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yarnylibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
I was captivated by this story about an Icelandic-Canadian-American (a tiny bit) family. Sunley's writing style was lush and lyrical - she really made me want to visit Iceland and learn more about its literacy tradition. My enjoyment was deepened by my recent reading of Halldór Laxness's Independent People, also set in Iceland, and my visit to the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle just a few months ago. But read this book even if you haven't read IP or visited the museum!
emmkayt's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this absorbing first novel. Terrific, vividly portrayed settings, primarily in Gimli, Manitoba ("New Iceland," I had no idea) and Iceland. Lots of fascinating background about Icelanders, their diaspora, their history, myths, food, language, and so on (yes, the author was cramming in her research, but it was all so interesting). And a good family drama to boot.
brandur's review against another edition
4.0
Story of a woman (Freya) of Icelandic descent who grows up with her plain mother and crazy aunt. A great highlight of her life is being kidnapped by her aunt and brought to Iceland in search of letters written by her dead grandfather, who had been a famous Canadian-Iceland poet. Freya later discovers that her aunt had had a child and leaves to Iceland in search of him/her. This "cousin" later turns out to be herself, having been given up for adoption by her biological mother to her sister.
gobblebook's review against another edition
4.0
This is a beautiful book. Sunley's writing is delightful - she plays with words skillfully and elegantly. This word-play is especially powerful in a book about people who are driven by their literary heritage. The book is beautifully and compellingly written - I stayed up past bedtime several nights reading it.
Ultimately, this is a book about family, about coming to terms with family history, and about how family plays a role in an individual's identity. Freya, the main character, must come to terms with her family's history, which means digging up some dark secrets.
After going to a book reading and hearing Sunley read the first few pages, I was afraid the book was going to be too much of a textbook about medieval Icelandic literature. I was afraid she had an agenda of teaching the world about this literature, and that it would detract from the story. I shouldn't have been afraid. The information about Iceland's history, geography, mythology, and poets is deftly woven into the story, and is an integral and necessary part of the story. So you get to read a great story, and at the end of it, you know something about Icelandic heritage.
A truly delightful read!
jungle_catfish's review against another edition
3.0
It's due back at the library, and I'm not that engaged in it.
lindamoore's review against another edition
3.0
This book taught me a lot about Iceland, and really made me want to go there. Kind of pedantic writing and plotting made me like, not love it.
elliotvanz's review against another edition
3.0
If my reading tastes were just a bit different this would be a 5 star read, so don't let my 3 star rating dissuade you. I picked up this book for the sole reason that I was going on a trip to Iceland, and I wanted to immerse myself in the place a little before going. In this the book was partially successful - the parts about Iceland really captured the place. But this book is less about Iceland than it is about relationships, people, and what makes them tick. That's not a bad thing at all, in fact it's the mark of an excellent book, but it wasn't precisely what I was in the mood for.
Sunley's writing is absolutely gorgeous. Her prose is top notch, and I'm surprised she hasn't gotten more attention. Her way with words, and ability to really create these places and people was excellent. The characters she crafted, particularly Freya and Birdie, came to life in such a way they felt real. A large part of this book, for me, centered around mental illness, and the subject was handled deftly - I kept thinking of a member of my own family as I read, because Sunley captured that particular illness so accurately. In fact, that might have been simultaneous what kept me reading, as well as what made me weary as I read. These broken people were so familiar to me that I couldn't help care what happened to them, but also be somewhat tired as they spun out of control, just as I am when my loved ones do so.
After I finished this book I flew to Iceland and found myself driving around the island. As I did so I saw many of the places Sunley wrote about, and it made them feel even more special. It gave me an anchor point for my travels. I'm glad I read this book, even though I was hoping for more mythology and less family drama. If you want to read an exceptionally well written story about broken people trying to discover the truth of themselves you won't go wrong here.
Sunley's writing is absolutely gorgeous. Her prose is top notch, and I'm surprised she hasn't gotten more attention. Her way with words, and ability to really create these places and people was excellent. The characters she crafted, particularly Freya and Birdie, came to life in such a way they felt real. A large part of this book, for me, centered around mental illness, and the subject was handled deftly - I kept thinking of a member of my own family as I read, because Sunley captured that particular illness so accurately. In fact, that might have been simultaneous what kept me reading, as well as what made me weary as I read. These broken people were so familiar to me that I couldn't help care what happened to them, but also be somewhat tired as they spun out of control, just as I am when my loved ones do so.
