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colorfulleo92's review against another edition
5.0
I usually find my self not liking the super quirky characters very much, always something that irks me, but I fell in love with Zelda. Definitely one of my favorite characters to read about. This book is heartwarming but also her and her brother has to go through some tough times. Liked it a lot!
sixxed's review against another edition
5.0
This book is amazing. It really makes you look at your situation, the cards you've been dealt, and helps put everything into perspective. Our narrator, Zelda, is a high-functioning FAS adult who is in love with everything Vikings. She likes to compare what she goes through in life to things told in Viking tales. Zelda and her brother, Gert, have not had the easiest life. Gert made some bad decisions that he thought could help move the two of them out of a horrible situation into a better one. This puts him at odds with those he cares about the most and is often on the wrong side of the law. Zelda's story is one of love, friendship, hardship, and sadness. This book had several laugh out loud (LOL) moments but, more often than not, had many moments of genuine sadness. Overall, I loved the book. I also went back and listened to the audiobook on Audible after reading it and enjoyed the narration as well (if you're an audiobook fan).
blakekennedybooks's review against another edition
4.0
This book was easy to get into from the very beginning. My favorite books always have fleshed out and incredible characters, and I fell in love with Zelda and her crew. Zelda is a 21-year-old trying to figure out her place in this world- and she has fetal alcohol syndrome. I still could relate to a lot of her struggles of wondering what my own legend will be, something that drives Zelda.
looker09's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ribeirofrio's review against another edition
3.0
Sono partita piena di preconcetti su questo libro, perché a volte è veramente difficile parlare di tanti temi importanti tutti assieme: ritardi cognitivi, povertà, abusi, droga, alcolismo, violenza.
Da un lato, mi è piaciuto molto che Zelda avesse una disabilità poco "glamour", nel senso che non ha abilità pazzesche per compensare una socialità impacciata, anzi, ha i suoi limiti e il suo motto personale è di provare a fare qualcosa di più per espandere la sua comfort zone, come d'altro canto ci auguriamo tutti di fare, nella vita.
Mi è piaciuto che ci fossero vari tipi di disabilità presentati, senza il velo di buonismo che ci piacerebbe vedere nella realtà: non per tutti è possibile immaginare una vita normale per come la intendiamo noi, e non per tutti la famiglia è il porto sicuro che dovrebbe essere.
Però... il personaggio più magnetico e interessante dell'intero romanzo è senza dubbio Gert, il fratello-genitore che deve prendersi cura di Zelda, e tutte le volte che era presente in una scena rubava il palcoscenico. Tormentato, fallito, pieno di buone intenzioni e di rimorsi, è lui l'unico punto di vista di cui mi importerebbe sapere di più, le difficoltà che incontra a barcamenarsi tra il ruolo di custode paziente e ragazzo pronto a capovolgere il mondo. Mi è dispiaciuto che la narrazione di Zelda appiattisse la sua introspezione, specialmente perché tangenzialmente tarpava un altro personaggio secondario, Annie, che oltre alla volontà strenua di fare da sorella maggiore a Zelda comunicava poco altro.
Da un lato, mi è piaciuto molto che Zelda avesse una disabilità poco "glamour", nel senso che non ha abilità pazzesche per compensare una socialità impacciata, anzi, ha i suoi limiti e il suo motto personale è di provare a fare qualcosa di più per espandere la sua comfort zone, come d'altro canto ci auguriamo tutti di fare, nella vita.
Mi è piaciuto che ci fossero vari tipi di disabilità presentati, senza il velo di buonismo che ci piacerebbe vedere nella realtà: non per tutti è possibile immaginare una vita normale per come la intendiamo noi, e non per tutti la famiglia è il porto sicuro che dovrebbe essere.
Però... il personaggio più magnetico e interessante dell'intero romanzo è senza dubbio Gert, il fratello-genitore che deve prendersi cura di Zelda, e tutte le volte che era presente in una scena rubava il palcoscenico. Tormentato, fallito, pieno di buone intenzioni e di rimorsi, è lui l'unico punto di vista di cui mi importerebbe sapere di più, le difficoltà che incontra a barcamenarsi tra il ruolo di custode paziente e ragazzo pronto a capovolgere il mondo. Mi è dispiaciuto che la narrazione di Zelda appiattisse la sua introspezione, specialmente perché tangenzialmente tarpava un altro personaggio secondario, Annie, che oltre alla volontà strenua di fare da sorella maggiore a Zelda comunicava poco altro.
henrymarlene's review against another edition
3.0
Zelda is a Viking. Not by birth, but through her pure vigour, aspiration and passion. Her quest is to be a Viking legend, and her list of viking characteristics becomes her rule book. Zelda was born with foetal alcohol syndrome, and lives with her brother Gert. Her quests result in her becoming an unlikely hero to others and herself.
