{"product_id":"the-sealwomans-gift-9781473638983","title":"The Sealwomans Gift","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA DEBUT CROWN  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e  THE MCKITTERICK PRIZE  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE PAUL TORDAY MEMORIAL PRIZE  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE WAVERTON GOOD READ AWARD  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eA ZOE BALL ITV BOOK CLUB PICK\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''REMARKABLE'' Sarah Perry\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''EXTRAORDINARILY IMMERSIVE'' \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''A REALLY, REALLY GOOD READ'' BBC R2 Book Club''\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''LYRICAL'' \u003ci\u003eStylist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''POETIC'' \u003ci\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e1627. In a notorious historical event, pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted 400 people into slavery in Algiers. Among them a pastor, his wife, and their children.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn her acclaimed debut novel Sally Magnusson imagines what history does not record: the experience of Asta, the pastor''s wife, as she faces her losses with the one thing left to her - the stories from home - and forges an ambiguous bond with the man who bought her. Uplifting, moving, and sharply witty, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Sealwoman''s Gift\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/i\u003espeak\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the first, \u003cb\u003eit leaps from the page\u003c\/b\u003e... I found myself absolutely persuaded by Ásta's extraordinary journey from the harsh Icelandic coast to the strange and splendid palaces of Algiers. \u003cb\u003eI enjoyed and admired it in equal measure\u003c\/b\u003e * Sarah Perry, author of THE ESSEX SERPENT *\u003cbr\u003eA remarkable feat of imagination that transports the reader to 17th-century Iceland and Algiers ... \u003cb\u003ean extraordinarily immersive read that emphasises the power of stories, \u003c\/b\u003eexamining themes of motherhood, identity, exile and freedom. Through her deft storytelling, Magnusson takes us on a journey that not only crosses continents, but encompasses tragedy and rich sensuality. -- Sian Norris * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn evocative, striking new novel\u003c\/b\u003e ... which brings an Icelandic historical tragedy, and in particular, Icelandic woman Asta Egilsson, back to pulsing life. -- Stephen McGinty * Times *\u003cbr\u003eMoving, accomplished ... \u003cb\u003eRichly imagined and energetically told\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Sealwoman's Gift \u003c\/i\u003eis \u003cb\u003ea powerful tale of loss and endurance\u003c\/b\u003e * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eMagnusson has certainly done her research, and \u003cb\u003eshe has found in the silences of the historical record the space for a novel that moves gracefully between what is known and what must be imagined\u003c\/b\u003e...Much of the pleasure of reading \u003ci\u003eThe Sealwoman's Gift\u003c\/i\u003e is that of \u003cb\u003ea good yarn well told\u003c\/b\u003e. * TLS *\u003cbr\u003eFascinating ... \u003cb\u003ea really, really good read\u003c\/b\u003e * BBC Radio 2 Book Club *\u003cbr\u003eSally Magnusson has turned this grim true story into a page-turner...\u003cb\u003ebeautifully told.\u003c\/b\u003e * Radio Times *\u003cbr\u003eSally Magnusson has taken an amazing true event and created a brilliant first novel.\u003cb\u003e It's an epic journey in every sense: although it's historical, it's incredibly relevant to our world today. \u003c\/b\u003e * Zoe Ball Book Club *\u003cbr\u003eSally Magnusson writes compellingly of the psychological and physical shocks of being uprooted. Impeccably researched, this is \u003cb\u003ea poetic retelling of Icelandic history\u003c\/b\u003e. * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003eSally Magnusson's wonderfully accomplished first novel is \u003cb\u003ean enthralling mixture of recovered history and the imagining of lost lives\u003c\/b\u003e. It's a delightful piece of storytelling which is also a story about telling stories ... In short, this is \u003cb\u003ethe best sort of historical novel\u003c\/b\u003e * Scotsman *\u003cbr\u003eThis is \u003cb\u003ethe best sort of historical novel.\u003c\/b\u003e It respects the past and \u003cb\u003ebrings it alive.