The Voyage of Freydis is a story about a woman's journey to escape her abusive husband. Due to the mature and upsetting elements of the book I would recommend this for a reader over the age of 18. I requested to read this book because I saw another review which compared it to Circe by Madeline Miller but after reading The Voyage of Freydis I think this comparison does no favours for the book or the author. The are both feminist novels about a downtrodden woman who goes on a journey, and the books flesh out a previously silent titular character, but that is where the similarities stop.

You may be interested in reading this book because you enjoyed the TV show Vikings, which did a brilliant job of representing women in a variety of roles. Freydis in the show was a master manipulator. In this novel, Freydis is more like Torvi: they're both stuck in loveless marriages and train to develop their skills in weaponary and go on voyages. I did a little bit of reading before I started the book: Freydis was apparently the first female viking to lead an expedition to Vinland (North America). I had never heard of her but this sounded really promising - a strong female character with leadership qualities, etc. However Freydis's strength subverted my expectations somewhat. Yes, she is viking and she is trained in hunting and has skill with weapons but the story focuses more on her emotional journey rather than action or combat. We get to see a little of how viking culture worked, in particular the rules about marriage rights and land ownership, etc, which was nice.

Here are the positives about The Voyage of Freydis: the cover design is beautiful. The character of Freydis is established as someone to root for very early on in the book because of her vulnerability and her horrific mistreatment at the hands of her husband. Once the plot got going (i.e. after the voyage began, which admittedly was very late in the book) it kept my interest because I wanted to see Freydis succeed and I'm always intrigued by stories about the earliest encounters with Native Americans. There were some lovely passages of description, which is always nice.

However, I found Freydis's sufferance of domestic violence, sexual assault, emotional abuse & manipulation, as well as all of the content about her pregnancies extremely depressing. I understand that the point is that she's downtrodden and has a lot to overcome by the end of the book but it felt like overkill. If my interest hadn't been piqued by the mention of the skraelings (the viking term for Native Americans) I might have stopped reading because of the fact that nothing nice ever seemed to happen to our main character. After such a long build up, I also found the end of the book too quickly resolved, with a disappointing outcome and a number of irritatingly repetitive phrases, but this is probably more down to personal taste.

So it's a mixed review, which hopefully helps potential readers make an informed decision. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve recently been getting into Norse Mythology and history due to my ancestry roots, and so this book was a delight for me to receive. I had only ever heard of Freydis, brother so I really liked to hear more about the women.

Of course, the stories we are told about Freydis are negative so this revisionist version is more to my liking! It’s heartbreaking and sad and shows that the patriarchy has been in effect for far too long and done a disservice to women in history.

I recommend this book for those like me who want to learn more but who also want a different take. This is now my personal version that I accept.

I AM SO SAD AND DISAPPOINTED

I had the highest hopes for this book! I was SO excited for this book. I cannot express how excited I was... Which only made the disappointment even worse. This was so bleak. So depressive. And so sad. I usually don't mind these things as long as I see a light at the end of the tunnel or at the very least some progression. I didn't see that here at all.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Writing: The writing was really repetitive. There were a lot of phrases and descriptions that cropped up time and time again. For example Freydis' red hair (which we hear about every time someone talks about her or she is described) or Thorvald's wolfish likeness.

Characters: None of the characters were particularly likable. Not even Freydis, who we're supposed to sympathise with, is someone I find myself rooting for. While I do feel bad for her and all the things she goes through, I just can't like her. I can't get a feeling for her as a character. Perhaps it was deliberate, perhaps the author chose to strip her character bare to show the effects of domestic abuse. I don't know. I just know that without something to connect with in a character, I cannot completely root for them.

Progression: This story seemed to go pretty much nowhere. No progression in the story, no character developments. It just seemed to muddle through the same sadness the whole way through.

I’ve always said that historical fiction - really GOOD historical fiction - is the next best thing to actual time travel.

