In When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald, readers are first introduced to Zelda on her twenty-first birthday. She almost immediately informs us that her father departed just after she was born; that her mother drank heavily while pregnant with her, thereby affecting her cognitive development; and that she lives with her older brother Gert, who loves her and takes care of her. She is also obsessed with Vikings, to the point where she can speak Old Norse and quote verbatim from Kepple's Guide to the Vikings. Aware of Zelda's passion, her developmental psychologist gives her an article about an ancient skeleton long thought to be that of a Viking warrior, which turned out to be female. While this is meant to inspire her to live her own life and not be so dependent on Gert—to create her own "saga"—she takes it a bit farther, deciding to become a modern-day Viking warrior herself. As she proceeds with her quest, she discovers her brother is in trouble, and uses her newfound confidence and bravery to try to save him, unwittingly putting them both in danger.

In many ways, When We Were Vikings is a standard coming-of-age novel, where a young woman on the edge of adulthood begins to discover who she really is and what she wants out of life. Over the course of the book, she desires what many young people do—basic things like landing a job and engaging in sex for the first time. What makes the book a stand-out, though, is the author's depiction of Zelda; she's a character most readers will find fascinating. Her determination to do the right thing (and sometimes get into trouble because of it) makes her an appealing protagonist, and MacDonald writes her voice so convincingly that it's hard not to root for her.

The plot, too, is intriguing; because Zelda is narrating and doesn't see the big picture, we only gradually become aware of the intricacies of Gert's life and the sacrifices he has made to ensure Zelda thrives. This part of the story has the potential to really draw readers in, particularly as it becomes apparent that Zelda doesn't understand just how ruthless Gert's "friends" truly are.

Much of the novel concerns Zelda's intimate experimentation with Marxy, a young man she's met at her community center who also has cognitive issues. The author deserves kudos for showing that those with impairments often have physical wants and needs just like most other humans on the planet, thereby normalizing his characters. Unfortunately, there's so much discussion around this topic that the middle of the book bogs down somewhat, and some of the sexual scenes between the couple are perhaps the most awkward I've ever read. I personally wasn't bothered by the explicitness of these passages, but I can easily imagine others might be. Also, throughout the novel, the characters frequently use rather foul language and there's a certain amount of violence against women, either of which could be off-putting for some.

My primary criticism of the book is that the protagonist's narrative voice is extremely reminiscent of some other young characters in contemporary literature such as Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Oskar Schell in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Zelda's speech pattern and way of thinking are written so similarly that one is tempted to describe MacDonald's novel as derivative. Although Zelda's circumstances are wildly different and the book as a whole has a much darker feel than these earlier works, there are enough similarities that one can't help but draw parallels.

Overall, When We Were Vikings is a fast, entertaining read, and one that I would recommend to most who are looking for an interesting book featuring a different kind of heroine. Those who enjoyed the works mentioned above will almost certainly like this novel as well. It would also be a great selection for a book group; its themes surrounding the experience of living with cognitive differences would make great fuel for discussion.

Really enjoyed this one! I love reading about vikings and I love seeing disabilities featured in fantasy novels. Will definitely be on the lookout for more books from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Zelda is a young woman with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome who is being cared for by her older brother after their father goes to prison and their mother dies of cancer. Gert  is struggling and Zelda, a Viking enthusiast, wants to create her own legend where she is the hero. This is a beautiful coming of age story with wonderfully written characters and a lot of heart. The author does a great job showing us life through the eyes of someone with mental challenges.

I want to begin with this book isn't for everyone, it has trigger warnings mostly alcohol and fetal alcohol syndrome. 

That being said Zelda was such a great character to get to know and go on this adventure with. The storyline was just so powerful i highly recommend giving this one a read!

Zelda love everything about Vikings. She love reading about them and is trying to live her life like one.   Zelda lives with her brother who has taken care of her since their parents died.  Gert  is making sure that Zelda is growing up to be the best she can be.  Zelda was born with a few challenges but with the help of her brother and councilors she is learning to thrive in a hard world.
When some drug runners threaten Gert and Zelda’s way of life Zelda and her Viking way take over to help her brother. 
This a good story of perseverance and family love.

