I really wanted to enjoy this book but it just wasn’t for me. It was quite fantastical and was very slow to start so I gave up about 8% of the way in.

I think the cover of the book is lovely and the overall idea really intrigued me but the blurb and the book didn’t necessarily match.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with this free arc.

Set in Iceland in the late 1600s, the context of this novel is an early Christian society, where the stories, heroes and writing of the indigenous culture has been swept aside by the incoming Christian teaching. Life is harsh, a battle against climate and conditions, with few luxuries to offset the day to day battle for survival. The parish priest appears to dominate the life of the settlements, with the village leader working with him to control and dominate the way people live their lives.

In this setting is Rosa, who finds herself exceptionally vulnerable as a result of the death of her beloved father. Alone with her mother and with limited resources to support them both, they are slowing starving to death. She seeks to remedy of this situation by marriage to Jon, who lives ' four days hard ride away', has the status of village leader and is a successful trader in his own right. Mother and daughter will be parted as a result but Rosa knows this is the only route she can take to support her mother.

Her new life sees her isolated from her mother and her childhood friend, Pall, who in happier circumstances might have been her husband. The isolation is deepened by Jon forbidding her to associate with the nearby women of her new village and she finds herself alone, with only Jon and his associate Petur for company. But there is another figure in this story, Anna, Jon's first wife, who dominates Rosa's thoughts and eventually her actions, in the same way that Mrs Rochester and Rebecca do.

The novel asks the question, 'what does it mean to love?' and seeks to explore how love will drive individuals to extreme actions in order to keep their love alive.

At times the central section of the book felt a little meandering but this serves to underline the confusion and uncertainty felt by Rosa as she tries to understand what is going on in her new life and how the interpersonal dynamics work. It also serves to explain the final dramatic actions of the novel. As a result this is no easy read, but is full of challenging questions and situations and is rewarding in it's conclusion.

The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea

This book is set in 17th-century Iceland, a pretty tough place to live by all accounts, and tells the story of Rosa and her marriage to Jon. The trouble is that this is a marriage of convenience designed to provide for Rosa's old mother and, although Rosa doesn't realise this at the start, she is really in love with her childhood sweetheart Pall. The marriage also doesn't work because Jon is not really interested in women preferring the company of a fairly damaged individual called Petur.

That's about it really. There's a lot of dreadful hardship and everybody lives in crofts. Everyone likes nosing into other people's affairs but behaves distantly. There's a bit of witchcraft in the background although it has become illegal. There's also some Icelandic namedropping just to remind the reader where we are.

Once you get past the land of ice and snow, the book is really about a resilient woman putting up with some terrible knocks and ultimately surviving. It's a bit like a Cormac McCarthy novel with a female heroine! One problem though is that Rosa really should have had more sense than to go off and marry a man with a very dubious reputation and not taken quite so long to know that the love of her life was close to home. Also, when you're newly married and your husband goes off to sleep in the stable with another man it shouldn't take you long to work out what's going on, especially when every other woman in the novel seems to like making sly, enigmatic comments about it.

Anyway, after a lot of cold, suppurating wounds, near starvation and emotional crises it all works out for the best. Jon finds out who he really is and helpfully dies leaving Rosa with Pall.

Something which is slightly odd about this book is that it is written by an English author without links to Iceland who is simply imagining, after a bit of research, what it might have been like to be there three hundred years ag. Somehow, despite the Icelandic namedropping, the book lacks authenticity and there's a hint of cultural appropriation. Of course, all authors might evoke places and times based on varied levels of experience but it felt, at times, that Caroline Lea wanted to write a strong woman story and superimposed it on a grim place with rocks, fire and ice!

It isn’t a bad read and many people will identify with Rosa and her struggles but, for me at least, it didn’t quite convince.

This was a Gothic story set in Iceland and begins with the finding of a body in the sea. Some great characters and a compelling story line. The mystery and intrigue keep the interest going.

I loved the cover for this book & was intrigued by the idea of a story set in Iceland in 1686. It sounded very promising. Sadly for me it didn't live up to my expectations.

