MacDonald, Andrew David --When We Were Vikings informal buddy read starts March 18, 2020

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

This thread is open to discussWhen We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald.



Synopsis
A heart-swelling debut for fans of The Silver Linings Playbook and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Sometimes life isn’t as simple as heroes and villains.

For Zelda, a twenty-one-year-old Viking enthusiast who lives with her older brother, Gert, life is best lived with some basic rules:

1. A smile means “thank you for doing something small that I liked.”
2. Fist bumps and dabs = respect.
3. Strange people are not appreciated in her home.
4. Tomatoes must go in the middle of the sandwich and not get the bread wet.
5. Sometimes the most important things don’t fit on lists.

But when Zelda finds out that Gert has resorted to some questionable—and dangerous—methods to make enough money to keep them afloat, Zelda decides to launch her own quest. Her mission: to be legendary. It isn’t long before Zelda finds herself in a battle that tests the reach of her heroism, her love for her brother, and the depth of her Viking strength.

When We Were Vikings is an uplifting debut about an unlikely heroine whose journey will leave you wanting to embark on a quest of your own, because after all...

We are all legends of our own making.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

r

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

r

[Jenny]

Woohoo!
Looking forward to this one.

[Laura]

Hi Jenny, did you start yet? It's been too crazy today for me to start. I'll start this one tomorrow!

[Jenny]

I just started. About 50 pages in, and I am loving Zelda!!!!!!
Not sure I will get to more tonight, so we will not be far apart.

[Jenny]

About a third of the way in.
(view spoiler)[I feel so bad for Gert. Clearly he got into drug dealing to save his sister. I'm not sure at this point if he wants out, for he is getting used to the life and the good money. I am just waiting for something bad to happen. I so want Zelda, the Viking warrior to take on Toucan, but that is not very realistic. (hide spoiler)]
Still really liking the characters and the writing.

[Laura]

I've started and I 'm in chapter 2 or 3. I have two other books that I need to finish before I can get back to this one, but I 'll be back very soon!

I did like what I read so far.

[Laura]

I'm here and reading now that I finished those other books.

I just finished the scene with Zelda & Sarah-Beth. Good advice for everyone there. I think Gert's situation is going to get messy! Looking forward to reading more.

I just flipped inside the book cover and see that MacDonald grew up in Canada! Thanks for the pick Jenny. I especially love to read Canadian authors.

[Jenny]

I finished it last night, and gave it five stars. I adore Zelda. All the characters, really.
I will not tell you if there is drama in the future, but you can feel it coming, can't you?

[Laura]

Yes! I'm glad to hear you rated it so highly. I'm staying away from your spoiler for now:-)

[Laura]

I'm just a little over half way.
(view spoiler)[ What a mess. Gert is way over his head and can barely look after himself let along Zelda. Thank goodness Zee has AK47 and the people at her centre that she drops into. I'm hoping the library job will be good for her. I think MacDonald has tackled a few difficult topics ( FAS, poverty/low income, family relationships, abuse) and is doing a great job so far.

I also am enjoying the writing, Jenny.

This is a good one! (hide spoiler)] Looking forward to seeing how it ends

[Jenny]

I like how the difficult topics are handled by the author too.
I think this is his first book. I wonder if any of it is based on his own experiences? Nicely done, anyway. I hope he writes more, quickly and well!

[Laura]

End of chapter 25
(view spoiler)[ Oh no! Hendo just locked Zelda in her own bathroom so he could steal the gym bag. Jerk. I knew nothing good was going to come from him (hide spoiler)]

[Laura]

Finished
(view spoiler)[
Amazing, difficult read but very well written. So much happened towards the last half of the book. I thought the ending was extremely well done and definitely fit with the book. I quite liked that AK47 and Zelda both chose their own paths separate from Gert. I have to say that it was Gert that made me drag my feet initially reading this... while not my favorite character, my opinion changed and I no longer disliked him like I did in the first half of the book. He made some tough choices that didn't work out for him.
Zelda- wow, courageous! I enjoyed Zelda's character all the way through and was rooting for her all the way.
I will be looking for more by MacDonald (hide spoiler)]

[Jenny]

I'm so glad you liked it too!
I will be recommending this one to others.

[Laura]

5 stars. Me too!