Prix Médicis étranger (Best Foreign Novel) 2019
The cutesy cover doesn't do the book justice: One of the most famous female novelists working in Iceland today, Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, has written a book about the patriarchal, conservative Icelandic society of the early 1960's, centering on two women who are writers, but aren't taken seriously as such. Our protagonist and narrator is Hekla (named after the volcano, of course) who hails from the rural West and comes to Reykjavik to get a job, live as an independent woman and write. She finds employment as a waitress but at the job, she is expected to remain silent about the harrassement and discrimination she has to endure while the (male) poets who hang out at the famous Café Mokka don't take her seriously. Hekla finds solace with her childhood friend Ísey, who is also a writer but constrained by what society expects her to be as a young wife and mother, and her gay friend Jón John who is ostracized because of his sexual orientation. All three of them aim to find a place for themselves and try to help each other finding it.

"Ad ganga med bok I maganum", says an Icelandic proverb, "everyone has a book in their stomach". The small country is famous for its many readers and writers, its love for literature, and Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir writes about the fact that for a long time, the right to be taken seriously as an artist was only granted to men: There is Hekla's boyfriend, an aspiring poet, and his male friends who can't wrap their heads around the fact that beautiful Hekla is also a talented equal - they simple don't know how to handle the situation. There is Hekla's father, who ponders life by writing about the impact of the weather on people and the natural world (how Icelandic is that?). There is Jón John, the skilled fashion designer who is forced to work as a sailor, because which "real man" does sew dresses? There is Ísey who is haunted by the stories she cannot write, and of course Hekla who is constantly pestered by a man who wants her to participate in the Miss Iceland contest - but Hekla knows that the citeria they are applying do not do justice to Icelandic women, that conforming is a trap.

This is a melancholic book about three highly relatable characters who are misfits because they refuse to deny themselves. While they are struggling though, erupting lava is creating a new island, thus foreshadowing the new spaces later social movements will open up for women and minorities. Maybe not the most complex novel ever written, but moving and captivating nonetheless.

The German translation will be published by Suhrkamp/Insel in Spring 2021.

This book was not at all what I expected it to be, nor can I really think of a book that is written in the same style. As it dealt with poets and literary characters, I felt as if the writing reflected a poem itself. It was so lyrical and pleasing to read.

The characters were interesting and complex. I liked Hekla but I enjoyed her friend Ísey the most. Both women were struggling in their own ways but found refuge in their written words and the small things in life. Although we never really delved deep into character personalities, I felt like I understood enough of each character to enjoy their story.

Miss Iceland was a relaxing read that reminded me that dreams are worth working for.

I found myself liking this book much more than I expected to. I didn’t really love the main character, Hekla. I never really felt like I understood her and did not feel connected to her or understand her in any way. I found myself drawn into the story not by the characters but by the writing which I found beautiful and free feeling. I also loved the depictions of Iceland which is a country I really don’t know anything about.

This book reminds you how much has changed in the space of 60 years. Hekla moves to Reykjavik to try and make her way as a novelist. She moves in with her queer friend, Jon John. She is faced with the limitations of her sex and he by his sexual preference. “We kept each other’s secrets. We were equals.”
This book tugs at my heartstrings. It’s not just how the men at the dining room treat Hekla, but more importantly how her poet boyfriend treats her like she’s nothing but a pretty face and a muse.
This is a book that’s sparse on plot but lush in wording. The ending left me perplexed. I wasn’t at all sure what to make of it.
My thanks to netgalley and Grove Press for an advance copy of this book.

Hekla is a budding female novelist in Iceland in the 1960s. She heads from her remote hometown to Reykjavik where she intends to become a writer. Sharing an apartment with her childhood and queer friend Jón John, Hekla learns that she will have to stand alone in a male-dominated community that would rather see her win a pageant than become a professional artist.
"Miss Iceland" is a short but unique book. I kept rooting for Hekla and her female friend Isley and Jon John to pursue their dreams, talents and interests. But each of these characters gave away so much of their identity and rights simply because they are different and not traditional men.
The writing style is choppy, but the message touched me long after I finished the book. I appreciated the insights into gender equality and gender roles. "Miss Iceland" offers an interesting look at life in the 1960s and even today, unfortunately.
Note: some sexual content

I was excited to begin reading this book. I have traveled quite a bit and had an exciting journey to Iceland a couple of years ago. It’s a beautiful but strange landscape and there is no other place like it on Earth. The black lava fields for miles, geothermal energy erupting from the ground, black sand beaches and lots and lots of books. I didn’t know that the people of Iceland’s favorite pastime is reading, that Christmas gifts are always books, that no books can be published in Iceland unless they are written in the ancient Icelandic language.and that are books are left everywhere so anyone may take one to read. I was ready to learn even more through Miss Iceland. However, perhaps because the book has been translated to English something gets lost. Somewhere the link is broken and I realized very quickly that the characters were poorly developed and I seemed to have difficulty finding the plot line. I would not recommend this books to others as I think it could be beautifully written but simply was not.