Rosa leaves her home to marry Jon in order to marry Jon so that her sick mother is kept warm & fed. Jon's croft is isolated. Before long she is desperate for company although Jon is very much against her mixing with the villagers. He is also very secretive about his first wife.

The writing is beautiful. The author captures the claustrophobic atmosphere of an Icelandic winter- the cold, the dark & the isolation. Where this fell down for me were the characters & the pace- apart from setting the atmosphere nothing much seemed to happen. I never felt particularly drawn to any of the characters. I often felt like abandoning it, but so many reviews said it improved the more you got into it & fortunately it did. The last third did hold & keep my attention.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publishers for giving me the chance to read & review this book. I'm glad I stuck with it.

After the death of her father, Rosa and her mother are barely surviving in 17th Century Iceland. However Rosa receives an unexpected proposal from Jon, a rich man from a remote community many miles away. As her marriage will support her family Rosa agrees. However Jon is a strange man, demanding obedience from Rosa and closer to his worker Petur, also Rosa is concerned about the strange fate of Jon's first wife. In a community which views strangers with suspicion and a country in which to think of the old ways is to be accused of witchcraft, Rosa is alone and needs to be strong to save herself.
The setting of the is book saves it from being a mere 'gothic' thriller. Seventeenth century Iceland was a place where the Christian religion was all and the traditions of the past were almost eradicated. Drawing on this knowledge Lea has managed to produce an atmospheric tale of forbidden love and madness. Somehow it works.

Some book just don't grab your attention. This one fell into that category. The style seemed stilted and era was confusing perhaps because the culture within which the story plays out is also unusual. I am afraid I only managed a chapter or so before giving up. Apologies but with so much stuff to read I am becoming ruthless in discarding things that do not engage me.

Great to read on a winter's night - really adds to the gothic/Nordic feel. Was an atmospheric book with great characters

#TheGlassWoman is first rate historical fiction, set in 1686. Rosa is the educated daughter of a Christian priest who chooses to marry a wealthy outsider knowing he can provide for her sick mother now that her father has died. Her new husband Jon wants a meek obedient wife to help him keep his farm and home, but he has recently buried his first wife and refuses to speak about it.

Rosa’s new life is lonely, and she is afraid of Jon and his friend who lives and helps at the farm. He won’t allow her to mix with the rest of the villagers and won’t let her in the locked loft, and Rosa is something is up there...

I recommend this book wholeheartedly, and will definitely read more by this author.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for my free advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

Iceland proves a bleak and dramatic setting- Icelandic gothic maybe? The writing is evocative and well executed. The descriptions of people’s superstitions, of Witches and their reliance on Sagas contributed to the atmosphere of darkness and chill. However I didn’t feel surprised by the plot, it seemed highly predictable to me. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Rosa agrees to marry a man from a far off village to save her mother, leaving behind her dearest friend. She soon finds herself in a strange, unfriendly place. Her husband has strict rules she must obey and she spends much time alone. Her friend arrives and hus presence is a welcome to her but not her husband and then the snow comes bringing with it many deaths and some revelations no one expected. Can they all survive the winter

I washt sure what I was expecting in this story but it wasnt this. Not that I'm saying it was bad, in fact it was really good, the story had so many layers that i just wasnt expecting. It's a slow burning story but it pulls you in and doesn't let go until the very last page. Theres much drama and some very clever twists that really add to the story. The ending was perfect and yet sad at the same time. A really interesting read.

Rosa is an interesting character, she comes across as weak but shes actually much stronger and i really liked her. Jon is a tricky character and for much of the book you're not sure just how good or evil he truly is. I warmed to him as the story progressed.

A beautifully written nordic historical mystery with hints of 'Bluebeard' and some great characters you can really root for. It was a little slow in the middle, although I thought this contributed well to the claustrophobic build up of tension towards the end. Loved it, and I didn't find it particularly predictable either, I'd definitely read other novels by Caroline Lea.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

In 1686, Rósa marries Jón, a widower from the village of Stykkishólmur as he is rich and able to help her home town and especially her sick mother. She travels to Stykkishólmur but finds that her husband is withdrawn and the villagers suspicious of her, and she is expected to be quiet and obedient. She learns that Jón's first wife died of a fever, but he is hiding something and what does it have to do with the loft where Rósa is forbidden to go?

