The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman
by Nancy Marie Brown
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Book Summary Information
Author: Nancy Marie BrownEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-06
ISBN: 0156033976
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Mariner Books
Book Reviews of The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman
Book Review: An Amazing Surprise
Summary: 5 Stars
The story of Gudrid the Far Traveler is amazing in its ability to engage an otherwise indifferent reader. One may not feel particularly attracted to Viking lore, to accounts of archaeological digs, or to Icelandic or New World history, but upon hitting the first page of The Far Traveler, there is a seduction waiting. It doesn't take more than a few pages to get hooked. The author, Nancy Marie Brown, is a marvelous storyteller for this particular form of nonfiction. She's done her research - both in the pages of old tomes as well as in the field - and she is able to convey very ancient history with a fresh, contemporary feel. To top that off, Ms. Brown has an amazing sense of humor and her serious but accessible account of Gudrid and her travels is punctuated by tongue-in-cheek remarks that make the reader feel as though they are actually with Ms. Brown in person, hearing her relate the story with more than a few mischievious asides. What strikes one the most is why we have not heard more of Gudrid throughout history. After all, most of us know about Leif Ericksson and of Erick the Red. Why has Gudrid been kept hidden? We owe a debt to Ms. Brown for introducing us to such a fascinating character from history. This is the kind of book that one starts with no particular expectation but finishes with astonishment. At the end, the reader has had a crash course in Viking history, Icelandic history, a bit about the history of Greenland, has learned about the discovery of Vinland, how to look for and excavate Viking long houses, and has gained familiarity with the famous Sagas. If all that seems too much for one book, look at it this way: Brown gives the reader options. After reading The Far Traveler, some may want to do further exploration into Viking history, others may want to read the Sagas in their full, original state. Still others may want to book a trip to Iceland, now a suddenly more interesting destination because of this book. The Far Traveler is full of surprises, a delight to read, and a labor of love on the part of its author who was determined to introduce the world to Gudrid.
Summary of The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman
Five hundred years before Columbus, a Viking woman named Gudrid sailed off the edge of the known world. She landed in the New World and lived there for three years, giving birth to a baby before sailing home. Or so the Icelandic sagas say. Even after archaeologists found a Viking longhouse in Newfoundland, no one believed that the details of Gudrid?s story were true. Then, in 2001, a team of scientists discovered what may have been this pioneering woman?s last house, buried under a hay field in Iceland, just where the sagas suggested it could be.
Joining scientists experimenting with cutting-edge technology and the latest archaeological techniques, and tracing Gudrid?s steps on land and in the sagas, Nancy Marie Brown reconstructs a life that spanned—and expanded—the bounds of the then-known world. She also sheds new light on the society that gave rise to a woman even more extraordinary than legend has painted her and illuminates the reasons for its collapse.
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