it.

Icelandic mail order bride travels to creepy remote village to be with politician husband with a penchant for modern architecture and falconry who may or may not be a murderer. Very atmospheric.

Recommended for fans of historical mystery fiction and Daphne Du Maurier.

A wide ranging novel embodying aspects of sagas and witchcraft. The description brings to us the bleak, unforgiving landscape. The characters are real, as is the sense of menace.
A good read for a cold winter's night
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

I’m loving all of these witch books that are the current flavour of the year in fiction. I loved the epic descriptions of the landscape in this Icelandic novel, the landscape reflecting back the eery, tense atmosphere during the 17th century witch trials and a community suspicious of newcomers.

Mmm...my greatest feeling when considering this novel is one of apathy. It was really rather dull, even though lots happens. I am struggling to say why I didn't love it, but it was a tough one to finish. Perhaps because it's a single long account of hardship and horribleness, without a speck or light until the end?

The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea, set in Iceland in 1686, has a dark atmosphere, saturated in sadness, fear and superstition, a story of suspicion, love and violence. The story takes places over just a few months from August to December. It begins in November 1686 as a body surfaces from the ice-crusted sea, a body that had been weighted down with stones. But the land in Iceland is never still and the stones had been dislodged, pushing the body upwards and breaking the ice above.

And then the story steps back a few months to August 1686 as Rósa is sent to the remote village of Stykkishólmur to join her new husband, Jón Eiríksson, a rich fisherman, farmer and merchant, and the chieftain. In other words a powerful man. He and Rosa had met when he had been travelling south and although his wife, Anna, had only been dead for two months he had proposed to Rosa. She accepted him, not because she loved him but to save her mother from starvation. Jon gives her a small glass figurine, shaped in the perfect form of a woman, hands clasped and her gaze meekly lowered, as a wedding present. He said it reminded him of her.

And a few months later accompanied by Petur, his apprentice, she travels to Stykkishólmur. Petur is reputed to be one of the huldufolk – one of the ‘hidden people’ or elves, who take people and feast on their souls. (Icelandic works are used throughout the book and there is a short glossary at the end of the book, which I didn’t find until I finished the book.) He warns her not to ask questions about Anna, not to him or the villagers and especially not to Jon. As they near the village Rosa becomes suspicious and fearful, especially as strangers they meet warn her that Jon may look honest but underneath he is a devil.

Her fears only increase as she finds she is isolated in a croft apart from the other villagers, who shun her with the exception of one woman, Katrin, who offers to help her. Jon forbids her to enter the locked room in the loft or the outbuildings, which of course rouses her curiosity. He expects her to obey him and occupy herself in the croft – to be subservient, like the glass woman. So, Rosa obediently went through her daily tasks. There was an old belief that reading and writing could be a form of witchcraft and Rosa’s mother, who knows Rosa is too wilful to be a wife, had warned her that Jon would set fire to her feet if she wrote a single word. So Rosa, who loves the Sagas, hid her writing from Jon. Then, hearing strange noises in the loft, she is irresistibly drawn to investigate and the tension rises, slowly mounting to violence as the book progresses.

I had high hopes that I would love The Glass Woman, but my hopes dwindled as I read on. I thought it was too long, too drawn out and slow, especially in the first half of the book. The structure of the story let it down for me and there are parts of the story I thought were a bit too predictable. The action takes place over just a few months – from August to December – and the narrative switches backwards and forwards over these months, between Rosa in the third person and Jon in the first person which I found rather disjointed and awkward having to work out what happened when. The pace did pick up towards the end of the book, though, as the violence reaches its climax.

I liked the setting in Iceland and the historical context. Caroline Lea explains in her author’s note at the end of the book that as she immersed herself in Jon and Rosa’s world she found the landscape itself was becoming a character. I can see what she means – the landscape does play a large part in the story and I liked her descriptions of its changing nature as earthquakes engulf whole hills, the land falling away or rising up. She was also fascinated by the Sagas with their references to the supernatural and that comes across strongly too.

The questions, however kept my interest – what had happened to Anna, what is in the locked room, and why does Jon want to keep Rosa away from the village? And what about the body that emerges from ice – how does that fit into the story? Overall, then I did enjoy this book.

My thanks to the publishers, Penguin UK Michael Joseph, for my review copy via NetGalley.

