The Thrall's Tale: Judith Lindbergh
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In the midst of Norse exploration and settlements in Greenland, Katla, slave to Einar, became pregnant after being raped by Einar's son, and was then sold to Thorbjorg, a seeress. Katla hated the child that was growing in her from the beginning. To Katla, the child embodied everything that was evil in her father. After Bibrau's birth, Thorbjorg took the child under her wing and began training Bibrau to become a seeress while Katla kept her distance, still loathing the evil being. The story is told through the eyes of these three characters as their relationships were ever-changing and the world around them evolved and grew.
Raw is the first word that comes to mind when I think of this book. There is no sugar-coating to be had within these pages. This is a realistic look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Norse settlements.
While much of the story is based on historic events and even a few well-known figures, Katla is a fictional representation of the life and hardships faced by slaves in these harsh conditions. From her graphic rape to the hatred that smolders between herself and her child, from finding love to the conversion of Christianity, this tale covers a wide array of subjects that filled the lives of these people.
This is a powerful tale that will get your gears turning. The emotions that you will feel as you move through the story will range from disgust to happiness, anger to confusion, and sadness to despair as you try to wrap your modern mind around the characters' points of view.
While I definitely recommend this book to those that can handle heavy reading it's not a read for faint of heart. To level out the sometimes ugliness of the novel, the author chose to write the book in the mannerism of old English. This isn't Shakespeare-you-need-to-analyze-each-line reading, but it definitely makes you slow your speedometer down a few words per hour in order to appreciate the lyrical quality contained within the text.
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Publisher: Plume; Reprint edition (December 26, 2006)
ISBN: 0452288177
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