Dalvi is Laura Galloway's memoir about her time in a remote part of Norway. Fans of Eat, Pray, Love and Wild will enjoy it.

I feel that the blurb for this one is a little misleading, and I certainly came into Dálvi with different expectations to what I found as it felt as though the focus was not on life in the Arctic. It's a shame because the parts of the book that were focused on that aspect were the best parts of the book, with some truly beautiful descriptions, and a fascinating insight - especially from an outsiders point of view - to adapting to the life and culture in the Arctic, and was absolutely what I had picked Dálvi up for. Unfortunately, it felt overshadowed by the chapters dealing with Galloway's past from childhood through to early career - not that these weren't a necessary part of the memoir, because it is great to learn how she came to be who she was and where she was, but those parts felt over-inflated and rambling, with quite a bit or repetitiveness. I feel that if they had been dialed back a bit it would have been much more effective, especially as the premise promises more emphasis on the Arctic aspect. Still, this was an interesting read that was a mixture of memoir, travel writing with a dose of self-help.

This was a dnf for me, so much that I don't like memoirs. Not my thing, thanks for the chance to try.

I probably approached this books with wrong expectations. I thought it would be a focused and insightful discussion of life in the arctic tundra among the Sami people and their livestock, but it turned out to be a rambling account of everything in the author’s life. There is the Sami boyfriend and his reindeer-herding life as promised, but there’s much more about the author’s family and relationship problems, which I did not sign up for and do not care to read about. Over a hundred pages into the book, there still isn’t much about the Sami people and my patience has run out. I would like to thank the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this advance copy, but it really wasn’t for me. Based on what I have read, it’s reminiscent of Under The Tuscan Sun. If you like that kind of books, maybe you’ll enjoy Dalvi?

Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books, Allen & Unwin for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
Hands up, I admit the cover of this book is what first attracted me and drew me into wanting to read this book. It had a very nostalgic, almost Art Deco kind of feel to it that really appeals to me. However lovely the cover though, that will not keep you turning those pages to get to the end. So when I tell you that I polished off this book in one cold afternoon, that should tell you how much I enjoyed the writing. I can’t put my finger exactly on what connected me most but I found the author’s voice came through so strongly and I found her warm and engaging, despite going through some pretty traumatic experiences that might cause other people to withdraw. The author’s memoirs are not followed chronologically, so at first I did find it a bit distracting nipping you her childhood and back, but I do also appreciate that the main focus of the book is her time spent in the Tundra, and the other remembrances are there to give some back story and context. I did find her early life spent in the USA to be equally interesting and horrifying though. The actions of her step mother are particularly distressing to read.
This book really swept along for me and I learned a lot about a culture that I previously knew nothing about. Really enjoyed it and would highly recommend- especially to all the animal lovers out there.