A good read although animal lovers might be upset by one passage. Fascinating to learn about Iceland in the 1960s, newly independent but expecting conformity from its population.

My full review on my blog:

https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2019/11/28/book-review-audur-ava-olafsdottir-miss-iceland/

Raves for this novel.Set in Iceland in the sixties a group of characters that draw you i to their lives.A novel involving friendship books authors poetry. An excellent read one of this year’s favorites for me hope to read more by this author.#netgalley#groveatlantic

Ólafsdóttir's "Miss Iceland" is an incredibly well-written novel, with both a vibrant writing style and poignant themes; feminism, reading, writing, travel, homosexuality and especially minorities facing a society that is sorely lacking in openness.

Don't let the cover of this book fool you. It makes it look like this is going to be a cute, quirky chick-lit story instead of a thoughtful commentary on the way society treats women and minorities. This book is so much more than what I thought I signed up for. Because of the juxtaposition of where I thought the book was going and where it actually went, it took me a little bit to get into it. I wasn't sure if I was going to even like it at first. However, I found it to be an interesting peek at Icelandic culture, World War II Iceland, and societal commentary.

As I said, I thought this book was going to be something else. That said, I am not mad at all with where it went. I thought at some point the main character was actually going to become Miss Iceland and use it as a platform for gender equality or get a book deal. That’s not at all where it went. I thought it might have some cute romantic elements and overall be more fluffy than it actually was. This is a classic case of why you should not judge a book by its cover. It was none of these things. I really enjoyed it after I got over my preconceptions. I originally wanted to read it to learn more about Iceland and it fulfilled that requirement quite nicely.

I found the peek into Icelandic culture absolutely fascinating. I knew that current day Iceland is a book lovers paradise. One in ten Icelanders publish a book in their lifetime, which I find absolutely amazing. I wish the ability to publish the more traditional route was more widely available. In the book, kids skip school to pretend at becoming a poet. They dream of becoming poets and authors. When I was young, kids skipped school for non-literary purposes and did things that I find less appealing than pretending to be an author. Almost all of the characters have some sort of literary aspirations at some point in this book and they heavily reminded me of my friend group in University.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. They reminded me of my own friend group in University because they all have such high literary aspirations or are very supportive of each other. Jón John is everything pure and good in the world. He is by far my favorite character in this novel. He is the right mix of sarcastic, serious, dramatic, and dreamer. I loved all the scenes with him in it and wish there were actually more. I enjoyed Hekla too. She’s determined, knows what she wants, and no man is going to get in her way. The whole cast is quirky, unique, and yet relatable. I can see friends and family members in these characters.

Overall, I would recommend this if you like determined women who are not satisfied with the status quo. Those interested in Icelandic culture and history will probably find this interesting as well. It would be an excellent read for a book club with all of the different layers in the story. If you’re looking for a short chick-lit book, like the cover suggests, you will be disappointed. I don’t subscribe to the idea that a book is chick-lit because it is written by a woman or about a woman. This book has a more serious message at it’s heart and I think readers should sit up and listen.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for providing an e-ARC for my reading pleasure. The thoughts and opinions in the review are my own. Also, sorry that this review is a little earlier than the "sweet spot," I just couldn't wait to read it.

Where to start on this amazing story. Ísey, Hekla, Jón John, and Starkadur are four young people living in Iceland during the early sixties all coming to terms with their futures with considerable angst.
The interaction between the group is the main story only soon you realise there much more at play here with subtle moments concerning the foibles and successes of life woven into the story.
I love this style where you feel you know and care for the characters leaving one wishing to follow the next stage in their lives
I have given an independent review for NetGalley and Grove Atlantic.

A fantastic novel. Olafsdottir really brings the Icelandic culture and atmosphere to the page. We follow the writer Hekla, who has to navigate her life in Reykjavik as a writer and a waitress, dealing with overt sexism and harassment in her everyday life during the 1940s. It also looks at how literature plays an important part in almost every aspect of her life. Her relationship with her friend, Jon John was one of the most interesting parts of the book. I would definitely read more from this author and I highly recommend this both as a personal read and a book club read.

This book is very noir in that Hekla who is very beautiful, ends up married to her gay best friend Jón John. But I haven't said that they got married so that she could write and he could be left alone to meet men. And he would support her so she could write her friends and father besides books and poetry. This book is spent in Iceland and Denmark plus probably Spain. Hekla moved to Reykjavik and Ísey her best girl friend had a baby girl, her husband Lýdur was never home because of work. They write letters all the time, and Hekla father talks on the phone to her. When she finds a job she is always told that she would make the best Miss Iceland by her customers and one in particular. She meets a male librarian, Starkadur, and moves in with him but she hides that she is a poet and a writer of books. This doesn't prove a problem until he finds out about her gay male friend. Jón John has sailed away to Denmark on a ship. Hekla meets Starkadur's mother in a trip to his home during a vacation period and says she's only a girl friend not a potential wife. Then she gets a ticket from Jón John to come to Denmark. Things get involved and they end up getting married and leaving for the south. Hekla ends up sending a book to Starkadur for him to put it in his name on it. This is the story as Hekla tells it and it has many, many more parts to it. It's not a crime book at all but it is a good read I would recommend it to my people.