\u003c\/b\u003e * The Scotsman *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIcelandic history has been brought to extraordinary life\u003c\/b\u003e. I was swept up in the story and the vivid plight of people taken away from everything they knew and understood. An \u003cb\u003eaccomplished \u003c\/b\u003eand \u003cb\u003eintelligent \u003c\/b\u003enovel. * Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, author of WHY DID YOU LIE? *\u003cbr\u003e'Sally Magnusson has taken a little-known historical event - the Barbary corsair raid on Iceland in 1627 - and produced\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003ea \u003cb\u003emoving \u003c\/b\u003estory of suffering and redemption. Her tale of Ásta, the Reverend's wife, indomitable survivor of tragedy and heartbreak, is \u003cb\u003evivid and compelling'\u003c\/b\u003e -- Adam Nichols\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003erich, captivating work\u003c\/b\u003e * Mail on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEngrossing, atmospheric\u003c\/b\u003e * Sunday Express *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCompelling stuff\u003c\/b\u003e * Good Housekeeping *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA lyrical tale full of the Icelandic stories \u003c\/b\u003ethat Asta tells her children and her kidnappers * Stylist *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRemarkably accomplished\u003c\/b\u003e...The true story behind the novel is almost \u003cb\u003epreposterously epic\u003c\/b\u003e, yet she brings it to life by inhabiting the minds of her characters -- David Robinson * The Scotsman *\u003cbr\u003eSally Magnusson's \u003cb\u003ewonderfully accomplished\u003c\/b\u003e first novel is an \u003cb\u003eenthralling\u003c\/b\u003e mixture of recovered history and the imagining of lost lives. It's a \u003cb\u003edelightful\u003c\/b\u003e piece of storytelling which is also a story about telling stories. * Yorkshire Post *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003ecompelling \u003c\/b\u003eread...While a historical novel, it also contains \u003cb\u003econtemporary resonances\u003c\/b\u003e, particularly in the way \u003cb\u003eit examines how different people integrate into a society that is completely foreign to them\u003c\/b\u003e -- Caroline Sanderson * The Bookseller *\u003cbr\u003eAn \u003cb\u003eastonishing\u003c\/b\u003e novel that will stay with me for a long time...Asta Thorsteinsdottir is \u003cb\u003ea truly remarkable and resourceful heroine\u003c\/b\u003e -- Waterstones Book Blog\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn impressive debut\u003c\/b\u003e from Magnusson who seems to have inherited her Icelandic ancestors' talent for \u003cb\u003ebeguiling storytelling\u003c\/b\u003e * The Herald *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagnusson's prose never falters\u003c\/b\u003e ... What an \u003cb\u003eexceptional and moving\u003c\/b\u003e fiction debut this is. * Elle Thinks blog *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn engrossing and accomplished novel\u003c\/b\u003e * The Last Word Book Review *\u003cbr\u003eThere's something so wonderful about being wholly drawn into \u003cb\u003ea richly imagined historical novel\u003c\/b\u003e that both illuminates a somewhat forgotten or not-widely-known period of history and \u003cb\u003egives voice to people who are only glancingly referred to in the history books\u003c\/b\u003e ... this novel brilliantly engages with many of the heartrending conflicts a woman in Asta's position must have faced while also powerfully illuminating \u003cb\u003ethe cultural importance of storytelling and the complicated dynamics of love\u003c\/b\u003e * Lonesome Reader *\u003cbr\u003ePacked with detail and characters, Sally's immersive prose and precise observations entwine you in the action and emotion of this dramatic tale. \u003cb\u003eAn absolute triumph of imagination\u003c\/b\u003e * Press Association *\u003cbr\u003eInspired by the country's literary sagas, the novel's \u003cb\u003eheart-wrenching\u003c\/b\u003e fiction is built around the bloodied bones of fact, words hauled from written records of the 17th century * Sunday Post *\u003cbr\u003eMuch more than simply \u003cb\u003ea vividly-imagined historical novel\u003c\/b\u003e, but \u003cb\u003ea personally touching meditation on the choices we're forced to make in life\u003c\/b\u003e * Lonesome Reader *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCaptivating\u003c\/b\u003e * Scots Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eThis \u003cb\u003epsychological depth\u003c\/b\u003e, along with \u003cb\u003eengaging prose and meticulous research\u003c\/b\u003e into the history on which this novel is based, makes \u003ci\u003eThe Sealwoman's Gift \u003c\/i\u003eanother contender for my books of the year * Annethology *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eExcellent\u003c\/b\u003e * Dumfries and Galloway Life *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eaccomplished...enthralling...This is the best sort of historical novel\u003c\/b\u003e -- Allan Massie * The Scotsman *\u003cbr\u003eI have been banging the drum for T\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ehe Sealwoman's Gift\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e for a solid year now, still recommending it to every person I possibly can - and it was the first book on this list, the only absolute certainty from the beginning. \u003cb\u003eA stunning debut novel\u003c\/b\u003e, it is based on the true story of 17th century Icelanders who were kidnapped and sold as slaves in North Africa. \u003cb\u003eThe writing is beautiful, the sense of time and place once again at the top of the author's list of many talents, and the magical-realism of the Sealwoman utterly convincing.\u003c\/b\u003e * Cultured Vultures *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48885773795671,"sku":"9781473638983","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781473638983.jpg?v=1722537649","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-sealwomans-gift-9781473638983","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}