A couple years after reading Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites, telling the story of the last woman executed in Iceland, I came across Caroline Lea’s The Glass Woman on NetGalley and immediately requested an Advance Reader Copy. Another historic novel set in Iceland sounded like exactly what I needed during one of the hottest summers in recent years.

Hoping Rósa wouldn’t accept widower Jón’s marriage of convenience, I knew she would. After all, it was a matter of survival in the 17th century following her father’s death, not only for Rósa, but for her ailing mother, whom Jón promised to aid if only Rósa would trade her home for the remote village where he was a prosperous farmer, fisherman, and village chieftain.

The plot thickens and suspense builds as Jón’s mysterious worker escorts Rósa across the wilderness to her new home, revealing both a gentle, attractive side and a violent one. A lover of Icelandic sagas during a time when their superstitions or a woman’s unexpected behavior could get her charged with witchcraft, Rósa must deal with her new husband’s demands, which include her isolation form the community, his forbidding her to enter parts of her new home, and his absences. Hearing strange noises from the loft while alone at night and sensing a presence in the darkness of her room, Rosa begins to question not only everything she has been told about Jón’s first wife’s death, but also her own sanity.

Don’t miss the quotation Caroline Lea uses to open her novel. Learn about the symbolic wedding gift Jón gives Rósa and to question nearly everything you think is true.

A hauntingly claustrophobic novel, The Glass Woman brings to mind the fairy tale of Bluebeard. In 1600's Iceland, a young woman named Rósa unexpectedly marries Jón Eiríksson - a man whose first wife died under mysterious circumstances and was buried in the middle of the night. Rósa struggles to find out what happened to this woman, what secrets the local villagers are hiding, as well as explore the mysterious noises coming from the locked loft. Written in a vivid and beautiful prose, The Glass Woman is suspenseful but still grounded in its characters whilst exploring themes such as superstition, love, and what one must do in order to survive. Highly recommend!

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Caroline Lea is a new author for me but I definitely will read more! I really enjoyed this book! I liked the characters, and the story moved very well. The writing is good! It had some twists and turns and I definitely wanted to see how it would end! I would highly recommend this!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t hate it. That’s probably the nicest thing I can say about The Glass Woman, because I definitely didn’t like it.

The prose was nice, if a little affected and artificial at times, but beyond the surface of the sentences, it seemed as though the writing was missing structure, or like it couldn’t follow a linear narrative on the page. It wasn’t just the timeline that jumped around, but the points of view and tenses bounced back and forth in a way that didn’t add to the story. I kept thinking, “Pick a writing style and stick to it or I’ll be forced to do it for you!” I don’t know how I would do that but thankfully the book ended before I was forced to find out.

There was something about the writing that felt modern; maybe because it’s a simple, easy read to power through. Despite not a lot happening in the plot, it was a fast-paced story, which prevented the development any real sense of dread or foreboding. Lea refused to let anything linger. She never teased me with something haunting—it was more like, hey! Over here! This is creepy and weird! Let’s figure out what it is immediately! Don’t spend any time ruminating on it! I’d rather just tell you about it right away! Spooky huh!!!

Every character was either a) unlikeable or b) one-note. They’d either a) say or think one thing before doing the opposite on the very next page or b) not have any personality whatsoever. This means that a) it’s not a character arc, it’s poor writing and b) I kept forgetting about them.

Readers intrigued by The Glass Woman’s synopsis but looking for something with more depth and bite might be better off with Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites or Emma Donoghue’s The Wonder. Unrelated to those two titles, but I expected more witches in The Glass Woman (spoiler: there are… none?) To be fair, though, I think every book needs more witches. Yeah, even Harry Potter.

I flew through this book! Loved the Icelandic setting, as I’m not overly familiar with the local. Interesting fable-feel story, plus twists! Turns! I enjoyed this very much.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for a review.

I remember reading the summary for The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea and thought it sounded intriguing, so I decided to give it go.

I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed this. The novel has many elements of classic British gothic novels like Jane Eyre or Rebecca, but the 17th century Icelandic setting was wonderful. The author does a wonderful job creating mood and atmosphere. The book increasingly felt colder as the events became darker and winter set in.