'When we were Vikings" plays host to several ‘firsts’ for Zelda, like her first French kiss, and her first job. Zelda is much smarter and capable than many of the people around her. It also displays the loss of control Zelda has on her own life, and some of the harrowing and terrible situations she becomes embroiled in. Gert does try really hard to help Zelda, but as he is so lost himself, Zelda’s capabilities end up outshining his. AK47 (or Annie) was sharp and a fabulous fit for Zelda, and was more sure of what she wanted – and her influence was positive. And she never seemed to let Zelda down, a role model for Zelda more so than Gert. From such a deep book concentrating around Zelda, her abilities and her viking quest in order to save everyone around her, the very idea that stands out is that of bravery and courage. Life is not meant to be easy, and Zelda sees and experiences this every day in how she is treated, and how people treat her and perceive her to be. It also provides a romantic glimpse into believing in the impossible to get through the tough times without the power of a list or superpowers to fall back on. It is a powerful book for young adults and teens, and for adults, it is worth the read.
'When we were Vikings" plays host to several ‘firsts’ for Zelda, like her first French kiss, and her first job. Zelda is much smarter and capable than many of the people around her. It also displays the loss of control Zelda has on her own life, and some of the harrowing and terrible situations she becomes embroiled in. Gert does try really hard to help Zelda, but as he is so lost himself, Zelda’s capabilities end up outshining his. AK47 (or Annie) was sharp and a fabulous fit for Zelda, and was more sure of what she wanted – and her influence was positive. And she never seemed to let Zelda down, a role model for Zelda more so than Gert. From such a deep book concentrating around Zelda, her abilities and her viking quest in order to save everyone around her, the very idea that stands out is that of bravery and courage. Life is not meant to be easy, and Zelda sees and experiences this every day in how she is treated, and how people treat her and perceive her to be. It also provides a romantic glimpse into believing in the impossible to get through the tough times without the power of a list or superpowers to fall back on. It is a powerful book for young adults and teens, and for adults, it is worth the read.
brandy_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled to rate this book. Overall I enjoyed this but at times it was slow and I often found myself frustrated with the main characters.
jennie_cole's review against another edition
4.0
When We Were Vikings is the sweet "coming of age" story of Zelda, a 21 year old with cognitive issues. Zelda lives with her older brother Gert and loves schedules and rules. Shortly after her 21st birthday Zelda's life starts to get more complicated. Zelda's goal is to protect her clan and become a legend.
I really enjoyed this book and it was very different from anything I had read. My only issue was that while Zelda did not really get social queues and understands words in a very literal way she did not seem to have an overly strong mental retardation. She is meant to be suffering from a level of fetal alcohol syndrome but she is very smart. She has her words of the day program and some of them are very difficult words. There were multiple times where I forgot that she was supposed to have a cognitive problem.
That being said I would recommend this one to any reader.
I really enjoyed this book and it was very different from anything I had read. My only issue was that while Zelda did not really get social queues and understands words in a very literal way she did not seem to have an overly strong mental retardation. She is meant to be suffering from a level of fetal alcohol syndrome but she is very smart. She has her words of the day program and some of them are very difficult words. There were multiple times where I forgot that she was supposed to have a cognitive problem.
That being said I would recommend this one to any reader.
nina_reads_books's review against another edition
2.0
This book has a really different main protagonist. Zelda is 21 years old and lives with her older brother Gert after the death of their mother. Fairly early on you realise that Zelda is a bit different and we soon find out she has fetal alcohol syndrome.
Zelda is obsessed with Vikings and this mythology is included throughout the book. Zelda uses the imagery of a strong Viking woman to give herself confidence. Gert is the main income earner and is trying to complete college through a scholarship but it soon becomes apparent he is mixing with fairly shady characters and his efforts to earn money might possibly be criminal.
So I loved reading about the lovable Zelda and her quirks and Viking ways of thinking. The way she approaches her relationships with her friends and boyfriend at the Community Centre she attends is wonderful to watch but the portrayal of Gert as an angry and violent young man really lost me. He obviously loves and cares for Zelda but his violent actions at certain points just felt so off. The deeper and deeper involvement in the criminal world I also found perplexing with the finale being so unrealistic – to me – that I could no longer connect with the story.
Lots of people have loved this book though so if it sounds interesting to you I’d say go for it. For me it was an average read.
Zelda is obsessed with Vikings and this mythology is included throughout the book. Zelda uses the imagery of a strong Viking woman to give herself confidence. Gert is the main income earner and is trying to complete college through a scholarship but it soon becomes apparent he is mixing with fairly shady characters and his efforts to earn money might possibly be criminal.
So I loved reading about the lovable Zelda and her quirks and Viking ways of thinking. The way she approaches her relationships with her friends and boyfriend at the Community Centre she attends is wonderful to watch but the portrayal of Gert as an angry and violent young man really lost me. He obviously loves and cares for Zelda but his violent actions at certain points just felt so off. The deeper and deeper involvement in the criminal world I also found perplexing with the finale being so unrealistic – to me – that I could no longer connect with the story.
Lots of people have loved this book though so if it sounds interesting to you I’d say go for it. For me it was an average read.