If you haven't already picked this gem up, the novel is centre around Zelda, a high functioning young adult diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The heroic heroine is a viking enthusiast and uses "Kepple's Guide to the Vikings", a book Zelda reads obsessively as a handbook to her everyday life. The smooth and easy read told in Zelda's perspective is a phenomenal coming-to-age story filled with love, legends, and self-discovery. It was pull at the heartstrings type of story that further enthralled the reader with the out of ordinary characters, storyline, and content.

“Being legendary is about taking all of the power that the gods have given you and making the most of them,” and boy did Zelda do just that. This is an amazing parody of life as told through one powerful girl’s eyes. The legends and lore of Vikings are transfixed into everyday 21st century life, where heroes and villains have their own places, and everyone’s just trying to cross things off their lists and live a life for themselves.
I was enthralled with this story and it’s characters, who are anything but ordinary. Many life lessons addressed in this one, without it being heavy or awkward. Excellent YA, self discovery novel- bravo!

When We Were Vikings is an urban contemporary novel about a brother, Gert, and his sister, Zelda, making their way in life on their own. Zelda has some challenges and an observance to Keppler's Guide to the Vikings.  Gert and Zelda are alone in the world, and this book tells their story in the voice of Zelda.  
The characters are all well-developed, and believable.  There are heroes and villains, and many emails to Keppler who wrote the guide that Zelda lives by.
Take a trip into the mind of Zelda, and enjoy the ride!

Although this is not subject matter I especially relate to or enjoy reading, I am impressed by the writing.  Written from the point of view of Zelda, it is a story of dreams, and fairy tales, and real life struggles, and the strength to make a beautiful life from within..  Inspirational and humorous, a delight to read.

I knew from the synopsis this would be right up my alley, it was recommended to fans of The Silver Linings Playbook and A Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time, both of which I really liked. It lived up to the recommendation, I would also add for fans of Memoirs Of An Imaginary Friend. I thought it was very well done and I enjoyed every minute of reading it. Thank you #netgalley for providing me an ARC to read.

Zelda is flawed but so lovable and relatable. I think what I really liked about this was that the she made a lot of stupid mistakes but the writing from her perspective was so good that you really understood why she acted the way that she did. 

Gert broke my heart. We meet so many people like him in everyday life, a victim of circumstance. I think he is really also shows the hard choices a caregiver of someone with special needs has as well. Sometimes you have to put yourself first in order to be the best caregiver for those you love. 

This book is about people doing their best with what life handed to them. It was hard to read and there isn't a happy ending but I loved it none the less.

Written by Andrew David MacDonald, When We Were Vikings follows Zelda, a girl on the autism spectrum, as she learns that her brother, Gert, the person in her tribe who does everything for her, has gotten into some trouble to try and keep them afloat.

This book has been compared to The Rosie Project and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Of the two, it is far closer to the later, as this is a real look at a lot of the dark parts of society. These siblings have lead very hard lives. Gert doesn’t have his GED, but he managed to get a full ride to go to school. With that, he still doesn’t have enough money to pay for everything for them, and he himself still struggles with a lot of things. His ex-girlfriend AK47 really brings the whole tribe together.

This isn’t a happy novel, but this is a really, really amazing novel. If you enjoy books that look at things that we don’t really like to acknowledge as being true, this is a great book.

If you aren’t in this world – where it’s a struggle to know where the money is going to come from to pay for food the next month, where you live with someone who, because of your parent’s choices, has to deal with everything being that much harder for them and people not knowing how to interact with them – it’s really easy to pretend like these aren’t real things. While I don’t think this particular story has actually happened, it could.

And this is kind of what makes this novel so great.

With that, it is written from Zelda’s point of view. So it isn’t written in a “normal” fashion, and could be an issue when a reader is working their way through this. Just to be aware.

I was given a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved being inside of Zelda's mind. Zelda, a high functioning young adult diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome, has something about her that everyone can relate to. While exploring life’s boundaries, she often compares her world to the Viking world. Though others consider Zelda “not normal”, she considers her life a quest and strives to fulfill her legacy while searching for identity, battling for independence, and overcoming life’s villains.

Her older brother and caregiver, Gert, really pulled on my heart strings as well. He doesn’t always make the right decisions, but I felt like he had good intentions. Gert’s character speaks volumes, and it is difficult to fully love him or fully hate him. Gert truly represents the depth and complexity of life’s unexpected provisions. “We do not have very much money, but Gert is powerful at surviving life’s battles.”