I was unsure of this one at the beginning, it is definitely a slow starter, but things gradually build into a stunning conclusion. At first, the book is from Rósa's point of view, but later on, Jón gets his own chapters, and that's where clues about his behaviour start to come together. Whilst reading it, it reminded me of Bluebeard with the dead first wife and forbidden room, not sure if this is a retelling or not. Overall I thought it was very atmospheric and definitely worth persevering with.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Penguin UK / Michael Joseph, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

A well written and extremely atmospheric piece of historical fiction set in 17th century Iceland. However, I found there were too many similarities in the story to other books I have read for me to truly love this one. The Icelandic setting was very well done and I would still recommend the book to other readers.

I really did not gel with this book. I found the pace really slow and not even a slow burn slow, just dull slow. This had such an interesting premise but I could not cope with trying to read this. I really wanted to like this but it seems any Icelandic book is not for me.

Nothing wrong with this, and I know lots of people loved it, but somehow it didn't grab me. I picked it up a few times but wasn't curious enough to go back and finish it. DNF

Another genre i do not usually read. WOW Historical Crime Thriller par excellence. I read this book in one sitting and kept me reading late into the night, I could not put it down. Iceland 1686 where people's lives are steeped in traditions and superstition. Whispers of witchcraft. All set in the freezing cold and ice covered landscape. This book was beautifully written and her descriptions of the scenery and life soon had me transported back to this time. A time where women were less, subservient to their men and each day was an interminable grind. I have not told you any of the plot on purpose. You need to read this book for yourself. This book smacks of Rebecca but so much more. Oh and we have a murder to solve. I can't wait to read more from this author. Loved this book and so highly recommended.
I would like to thank the author, Penguin U K and Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for giving an honest review.

A fascinating tale, set in Icelandic 17th Century.
To set the scene, we are introduced to the history of customs and beliefs that were held then - the superstitions and the old tales of the ‘little people’ of Iceland.
These all surround one of the main characters who is thrown into a life she neither asked for nor wanted. It felt as if she had been enveloped by solitude and loneliness in a land of unrelenting cold and snow. Extremely atmospheric, I could almost feel the cold and isolation she endured.
As the story went on, we were drawn into a tale of secrets and lies which our character has to deal with, to try and understand the lives of those around her.
The unravelling of these, revealed further secrets and prejudices directly affecting her. She finds a strength it seems she didn’t know she had, to deal with them.
There was a darkness to the tale which will always be found where there is superstition and so, I was particularly moved by the ending which brought all these revelations together and brought the story full circle.
A very readable and different story.

This is an historical novel set inIceland in the mid 1600’s. It is beautifully written, explaining many traditions at that period and the role of women in society. It is a chilling read with a perfect ending. Highly recommend this book.

The Glass Woman is quite simply an absolutely stunning read.
Despite the beautiful cover, it’s probably not the kind of book I would usually be drawn to straight away, as I tend to choose something in a more contemporary setting, but when I got invited to the blog tour and I read the synopsis I thought it looked brilliant - and gosh was I right or what!
By the opening few pages, Lea had ensured that I wouldn’t be putting The Glass Woman down any time soon, by instantly drawing me into the extremely atmospheric setting she created. I have no personal experience of Iceland but I could picture every detail.
I remained completely engrossed for the entirety of my train journey, and even managed to ignore someone’s music playing loudly through their headphones!
I finished the book in just 2 days and its grip on me didn’t falter once. It’s really well paced and expertly creates intrigue and a growing sense of foreboding as the story progresses.
The characters are unique and fascinating to read. All of them are well-developed and explored, allowing me to feel really strongly what they were all experiencing - especially Rósa.
The ending is beautiful, moving and absolutely brilliant. It’s so well written and felt really right.
Overall, I’m giving The Glass Woman 4.5 out of 5. It’s dark, emotive and compelling. A beautifully written and thoroughly enjoyable read.