I had high hopes for this title and was excited to read, despite the negative reviews it had already received. I’ve also read a bunch of other Norse-specific nonfiction and fiction already this year, so my frame of reference was ready to go with this title.

And I was sorely disappointed.

This variant of Freydis is a complete 180 from the Freydis of the sagas. I’m all for the retelling of some characters, but to do one this dirty was a tall ask. The Freydis in the sagas was known for being a complete hardass of questionable morals and to take that away from her was definitely a choice made by the author.

Yes, these times were hard for women but if you read Nancy Marie Brown’s recent title “ The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women” things will be learned.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t warn readers that this book is one gigantic tw/cw.

1.5 stars.

Thank you, Tamara Goranson, NetGalley, and One More Chapter Books for the opportunity to read this book! It was released yesterday, July 22nd!

The Voyage of Freydis by Tamara Goranson immediately sparked my interest! First. just look at that gorgeous cover! Second, I am all about the mythology/historical retellings at the moment. If you aren’t aware, Freydis is the sister of THE Leif Erikson. You know, that guy who landed in the Americas long before Columbus was even born! Also, the daughter of Erik the Red! The Sagas briefly mention Freydis and she is always described as fierce. In this book, we are immediately introduced to her as a young woman married to Thorvald who constantly abuses her. She is determined to be free of his grasp and explore new worlds like her brother.

Trigger Warnings: SO MUCH domestic abuse, rape, miscarriage, pregnancy loss, racism, homophobia

I have been thinking about how I would write this review all night. I am going to start with that the first 200 pages are just straight abuse. I am not exaggerating. It is nonstop, day after day. It is brutal and hard to read. With the help of friends, she escapes. Unfortunately, that help comes with a price as everyone around her suffers. Again, not exaggerating. I could understand her fear and PTSD. There are moments when she shows unbelievable strength, only to be crippled with fear the next. The one thing that made me pause when there are discussions of the abuse is that her husband is gay and according to Freydis, that is why he beats her. However, from a little research, there is no mention of homosexual relationships in Norse history. As long as a person married and procreated, their business was their own. They could be brought to the law if they refused to marry for the sake of the said relationship but Homosexuality didn’t become a common mention until Christianity appeared. So it made me pause when it was mentioned that he was abusive because he was gay.

There is mention of racism when the Norse comes across the Indigenous peoples, but I did love the relationship that bloomed between Achak and Freydis. Now, you may think, oh well at least she isn’t abused anymore. Well, the worst just keeps happening to her and the ending is brutal. However, the ending made sense to me considering the time but it could be detrimental to someone who is in an abusive relationship. The last aspect I will mention is the random time jumps. In the middle of a paragraph, the book would say, “some weeks later…” It just didn’t help the flow of the novel. It didn’t help that I didn’t feel connected to the characters. There wasn’t much development or personalization. I think there is a lot of potential here. I went back and forth on how to score this book and unfortunately, I think I have settled on 2 out of 5 stars.

This is a retelling of a Norse saga about Freydis Eriksdottir who was the only woman to lead a Viking voyage. While is usually love historical fiction this was a bit too brutal for me. Overall I enjoyed it and I think it was the subject matter that was my problem rather than the writing.

This book was just completely depressing. It is about a woman named Freydis who is in an abusive marriage back in 993 AD. I know times were tough back then, but Freydis literally never has anything good happen to her. Part One was completely about how her husband abuses her. In Part Two, it seems as if Freydis will make her escape by sailing across the sea with some Icelanders but then, unrealistically, her abusive husband secures a boat and gets to the destination first despite Freydis already being on a boat, on her way, when her husband suspects she is leaving. A battle ensues when she encounters her husband and he seems to leave her alone for most of Part Two. The story just dragged on from here as the difficult times of hunting in cold weather was talked about over and over. I thought the book was about to turn about 80% in when Freydis finally has a love interest, but I was sorely disappointed as she ultimately ended up right back where she started. I actually felt like the book didn't really have an ending. It felt abrupt, but that was probably because it was like I was back to reading chapter one. The message of not being able to get out of an abusive relationship isn't a good one. I don't know that I would recommend this book, especially if that topic triggers the reader.