While I did finish this book, I didn't connect with it or finding it as engaging as I had hoped. While I certainly understood the themes of growth and change and thought it would be interesting to see how a more remote country like Iceland experienced the 1960s, Hekla didn't particularly come to life for me. I was more interested in Jon and would have enjoyed following his story more closely.

A lovely book about a young woman who wants to find her own way in the world as a writer at a time when women are held back by societal expectations. This is one of those books that doesn't really have much of a plot but does a great job of getting inside the characters and creating an atmosphere, thus allowing the reader to "try on" the characters' lives. I really enjoyed it and would read more from this author.

i found this to be boring.
and i really couldn't figure out the point of the story. While it was about Hekla & her growth. i thought it was also about Jon John & his being a gay man during a time when that was illegal & unaccepted in the Scandinavian region. i didn't connect w/the characters.
and i'm sure it was also a statement on Iceland's society/culture during the 60's.

positive: i liked how they showed the reactions of people in a foreign country to events happening in the U.S. (ie. their mentions of Dr. King & the civil rights movement in the states, a Beatles concert in Denmark, etc.) it was interesting to see how those things were perceived.

i really didn't like the ending. it seemed a bit of a cop-out for the character.

i think people who are more familiar w/the history & culture of Iceland would enjoy this more.


thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
unfortunately, i didn't like this but i look forward to receiving lots of other selections that i will enjoy.

Thank you to the author, Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book uses a style and rhythm that took some getting used to - and that ended up putting me under its spell. Set in the early 1960s in Iceland (not a time or place especially well-known to me, or probably many other readers), it takes us deep into the heart of a friendship between two people who are both on the fringes of society. Or rather, outcasts trying to get by in the society they're a part of. The narrative doesn't flow particularly well, but is more a series of glimpses into time, place and events. Besides the two main characters, there are several others that provide a counterpoint and contrast. Not light reading by any means, but it really captured my heart.

I really hate to give this book a one star review but I really didn’t get it. This felt like a memoir trying to be a novel. There was no growth for the character. Nothing happened. She got a job she met a guy she left the guy and traveled but didn’t grow. She staid stagnant the whole story. I felt like there was more growth from other characters.

I tried to read this book twice, both times failed for me. Indeed the topics of this book are important for society and especially seeing how it's been previously. But I couldn't engage myself in the story nor with the characters.

Miss Iceland
by Audur Ava Olafsdottir
translated by Brian Fitzgibbon

What begins as a bleak, brooding coming of age story soon morphs into a caring, spot-on tale of the power of friendship and passion for one's dreams. The author's hand is so subtle that one barely realizes how invested we have become in our main characters, in their dreams, their struggles and their small successes until we sit in shock and surprise at the novel's conclusion.

Hekla and JonJon, childhood friends, both outsiders in Iceland's 1960s society, each leave their town of Dalir in search of a wider, more sophisticated population where Hekla can pursue her writing and JonJon hopes to find acceptance as a gay man. They meet up in Reykjavik, join forces and begin their journey. In contrast, their friend Isey, opts for the traditional route of wife and mother. She's lonely, frustrated, envies Hekla's bravery and success and dreads being completely stifled and overtaken by the needs of her family whom she loves.

This is a story of survival, both the day to day economic struggle and the constant fight to combat and assert oneself against the gender politics of the time. Hekla embodies not the destructive force of the volcano for which she is aptly named but its creative force. Her journey with its successes and compromises will resonate with many readers today.

I will begin by thanking the generous people Grove Atlantic for allowing me an ARC of Miss Iceland in exchange for my honest review. I'm not a professional reviewer or bookseller or anything that may qualify me to write a critique of any book (a fact that will likely become obvious very shortly), but I thank them from the bottom of my book-loving heart.

