I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this very enlightening book on the role of women in Viking history. I read with great interest about DNA proof of a female Viking warrior burial, and was fascinated by the additional material in this book.

It is a brilliant history book that focuses on the roles of the Viking women in Norse society. Heather Pringle interviewed and did some deeper research about the roles women played in Norse society by reviewing past studies as well as interviewing and going on to dig sites of today's archeologists in the Scandanvian countries that were the initial strongholds of the Vikings.

I think my favorite part was how she took little snippets of one grave and created a fictional person account of that grave's life. From warrior to weaver to royalty to serf, Heather Pringle brings a compelling vision of what each woman's role would have been in the Viking world

I've always been fascinated by the vikings. This book is a nice overview of what life was probably like for women during that era. Though I do think at times it would go on some small tangents that could've been cut down a bit (like the history of the caliphate dragged on for a little too long when it wasn't very important to how the vikings interacted with them). Of course there's also a lot of speculation, as there's bound to be when studying a part of history that has so few reliable primary sources, but sometimes I felt like there was a little too much speculation that didn't seem to be totally supported by evidence. I thought the fictional vignettes at the beginning of each chapter were an interesting addition, I could see this writer expanding those into larger stories.

Vivid storytelling makes the past come to life in The Northwomen. Author Heather Pringle combines research, interviews, and vivid descriptions of archaeological sites and historical artifacts to dramatize the lives of women during the Viking Age. Pringle's excellent writing makes the subject matter engaging and entertaining, and she always makes clear where she has based her writing on research and where she is engaging in speculation.

This was a very interesting book that touched on many aspects of Viking lives. It was refreshing to read about the women's experience in this time period and culture.

If you were expecting the version of history where the women supported the men, tended the farms and minded children think again because Heather Pringle's Viking woman is closer to Wonder Woman. New findings have unearthed that women in Viking society were responsible for all the weaving of sails for the longboats, waterproof and warm clothing for the sailors as well as artisans, managing the farms and even warriors. Using the latest technology and some recent significant sites we now know that women played a much larger role in the Viking world. Instead of rattling off facts, the author includes an imagined day in the life of these women and then supports it throughout the chapter with the findings from various archeological sites. It makes for a fascinating look at a largely ignored or assumption of Viking women and their role. The text is very readable and will appeal to history lovers who don't usually read non-fiction or those who enjoy reading about overlooked women in ancient history. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I was happy to receive this book as an ARC curtesy of NetGalley and National Geographic, and found it to be quite enjoyable! I was pretty interested in reading about the Vikings as most of my exposure to their history comes from popular culture. This book, an exploration into the lives of Viking women, added a lot of depth missing from other media. For a fairly short book, it’s packed with details! I was amazed at how often the archaeologists profiled in these pages were able to uncover information about Viking women just by looking at excavation records from a different angle - the process of finding what previous scholars simply discounted or outright ignored was super interesting (and a little infuriating.) I appreciate that the author included so much information about how the information laid out in the book has been uncovered. I also especially enjoyed the little vignettes at the beginning of each chapter that briefly imagined a slice of some Viking woman’s life. This gets a solid 4/5 from me, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn a bit about the north women. It’s pretty brutal at times, but it was a hard world to live in!

I've never read much about the Vikings, and especially not the Viking women. This was utterly fascinating and I really think it will be well-read at our library. We are definitely purchasing!

The Northwomen by Heather Pringle blends creative storytelling with academic research to bring the reader on an engaging journey through the lives of Viking era women. Moving from royal halls to slave huts, from urban centers to far flung settlements, the book provides a sweeping overview with a detailed end section for readers who want to dig deeper into specific areas. While some readers may find the purely invented stories that begin each section distracting, they are brief and serve to humanize the research that follows, allowing another route into the information for readers who prefer a more narrative approach.

An excellent addition for a larger public library or an academic library that serves an undergraduate humanities population, this book expands on works like The Bones of Birka by C. M. Surrisi, provides a historical foundation for works like Woman, Captain, Rebel by Margaret Willson, and provides a scholarly context for fantastical works like Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology and Genevieve Gornichec Witch's Heart. Thank you to NetGalley for access to this fantastic arc.

This was a really good book about the many contributions of women to Viking society. If you have any interest in women’s history, or enjoy reading about Vikings, I highly recommend this book.

Have you ever been watching Wardruna on Youtube and thought, "I wish I could read this feeling?" Heather Pringle does such a great job writing in an interesting and engaging way about the Vikings. Especially, since Viking men get a lot more attention than the women... shocking I know.
I loved finding proof of an actual woman Viking warrior. That there could actually be women warriors and not just Valkyrie representations. Also, the mystery of who the two ladies on the most badass burial ship could be.... maybe sorceresses, who were super important.

This book is pretty great if you want to learn about Vikings from a perspective that was largely ignored, maybe not by actual Vikings but definitely by the people who came after them. I also really liked that each section it started with a point of view of the woman who we would learn about.


Thank you Netgalley for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Excellent herstory of Scandinavia and the Vikings from about 600 AD to 1200 AD. The many contributions of women to Viking society were described, including how to make a sail for the long boats from sheep to fabric. The Scandinavians/Vikings were more active in continental Europe through Constantinople than many history textbooks describe, and this book fills that gap and adds women's history to the story.

Other than some vague ideas about ships and brutish men, I knew nothing about Vikings before I read The Northwomen. Pringle divides her book about the women of the Viking age by roles they might have played: sorceresses, protectors, weavers, slaves, etc. The tone of Pringle’s research is very casual, and her writing is easy to read.