Sexual freedom among the cognitive disabled is a topic explored in this novel. Zelda has intimate feelings for her boyfriend and wants to explore those feelings like most other young adults would. (Please note that there is a long segment on this topic.)

The language was very colorful, and I loved it. Zelda often utilizes her “Word of the Day”, but she also mimics the language of her peers and environment. As a result, this book is filled with adult language, but it made it so much more palpable. 

I think this book will create excellent conversations and highly recommend it for a buddy read or group read. It has several controversial topics and covers a lot of current issues with cognitive disabled young adults. Though sensitive in subject areas, if you do have a respectful and close reading group it would inspire valuable discussion.

What are the differences between responsibility and accountability? How do we decide where accountability falls? Can someone who loves you be bad for you? “And sometimes the heroes of legends have to break the rules in order to save the people they care about.” I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. The last chapter, especially the very last page, had me in tears. I think we can all learn many lessons from Zelda. Thank you Gallery/Scout Press, NetGalley, and Andrew David MacDonald for this copy. Opinions are my own.

Such a great read that it's hard for me to review since I don't want to give any spoilers. Twenty-one year old viking obsessed Zelda lives her with brother Gert and has very specific routines she follows. She has a wonderful boyfriend and spends her days visiting her community center, doctor, and emailing the author of her favorite book about vikings. Her routines are disrupted when she realizes her brother needs to take on more shady dealings to earn money they both need. She begins her quest as per viking tradition and learns life lessons that will help her win the independence she knows she can have. I really enjoyed this book and seeing life through Zelda's eyes and the complexity of her world. A thoughtful book that will stay with me for quite some time. I look forward to reading more by Mr. MacDonald.

When We Were Vikings is an unusual book. For my personal preference, I give it a 3-star rating. The story is narrated by Zelda, a 21-year-old high-functioning young woman who was born on the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum. Her father left home when she was a baby. After her mother died from cancer, she and her brilliant, but thuggish brother, Gert go to live with their uncle. Uncle Richard is truly a terrible person, a Grendel. Desperate to get away from him, Gert borrows money from a thug,  who is a Villian. Gert and Zelda are able to get their own apartment, but a great deal of trouble comes from having to repay the debt.

Zelda knows she is different, and that she is slower to process things. She has help from a kind psychologist and her brother’s on-again-off-again girlfriend. She has friends at a local community center, including a boyfriend, who is not as high functioning as Zelda. She copes by following rules and also by following a Code of Vikings, where courage, honor, heroism and being loyal to her tribe are the most important things. However, life throws things at her that would be difficult for anyone to handle. “Sometimes life isn’t as simple as heroes and villains.”

While it seems that Zelda is dependent on others, especially her brother, she proves that she can be a legend in her own right.

Would I recommend this book? It depends on who is asking. Teenagers: Absolutely not. My book club: Absolutely Not. There is too much filthy language, sexual situations, including sex between mentally disadvantaged people, and attempted rape. There is also violence and a strong criminal element. I felt very uncomfortable, especially with the constant expletives. But I can see how many people will enjoy the story of Zelda, her quirkiness, and her ability to deal with issues by drawing upon her Viking strength. The relationship between Zelda and Gert is particularly interesting. The ending is uplifting and hopeful.  

Thank you to NetGalley and to Gallery Books for my Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on January 28, 2020.
#WhenWeWereVikings #NetGalley

I always give recipe recommendations on my blog, www.kerrinsbookreviews.com.  Check out my recipe for Legendary Swedish Meatballs.

Will appeal to adult and YA readers alike. A recommended purchase for most public and HS collections.

A powerful read that tugged at my emotions the same way as Ginny Moon and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. The author’s craft is impressive; you, the reader truly are able to get inside of Zelda’s mind. You’re rooting for her, frustrated with her brother, grateful for AK47, and hateful of the false lover. The story is heartbreaking in parts but you, like Zelda, make it through. 

The Viking analogies throughout are a treat. And I greatly enjoyed Zelda’s email messages. 

Thank you to Andrew MacDonald for enlightening more about differently baked individuals and the challenges they face.

Being half Viking, I could not resist reading this book.  I am very happy I did read it.  It's a modern day quest with an unusual heroine.