If you are looking for a book with a memorable character, I have a feeling that you will fall in love with Zelda. Zelda is an older teenager on the fetal alcohol syndrome spectrum, who happens to see herself as a modern-day Viking.
Her obsession with being a Viking is what fuels her quest to accomplish many things in life and helps her identify the heroes and the villains in life. 
Raised by her older brother, Gert, they struggle with mounting financial issues that lead to selling drugs and putting them both in dangerous situations.  
As each of them is struggling to navigate the world, in their own ways, they both hope to find love and security in some unlikely places. 
You can’t help but to fall in love with Zelda, as she struggles to navigate social cues, her sex life with her boyfriend (who struggles cognitively more than she does), the tribe of warriors who teach her to navigate the world, and how she finds identity in the legendary Vikings.
I found the first half to be stronger than the second, but I absolutely adored this story.  I loved it so much that I finished it in a day, it was that enjoyable. The bonus? You learn a heck of a lot about Vikings in the process of this one.

Ahhhhhhhh this little book . . . . . She ain't for errrrybody!

If you are of the ilk that is offended by everything it’s probably best to just stay far farrrrrrr away. The protagonist here isn’t your average gal, her family is not your average family and their issues aren’t your average issues. There’s plenty to get butthurt about. For the rest of you with more open minds who are willing to take a risk, hopefully you will find yourself in the same boat as me and completely smitten by this story . . . . 

My legend will show people that, even if you are not gargantuan, you can still be strong and brave and help others in your tribe. 

And find yourself so wrapped up in the lives of characters such as Zelda, her brother Gert, his on/off again girlfriend Annie (also known as AK-47) and more than one bad guy who deserves a monkey to crawl out of their butt that you don’t ever want it to end just so they can stay in your life a little while longer.

All the Stars.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

BOOK REVIEW:  When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald

Genre:  Fiction

Centers around a young woman born with fetal alcohol syndrome and her brother, also her guardian, as they navigate together their lives as a family.

Now, if I had to create a “book recipe” for this book, I'd say… 

• Start off with a flat-out great fiction 

• Stuff with a “thriller-esque” vibe 

• Then… Sprinkle with a generous dose of quirky!

Zelda, the wonderful young woman at the center of this story, is a refreshingly unusual character. She's absolutely obsessed with Vikings, protecting her own tribe, standing on her own two feet and living her own legend.

She will inspire you, surprise you, entertain you, and most importantly… Encourage you to see how special needs can be a special gift.

When We Were Vikings is a debut novel from a wonderful new author. 

And if you loved the book Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, you've just found your next great read!

When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald
2020 Book Release | February

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Books & DIY Home Ideas | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com ... Including my video tutorials for DIY home ideas inspired by recommended books to support you in bringing your favorite books to life in your life and home.

You can see my full review for When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald at https://www.thisismyeverybody.com/books/reading-wrap-up-march-2020


✨😎✨A big thank you to Andrew David MacDonald, Gallery Books / Scout Press and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed in my review are my own.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. Unfortunately this title didn’t grab my attention enough for me to see it through.

I had a very hard time with this book. I tried picking it up 4 times over the course of several months and never could get into it. I find the narrator to be very dry with little or if any personality. This may be because I couldn't get past 30 pages. I hope for other readers that if you are able to stick with it the narrator develops more.

This book is absolutely not what I was expecting! The POV of the main character is really interesting—as is her characterization and backstory. MacDonald is a skilled writer and the pace of the story is nice. I would definitely recommend this interesting tale.

Sorry so late in reviewing... a great book of people trying to do what is right and overcoming obstacles.  Highly recommended for all ages and readers

This book can be closely compared to SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK.  I loved the main character and her outlook on life and Vikings. I loved all her emails to her favorite historian! And her brother and his drive to pay the bills! 

Such a sweet and innocent lead wit a curious mind!