While I was intrigued by the description of this novel and I loved the cover - I didn't know what to expect as I hadn't read a book set in Iceland before and 17th century Iceland at that but The Glass Woman was such an enjoyable read and utterly unputdownable!

The story begins with Rosa, a young woman who lives with her sick mother and hoping that they'll both survive the harsh winter to come. Rosa and her mother are struggling financially after the death of Rosas father, who had status and resources as a priest. Thus when wealthy farmer Jon Eriksson visits town for business, Rosa agrees to marry him.

As she makes the move to the remote village of Stykkisholmur and leaves behind everything she holds dear, including her childhood sweetheart Pall, Rosa becomes increasingly unsettled and filled with a sense of foreboding about her decision. Jon lives a solitary life, his only companion his farm hand Petur, who is equally shrouded in mystery. There are whispers from the townsfolk about his first wifes sudden death, witchcraft and madness. Jon is increasingly secretive about her and then she starts hearing noises from the loft...

Mystery - I always enjoy a good thriller or mystery and in this novel Caroline Lea delivered on all fronts. From the budding tension between Rosa and Jon to discovering what really happened to Anna - Jons first wife - as well as figuring out the other characters motives, there was never a dull moment.

Similarities to other stories I enjoyed - I can definitely see that there were some commonalities between this novel and to Jane Eyre, The Miniaturist and Wuthering Heights. Personally this wasn't a problem for me as I enjoyed all three of these texts and I enjoyed a new addition to this mystery, gothic genre.

Folklore + Culture - I'm not familiar with the culture or folklore in Iceland but this was a welcome introduction. I'm always down for stories involving witchcraft - I find it so interesting how superstition can have such an effect on people. I had no idea runes and the sagas were a feature either. The sagas are a series of narratives which follow Icelandic fables and cover issues like love, hate and politics to name a few.

Female Characters - I appreciated that there were a range of complex female characters, including the main character: Rosa. I also liked that she didn't have to wield a sword or be some dynamic warrior woman to be considered strong and capable. She is vulnerable and compassionate too which is also important.

Use of Icelandic - I liked that there were icelandic phrases and keywords interspersed throughout the story, which made it feel more authentic and that there were a glossary of words at the end with the meanings. I love languages and learning new ones, in however small a way is always fun for me.

Setting - I loved how the setting was so central to the story and how the wild and unpredictable weather also made the story so atmospheric. Coming from a city (London) where the wildest weather we get is a downpour of rain or a light snow, I was even more interested in just how huge a part the landscape plays in peoples everyday lives. In Iceland, especially in the 17th century, it made a huge difference between life and death.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Glass Woman and will definitely be on the lookout for whatever Caroline Lea writes next.

This tale is about Iceland of 1680s were Christianity was banishing the old ways and were witches were burnt for using runes and spells. Rosa the daughter of the late bishop realises the poverty that her mother and herself face and is attracted to Eirksson a trader and wealthy man from another village who she encounters in church. Despite her love of her cousin Pall she is betrothed to Jon and moves to his village, a three day ride away. In Stykkisholmur she encounters superstition and rumours about her husband’s late wife Anna who he had buried at night after an illness. Jon is a very distant man but his servant Petur is considered a fairy child with his strange looks and childhood. Plus mysteriously she is forbidden to go into the loft where at night she hears strange noises and feels that someone is watching her as she sleeps. Jon is a distant figure only wanting her to be a dutiful wife and to have nothing to do with the villagers as he says they are not to be trusted. Rosa is haunted at night by the noises and eventually seeks friendship with a local woman but events suddenly happen as the worse storm of the winter descends on the village and her cousin Pall appears to ask for work from Jon. It is a story full of mystery and like all good ghost stories keeps you gripped to the very end in this caustophic life that Rosa is enduring. Excellent!

Unfortunately the writing style wasn't to my taste - while I like third person present this particular one didn't grab me as much as I'd hoped, and while atmospheric it wasn't really for me.

Rosa is the main character of this very wintry and snowy tale. i'm not normally a fan of "Scandi" tales. this story of Rosa was sweet and there were many great characters. It is full of superstition and witchcraft and is a fascinating tale. Without giving the story away it is a pleasant read, I read it in one sitting so it was therefore gripping.
Not one of my favourites but still 7/10.

I normally would have abandoned this being in 17th century Iceland, but the reviews seemed good so I gave it a shot.

I found the ye olde fake-y English obnoxious. Because it sounded like badly translated fiction. The story was okay, but it could have used another draft to par down and punch up.

