If you’ve liked other installments in the 24 hours series, there’s no reason you won’t enjoy this one as well. For me, the format just doesn’t work.

I’m not wild about nonfiction that creates “characters,” and this book is built on that concept. To me it feels like the written equivalent of a historical reenactment. I’d rather just have the information presented to me in a more direct manner, as I don’t love fictional elements creeping into my nonfiction.

There have been a number of good “daily life” books about the Viking age published recently, and while this one is as well-researched as the next, I’d make a different choice, if, like me, you’re not wild about having nonfiction presented to you in this manner.

I enjoyed it, and thought it was quite informative. I would've liked to go deeper into depth, but that's mostly because I'm a bit of a mythology freak.

"24 Hours in the Viking World: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There" by Kirsten Wolf is historical fiction based on research. It is posing as nonfiction. It is based on memoirs, stories, and records of the time, some exaggerated and modified to be more interesting.

The time period was 800-1100 A.D.. It was set in the areas of Scandinavia, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark. Technically, the Vikings were the warriors who went to sea. Not all people of this time and place were warriors, and the book covers all sorts of people like farmers, merchants, and kings, as well as the Vikings.

Each chapter is an hour of the day and is about something that happened at that hour with a different character.

The stories include births of babies, revenge murder, preparing for going to sea, ship building, and more. There is a lot about the social customs and cultural norms of the time. For instance, murder was legal if one woke the person to be killed first, and then the killing was announced publicly immediately after.

There was a lot of obligation between people. They were highly principled. There were many Pagans and also many Christians.

There are stories about feasts for special occasions and how to set up a duel. One story is about a father who haunted the town after he was buried.

I found the narrator, Rachael Beresford, to have a strong enough accent that it was a bit hard to understand. I had to listen to it slowly and I got very bored. The info was overall pretty good and told in creative ways. I would not have enjoyed living in this time and place.

Thank you to Netgalley, Tantor Audio, and Kirsten Wolf for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This was okay. It feels like it shouldn't be a knock against this book that it's exactly what it's advertised as, but it is. It is just quite dull as it tells you about the day in the life of a Viking era layperson.

This was an interesting book, but it wasn't as captivating and exciting as I had hoped. And no, I don't mean I expected it to be full of battles and pillaging and k!llings and r@pes.

But I expected it to be a bit less dry.

It just doesn't capture the interesting "day in the life" feel that other similar books I've read have captured.

I think the primary problem is that the entire book tied back to a blood feud between families, so the narrator had to keep interrupting present-day explanations to provide details on that past feud. It made the day-to-day less real and present. It's like the author tried to weave a fictional novel in with a diary. That's not what it is, of course, but that's kind of how it reads, and it took me out of the book.

Another issue is that the author tried to be too expansive. In my opinion, these kinds of books work best when you focus them on a single time period in a small region. This book jumped from place to place and (if I'm not mistaken) different time periods, as well. (It was a little foggy in places, so I could be wrong about that bit.)

The actual day-to-day stuff (how they made food, how they gave birth, etc.) was actually very interesting. But the scope was just too large to hold the focus there.

I liked it okay, but I didn't love it. And I've definitely read better books on the subject. Still, not a bad read if this subject is something you're interested in.

The narration was good, as well. Not fantastic, but good. Clearly narrated with a decent pace. (I had to listen to it on 2x speed.) But it gave off elevator vibes at times, making me want to nap instead of listen.

This was quite fascinating! It follows a variety of villagers in various occupations and roles. It even follows the women!

I found it educational and engaging and something I think will be very helpful for my students.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook!

I DNFed this one because I was having trouble with the format. I may return to it later and I feel it's unfair to rate it low when I might just be in the wrong headspace for it, so I'm giving it five stars.

Do you have a hard getting into non-fiction because you can't imagine the information in the real world? Than I highly recommend you try out this book (and series)! The style and way the information is given is very story like and not only helps you learn the subject mater but entertains as well!

