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A review by gracescanlon
Woman, Captain, Rebel: The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Icelandic Sea Captain by Margaret Willson
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Captain Thurídur is a hero, for so many reasons. She was a woman ahead of her time - ahead of the decades - the century, even - after her life.
I think this is the first book I've read depicting a real, once-living woman so capable, intelligent, skilled, principled, astute, charming, hardworking, tenacious, athletic, righteous, and deeply, deeply kind. And now that I've tasted the perfect fruit from that vine, I'll crave it and search for it forever.
Willson successfully depicts Captain Thurídur's personality; I feel as though I know Thurídur, the real person, and that I am greatly blessed to know her at all. Captain Thurídur preferred to dress in men's clothing, but identified as a woman, and the people around her accepted that - a refreshing reaction to encounter, especially from a true story. She was the best of the best in her career, but she was also a principled and compassionate person, who charmed, amused, and supported those around her.
Some of the writing left a little to be desired; for one, Willson used rather too much passive voice. Some of her word choices were weak, and some of her sentences could've used semantic improvements. Overall, though, her writing was solid and easy to read - yet another refreshing occurrence, given Willson's career in academia.
I think my favorite thing about the author, Margaret Willson, was that she saw a little-known area of history in this woman - this woman who deserved so much more than she was given in life and in the years after her death - and not only researched Captain Thurídur, her life and accomplishments, but also wrote it all down in a compelling narrative to share with the world at large. Thank you, Ms. Willson, for giving the world a rich text about a treasure of a woman!
I think this is the first book I've read depicting a real, once-living woman so capable, intelligent, skilled, principled, astute, charming, hardworking, tenacious, athletic, righteous, and deeply, deeply kind. And now that I've tasted the perfect fruit from that vine, I'll crave it and search for it forever.
Willson successfully depicts Captain Thurídur's personality; I feel as though I know Thurídur, the real person, and that I am greatly blessed to know her at all. Captain Thurídur preferred to dress in men's clothing, but identified as a woman, and the people around her accepted that - a refreshing reaction to encounter, especially from a true story. She was the best of the best in her career, but she was also a principled and compassionate person, who charmed, amused, and supported those around her.
Some of the writing left a little to be desired; for one, Willson used rather too much passive voice. Some of her word choices were weak, and some of her sentences could've used semantic improvements. Overall, though, her writing was solid and easy to read - yet another refreshing occurrence, given Willson's career in academia.
I think my favorite thing about the author, Margaret Willson, was that she saw a little-known area of history in this woman - this woman who deserved so much more than she was given in life and in the years after her death - and not only researched Captain Thurídur, her life and accomplishments, but also wrote it all down in a compelling narrative to share with the world at large. Thank you, Ms. Willson, for giving the world a rich text about a treasure of a woman!