It also took about 40% of the book to warm up and for it to get going.

I liked all the characters, Rosa and her mom. I found Jon awful to begin with, when it turns out he is just gay and I honestly, could have used more of that then him being a prickly Christian.

I also didn't like how the symbolism was really spelt out for me. Yes, she has a glass woman, it says enough. Yes, she is trapped just like the trapped animal, I can see it myself.

But saying all this, I was fairly entertained and it was a decent read. Lea is a good author, but like others, I was annoyed by the Icelandic language. I understood that Lea visited and researched in Iceland, but it got in the way of the story and it was like she was trying to prove that to me the reader.

Also, I had forgotten who Gudrun was by the end.

I would read more by Lea and look forward to see what she writes next. And I'm rounding up to 4 stars, because I wasn't bored during the entire book.

This historical novel is set in Iceland in 1686. Rosa lives with her mother in a small, isolated community. This is a bleak landscape, where life is hard and existence difficult. While Rosa’s father was alive; a respected member of the community, they lived fairly comfortably – but, with his death, the two quickly struggle. When a stranger appears, the wealthy Jon Eriksson, Rosa ignores her mother’s warnings, as well as her own reluctance, and decides to marry him, in order to help protect her mother, who is unwell.

She travels to the croft of her new husband, prepared to try to be an obedient wife and put aside her dreams of reading and writing. For her parents encouraged her desire to write and she delighted in the sagas and stories of her home. However, the lines between myth and witchcraft are blurred in this world and it is easy to be accused for a false word.

Rosa’s life with Jon is difficult. Rumours abound about the death of his first wife, she is lonely and her husband does not encourage company, other than Petur, who works with him. The croft has a loft, which is locked and, soon, Rosa believes that her new home is haunted. Suspicious, afraid and nervous of her new husband, she begins to wonder what really happened to the wife who came before her…

This novel has a wonderful setting and is well written and atmospheric. For me, it read a little like, “Rebecca,” but relocated to another time and place. An enjoyable read, which was perfect for reading with snow swirling outside in a cold January. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

In essence, this book is a mystery novel set in 17th century Iceland. The majority of this book is the third party account of Rósa's experience.  She is forced by circumstances to make a marriage of convenience.  Her husband to be is a comparatively wealthy man living in a fishing village four days travel away.   When she travels to her husbands home, there are locked rooms that she is not allowed to enter.  She is actively discouraged from meeting her neighbours.  She is forced to play the part of the submissive wife and is increasingly scared of her new husband.
This gives a wonderfully dark atmosphere distrust and betrayal, set in a land that is dangerous in its own right.   There is also a wonderful tension built up as Rósa is not surprisingly scared, lonely and questioning her own sanity at times.

The other point of view is a first-person account from Jon, the man that Rósa marries.  We don't start to hear his side until quite a way into the book but it provides another layer to the narrative.

There is some beautifully descriptive writing which helps paint the picture of this barren landscape. 
The other three characters that feature heavily are Petur, Pall and Katrin. Petur is a young man who works for Jon, he is suspected by the villagers to be one of the huldurfolk (hidden people or elves) he was found as a boy and brought up by the village priest then ran away as a teenager.   Jon brought him back and he was his man ever since.  Pall is the man that Rosa would have married if circumstances didn't force the arranged marriage, he turns up just at the start of winter and due to circumstances, Jon lets him stay.   Katrin is an older woman who lives in the village.  Jon accuses her of being a witch and Rosa is actively discouraged from talking to her but does anyway.  Neither Peter and Katrin are as well developed as Rosa and Jon but are relatively three dimensional.  Pall, on the other hand, seems a bit flat and not truly convincing as a whole person.
If you fancy a well written, gripping historical mystery with a wintry feel then this is the book for you.

MY REVIEW WILL BE PUBISLHED ON MY BLOG ON 31.1.19

The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea.

3 Stars

An Icelandic Haunting mystery.

1686 in Iceland, is a cold, isolated land, haunted by witch trials and ancient sagas.

Rosa is betrothed to Jon Eriksson and is sent to live with him in his remote village, a place where they are wary of strangers.

Rosa is also wary; her husband buried his first wife late one night and now refuses to talk about it. The villagers mistrust them, and dark whispers are abundant.

Jon gives her a glass figurine, but she does not know what it signifies. However, there is evil in the village, and Rosa sees terrible times coming, and she feels she will be the next victim.

