I am delayed in writing this but I enjoyed every minute of this book. It gripped me from page one and left me wanting more by the end of each chapter. I had no idea there was such a thing as a Scandinavian Gothic and I'm here for it!

Great setting and very atmospheric but ultimately a failed novel for me. The beginning of the novel was stronger than the rest but by the end it felt like an eye-roll worthy soap opera with sudden revelations and characters doing 180s. Loved the setting, not much else.

It's been over a year since I received an eARC for this book so I think it's pretty clear at this point that my reading interests have changed since requesting this. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this one - for whatever reason it just hasn't been an appealing option for me. Hopefully sometime in the future I will be interested in it, but for now I'm giving it the average rating others gave it so that I can move on. Thanks again.

This story takes place in 1680s Iceland, which is already pretty out of the norm for my reading, but this book was so dark, mysterious and atmospheric. It was like nothing I've ever read before. Rósa falls on hard times and must marry a visiting trader in order to help her family, but once she's at his home, she faces overwhelming seclusion.

This book is much darker and more gothic than I usually read which made reading it during a pandemic not a great choice. It just felt heavy all the way through. I did like the original setting. I have certainly never read a book set in Iceland during the 1600s before. That’s what kept me reading. Wanting to find out more about people in this time period and how they functioned.

This book was a good read, except I expected a little more from the story. I wished the storyline was better developed. Don't take me wrong. The book was a good read, but somehow I expected a little more from it.

I loved this novel. I LOVED this novel. It is one of those books that I had to read more than once...such as favorites of mine, like 'Jane Eyre'...but the more I read it, the more I fell for it. Caroline Lea, if she hasn't already, needs to quit her day job and put pen to paper for the rest of her life. Because now I need all that she has ever written. (See? I'm so excited that I'm writing grammatically incorrect sentences.) The book takes place in Iceland in the 1600's. The main character marries out of necessity, despite loving another and the story unfolds from there in rich, beautiful, complex details. A definite recommend.

Iceland 1686. It makes me wonder why people stay, try to live on in a place that is so formidable. Where people starve or die from such cold. I found this to be a very bleak story. Since it was so well written, I pushed on, looking for hope within the story for these characters, but it's slim. People survive, life continues. At this time and in this area people know Christianity but still have legends, old ways, in their makeup. In a small town there is much gossip, a way of passing time, and these people are very suspicious of others. Unsure of their own safety. I thought the cover of this book was stunning.

Quotes
A woman made of glass and stillness: perfect but easily shattered.

And yet when a stone is caught in a rushing river, what choice does it have but to move?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Glass Woman is unlike anything I've ever read before. It takes place in Iceland in the 1600s and is a cold mystery of a novel. You want to know answers to so many questions throughout the reading. I will say, some of the Icelandic words and pronouncations tripped me up and confused me along the way. (until. I found a guide at the back of the book!).

The setting of this book is coastal Iceland in the 1600s and the main characters are Rosa, the second wife of Jon, a wealthy landowner. Rosa hears of his first wife's mysterious death and is worried she may be in danger from her new husband. The mystery of Jon's first wife, Anna is central to the novel. Jon does not share any details with Rosa and forbids her from interacting with any of the village people. Without answers and extreme loneliness, Rosa starts imagining things and her dreams are filled with horrifying images. The unraveling of the mystery comes in alternating voices of Jon and Rosa which at times was confusing.. It was an interesting story, but the characters needed more development and reason to care about them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for access to the e-book for an honest review.

An unexpected gem!

I asked to review this solely based on the fact that it is set in Iceland in the 1600s and I’ve never read a book with that setting! I was captivated from the first chapter, when we meet Rosa, a young woman in an Icelandic village who has agreed to marry Jon, a chieftain from a distant village, in order to provide for her ailing mother.

When Rosa reaches Jon’s home, she realizes she had no idea what she was getting herself into. While he isn’t cruel, he’s distant and short with her, keeps her isolated from neighbors, and refuses to tell her what is making noises in the locked room upstairs. Rosa’s loneliness and desperation grows until she becomes determined to uncover her husband’s secrets...even at the risk of her own life.