After I finished this book I flew to Iceland and found myself driving around the island. As I did so I saw many of the places Sunley wrote about, and it made them feel even more special. It gave me an anchor point for my travels. I'm glad I read this book, even though I was hoping for more mythology and less family drama. If you want to read an exceptionally well written story about broken people trying to discover the truth of themselves you won't go wrong here.
dominiqued's review
4.0
I'm not sure how to describe this novel. It's a partial historical fiction (feeling very present nonetheless) about a woman named Freya and her childhood memories visiting Gimli in Canada, up to her present day self. The story explores her family's life (specifically her enthusiastic aunt and regal granny) and their secrets, sprinkled with epic Norse myths. The descriptions of Iceland are amazing. There is a mystery in this novel, but the goal of the novel is not to solve it- it's the journey experienced by Freya and by the reader. The story is very compelling!
vegancleopatra's review
2.0
2.5 stars
After having read Burial Rites a year ago, I became quite enamored with the idea of Iceland and books based on Iceland. And hence, I came across The Tricking of Freya. Unfortunately, while Burial Rites was atmospheric and extremely well written, The Tricking of Freya was a manic ride with an unlikable, at best tolerable, main character.
Overall the storytelling style was choppy, especially as a method of the storytelling was to insert letters to Freya's cousin, distracting and disturbing the flow of the story. It was difficult to determine whether this was a choice by the author to show the manic aspect of the main character or was simply the author's style of writing. I was not keen on the main character or her aunt Birdie, their manic style was often frustrating and dull. As far as the other characters go, I largely only enjoyed Sigga (the grandmother), Freya's mother and sometimes Stefan. The plot was dry and plodding and the only reprieves I usually had were when Icelandic language or lore were discussed.
The very ending, including the twist, and the Icelandic culture were the only things that were compelling, the rest dragged and even the trip to Iceland was dulled by Birdie's paranoia and the focus on lost papers. Overall I really loved the aspects of The Tricking of Freya that focused on Icelandic history and language, but it was not enough to make me care for the characters or come to enjoy the story.
Favorite quote:
After having read Burial Rites a year ago, I became quite enamored with the idea of Iceland and books based on Iceland. And hence, I came across The Tricking of Freya. Unfortunately, while Burial Rites was atmospheric and extremely well written, The Tricking of Freya was a manic ride with an unlikable, at best tolerable, main character.
Overall the storytelling style was choppy, especially as a method of the storytelling was to insert letters to Freya's cousin, distracting and disturbing the flow of the story. It was difficult to determine whether this was a choice by the author to show the manic aspect of the main character or was simply the author's style of writing. I was not keen on the main character or her aunt Birdie, their manic style was often frustrating and dull. As far as the other characters go, I largely only enjoyed Sigga (the grandmother), Freya's mother and sometimes Stefan. The plot was dry and plodding and the only reprieves I usually had were when Icelandic language or lore were discussed.
The very ending, including the twist, and the Icelandic culture were the only things that were compelling, the rest dragged and even the trip to Iceland was dulled by Birdie's paranoia and the focus on lost papers. Overall I really loved the aspects of The Tricking of Freya that focused on Icelandic history and language, but it was not enough to make me care for the characters or come to enjoy the story.
Favorite quote:
”The trickster god Loki accused Freyja of sleeping with various elves and gods, including her brother, Freyr. And on the cusp of the conversion to Christianity a rogue Christian poet in Iceland referred to Freyja as a wild pig in heat, a she-goat bitch roaming the countryside. A blatant attempt to denigrate the fertility cults, which had a lot of staying power, let me tell you! Long after the so-called loyal followers of Thor and Odin traded them in for the one God almighty, pockets of Freyja worshipers continued on in sacred groves, until the Christians started calling them witches and their cats familiars, claiming they used their magic not only to predict harm but to cause it. Oh, blasphemy! But so it goes, when one religion gets taken over by the next, one god substituted for another. Fickle we are, fickle fickle fickle!”p54