Written in the vein of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, THE ROSIE PROJECT and GIRL IN SNOW, Andrew David MacDonald’s WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS is a poignant and heartfelt debut about 21-year-old Zelda, a young adult who was born on the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum. Though Zelda is high-functioning and can do things like read and take the bus by herself, she relies on repetitive lists of rules and her own Viking-inspired moral compass to navigate the world. When she decides to stray from her own rules, however, and learns about the ways other people are breaking ones she thought were unbreakable, her entire world is upended, and it is only through her own supreme Viking strength that she is able to right it.

Ever since her mother lost her battle to cancer, Zelda has lived with her older brother, Gert. Once a high school football champion, Gert is now having a bit of a rough patch, which is complicated by his being responsible for Zelda’s well-being and her own fight for independence. Zelda and Gert run a tight ship --- their home is regulated by lists of rules, and their schedules are perfectly aligned so that they will always know where one another is at any given moment. Rounding out their little family is AK47 --- Annie --- who drives a bus to the community center and occasionally dates Gert; Marxy, Zelda’s boyfriend; and Dr. Laird, Zelda’s psychiatrist. But her true constant companion is Kepple’s Guide to the Vikings, a book about Viking lore, legend and mythos that she uses to guide her actions in her everyday life.

At the start of WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS, Zelda is celebrating her 21st birthday. Gert has hired a stripper dressed like a Viking, and Marxy’s mother, Pearl, has dropped him at their apartment for an hour, even though she believes it to be the wrong side of town. Life is going pretty great for Zelda, but she wants more: more freedom, more honesty and more experiences. First and foremost, after sharing their first French kiss, Zelda and Marxy are ready to have sex. Though Gert is horrified by the idea --- both as Zelda’s brother and as her primary caretaker --- it is an important step in Zelda’s life, and draws to the forefront the national conversation about the rights of the mentally and cognitively challenged.

Continuing to take steps towards her independence, Zelda soon discovers that Gert has been lying to her. Although he was awarded a scholarship for college that pays for his education as well as his and Zelda’s housing, he has dropped out of school. When Zelda goes snooping for information, she finds out that not only is Gert dishonest, he is dishonorable and weak (at least in Viking terms) for he has a gun stashed in his room, along with mysterious wads of cash --- oh, and there’s that thing his classmate said about being out of hash. Utterly wrecked by the revelation that her brother is not the strong warrior she once believed him to be, Zelda recruits AK47 (again, Annie) to draw up some new rules for Gert --- and for her. With these in place, Zelda gets a job, takes an important step with her boyfriend, and learns how to become more and more independent, all in the hopes of contributing to her tribe’s hoard and becoming a Legend.

WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS is immediately striking for its language. Zelda is intensely literal, occasionally hysterical and always wiser than she even knows. Her dialogue --- internal and external --- is a sharp staccato, written with no contractions and punctuated by constant definitions of words new to her. MacDonald captures her mind and personality so expertly that I soon found myself falling into Zelda’s way of speaking. Even more captivating is her obsession with Vikings and the way that it informs her life. For example, she knows that all Vikings must complete a series of achievements and challenges in order to become Legends, including winning the heart of a fair maiden. Zelda may not know what “maiden” means, but she knows that she loves Marxy, and so she begins calling him her Fair Maiden. It is an easy nickname to laugh at, but Zelda holds both maidens and Marxy in such high regard that it is more heartwarming than hysterical, and reveals more about Zelda’s beliefs than could possibly be written on the page.

It is this nuanced writing that makes WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS truly shine. MacDonald, writing through the eyes of someone who does not always see the reality of what is in front of her, places just enough context clues in his work so that readers are kept aware, without putting down or making fun of his protagonist. Even during times when the truth seems obvious, Zelda’s lack of fear at asking what exactly is happening puts her in control and leads to some deeply philosophical and wise ponderings. The book is certainly sensitive to its main character and her disabilities, but it is also celebratory of her unique strengths and brilliance.

I should say that the revelations involving the truth about Zelda’s life can be difficult and even painful to read. Before striking out on their own, Zelda and Gert lived with an uncle who Zelda refers to as a “Grendel” --- the worst enemy of a Viking. Add to that the painful reality of Gert’s life becoming a pseudo-parent way too young and being forced to find creative ways to make ends meet, and you have some serious trauma to unpack. But MacDonald handles it all with grace, compassion and honor. Zelda would say he would make a tremendous Viking well on his way to becoming a Legend, and I think that’s the best review imaginable for this beautiful book.