This book would have been better if it wasn’t for the Icelandic words dotted everywhere which made the book a struggle to wade through. I understand why the Author set the book in Iceland, but it didn’t do the story any favours.

The story is a strange and complicated one, with a haunted and evil undercurrent which kept me reading regardless of the language.

The characters are compelling as is the story and a good read overall.

Give it a go if you want something a bit different to read.

Chester.

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

I liked this book and the storyline. I liked the characters and cared about them and what happens to them. It was interesting to read about how they lived in such a long ago time. Well done!

Great blend of folklore and realism with female characters who are strong without being 'kick-ass' .

When Rosa, an educated priest’s daughter living in a small town with an ailing mother is proposed to by a rich Bóndi she says yes to help her family and her community survive the harsh winter. But how exactly did his first wife die and why does his home hide so many secrets?

In The Glass Woman Caroline Lea paints a beautiful picture of 1600s Iceland in both its culture and its people. I was actually surprised to read in the authors note at the end that she is not actually from Iceland and has only visited the country once! The book is meticulously researched, with Icelandic words, phrases and folklore woven seamlessly throughout the narrative. It is also filled in nicely with atmospheric descriptions and interesting characters that really give you a feel of being there. I only wish the glossary of Icelandic words was more easily accessible on the Kindle version although you could guess most of them as you went along.

The setting is a good choice, as is the time it is set in – with old Gods and folklore being replaced by the Bible and the accusations of witchcraft flying around the community. The country is vast and nature is wild and unpredictable, but the villages and communities are small which creates a balance of claustrophobia and intense loneliness all in one. The plot is interesting and I liked how it jumped perspective between Jon and Rosa in places as well. As characters they felt well-rounded and interesting. I liked the progression of the plot, I loved the imagery of the Glass Woman trinket and the ending was nice – leaving a standalone story that stays with you after you finish it.

I did however, feel the book dragged a little in places - it felt repetitive and this wasn’t helped by similar phrases being used over and over again. For example; many objects are pressed into Rosa’s hand so hard that they imprint on her palm, often she falls over and damages her wrist, feels a surge of tenderness to someone or imagines her fate is tied to an object. I also felt the timeline dates at the top of chapters were a little confusing – particularly the early Jon chapters which although were dated a month after the main timeline were actually flashbacks into Jon’s past.

Overall The Glass Woman is a beautifully written story which paints a well-researched and entrancing portrait of ancient Iceland - it just felt a little repetitive in places. Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for a chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was immediately hooked upon this strange tale of deaths,superstition and witchcraft in 17th Century Iceland ,an area I only know thanks to the numerous Scandi- Noir thrillers I have seen. I found the story to be confusing at first,due to the many different timelines, but once I had got these clear in my mind ,it was a story I didn't want to put down,even though there were sections I was fearful of reading!! It was a powerful read,with strong characters,not all nice,but the underlying story was of mistakes, redemption, blackmail and fear.
I love the Nordic naming system of surnames,so many sons and dottirrs ,my youngest has a Nordic name and he is so proud of it.
There are so many twists and turns, it is full of mystery,some is pure horror and other chapters involve heavily implied misdeeds.
Rosa , young woman,educated and independent in deed and thought,has to become submissive upon her marriage and become the wife the Bible dictates. Jon is her husband,stern and unwilling for Rosa to mix with other women in the village. He is living in fear of a past mistake becoming known , but tries to be a good overlord to his village,despite the rumours about his first wife,Anna,who disappeared ,believed dead.
Pal is a childhood sweetheart of Rosa,and is still in love with her. They still have regards for each other but must not cause any jealously in Jon, as he would treat Rosa harshly,with Biblical punishments.
Pedar works for Jon on the farm,he is dark and secretive in manner and deeply unsettling in nature. He also lives under the cloud of a secret,perhaps one that involves Jon? Anna is the first wife,believed dead,but secrets have a habit of not staying dead.
It is at times a unsettling story, I for one, will not be in a hurry to spring clean my attic this year!! A story of grief and loss,a chilling story, that is best read with the lights on!! Magical and mysterious in equal measures!! .

An unusual setting for this book, Iceland in the mid 1600’s. I found it a bit slow going to begin with but it picked up from about halfway through. Superstition, witchcraft and bigotry lie at the heart of the story but it also highlights, yet again, the plight of women who were no better than possessions, to be used and abused in many cases.
My thanks to Netgalley for this copy.