Whenever I start a new read, I love to find that comfortable rhythm as early as possible. The narrative here does it's best to keep me off balance. This book is more like still-life in words, snap-shots of life given to the reader in the most unemotional way. Ten or so pages in, I gave up that misbegotten hope. The story has a rhythm and a style I'm unaccustomed to reading. Once I let it do its own thing, I'm pleased to say that that elusive rhythm found me.

The protagonist, Hekla, is born to a volcano obsessed father and a mother we don't learn much about, save for the contents of a short letter explaining the circumstances of Hekla's birth and the method of her naming. Her mother wanted her to be called Arnhildur, the female eagle. Her father had already chosen Hekla, the name of an active volcano in Iceland. Arnhildur never stood a chance. The author has quickly established that this is a man's world.

When we pick up her story, Hekla is on the move Reykavic hoping to find a publisher for her manuscript. On the bus ride there, she is propositioned by a man who offers her a chance to enter the Miss Iceland pageant. This is one of several run-ins with some loathsome, misogynist, whom I don't feel need much of an explanation. They add their weight to the story and help Hekla toward her final resolution. Enough said about that.

Hekla has two friends already living in Reykjavik. Isey is her childhood friend, now married. Isey has a husband, a small child, and absolutely no idea how to be happy or even satisfied with life. The conversations between Hekla and Isey are some of my favorite parts of this book. This one describes Isey impeccably - "It's so much work being with a small child, Hekla. We're together all week, all day long and also at night when Lýdur is away doing road work in the east. I didn't know it would be so wonderful to be a mother. Having a baby has been the best experience of my life. I'm so happy. There's nothing missing in my life. Your letters have kept me alive. I'm so lonely. Sometimes I feel like I'm a terrible mother."

The relationship with friend number two is much more complicated. David Jon John Johnsson, JJ for short, is her roommate, her first lover, and her best friend and confidant. And he is gay. An aspiring fashion designer, JJ displays Hekla's inner angst in a way she doesn't. The 1960s and being openly gay go together as well as peanut butter and spam. JJ continually finds himself in shameful meet-ups with closeted gay men after too much alcohol. He laments openly to Hekla that if he could have it another way, he would. I have no idea what Hekla thinks or believes regarding JJ and his life, but, by the end, I think she lets her feelings be known.

There was also a misbegotten relationship with a poet that takes up a good portion of the story, but for me, it was all about the friends. These are the people in her neighborhood. The trappings of the determined life are on full display from start to finish. Isey's musings and JJ's frustration are symptoms of it. Through Heklas eyes, we have a front-row seat where the inability of people to assess their lives and their choices is on full display, like some unstable peacock. Isey bows to the social norms without so much as a single kick or scream. JJ continues to degrade himself in the name of "love" instead of coming to terms with the reality of his life. I'm not saying that any of them have good options to choose, I'm only saying that self-respect should be a part of the equation. Ultimately, Hekla is the only one that has any. I don't like her choice either, btw, but at least her solution partially satisfies her dream, while at the same time shining a spotlight on the beauty that is the pragmatic narrative I missed out on until the end. It was at this point, this subtle, understated endpoint, that I fell for this book.

I greatly enjoyed reading this book (thank you NetGalley for the ARC), though it's difficult to say what I enjoyed the most: the style or the plot. Maybe I should talk about both.
First of all, I liked the fact that the author does not judge, does not try to tell us, the readers, what to think. Not even when both Hekla and D.J. are mistreated, manhandled or even injured. The author's tone is as a mater-of-factly as always. They have to accept the fact that the world is what it is and try to survive, and, through their stories and destiny, so does the author. We all know that their time will come, sooner or later, when female writers will be able to publish under their own names and gay people will have rights. Women will no longer be forced to choose between having a family or a career, postpartum depression will be recognized... This does not mean we live in a world without prejudice, we just accept it and go on.
Secondly, I took a long time thinking about Helka and D.J.'s marriage: is it a compromise, an acceptance or a liberation? In the end, I'd like to think that there must be more than one kind of marriage, and their union will be full of happiness, as long as it lasts, because it's a spiritual one. Usually, the material/ physical part of a relationship spoils things.
The structure of the book must be also something remarkable but my ARC was a continuous text, unfortunately (one of the disadvantages of reading e-books).

Hekla goes to Reykjavik to write. She takes just a few things with her, including her typewriter and Joyce's Ulysses. There she learns that as a woman, you can't succeed in some fields. She gets a proposition to participate in a Miss Iceland competition. But nobody would publish a novel that is written by a woman. So she writes under a pseudonym.