I truly loved this book. The writing is haunting and evocative, immersing me thoroughly in this distant time and place. The story doesn’t move quickly, but I found myself hurrying to turn (digital) pages because I *needed* to know what happened. And after I finished, it stayed with me for days. I highly recommend this one to anyone looking for a compelling historical fiction novel with a gothic feel and an immersive setting. Beautifully written!

Many thanks to @Netgalley and @harperbooks for the digital copy in exchange for a review. This is out now!

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

Rósa marries herself off to a visiting trader in exchange for a dowry, despite rumors of mysterious circumstances surrounding his first wife’s death.

Filled with Icelandic saga references, this story is about love and hate, trust and secrets and a village brimming with gossip and superstitions. Good story.

4.25☆

The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea was phenomenal. It tells the story of a woman who marries a widowed man and moves across Iceland, away from everything she knows. As tensions build and secrets are kept, she questions the man she is with.
The introduction was exciting, but it did leave me confused because we switched to new characters so fast afterwards. It wasn't until later that Lea brought us back to that and when she did it was perfectly laid out. The characters in this novel are deep and well thought out. Throughout the novel their quirks and qualms match up (which is great) and they struggle with being dutiful and following their hearts. The plot moves quickly enough to keep you interested but not too quickly so that you lose the characters. There was only one character I felt iffy about and that might just be a personal issue with how he was portrayed. I felt like Jon was different in 3rd person than he was in 1st. Not by much, but enough for me to take notice of. Overall, I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down to sleep!

I love was provided with an ARC of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rosa's story, wrapped in the magic and myth of 17th century Iceland, is riveting.

Rosa knows she must marry well to save her mother and her village from starvation and ruin. When a wealthy trader asks for her hand, she must accept. She follows him to his home far away, to a settlement plagued by secrets, lies and gossip. The village priest is constantly sowing seeds of discontent that fester and poison.

Rosa is isolated and alone, afraid of wraiths in the dark corners and every creak and shuffle she hears in the night. A catastrophic blizzard blankets the town, and all is revealed in a shattering series of events.

4 Stars.

Rosa has dreamed of living a simple life with her mamma in their icelandic village. Trying to be a good christian woman during the day, but saying enchantments to the old gods at night with runes. Rosa’s father dies abruptly and now her mamma has fallen ill. Being poor with no hay to keep her mamma warm at night, Rosa agrees to marry Jon. He is from a distant village near the sea and the journey is long, but is worth him providing for her mamma and village.

Jon works in the fields all day, and is often gone at night, leaving Rosa alone and isolated. Jon has forbid her to talk to the local villagers and told her to be a good, obedient Christian wife. But there are whispers of what happened to his last wife, and Rosa wants answers.

But even stranger than her new husband, is the attic above that she is forbidden to go in. With Rosa’s Isolation she begins hearing strange noises from above. She turns to the local women to find solace, but their words are even more troubling and confirming many rumors about Anna, Jon’s last wife. Including that he buried her body alone in the middle of the night.

What really happened to Anna? Did she go mad from the isolation, was she a witch, or a victim or Jon’s ruthless nature? And then Jon is brutally hurt in an accident and a series of events are set in motion that threaten her own survival and safety of the ones she loves.

I was a little hesitant at first with this being set in the 1600’s in Iceland. Historical Fiction is a genre that I do not usually read but I was so pleasantly surprised! The setting creates a cold, erie feeling and I almost found this borderline into the Mystery Genre. I was captivated by Rosa’s journey and Jon’s coldness towards her. I had chills. This story is full of superstitions, intrigue, and an ending I was not expecting! Such a bewitching, enthralling story!

Happy Pub Day! And huge thanks to @Harpercollinspublishing / @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Violent earth, violent weather, violent people.

Iceland in the 1600’s may seem like an unlikely setting for a novel, but the characters in “The Glass Woman” are more real to me than those in many of the Manhattan millennial novels that are so popular these days. Rósa marries her husband, Jon, and moves to his village because of his promise to provide for her mother and her people. While he honors that promise, it becomes clear that he and his servant Pétur have horrifying secrets, including the fate of Jon’s first wife.

