Eiriksdottir: A Tale of Dreams and Luck : A Novel [Hardcover]

Joan Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1994

A combination of fact, fiction, and fantasy, Eiriksdottir is the story of Norsemen who, 1,000 years ago, crossed the treacherous seas to Vinland, a land that became both mythical and real. Their final voyage, led by Freydis Eiriksdottir, the enigmatic daughter of the renegade Eirik the Red, is shrouded in mystery. Of the two ships that set out from Greenland in search of Vinland, why did only one ship return from the fabled new-found land? And what kind of a leader was Freydis? Was she brave and resourceful? Or was she, as the sagas claim, vengeful and cruel? Epic in scope, Eiriksdottir presents a complex northern world in which greed and desire, dreams and luck are intertwined. Joan Clark's vivid and sensuous prose will resonate in the reader s mind long after the last page has been turned.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joan Clark is a best-selling novelist, whose works include An Audience of Chairs, Latitudes of Melt, and The Victory of Geraldine Gull. She has also written two short story collections and several award-winning novels for young adults. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 371 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan of Canada; First Edition first Printing edition (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0771590091
• ISBN-13: 978-0771590092
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,519,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic tale of an age near lost in the mists of time..., March 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Eiriksdottir: A Tale of Dreams and Luck : A Novel (Hardcover)

This book is very involving. It details the third expedition to Vinland (Newfoundland- north America ot the Geographically challenged) by Freydis Eiriksdottir, bastard child of Erik the Red, and half-sister to Leif Eriksson. It's a fantastic tale, showing how women lived some 11 centuries ago, a detailed examination of events leading to a disasterous, bloody climax. (the plot. NOt the book. The book is great) Buy it!!!

4.0 out of 5 stars A feminist explorer, January 30, 2001

By 

suzy M. slavin (Montreal, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eiriksdottir: A Tale of Dreams and Luck : A Novel (Hardcover)

Extremely well-written, using vocabulary evoking the period, the author takes an event with little historical documentation and creates a story that is both plausible and a little fantastic. There is a good feeling for daily life, the difficulty of living with the elements, climate and struggle to survive. Characters are well developed if not entirely believable. I found the ending quite good, bringing all the pieces to their possible historical end.