I found the story of Captain Thurídur to be incredibly interesting and I'm thankful Margaret Willson shared it because I don't think I'd have ever known about her otherwise. I'm so glad this was written as a narrative nonfiction because it felt informative while also staying captivating throughout.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

What an amazingly talented non-fiction writer! This could have easily been a complicated, dry timeline, but Wilson skillfully brings the characters and scenery to life. The reader will feel the salt sea and farm earth in their hands.
The story is told in a chronological timeline. Each chapter center around a pivotal small-town moment. With so many insular communities of the time, gossip and ownership of a cow are all it takes to change a persons fortunes.
I can’t wait to go back to visit Iceland! Thank you for bringing this fun and daring life to light!

Audiobook is often my preference for nonfiction, and this book was no different. I found a lyrical, pleasant narrator in Ann Richardson, who employed what sounded like great Icelandic pronunciation to my untrained ears.

I have not read any Icelandic history, beyond vague references in Norse mythology, so a lot of this was simply eye-opening and grimly fascinating. We idealize Iceland in contemporary times, but...Wow, the hardship presented by its isolation, unique geography, constitution of its terrain and more were really highlighted in this book. That served to emphasize Captain Thurídur Einarsdóttir's (name romanized here) fortitude and determination to carve out a living amid an often-inhospitable climate.

For some reason I started this thinking she was a pirate captain, but no, Thurídur was a fishing captain, something just as risky and lauded for her time and place. Thurídur wore trousers often, defied even liberal-for-the-time Icelandic gender roles, and was very successful at the physical work of fish hauling. Time and time again she supported other people even when resources and opportunities were scarce for herself, and all of this combined into a book upon which I found my time well spent.

That said, the book often moves beyond Thurídur's own story to lend social context to her life, and some sections read a bit like an 18th century gossip column. The neighborly and intimate familial dramas of the area are explained with great detail. While some bits are interesting, I think a dearth of written records, and the monotony of life in the area, influenced the writer to really latch on to anything she could to include.

What did spice up the narrative was the bounty of Icelandic ghost stories and folklore presented here! There were creepy happenings throughout the book and more than one local haunting that caused problems through the years. I never realized Iceland had quite so much Unquiet Dead lore and it was fascinating.

Five solid stars to this well-rounded work of nonfiction.

The author lost me with her opening but the rest of the book is interesting. Her opening states that… In the United States we have still not managed to pass an equal rights amendment for women. Since I know this to be false I had to question the accuracy of everything she had to say. That ruined the book for me.