We get the image of Iceland in the sixties: gray, cold, homophobic, discriminatory. Vulcanic eruptions make it even grayer.

This one is one of those little gems I find from time to time. Excellent writing style, I liked it a lot. You don't get a dense narrative in this novel. You get bits and pieces, and you have to read between the lines and make your conclusions. It is an art to assemble a thought-provoking story full of meaning from these fragments. It is one of those novels that leaves you thinking about it long after you finish it.

Miss Iceland is suitable for fans of international and European literature. I would say this one is not for everyone. Some mainstream book readers may not appreciate the beauty of this novel.

I will look up other works of this author. Thanks to Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read this! All opinions are my own.

Ever since traveling to Iceland, I’ve been interested in reading about the country and its culture. I believe the author provides a faithful portrayal of Iceland’s mood due to its stark landscape and barren remoteness. I really felt the oppressiveness of the night and the sea. In spite of that atmosphere, Iceland seems to be a land full of poets and dreamers, but in the 1960s clearly not ready to accept all of its people for who they are. I felt the writing was quite good and the plot was interesting, however it seemed there was much symbolism that was not thoroughly fleshed out or perhaps it’s more obvious to an Icelandic reader. Understanding that this is an ARC, I hope the ending gets reworked a bit.

I received an ARC of this book by NetGalley. #MissIceland #NetGalley

Thank you to netgalley.com for the ARC.

This book takes places in Iceland during the early 1960s and features a woman who wants to be a writer in a male dominated field. The characters are all flawed and quirky which makes them interesting. There is a strong sense of place and you can feel the weather and darkness at times. I have to admit I struggled with some of the names and also some of the slang or Icelandic terms and a glossary at the back may have been helpful to American readers. I was able to get some of the meaning from the context.

Overall this was a well written book and I enjoyed it.

I tried to read this book and just couldnt.. it might be this time of life during a lockdown for a pandemic. I gave it my best shot.

4.5★s
“Eternity isn’t within my reach. Compared to you, Hekla, who are the daughter of a volcano and the Arctic sea, I am the daughter of hillock and heath!”

Miss Iceland is a novel by Icelandic author, Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir. It is translated from Icelandic by Brian Fitzgibbon. She was delivered by the local vet and named after a volcano, quite against her mother’s wishes, by her volcano-mad father. Her mother later said of Hekla: “that there needs to be… chaos in the soul to be able to give birth to a dancing star…” From a very young age, she was determined to be a writer.

In 1963, twenty-one-year-old Hekla Gottskalksdottir, slim and beautiful, takes the coach from Dalir to Reykjavik with a plan: she will find a job, a place to live, and she will write. On the bus though, she catches the eye of a middle-aged man, who feels sure she would do well in the Miss Iceland pageant. No, thank you.

She looks up her two best friends: Isey, married with a baby; Jon John who, with his sewing machine is set to make a name for himself in wardrobe for theatre, but this queer feels very much the misfit in 1960’s Iceland.

Despite the deep faith her two friends have in her work, there’s no instant, or even gradual, success to be had in Reykjavik. In her waitressing job, she is poorly paid and subject to constant sexual harassment. Her manuscripts are rejected by publishers; instead, entry into the Miss Iceland pageant is regularly recommended. Jon John finds he is no freer in the city than in Dalir.

Her new boyfriend, a librarian and frustrated, aspiring poet, who firmly believes “For every thought that is conceived on earth, there is an Icelandic word”, is unaware of Hekla’s literary ambitions: “Does he know about the wild beast that’s running loose inside you and waiting for you to release it? Does a poet understand a poet?”

Isey asks: “’Which do you want the most, to have a boyfriend or write books?’ I give it some thought. In my dream world the most important things would be: a sheet of paper, fountain pen and a male body. When we’ve finished making love, he’s welcome to ask if he can refill the fountain pen with ink for me.”

Ólafsdóttir clearly demonstrates the invidious position, in the early 1960s, of women and gay men within the homophobic patriarchy prevalent in many countries, but especially one as insular as Iceland. Her characters are forced to take pragmatic steps to survive, if not really thrive.

Ólafsdóttir’s prose is quite sparse and understandably has a Nordic feel; the characters are a bit quirky; and the place names will be a tongue-twister for readers not of Scandinavian extraction. Familiarity with the many Icelandic and Danish poets and authors might well enhance the enjoyment of this novel, but it is not absolutely necessary. This is a bit deeper and darker than the cover picture and English blurb seem to suggest, but certainly a beautifully written, moving read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Grove Atlantic