The Sealwomans Gift, Sally Magnusson
The Sealwomans Gift, Sally Magnusson
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

The Sealwoman's Gift
the Zoe Ball book club novel of 17th century Iceland

Author: Sally Magnusson

Narrator: Katherine Manners

Unabridged: 9 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Two Roads

Published: 02/08/2018

Synopsis

'REMARKABLE' Sarah Perry | 'EXTRAORDINARILY IMMERSIVE' Guardian | 'EPIC' Zoe Ball Book Club
'A REALLY, REALLY GOOD READ' BBC R2 Book Club' | 'LYRICAL' Stylist | 'POETIC' Daily Mail

1627. In a notorious historical event, pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted 400 people into slavery in Algiers. Among them a pastor, his wife, and their children.

In her acclaimed debut novel Sally Magnusson imagines what history does not record: the experience of Asta, the pastor's wife, as she faces her losses with the one thing left to her - the stories from home - and forges an ambiguous bond with the man who bought her. Uplifting, moving, and sharply witty, The Sealwoman's Gift speaks across centuries and oceans about loss, love, resilience and redemption.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA DEBUT CROWN | THE BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD | THE MCKITTERICK PRIZE | THE PAUL TORDAY MEMORIAL PRIZE | THE WAVERTON GOOD READ AWARD | A ZOE BALL ITV BOOK CLUB PICK

'Sally Magnusson has taken an amazing true event and created a brilliant first novel. It's an epic journey in every sense: although it's historical, it's incredibly relevant to our world today. We had to pick it' Zoe Ball Book Club

'Richly imagined and energetically told' Sunday Times
'The best sort of historical novel' Scotsman
'Compelling stuff' Good Housekeeping
'An accomplished and intelligent novel' Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, author of Why Did You Lie?
'Vivid and compelling' Adam Nichols, co-translator of The Travels of Reverend Ólafur Egilsson

*And Sally Magnusson's second novel, The Ninth Child, publishes March 2020 - available to pre-order now*

About Sally Magnusson

Bestselling author, journalist and broadcaster Sally Magnusson has written several books for adults and children, most recently her Sunday Times bestseller Where Memories Go (2014) about her mother's dementia, The Sealwoman's Gift (2018), her acclaimed debut novel, The Ninth Child (2020) and Music in the Dark (2022). Sally lives outside Glasgow.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Andy

I had mixed feelings about this one. The first and final sections, set in Iceland, were beautifully described and rang entirely true, but the middle (and longest) section really left something to be desired. I think that perhaps, given the fact the book spanned more than a decade, the novel was simp......more

Goodreads review by Tania

Wow! What an amazing book, not what I expected at all. The author's writing is exquisite. I didn't know anything about Icelanders being captured by pirates and sold into slavery in north Africa in the 1700's. Although my heart broke for Asta, the author manages to infuse the story with a quiet humor......more

Quotes

From the first, it leaps from the page . . . I found myself absolutely persuaded by Ásta's extraordinary journey from the harsh Icelandic coast to the strange and splendid palaces of Algiers. I enjoyed and admired it in equal measure Sarah Perry, author of THE ESSEX SERPENT

A remarkable feat of imagination that transports the reader to 17th-century Iceland and Algiers . . . an extraordinarily immersive read that emphasises the power of stories, examining themes of motherhood, identity, exile and freedom. Through her deft storytelling, Magnusson takes us on a journey that not only crosses continents, but encompasses tragedy and rich sensuality Guardian

An evocative, striking new novel . . . which brings an Icelandic historical tragedy, and in particular, Icelandic woman Asta Egilsson, back to pulsing life The Times

Moving, accomplished . . . Richly imagined and energetically told, The Sealwoman's Gift is a powerful tale of loss and endurance Sunday Times

Magnusson has certainly done her research, and she has found in the silences of the historical record the space for a novel that moves gracefully between what is known and what must be imagined...Much of the pleasure of reading The Sealwoman's Gift is that of a good yarn well told. TLS

Fascinating ... a really, really good read BBC Radio 2 Book Club

Sally Magnusson has turned this grim true story into a page-turner...beautifully told. Radio Times

Sally Magnusson has taken an amazing true event and created a brilliant first novel. It's an epic journey in every sense: although it's historical, it's incredibly relevant to our world today. Zoe Ball Book Club

Sally Magnusson writes compellingly of the psychological and physical shocks of being uprooted. Impeccably researched, this is a poetic retelling of Icelandic history. Daily Mail

Sally Magnusson's wonderfully accomplished first novel is an enthralling mixture of recovered history and the imagining of lost lives. It's a delightful piece of storytelling which is also a story about telling stories ... In short, this is the best sort of historical novel Scotsman

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