The Saga of Gudrid the Far-Traveler by Nancy Marie Brown

The Saga of Gudrid the Far-Traveler Reviews

• 
  Barbara

  3+ stars
  
  The Saga of Gudrid the Far-Traveler is a fictionalized account of Gudrid and the Viking adventures based on the medieval Islandic sagas. In the last fifty years archeologists have found much of her story to be true.
  
  This well-researched book gave fascinating details of ship navigation, house building, food, and survival skills in this area of great beauty and harsh climate. Life in Iceland and Greenland even today has some difficulties. In 900-1000 the ability to survive seems almost unfathomable.
  
  Gudrid was certainly a strong and determined woman unwilling to live by the mores for women of that time. In many ways, she was a modern woman.
  
  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and is interested in unusual settings and infrequently narrated time periods. I would love to read Brown's nonfiction book on this saga.
  
• 
  Kirsten

  This is pretty good - maybe not as much as its non-fiction counterpart, but it remains surprisingly engaging. I enjoyed it a lot and it went quickly. Only thing (a perennial complaint of mine), there should have been a map. :)
• 
  Jenny

  I found this to be a quick, compelling read. I agree with another reviewer that a map would have been wonderful! At times it was really hard to envision what landmass Gudrid and the men might have landed upon.
  
  This is a work of fiction that is based on what is known about Gudrid the Far Traveler, whose name appears more than once in the Icelandic sagas. The author is a scholar in this area, has made many trips to Iceland, and has participated in archaeological digs in what is believed to have been areas where Gudrid traveled and lived. Ms. Brown is therefore quite knowledgeable about the subject, but has also used her imagination to weave together a very interesting narrative of what could have been Gudrid's young adulthood. The book was quite grim at times, but that seems to be expected when your subject is Vikings trying to survive winters a thousand years ago. She helps to paint a detailed picture for the reader of what life was like back then, about how much preparation was involved in mere survival, and how perilous life at sea was, particularly during those days.
  
  For readers interested in Iceland, the sagas, strong female characters, or historical fiction, I recommend this book! Four solid stars.
• 
  Alison Wurts

  The story was compelling and it was a quick and engaging read, but the writing lacked depth and richness. I would have loved it if it were longer and the characters were more fully developed.
• 
  Victoria Whipple

  How often do you read a book where the heroine is an Icelandic woman who lived around 1000 years ago? The story is based on a real person, and the author wrote a non-fiction book on Gudrid before the novel. She has satisfyingly filled in details of what life would have been like from day to day on a ship (often as the only female) in the North Atlantic Ocean, as well as how groups of explorers would establish settlements and survive the harsh winters. This should be enjoyed by readers who like a different point of view, those who like survival stories, and those who enjoy reading historical fiction. There are moments when the author's words stimulate the reader's imagination when describing the natural surroundings, and she does a great job of explaining things the reader might not be familiar with, such as weaving or curing leather. Recommended for adventurous readers. Gr. 6+