I really enjoyed the characters. Rosa was sweet but also quietly strong. Petur seemed terrible at first but what a backstory. Jon, I hated at first, but what a journey he went through. Though I didn't like how he treated Rosa I loved his chapters.

The weaving of the past and future was done so well. I couldn't stop reading it and ended up reading the second half of the novel in one sitting. I'll definitely be recommending this book to friends and colleagues.

4.5 Stars

1686, ICELAND. AN ISOLATED, WINDSWEPT LAND HAUNTED BY WITCH TRIALS AND STEEPED IN THE ANCIENT SAGAS.
Betrothed unexpectedly to Jón Eiríksson, Rósa is sent to join her new husband in the remote village of Stykkishólmur. Here, the villagers are wary of outsiders.
But Rósa harbours her own suspicions. Her husband buried his first wife alone in the dead of night. He will not talk of it. Instead he gives her a small glass figurine. She does not know what it signifies.

This is a chilling retelling of Bluebeard .. taking place in 1686 in Iceland Rósa fears her Mother won’t survive the winter in her impoverished village. So she marries Jon a wealthy man . However she has to leave her hometown and move to a remote village . The villagers are fearful of newcomers . Questions are whispered about Jon’s first wife and Rósa feels evil around . Chilling and compelling .

Thank you for the chance to read this book!! I love reading books by new authors, and this book was no exception. It was a very well written book and was easy to follow along with and the characters were introduced very well. This was a great new book and I look forward to reading even more. I hope everyone enjoys this read!

It is 1686 Iceland where
superstitions, spells, and runes are considered to be practices of the past but still used secretly. The art of witchcraft is punishable by death. Rósa’s father has died and out of necessity she has agreed to be married to Jón Eiríksson who gossips say may have been responsible for the death of his first wife.

The extremes of the Icelandic winter, questions surrounding Jon and his apprentice Pétur, the desolate views, the endless grey sea, and an ominous sense of isolation add tons of atmosphere to this story. “There is darkness in being alone here” Rósa is advised on the first day in her new home. It is full of culture and the mores of the area but so well written that you just want to gulp it down.

Thank you to @harpercollinsus for bringing this book to my attention and to @NetGalley for allowing me to read an #advancereaderscopy.

This book took hold of me and wouldn't let go until the end. Caroline Lea certainly wrote the tension right. Yet I didn't feel that the characters were true to themselves throughout the book.

This was an atmospheric book. Set in 1686 in Iceland during the last few months of that year. All is not as it seems on the surface. And some of the turns in the story I found were nearly unbelievable. Perhaps I was expecting too much.

The Glass Woman centers around a woman named Rósa, who will do whatever it takes to make sure that her mother is taken care of, including marrying a man she hardly knows. While this book was recently written and taken place in the 1600’s, I felt as though it was written well before our time. The Glass Woman reads as though it is a book of classic literature, and I believe the writing and story elements in this book are so powerful that it will end up becoming a classic itself.

Lea wrote this book in such a vivid way; I could see everything I was reading. I felt immersed in the world that she created. I could see Rósa and Jón’s house hidden away, high above the town. I could see the piles of snow and the mysterious loft that Rósa was never allowed to visit. I could see the hanging dried fish, Rosa’s hands kneading the dough upon the counter, and the faces of those in the town upon hearing the shocking news of what really happened to Anna, Jón’s first wife.

When Rósa leaves her familiar town to go live with her new husband, she is frightened, lost, and is struggling to get used to her new path. Jón makes it clear that he does not want her to leave the house because she needs to stay to clean, cook, and make sure everything is in order. Also, he thinks the town is full of gossip and wants her to avoid the people in it at all costs. In addiction, does not allow her to read or to write, because doing so would point to her practicing witchcraft.

Jón stays out late with his friend Pétur, leaving Rósa all alone at the house, which she believes is haunted due to the strange noises she hears in the loft above. She feels completely lonely, and that eventually leads her to wander off into the town so she can feel some kind of connection, since there is no connection between her and her husband. She makes her visits secret, telling her newest friend to protect her and not speak of her presence in the town. Meanwhile, Rósa hears gossip from the townspeople about the manner in which Jón’s previous wife, Anna, died, and Rósa begins to wonder if she is in danger.