I love this book. I love that i had little snippets with each group of people to learn some kind of lesson about the people of the time. I found myself wanting more of each character which tells you I was having a good time.

I loved this book. I have always been interested in medieval Scandinavia, and this book was fantastic in detailing the lives of everyday persons during this time. I greatly enjoyed how Kristen Wolf gave readers a rare look at the average person’s life, it feels like so much written about this time period chronicles the lives of nobility. This is a very fast read, and it’s also really enjoyable. The book is written in a narrative style, which makes it go by quickly. Having these stories told narratively makes the information easy to understand and accessible to a variety of readers. Interspersed throughout the narrative are facts about the time period that explain how and why events unfold the way that they did. Wolf gives readers a fascinating look at medieval Scandinavia and works to dispel common misconceptions about the time period. The book covers tales of pregnancy and childbirth, exploration, divorce and other legal proceedings, and religious practices. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys books set in the middle ages or has an interest in the cultural practices of the time.

I love this series, and this volume is no exception! Wolf has created an engaging and informative look into what the world of the Vikings was like. I appreciate the information in the beginning where she describes the kinds of sources used to write these little vignettes of daily life and tells the reader which characters were actually real people!

I learned a lot about Viking-era law, social customs, and occupations and was thoroughly entertained the entire time.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that was very well done too. The narrator's voice was very nice to listen to and the pace and intonation fit the subject well.

4.5 ⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and Kirsten Wolf for the opportunity to listen and review 24 Hours in the Viking World.

24 Hours in the Viking World by Kirsten Wolf offers a fascinating and well-researched glimpse into the lives of Viking-era individuals. Structured around a single day, the book explores the lives of 24 individuals from diverse walks of life like farmers, warriors, poets, shipbuilders, oracles, and chieftains painting a vivid picture of a society far richer and more complex than the brutal raiders often portrayed in media.

Wolf’s research shines through as she delves into the daily routines, challenges, and triumphs of medieval Nordic life, presenting a society of innovation, artistry, and humanity. Each hour introduces a new perspective, making the book engaging and immersive, while its focus on the ordinary as well as the elite allows for a comprehensive understanding of the Viking world.

Rachael Beresford’s narration is a true highlight, with her warm, engaging tone enhancing the storytelling and bringing these historical figures to life. Her performance is compelling, making it easy to lose oneself in this detailed world.

This book is an excellent choice for anyone interested in Viking history or medieval life. It provides a grounded and multifaceted look at a culture that has often been oversimplified in popular media. For history enthusiasts or casual readers alike, 24 Hours in the Viking World is both educational and thoroughly entertaining.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

24 Hours in the Viking World is an interesting nonfiction book that follows parts of the Vikings' lives.

From the start, this story was fascinating and full of myths, customs, and culture. I enjoyed the variety of lives and people covered in this book, from shipbuilders to farmers to warriors. I was hoping for a day-in-the-life overview of the different people covered instead of only an hour or short segment of a day in their lives. Nonetheless, each part was interesting and explored Viking and Nordic culture well. This was the first book in the 24 Hours series I’ve read, and I would love to continue it.

Rachael Beresford did an excellent job narrating. Her voice was smooth and engaging, presenting the story in a compelling and immersive manner. I highly recommend the audiobook!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

I really like the format of the books in this series overall. This particular entry in the 24 Hours... series differed a bit by covering a wider range of years and regions. My knowledge about the Vikings comes entirely from media, so this was both informative and a great introduction to learning about them. There was so much more to Viking life than the pillaging and raiding that much of the media I’ve seen focuses on, so it was refreshing to learn about those other aspects in this way.

If you’ve enjoyed the other entries in this series, I imagine this one will work for you as well.

I'll start with two quick notes for context. This is the first book I've read of this series so I can't really compare it to the other entries. Also, I am a newbie to everything Viking. I didn't know much about the civilization beyond what pop culture exposes one to so I was approaching this audiobook with a clean slate.