I found many of the stories fascinating, and I’ve shared snippets with my family. I didn’t know that Vikings reached North America 471 years before Christopher Columbus and that one reason they didn’t settle more permanently was probably because of the Indigenous people who did not want them there. Huh! Another fascinating story was that of the discovery of the bones of a presumed male Viking warrior. Years of close study and testing have now revealed that the warrior was female, an idea that caused major controversy among those who study this stuff.

So, as a novice Viking enthusiast, The Northwomen captivated me. I don’t know how it would land for someone more experienced in this history.

One issue I noticed repeatedly is that Pringle threw out several caveats in relation to her assertions about the roles of Viking women. Words such as “likely,” “probably,” “possibly,” and “maybe” undermined many of her assertions, so I was left unsure as to the veracity of some of her claims. The history of Viking men seems more settled, which proves Pringle’s point that Viking women have been underrepresented in history.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and it has inspired me to learn more about Vikings.

Viking, who knows about Viking nowadays except our assumption that Viking is an old barbarian that already diminishes over all the world. Heather Pringle portrayal about a Viking woman give me another perspective about Vikings that without Vikings, the world will never be the same again.

This suffers from the same problem that many history books I have reviewed lately. There is simply not enough information on these historical figures to write a book. While I understand the limitations when writing women's histories and appreciate the desire to tell women's stories, it just is not holding my interest as written.

"THE NORTHWOMEN" by Heather Pringle presents a groundbreaking revisionist narrative that reshapes our understanding of Viking history, particularly highlighting the pivotal roles played by women during this era. Often overshadowed by their male counterparts in popular history, these women were far from just homemakers; they were warriors, traders, sorceresses, artisans, explorers, settlers, landowners, power brokers, and even queens.

Pringle, a renowned science journalist, utilizes the latest archaeological discoveries and historical research to craft a compelling portrait of these formidable women. Her narrative not only recasts them as central figures in the Viking world but also as early proponents of a surprisingly modern gender ideology. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the untold stories of history and provides a fascinating insight into how these women shaped the medieval world, leaving a legacy that challenges our contemporary understanding of gender roles.

With its rich detail and engaging storytelling, "THE NORTHWOMEN" appeals to fans of provocative historical narratives and epic tales like "Game of Thrones," offering a real-world account of power, influence, and resilience.

I absolutely love reading history books. And I have been looking for a good Viking book for a while and I finally found it. This book had my attention the whole time. And it covered topics that I feel like are not talked about enough.

Phenomenal! I’ve wanted to read a book about the history of the Vikings for years, but I just never made the time to sit down and read one. What an excellent choice this one was! The Northwomen was such a readable book, and I loved the format of starting each section with a story that pertained to the information to follow.

Heather Pringle made the history of Viking women feel accessible and beyond fascinating. There were several parts where I eagerly flew through pages, hoping to find what happened next in the mystery of how the Vikings did what they did and who the Viking women were. I genuinely encountered something I was hooked by in every part, but the most surprisingly captivating one was the section about the weavers. The amount of time and energy they poured into just one sea blanket was wild! I’m tempted to leave several of my favorite facts here, but I think those tidbits should be discovered through Pringle’s writing. Just know that my husband has learned more about the Vikings over the past couple of weeks than he ever cared to know. I had no idea that the women were so involved in aspects of, well, everything! From exploring to trading to crafting to leading, the Viking women had a hand in it all.

I also appreciated that Pringle didn’t gloss over the cruelty of the Vikings. The terror and violence inflicted on others was honestly shocking at times, and, as Pringle herself says, the ignoring of such horrors would be an injustice to those who experienced them. They weren’t just explorers seeking to grow their lands and wealth; they were often pillagers who murdered, tormented, and trafficked to get what they wanted and to show (and cultivate) their great power.

Pringle truly has a gift for bringing history to life, and it is evident that she has a passion for ensuring that women in history do not get forgotten. Her usage of such a wide variety of resources and the interviews with archaeologists, historians, crafters, etc., provides a well-rounded and thorough experience. I cannot recommend this book enough.

If you have any interest in women’s history, have ever been fascinated by Vikings, or want to truly appreciate all our modern conveniences, this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and National Geographic for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Heather Pringle's "The Northwomen" is a portal into the lives of women in the Viking world, a subject that has been overlooked and sometimes even deliberately obscured by male archeologists. Pringle's work is commendable for its accessible narrative and engaging approach, particularly her use of fictional vignettes at the beginning of each chapter to captivate the reader's imagination.

While Pringle is neither an archaeologist nor a Viking scholar, her interviews with experts and reliance on archaeological reports provide a comprehensive compilation of the current knowledge about Viking women. This book is tailored for the lay reader with a budding interest in Viking history and a specific curiosity about women's roles in that era.

"The Northwomen" may not be a scholarly tome that contributes new findings to academia, but it certainly succeeds in amalgamating scattered information into a single, coherent narrative. For those seeking a deeper exploration of the Viking world, I recommend "Children of Ash and Elm" by Neil Price, who is often quoted in Pringle's book.

"The Northwomen" is a reader-friendly contribution to a significant yet underrepresented part of Viking history, making it a worthy read for enthusiasts and casual readers alike.

This was an ARC review for NetGalley.

This was a major departure from the books I usually read, which are light comedy / historical fiction. But I wanted to take a chance on something completely new and unique. And this book sure is that! I've never read anything like it. It tells the fascinating history of strong women and the paths they chose with their lives. And how they affected women then and in the future, their community, and the world. I am truly so grateful to have been given the opportunity to read this book. It was fantastic.