While Jón was written to be a villainous character, the chapters switch and are shown through his point of view, and I began to care for the man who many saw as stiff and heartless. How can one tell this is good writing? My opinion of the character entirely shifted by the end of the book. At first I hated him, but by the final page all I wanted to do was embrace him.

This book is flowing with beautifully written prose that warms the heart and challenges the mind. I highly recommend this book to all of those who love classic literature, historical fiction, and books that have an original plot line.

1686, ICELAND. A time of few choices for a woman. When marriage is not a choice but a means of survival. When you can't marry someone, you have feelings for as he/she might be a social class above or below you. Then, there is the threat of being labeled a witch…. ahh, the good ole days.....

"Sometimes I wonder if God hears my grief. Prayers fall like pebbles from my lips, and still the Lord is silent. Even the creator cannot unmake the past."

Rosa and her Mother are slowly starving. Without a provider, Rosa has little choice but to marry Jón Eiríksson and move with him to the remote village of Stykkishólmur. The villagers are not very welcoming, and her new husband has many rules such as don't talk to the villagers, do not question him, do as he says, and oh yes, don't ever try to enter the locked loft room. Rosa is lonely and frightened as she hears sounds from above, she becomes anxious and knows that something is amiss. Plus, there are rumors about the death of his first wife and why he buried her at night without informing the villagers.

Gossip and rumors are everywhere. Even the women in the village caution Rosa about her husband. But is he really an evil man or just a closed off one? Did he harm his first wife? Was his strange wandering first wife a witch or a troubled woman? Can loneliness drive a person mad? What tricks does our mind play on us when we hear things that go bump in the night?

I love books set in harsh bleak cold environments. This book is hauntingly atmospheric, cold and foreboding. The landscape and winter season are just as much a character in this book. Harsh, unforgiving and cold. This book felt Gothic in nature and has been compared to Jane Eyre and Rebecca. There is a dark mystery here as well as tales of longing and love.

"Some loves are deep enough to dive into, deep enough for the total submersion of the self.".

I read this in one day and found this tale to be both riveting and completely absorbing. I didn't want to put it down. Rosa grows as a character in this book as does the truth and the motivations behind certain characters behavior. This is a beautifully written and gripping tale of superstition, culture, love/forbidden love, culture, and survival.

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rosa's story is perfect for historical fiction lovers and also for fans of dystopian fiction. Iceland in the seventeenth century is a terrifying, cruel place where the landscape and weather regularly swallow people up, everyone lives in fear of being accused of witchcraft, people starve and die all the time, and women are literally treated like animals. It's flabbergasting to me that this all really happened. I'm still reeling from it.
So, this is basically "Jane Eyre"/"Rebecca" set in a remote Icelandic village. Young Rosa becomes the wife of a wealthy farmer/merchant/fisherman so her mother will have enough food to last through the winter. Her new village is full of secretive, suspicious people who whisper about her husband's first wife. Her new husband is remote and cold, and keeps the loft inside their house locked, though Rosa regularly hears rustling and movement coming from there at night.
Rosa is torn between being a submissive wife or breaking the rules, and between being a devoted Christian or a follower of the old gods. In the end, she does what she knows is right, though she knows she may not survive the consequences. The resulting story makes for a suspenseful read and a surprising twist. Readers will enjoy the secrets, the mystery, and the characters who keep you guessing. Fans of gothic romantic suspense and atmospheric settings will love this.

Well researched and well written. The setting was a character in it's own right and I enjoyed this aspect of the novel very much. I wasn't crazy about the characters, and wish they'd been as well developed as the setting.

Thank you to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of The Glass Woman.

I've never read any of the author's previous books so I went into The Glass Woman with an open mind.

And I'm glad I did.

Warning: There are disturbing themes in the story including sexual violence, bigotry, and incest so readers, be aware.

Set in Iceland 1686, a young woman and daughter of a bishop named Rosa enters into a marriage of convenience with a well-to-do man named Jon from another village.

It's a difficult time to be a woman (no shock here) during these harsh times.

