From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…

Miss Iceland

Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir,

Brian FitzGibbon (Translator)

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Aug 16, 2021 superawesomekt rated it really liked it

Shelves: in-translation, historical-fiction

I liked this about 3 stars but I'm giving this an extra star (half star?) because there is some quality to this book that seemed fresh to me (maybe it was the sparing prose, or perhaps the Icelandic setting? I will say that I think the translator did a great job. Overall, I've been enjoying reading contemporary literature in translation lately and this was no exception....)

This book moves with serenity for all of its chaos—It has very little plot for a plot-driven novel. There is no inner life ...more

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May 12, 2021 Lisa rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-adults, around-the-world

For those of you reading around the world, as the title states this one definitely covers Iceland!

I found this book to be beautifully written. It almost felt like a poem and an ode to many things... life in Iceland, life in the 60's for women, gender bias at work and in the world in general, and homophobia.

The title is a bit misleading, although this plays into one of the themes of difficulties women faced (and still face).

Not a fast moving story with an exciting plot, but a beautiful portrait o ...more

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Jan 19, 2025 Nancy H rated it liked it

This is a very different novel than the title suggests. It is about a young woman who is searching for something - a writer's life. She moves from a rural area of Iceland to Reykjavik, where she lives with a gay friend for a time, a friend who is also searching for his place in a world that is not friendly to gays in the 1960's. One of the themes is of deep friendship, which is carried out through the story. ...more

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