Going into The Voyage of Freydis, I knew nothing about the legend the story is based on. I knew little about the Vikings, or Nordic history, either. So for me, this definitely felt more fiction than historical.

Freydis is a Greenlander, part of a hard people who survive off the land in a harsh climate. Their voyages of exploration are described as going "vyking" – something several characters do during the story. Being British, I learned about the Vikings as raiders and not necessarily nice people. This story helped to give a human element to the history I learned as a child.

I really liked Freydis' character. She's living in a domestic abuse situation, and it felt so realistic that I felt sure the author must have experienced something like it. Whilst she hasn't (as far as the internet is concerned), she is a working therapist dealing with PTSD, which explains how accurate her depiction of the situation felt. Everything Freydis feels and goes through is described really well, and I never thought that she did anything out of character or contrary to her situation.

The story itself is slow and meandering. More times passes in the narrative than you realise at times. Yet I never felt bored. There is something about the prose that feels comforting, and the descriptions of the landscapes and the atmosphere Goranson creates held my attention.

There is gay male relationship in the book, but it is not portrayed in a positive light. In keeping with the context of the times, it is not approved of and is seen as disgusting by certain characters, including Freydis. This didn't bother me as I understand the historical context, but I know it would some. It is not the centre of the story, and, as we are seeing through Freydis' perspective, we only see what affects her, and this relationship did, but not in a major way.

I rooted for Freydis throughout the entire story. She is a woman in a man's world trying to claim her own power. This is another book about the power of women, and the fear men have of that power.

Though I didn't like the ending, I did enjoy my time reading The Voyage of Freydis. I will be looking out for more by the author.

The Voyage of Freydis is a compelling and richly atmospheric fact meets fiction retelling of the Vinland sagas and a memorable portrayal of one of the most famous female Vikings legends: the tenacious and tough Freydis Eirksdottir who was deemed braver than most of her fellow men. Freydís Eiríksdóttir (born c. 970) was a Norse woman said to be the daughter of Erik the Red, who is associated with the Norse exploration of North America and the discovery of Vinland with his son Leif Erikson. Greenland, 996 AD. Freydis marries an abusive Norseman known as Thorvald, and a short time later, her brother Leif departs the shores of Greenland and sets sail to Vinland (Newfoundland, North America) alongside his intrepid sister and other Vikings, and despite being pregnant Freydis continued participating in the men’s business. During their absence from Greenland, their father had passed away after a horseback accident leaving Thorvard to rule the kingdom. However, when Leif arrives back on the island after a successful expedition, he decides he will reclaim his father’s title, which doesn't exactly go down well with Thorvard who believes the seat is rightfully his.

Freydis, meanwhile, wishes to divorce her husband and hopes her brother, thanks to their strong relationship, would be on side and supportive, but he is anything but as it would inevitably complicate his ambitions to become leader. It is stated that Freydis was told in no uncertain terms that divorce would deplete her finances, so according to The Greenlander Saga, she had commissioned two brothers, Helgi and Finnbogi, to join her in the exploration of Vinland where she wanted the plunder the riches of the land. The two brothers took their ship with a crew of men, while Freydis took her own ship and her own crew. It was agreed upon that each ship would carry the same number of men but Freydis brought on 5 extra men that she kept hidden below deck. Will she manage to stay safe and survive her supposed second journey to Vinland? This is a compelling and fascinating historical saga about a woman, and a Viking warrior, who defied the odds and the social norms of the epoch. Rich in intricate and accurate historical detail, Goranson has woven an enthralling character study of a neglected figure and created an almost bewitching atmosphere enveloping it all.