I won’t say more, for fear of spoilers, but this is an enthralling book, not least for its Icelandic setting.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Glass Woman is an extremely surprising read for me. I did not know exactly what I was getting into. I had recently finished Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. I loved that book so much. I thought another book set in Iceland in the 19th century, I am in. This book was just as atmospheric as Burial Rites, which I loved.

One thing I don’t do is read much reviews or book previews, before I dive into a book. I want to form my own opinion. The one thing I kept thinking as I read this, that this feels a lot like Jane Eyre, which happens to be one my favorite books. Low and behold, when I read the description, I see it being compared to that very book. Glad I was not totally off base here.

This book centers in the later 1800’s around Rosa and Jon. Jon is recently widowed, is a successful farmer and wants to marry Rosa. Reluctantly Rosa agrees to marry him, to make sure her mother is taken care of. When Rosa moves in with her husband, she quickly realizes things are amiss. There are spaces that Jon asks her not to go into, he reluctantly makes love to her. Quickly rumors start swirling and Rosa starts hearing strange noises that are driving her crazy. The story quickly progresses from there.

The first 1/3 of this book is very slow, but it does take a turn and becomes so fast paced, I could bare keep up. I really enjoyed this one. If you like Jane Eyre and Burial Rites than this book is definitely for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What's in the loft? That's one of the first questions Rosa has when she moves to live with her new husband Jon. It's 1686, Iceland, and Rosa has effectively bartered herself in return for Jon providing food and fuel to her mother, who is ill. She's left behind her best friend Pall and now finds herself adrift in work and muck on the croft. She can't shake her unease about the loft and Kristin, the only villager willing to speak with her has told her that Jon's wife died mysteriously and was buried that same night. Petur, Jon's apprentice, is a dark and strange man but as it turns out, he is very much her ally. This one will surprise you- I know it sucked me in and kept me turning pages. The winter in Iceland is a misery and the blizzard they experience creates a nightmare. You can smell the smells (especially of the blood) and sense Rosa's desperation. This moves back in forth in time a bit (only over a several month period) and between Jon and Rosa's viewpoint, although there's far less of Jon. Some reviews - and the promotional material - have likened this to Rebecca but it stands completely on its own. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I very much enjoyed this and highly recommend to those looking for a good story, well told, which, although quite grim in many spots, has twists, turns, and is educational to boot.

Received this from Net Galley and I decided to read the book cause I really never read a book of anything to do with Iceland. So glad I had the translation of words but at the end of the book it did have a dictionary of what the words meant! I always look up words I don't know. The writing of the book have some mystery and the characters were believable where you felt you were in Iceland. Not telling the story I don't know why people do cause then why read the book and miss out on the story. I understand why the author does not why in the reviews? Your not writing a book report like in school. That said, it was a nice story and did enjoy it very much. Has mystery in it also!

So. This book. I was given a copy from Netgalley and put it off for the longest time, I feel terrible about that because I truly enjoyed The Glass Woman.

I wasn't sure how to take being thrown into late 17th Century Iceland, but once I was there, I was riveted. Rosa agrees to marry Jón, a man of great standing, because he will provide for her ill mother and give her a life of comfort that she otherwise could only dream of. There is suspicion surrounding Jon and the death of his first wife, as well as his friendship with his....assistant??, Pétur.

What I loved: The creeping dread and suffocating loneliness Rosa felt throughout the novel. Not to say that I liked her being lonely, but the way it was written was almost as if I was right there with her and unable to help her. The reveal of what was in the loft and making all that noise was a little anticlimactic, but what happened to Anna and the mystery surrounding her made it worth the wait.

What I didn't like: The constant "Don't trust anyone! Don't go outside! Don't talk to anyone who isn't your husband!" Granted, it is 1686 Iceland, but come on now. Jón is so afraid of gossip and talk and that just makes Rosa more determined to talk to someone who isn't Jón.

All in all, I'm giving this 4.5 stars.