This book is a JOY. It is filled with flesh-and-blood characters that leap right off the page, but best of all is Zelda. It has been a long time since I've found a narrator so endearing.

Perhaps the most powerful thing about this book (and there are many things in this book that are powerful) is the voice. Andrew David MacDonald crafted a voice for Zelda that is distinct and smart, even though we learn that she has fetal alcohol syndrome. By doing this, we don't see Zelda through the lens of her disability, even though the effects of FAS are woven into her narration. It is a job brilliantly well done.

This book was an amazing opportunity to step into the shoes of someone who's experience is very different from my own, but I also know that representation of characters like Zelda and her friends is so important.

When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald is a young adult contemporary read. This book stands out from others in it’s genre by boldly having a lead character that suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome which leaves her with cognitive differences which makes for quite a different coming of age contemporary read.

Zelda has always been obsessed with vikings with them being heroes in her eyes but day to day her brother, Gert, has been Zelda’s real life viking raising her on his own. Zelda is thrown though when she discovers Gert hasn’t been being completely truthful and may be up to some dangerous activities.

I have to say I thought Andrew David MacDonald did a wonderful job bringing day to day life alive for a character with cognitive differences. Zelda may have had been diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome but I’m sure her character could resonant to other diagnosis such as Autism since there is also a wide spectrum of differences for each diagnosis. I couldn’t help but quickly begin to care for Zelda though and become completely engaged in her story and couldn’t wait for what would happen next so for me this was a great read!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

What a beautiful surprising moving book.
I absolutely loved this story!
Thank you for sharing it with me!
Lisa

This book was a unique perspective on a coming-of-age story. This is the story of 21-year-old Zelda, who has fetal alcohol syndrome, and her older brother Gert facing the challenges of poverty and disability.

Zelda has a unique voice in the story and it didn't take me long to be fully immersed in the book. I thought the author handled the disability aspects of the tale very well. I really loved Zelda's character and the way she persevered. Her love of Vikings gave her the framework she needed to reach goals and solve problems. The story kept me turning pages and was filled with very interesting secondary characters too. I highly recommend this book! Thank you to the publisher for an ecopy of this book and exchange for my honest review.

When We Were Vikings is a hard book to review. The book is told from the perspective of Zelda, an adult on the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum, She lives with her brother, Gert, who is involved with some people who are not good. Zelda views everything through the lens of Vikings, which is a subject she is obsessed with. At first, I wasn't sure I liked the story, because it is choppy and abrupt, but I'm glad I stuck with it because it made it possible for me to see the world through Zelda's eyes. The characters are really well done and I was surprised by how it ended, which doesn't happen very often. This is a great debut!

You ever read a book and it just feels.... weird? Not weird in a bad way, just weird. That feeling stayed with me as I journeyed with Zelda through her quest to become a hero. 

When We Were Vikings tells the story of Zelda, a young adult who suffers from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum. She is very high functioning, yet she still needs help in some areas. She lives with her brother Gert, a very smart but troubled young man, and she has a boyfriend, Marxy. Zelda is obsessed with all things Viking and is on a mission to become a legend in the Viking world. When her brother becomes embroiled in trouble with the local thugs, Zelda uses this as her opportunity to save her brother and become the Viking she believe she should be. In the process, she learns a lot about the world and herself, discovering more than just her Viking calling. 

Like I said before, this book just felt odd to me. From the first few pages, I never fully connected with the story or the characters. None of the characters caused me to become attached to them, and I wasn't really surprised or shocked by any of the events of the story. I did enjoy seeing Zelda grow up a bit, becoming more aware of herself and more independent by the story's end. 

Overall, it was a good debut novel, but it was easy to see that this was a first novel. If this author publishes more books, I would be inclined to read them. I think readers of all kinds will enjoy this story and following Zelda on her journey of self-discovery. 

My thanks to Gallery/Scout Press for an E-ARC of this title.