The Glass Woman :Book Review




Title: The Glass Woman
Author: Caroline Lea
Genre: Thriller/Gothic fiction

It was interesting to read a thriller set in 17th century Iceland. 

The Glass Woman is a story about a young woman who travels with her husband to another strange village and survives some bizarre experiences. 

After her father's death, Rosa and her ailing mother are struggling to survive. Rosa receives a marriage proposal from Jon-a trader and a headman of another village. Since this alliance would help in saving her mother, Rosa agrees and accompanies her husband to his village. Rosa encounters strange vibes in her new home. Her husband is cold, aloof and away for long hours. He warns her against acquainting herself with anyone from the village. She begins to hear noises in the attic, which she is forbidden to enter.   She is also privy to the rumors by the villagers regarding Anna's (Jon's first wife) mysterious death. 

Who or what is in the attic? How did Anna die? What is the reason behind the villager's and Jon's queer behavior? The story traverses through some ancient beliefs interspersed with witch craft and eventually unveils the mystery.

The Glass Woman is certainly a gripping and a compelling read. The tone is dark and eerie which tends to remind one of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca.  Rosa's character depicts some spunk in certain parts evoking the rears' admiration. In other parts,  our hearts go out to her for succumbing to loneliness and home sickness. 

The descriptive writing style enables readers to actually feel the harsh winters in Iceland. This is one of those books where the landscape of Iceland becomes the main character. Gory and barbaric in certain parts, this is one chilling thriller which has a gothic feel to it. It can be read in one setting. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Heidi: Movie review

Image
I had read this classic by Johanna Spyri as a little girl. I won it as a prize along with my merit card when I was graduating from Primary to Middle School.  When I stumbled upon this on Amazon Prime, I was delighted. It always feels good to watch your favorite fictional characters on screen. Its often slated that the book is always better as it captures a lot more depth with regards to the plot and characters. However a couple of adaptations that I had seen in the recent past made a good watch. A couple of them ended up being a visual treat. One was The Call of the Wild which showcased the beauty of the Alaskan Wilderness. Another one was Heidi which exhibited the splendor of the snow clad Alps.  Heidi is the story of a young orphaned girl who is sent to live in the mountains with her rather eccentric grandfather-who is known as Alm Uncle by the villagers. Heidi manages to melt his heart as he develops an affection for her. She spends her carefree days in t...
Read more

100 meters : Movie Review

Image
Watched this inspiring Spanish film over the weekend on Netflix!  100 meters is a based on a true story of a man named Ramon who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He is told that he will be able to even walk 100 meters in the next one year. Determined to prove this wrong, he takes up the challenge of doing the grueling Ironman race which involves 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking and 26.2 miles running.  With the help of his father in law with whom he initially shares a shaky relationship with, he begins to train relentlessly. Ramon faces challenges on the way and is almost pushed to the brink of being bed ridden. He overcomes every hurdle with grit and a positive frame of mind. It remains to be seen if he actually finishes the race.  This movie struck a chord in many ways. A triathlon is not just a race-its a humbling journey which alters your life forever. The training period is especially a challenging one as it demands a lot out of you. The film showcases the i...
Read more

My friend Ganesha: Friendship with God

Image
-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=b7ab149a-5f35-4861-8859-6a890ddb71fe Loneliness often propels one to longingly seek a friend. Times like these often push us into a solitary stance or we find our solace in the road to spirituality striking an unspoken friendship with God. My friend Ganesha is one such film which depicts this divine friendship between a child and the elephant faced God and takes you down the mythological lane. The movie revolves around a family consisting of Ashu, his parents, aunt and the maid Gangubhai who places her sincere devotion in Lord Ganapathy. Ashu is a lonely child devoid of any friends and to top it all he is bullied by his counterparts at every given opportunity. To make matters worse, his parents who are caught up with the corporate lifestyles hardly spend time with him. One day he ends up saving a little mouse from the harsh rains. On sharing this with the maid, leaves her enthralled enough to tell him of being the...
Read more