This book tells the tale of Freydis and her life as a wife to Thorvard and the sister of Leif Erickson. Thorvard is a brute that beats Freydis consistently and eventually breaks her person into someone wild and willing to do anything to escape this man.
The story grips you from the start and keeps you hanging on till the end.
This is a rapid-paced, compelling story with masterful execution. Recommend as ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Voyage of Freydis is a tale of an accomplished woman who does get the same acknowledgements as her male relations set in the Viking Era (10th century). Freydis Eiriksdottir is the daughter of Erik the Red and sister of Leif Eiriksson, the famed Norse explorer. While not much evidence is found to support her existence and accomplishments, this novel sets out to give this character her own story. The story begins in a darker place and although it does have some light-heartedness, the novel is fairly skewed to the more serious side.

The story begins with Freydis and her marriage to Thorvald in Greenland. Thorvald is a very abusive spouse, in every sense of the word. Initially, the novel goes through their marriage and the reader experiences just how bad Thorvald is to Freydis as she tries to search for a way out. Eventually, Freydis finds passage on a ship heading for Vinland (west in North America). Once she arrives with the other settlers, she faces all new obstacles and her past that she escaped is always lurking to potentially catch up with her. In her new life, she is stubborn and wants to be a hunter, so she finds her way to be a part of the hunting parties. As she explores the new land, she learns new skills along the way while adjusting to life away from Thorvald.

Freydis’s character was difficult to connect with for almost the entire novel, as her personality was a little all over the place. She was meeker one minute and raging the next. Given her circumstances and past, I could try to understand what she was going through and how they related to her actions, however, I just could not fully wrap my head around her character to make her likable to me. Based on the time period and events in the story, I was not expecting her to be fully likeable, but I had hoped that there would be one quality that I could connect with. I sympathized with her situation with Thorvald, but beyond that, I could not sense something to relate to at her core.

Although the pacing was a little slow at times, it fit the narrative of the story and built up the tension that surrounded Freydis. The cultural aspects in this book was interesting, as I loved reading about the different places and traditions. There are the native people of Vinland, the settlers, and Greenland all present. The Viking history and the source material for this novel, the Vinland sagas, are fascinating and the basic concept of Freydis finding her own way was interesting. The characters in this novel, especially Freydis, had potential, but, unfortunately, I did not connect for them. However, I did wish for Freydis to find some kind of resolution after Thorvald. Overall, this was an extremely fascinating concept that just was not for me.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, HarperCollins UK – One More Chapter, for the opportunity to read this interesting novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

I was kindly given a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so disappointed with the ending of this.

The writing is all over the place. One moment the main character is going to kill her husband and will never let a man touch her again and then literally in the following sentence she is as weak as a mouse and because he sheds a tear she stops her 'attack'. It was just completely illogical. This theme continues throughout the whole book where she is asserting her authority (in all seriousness just being down right bitchy), insulting men that are saving her/protecting her and then she is weak. At some points she seemed to be a shieldmaiden capable of killing several seasoned warriors even though she's just spent months doing 'woman's work' and being submissive. It was confusing.

The main character had no character arc. She starts as an abused woman who can make no decisions of her own and ends in this way too.

The majority of the story is her being beaten black and blue, a short trip to another land and then at about 80% in she's suddenly in love with someone....

Incredibly disappointing ending. We were back to the "I won't let no man rule me" but letting a man frogmarch her back onto a boat, without her lover, to have her lands stolen etc. etc. Really?!

I was so excited for this book and enjoyed a great majority of the story but the ending made me extremely upset.

This book tells the tale of Freydis and her life as a wife to Thorvard and the sister of Leif Erickson. Thorvard is a brute that beats Freydis consistently and eventually breaks her person into someone wild and willing to do anything to escape this man.

Eventually she is helped by her brother to spend the winter with him and separated from her husband. This allow Freydis to come up with a plan to escape permanently on a ship with some Icelanders to Vinland, where her brother built his house. She is able to escape last minute and makes her way across the ocean to be her own person once again. Little did she know that Thorvard was going to follow and cause demise to those that helped her escape and “ruin” his name. She is able to fall in love and move on with her life forgetting about Thorvard, but when she returns it all falls apart around her.