Women are expected to be meek, obedient and follow their husband's wishes. Rosa can read and write, a rarity for women in those days. She also believes in the old ways, loves folklore and the use of runes, which could could lead to being condemned as a witch.

Jon is a brusque man, not unkind but not loving, and there are sordid rumors swirling about the unexpected death of his first wife, Anna.

He forbids her from having any contact with the locals and the ensuing loneliness threatens to overwhelm her.

Rosa is in despair. Did Jon kill his first wife? Why does he forbid her from entering the loft in their home? What are those strange noises coming from the attic loft?

The harsh but beautiful Icelandic setting is the showstopper in the book. The author paints a bleak but gorgeous landscape, a land that can provide great bounty as well as cause great harm to the inhabitants.

The story begins slowly, as the author provides exposition on Rosa and Jon, detailing how their union came to be.

Jon and Rosa have secrets, and are not as different as they believe they are.

It was hard to like Rosa. It wasn't because she was meek or shy; she had to be because it was expected of her in society. I didn't feel she was all that smart or a quick thinker.

But that may have been due to the fact that she lived a very sheltered existence, with just her parents and being the daughter of a respectable man kept her even more isolated from the real world.

The biggest surprise was how much I ended up liking Jon. I started out disliking him intensely, no surprise given how he treated Rosa and how he may have treated his first wife, Anna.

Slowly but surely, the author builds up to Jon's story, his character, his childhood and who he is as a man, husband and provider. It was thoughtfully written, kind yet brutally honest.

I also liked Jon's right-hand man, a man shunned by society that I started out incredibly suspicious of but as the story continued, I was glad to be proven wrong.

The story is not action driven, but more a story about who we are are as separate and unique individuals; how we adapt to society's norms and culture; how we live our lives according to certain rules and that just because these are the rules of the present day, it does not mean the rules are right.

There are a couple of twists I called, and one I did not, and a terrible tragedy which puts Rosa in the crossfires of the narrow-minded townsfolk.

The ending reaches a satisfying, yet painful conclusion that does not leave anyone unscathed.

The Glass Woman is a well written, thought provoking read about a time period I was not aware of and provided fascinating insight into a culture I enjoyed learning about.

Wow. I could not put this book down. I read Burial Rites by Hannah Kent earlier this year and was yearning for another gothic, atmospheric novel and it was even set in the same time period give or take 150 years. The Glass Woman also gave me notes of Rebecca and The Turn of the Screw for the masterful way Caroline Lea draws the reader into the unsettling horrors and mysteries in the small villages of Iceland. The writing is incredibly beautiful and lyrical, the characters are nuanced and relatable to the modern age, and as a special treat every mystery is slowly unfurled and each nuanced relationship is given its exposition and the reader is given closure over the events that transpire.

I really don't want to give anything away, if the summary draws you in and you love gothic novels then this is a must-read. The first half may be slow to some, I loved it, and the second half I devoured in one sitting. I can't wait to see what else Caroline Lea comes up with!

This story is written of Iceland in the 1600s. I found the depictions of the landscape and people to be fascinating. There were only two characters in the entire book who I found likable. These were Pall and Katrin. There was not enough action in this to require the length of this book. By the time I reached the end I had long since stopped caring what happened to any of them

Harrowing story of the actions we take for our loved ones, and the consequences that may lie ahead. Gripping character development and you cant help but be sucked in from the very beginning!

The Glass Woman is an atmospheric novel set in the late 1600s, Iceland. Rósa has just married a rich widower, Jon, in order to gain help for her mother and village. She soons finds herself isolated and lonely with her somewhat gruff and often absent new husband and his mysterious assistant Petur. When she begins to hear noises and see ghostly shadows in and around their home, the book quickly felt reminiscent of the gothic classic Rebecca.

I enjoyed Caroline Lea’s story. It was well written, researched, and developed. The setting was so well described it felt like another character, alive and wild. My one criticism would be that about halfway through the point of view becomes shared, going between Jon and Rósa, and I felt the ending would have been stronger had Rósa’s character been more developed and the events seen through her innocent eyes only. Jon’s story did not seem as believable or authentic, and I felt the narrative lost some of the intrigue, suspense, and magic as told through his eyes.