To me, this was an interesting introduction to medieval Viking world. It quickly dispelled a lot of the misconceptions, as well. The stories and the details are clearly well-researched.

While I was expecting more 'slice of life' or day-to-day stories (probably because of the title), we did get some of those but most others were more dramatic stories from the era. Blood feuds, vengeful ex-wives, houses on fire, etc. The last story was especially dark! Still they were very intriguing and do introduce the reader/listener to aspects of the culture and laws of the time so I enjoyed them.

I just was hoping for more day-to-day stories as these were my favourites. Some of the stories describing home decor, clothes, food and social neighbourly visits were especially fun. They made me feel as if I was actually there with them.

The writing can be a bit dramatic at times, but I adored every minute. It never dragged and the storytelling style was fun and engaging which works especially well for the audiobook format.

The narrator did a good job capturing the tone of the text. I listened mostly at 1x and 1.25x speeds and never needed to speed things up for my brain to engage. But with the narrator's voice and enunciation, I think the book woulds till be very easy to understand at faster speeds.

Overall, I really enjoyed this audiobook and will be checking out the other entries in the series as well as other books by the author!

An interesting look at the medieval Viking world, but not quite capturing that day-in-the-life sense that other books in the history series have presented.

Here, we keep having to backtrack to explain years and years of backstory of blood feuds and family squabbles and then get back to why X is setting Y's house on fire. Also, the story moves around in time and place - from Iceland to Greenland to Canada to England to Norway, etc., covering hundreds of years, again, unlike the other books in this series which gave us a sense of what a typical day was like in one city region in a more specific time period.

I liked the parts that got into the physical details - whale meat, coins, clothes, birth practices, types of breads, home architecture, etc., but when it wanders off to try and explain much larger geo-political issues and family trees, my eyes glazed over a bit. Also, everything is reported a little too factually, taking primary sources at face value rather than trying to dig and get at what might have really been going on beneath layers of propaganda and superstitions.

The author's method of historical fiction was different than most books. It did not focus on the lives of one viking family. Instead, she wove together 24 short stories that gave the reader an indepth look at what life was like for a viking beyond just pileaging other villages. Other than the last story, which I found repulsive and a bit ludicrous, the rest of the stories seemed authentic and historical. I enjoyed learning about the culture through this book and would recommend it until the last story. You can skip that one and leave without that bitter taste of disappointment when the genre seem to cross into complete science fiction. That being said, this isn't 24 bedtime stories for children though. The author does include the violence we associate with vikings through the multiple deaths in the stories. Overall, I liked it, and I would recommend reading 23/24 stories.

Quick listen and overall informative. The format was nice, though a little confusing at time. I like the narrator, but I think I would've retained more if I was reading it due to all the characters and storylines

I loved learning from all the various viewpoints and lifestyles of Viking people and the humanity that the numerous stories brought to this group of historical people who are so often portrayed in a one-sided way as heathens and barbarians. There was so much more to the Vikings than raiding and conquering! This was a really thoughtful and interesting way of teaching about the Vikings and the narrator did a great job!

This is an interesting format to dive into a large period of history (800-1100 CE) in a fairly large region. It's a day in the life of a Viking, except it's not one Viking, but stories and also real events taken from history set at hours on the clock in which they could have happened. From murder to childbirth to shipbuilding and trade and exploration to celebrations and ways of mourning, it covers a large portion of what life could have looked like in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland.

Like my recent deep dive into the high- and late- middle ages in England and mainland Europe, this period of the early middle ages in Scandinavia marks the emergence of the governments and Kingdoms of the region, and the shift from the pagan religions to Christianity taking root. The author is quick to point out that "viking" was a vocation and not an ethnic group - the marauders were the vikings, to be considered separate from Scandinavian bakers and farmers.

It's not my preferred style of nonfiction, but the storytelling can be engaging for readers, and it does relate well over audiobook. I learned a fair amount about a culture of which I only previously had tangential knowledge of.