I absolutely enjoyed a lot of this story and even in the slow moments I was able to push past because I was curious as to what was going to happen. When she was able to get away from Thorvard I was excited to see her grow as a strong Viking woman. And was so excited that she was brought into the tribe with her new love and father of her child. All of that was immediately squashed by her Viking husband. I was on my way to give this book a 4-4.5 stars but that ending just hurt my heart too much! It was a great book but she just did a full circle back to her abuser. I wanted more from the ending. And that brought my rating down.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Harper-Collins for the E-ARC of this novel for a review*

Thank you NetGalley, author Tamara Goranson, and One More Chapter publishing for giving me a free arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
2 stars
Trigger warnings: Spouse abuse, gaslighting, infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, slavery, dubious consent, attempted rape, rape, maiming, death of pets/animal companions, racism, starvation, attempted murder, murder..
This is a historical fiction novel set in the Viking age. It follows the legendary historical character Freydis Eiriksdóttir, who is in the Icelandic sagas. She is the daughter of Erik the Red and the half-sister of Leif Eriksson.
Freydis Eiriksdóttir was married off to an abusive man, Thorvald. They live in Greenland. In order to get away from him, she arranges to go on a ship bound west to North America (Vinland).
I am not really sure what the point of this book was. The characters were not really developed nor likeable. That was especially the case for the main character Freydis Eiriksottir. She was kind of hard to figure out who she really was. One minute she is meek and weak and the next, she is able to fight and showed courage to take hold of her own life. I also was unclear what the author's message was within this story. I am well aware Freydis Eiriksottir's father and brother are more well known historical, but that means there is a lot of room for the author to create the Freydis Eiriksottir that readers can get behind and relate to. The main character was able to escape her abusive husband for a time, but then he shows back up clear across the other side of the ocean to take her back. So many people died trying to keep her safe and he gets away and is never punished for his mistreatment of his wife. This story did not really offer a positive outlook for those who have suffered at the hands of their abuser. In my opinion, I don't feel that is the kind of message I would want anyone to receive. The writing and pacing were a little slow at times, which made the story events drag. The ending just stopped the story without any conflict resolution. Overall, I would caution people to be careful reading this book in regards to the trigger warnings. I would be interested in reading more by this author in the future.

This memorable retelling of Vinland saga challenges the past portrayals of Freydis Eirksdottir, a strong-willed woman, who defied the odds of her society.

Greenland, 996 AD. Freydis is married to an abusive Norseman named Thorvard. Shortly after, her brother Leif leaves Greenland’s shores to sail across the northern seas. During his absence, and after the death of their father, the land of Greenland is ruled by Thorvard. But the successful voyage of Leif makes him reclaim the title of his father, which only upsets Thorvard. And as much as the siblings share a deep bond, it doesn’t go deep enough when Fredyis wants to divorce her abusive husband and seeks support of her brother. It wouldn’t help Leif in his ambitious plan.

But then a couple from Iceland confirms that divorce would ruin her financially. They need a sponsor to help them out on their expedition to Vinland. They have ships, but they need a wealthy patron that could travel with them. Taking a Viking expedition would keep her safe from her husband’s fists. But can she trust Icelanders?

The heroine is a very strong woman, a fighter, and a true Viking. You can sense that the abuse of her husband steals the light out of her. She no longer laughs or takes pleasure in life’s simple moments. But her willpower continues to be strong. She doesn’t want to spin the wool and mend cloth, instead she yearns to hunt, to use her knife and peel back the fur and debone the meat, but a woman hunter is not a welcomed addition. Her tongue-lashing gets her into a group of hunters, but her skill which might be above some men’s approval makes her a bigger target and the men blame her as difficult. Her headstrong behavior and stubbornness sometimes cloud her judgement, not helping her reputation.