My opinion on this book drastically changed as I worked my way through it. It started slow and the writing style took a little getting used to. You read from the POV of Zelda, a girl who is on the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum and obsessed with vikings. In the beginning the viking facts were...a lot. I took away from the story line for me, rather than adding to it. But as you learn more about Zelda and tribe and everything she is dealing with in her life I began to appreciate how they tied together. This book takes a turn for the dark and deals with some triggering and adult themes. The ending is heart-wrenching and I can't help being proud of Zelda.

If you find this book hard to get into in the beginning, stick with it. I promise it will be worth it in the end. What started as a 2 or 3 easily ended up being a 4 star book.

This book is beautiful, silly, scary, real, you name it...It had me on a roller coaster of emotions the entire time. 
When We Were Vikings tells the story of Zelda, a 21-year-old girl who is on the fetal alcohol spectrum. She lives with her brother Gert, who runs with the wrong crowd but does so in order to provide for himself and Zelda. Zelda is a viking enthusiast, and uses a book about vikings as a handbook to life. She follows the rules of vikings, like defending your tribe and defeating villains. When Zelda tries to defend her brother against the gang he hangs out with, she has to face the biggest villains she's ever seen. With the help of Gert, his girlfriend Annie (nicknamed AK47), her psychologist Dr. Laird, and her friends at the community center, Zelda discovers she can be the hero of her own legend no matter what other people think of her.
I absolutely love Zelda and all the other characters in this book. The book is written from her perspective, and because she's on the spectrum she is very honest and open while using basic language. This doesn't make the book read like a children's book though, rather it is a very smooth and easy read. I've never read a book from the perspective of someone who is mentally challenged, so I thought it was interesting to see her thought processes as well as how she interacted with her friends and people around her. I was cheering for Zelda the whole time, hoping she would be successful in writing her own legend. I was happy to see her grow up through the book and learn to do things on her own.
I found the overall message of this book to be very inspiring. Sometimes book will over complicate the message or use so much flowery language it takes away from the theme. The simplicity of Zelda's message was so refreshing and encouraging. This isn't in the genre I usually read, but I'm happy I took a chance because this became one of my favorite books I've read this year.

Lou Jacobs's review Sep 08, 2019  ·  edit
it was amazing

A tour de force DEBUT novel deserving of a 5 + Star rating. A heart rendering coming-of-age story of 21 year-old Zelda ... a high functioning victim of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome who tries to cope and make sense of her life by following the creed of the Vikings. She is determined to function as fully as possible ... she is well aware of her shortcomings. She makes sense and order of her life by making lists adhering to the code of the Vikings. Her life revolves around her book knowledge of the Vikings... their lore, history, legends, creed and accomplishments. This endeavor provides needed stability and structure to her life. 
She appears dependent on her brother Gert, who she lives with and adores. He and their friends are her "tribe" and will do anything to assure their success and well-being. Gert to the outside world appears as a thug ... due to his bald head, tattoos, language and his choice of clothes ... but, this is far from the truth. He has sacrificed much to rescue Zelda from their abusive uncle and forged an independent home. However , the financial strain has worn heavy and he finds it necessary to turn to the unsavory elements of life to support them.
MacDonald proves to be a master storyteller and weaves a heartrending tale of Zelda's journey to gain both independence and attain "her own legend" .... in which she overcomes escalating obstacles and problems. The journey is aided by multiple well fleshed out members of "her tribe".... the on and off again girlfriend of Gert, who she has dubbed "AK 47" and even her counselor/ psychiatrist and friend, Dr Laird. There is no living, breathing soul who will not root for Zelda's success !
Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery / Scout Press for providing an Uncorrected Proof of this Masterpiece for an honest review. I'm so sorry to have to leave the world and life of Zelda.

A well written story about a girl with disabilities growing into adulthood. A good story for everyone to read. You will fall in love with Zelda.

Thank you to Scout Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the E-arc copy of #WhenWeWereVikings.
A beautifully written novel about a young woman who feel not quite "normal", but then what is normal. She finds this out as she interprets life through her experiences. As a parent of an Autistic young man it's lovely to see main characters that are realistic.

Enjoyable book. Zelda, the primary character, born on the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum, was not only interesting, but while creating her own "legend", an outstanding example of family (tribe) love, courage, and devotion.

I found the first half of the book to be the best, after that things got a bit "tidy".

I received an ARC from NetGalley publisher Simon Schuster in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this book! A story with a somewhat unlikely heroine who will steal your heart! A must read!!