The Glass Woman, Caroline Lea
The Glass Woman, Caroline Lea
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The Glass Woman
A Novel

Author: Caroline Lea

Narrator: Heiða Reed, Smari Gunn

Unabridged: 11 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Harper

Published: 09/03/2019


Synopsis

A tale in the tradition of Jane Eyre and Rebecca, in which a young woman follows her new husband to his remote home on the Icelandic coast in the 1680s, where she faces dark secrets surrounding the death of his first wife amidst a foreboding landscape and the superstitions of the local villagers“Haunting, evocative and utterly compelling. The Glass Woman transports the reader to a time and place steeped in mystery, where nothing is ever quite as it seems. Stunning.” — Tracy Borman, author of The King’s Witch“Piercing…. Devastating and revelatory.” — New York Times Book ReviewRósa has always dreamed of living a simple life alongside her Mamma in their remote village in Iceland, where she prays to the Christian God aloud during the day, whispering enchantments to the old gods alone at night. But after her father dies abruptly and her Mamma becomes ill, Rósa marries herself off to a visiting trader in exchange for a dowry, despite rumors of mysterious circumstances surrounding his first wife’s death.She follows her new husband, Jón, across the treacherous countryside to his remote home near the sea. There Jón works the field during the day, expecting Rósa to maintain their house in his absence with the deference of a good Christian wife. What Rósa did not anticipate was the fierce loneliness she would feel in her new home, where Jón forbids her from interacting with the locals in the nearby settlement and barely speaks to her himself.Seclusion from the outside world isn’t the only troubling aspect of her new life—Rósa is also forbidden from going into Jón’s attic. When she begins to hear strange noises from upstairs, she turns to a local woman in an attempt to find solace, but the villager’s words are even more troubling.Rósa’s isolation begins to play tricks on her mind: What—or who—is in the attic? What happened to Anna? Was she mad, a witch, or just a victim of Jón’s ruthless nature? And when Jón is brutally maimed in an accident a series of events are set in motion that will force Rósa to choose between obedience and defiance—with her own survival and the safety of the ones she loves hanging in the balance.

About Caroline Lea

Caroline Lea was born and raised in Jersey in the United Kingdom. The Glass Woman is her second novel. She lives in Warwick, England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Debra on July 15, 2019

1686, ICELAND. A time of few choices for a woman. When marriage is not a choice but a means of survival. When you can't marry someone, you have feelings for as he/she might be a social class above or below you. Then, there is the threat of being labeled a witch…. ahh, the good ole days..... "Some......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader on August 28, 2019

Women in Iceland (and everywhere, really) during this time period are expected to marry, and Rosa’s marriage is quickly arranged. She moves with her new husband, Jon, to a remote village, one where they don’t like “outsiders” like Rosa. Rosa discovers her husband has buried his first wife, and she’s......more

Goodreads review by Paige on August 20, 2019

17th Century Iceland: Witchcraft is punishable by death. Women are held submissive by virtue of Biblical scriptures. Food is scarce and the ocean is a death trap. The season of winter looms over villages like the shadow of the Engill dauðans. Rosa trades her freedom and future by marrying the well-o......more

Goodreads review by Annette on February 07, 2022

Iceland, 1686. Rosa, in order to help her mother and their dire situation, agrees to marry Jon Eiriksson, a rich fisherman, farmer and merchant from Stykkisholmur. And despite her mother’s insistence not to, who sees her daughter as willful, not fit to be an obedient wife, especially with her love f......more

Goodreads review by Liz on November 13, 2018

Oh I DEVOURED this book. Haunting, chilly, beautifully created, 17th Century Iceland comes alive on the page and you feel for  it’s inhabitants who struggle daily to survive.. Into this epic landscape comes Rosa, who marries for practical purposes not love and who comes to believe she may be in grave......more