The plotting of a course to freedom involves outmaneuvering Thorvard, so he doesn’t seek revenge, which builds the suspense.

The atmosphere depicting the time period of ruthlessness and the place of harsh climate are very authentic. The survival during the dangerous iceberg passage, when the journey takes scary turns is very vivid. On land, you can sense the harsh climate and when the winter comes filled with blizzards blinding your path, you know that one misstep may send you on a dangerous path. A wrong move, can push you down the snowy slope where there are no bushes to break the fall and no rocks sticking out to stop sliding over the precipice, and a sharp fall might be deadly.

Freydis is a very memorable character, despite the brutality of her husband and the harsh climate; I wasn’t ready to part with her. The beautiful prose and engaging storytelling made me engrossed in Fredys’ journey thoroughly.

P.S. Kudos to cover-designers, it’s gorgeous.

Review originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com

<b>DNF @ 15%

I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own</b>

<I>The Voyage of Freydis</i> tells the story of the first and only woman to lead a Viking voyage across the Atlantic. I was so excited to read this book. I have been wanting to read a book featuring Norse mythology and the fact that this was about an independent woman was a plus! I was hoping for a great story full of backstabbing, escape, and intrigue. Instead I felt like the book dragged and Freydis just kept getting beaten (both mentally and physically). It also felt like the writing was very detached to what was happening to Freydis. I am not sure if that was on purpose, but I was not a fan.



TW: domestic abuse, physical violence, emotional abuse, miscarriage

"The Voyage of Freydis" makes for grim reading with the abuse Freydis takes from her husband and the other things she has to deal with... but I absolutely loved it. Tamara Goranson's writing really shines here and it was a wonderful reading experience. I felt the cold, heard the wind, flinched with the blows - that takes a lot of skill. I wish the book had lasted longer, but there is definitely room for a sequel. Please!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

I wasn’t considering this as a Norse mythology story in the beginning. The story was a bit difficult to get into because all the proper names of people and places are impossible to know how to say them. This story is all about the relationship of this Freydis and her physically and emotionally abusive husband. He even isolates her so she is dependent on him for everything.
His only goal is to protect his name and control the land. His wife is a rather after thought there to complete his vision to the world.
It’s rather awful she doesn’t get a break. She sneaks away and he finds her. She finds some happiness
He finds her again. She goes thru all sides of emotion from grief to rage to anger.

The action of divorce are nearly impossible given all the rules. They believe in Gods for everything, for love, protection, fighting, even weather.
It was an interesting story, but for me it was too much bad stuff to enjoy the story..
Thank you to NetGalley for obtaining a copy for my review.

I love mythology and was excited to read The Voyage of Freydis. It was well written and I enjoyed it. There is a lot of violence including physical and sexual violence in the story which wasn't really for me.

I love all kinds of mythology and was super excited for the chance to read about a Norse character I haven't heard of before. Freydis sounded strong and fierce and I couldn't wait to find out more about her.

But my excitement was slowly sucked into a black hole of negativity. Every bad thing you can think of happens to Freydis and somehow it just keeps getting worse. I understand that mythology is not always rainbows and fluffy clouds. It's often harsh and brutal and unforgiving. But wow. The reader really needs to be in the right mindset to keep pushing through this story.

And honestly, the negativity isn't what bothered me. I was able to tolerate it until I read the author's note at the end. She says “Freydis is the voice of all spousal abuse victims.” I found this statement problematic primarily because Freydis ends up in the exact same spot she began in, without any change. She's not a likeable character, even though I did feel sorry for her situation, but her entire “voyage” promoted no character development. And I think because the novel ends just as it begins, it gives a sense of hopelessness to her situation. Again, a happy ending is not always needed, especially in mythology, but to say that Freydis is the voice of spousal abuse… well, that's a pretty depressing voice. I think a message like that needs be delivered with strength and with some sort of character development, at least.

Overall, I will be looking for other retellings of Freydis to read.