The Land The Ravens Found [Hardcover]

Naomi Mitchison (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Collins (1964)
• ASIN: B000I6ZZEC
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Please reprint this wonderful book, November 7, 2006

By 

Maria Larson (Freehold, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Land The Ravens Found (Hardcover)

I first read The Land The Ravens Found in 1955, when I was 10 years old. I enjoyed it then and I have reread it ever since. It functions on several levels: on one level it tells the coming-of-age stories of three boys living in northern Scotland in the ninth century: Anlaf, the son of a viking chief, Yrp, his Irish foster brother, and Vivill, a Scottish slave. On another level it's the story of a powerful woman, the real heroine of the story, Aud the Deep Minded, Anlaf's grandmother. Although already an old woman when the story begins, she is the person who really propels the action. When her son dies fighting the Scots she decides to look for a more peaceful way of life. She builds a ship and sets sail for Iceland with her household, not only her family but also their followers and freed slaves. Once in Iceland the promise of a better life is fulfilled for everybody and she dies peacefully the night after Anlaf's wedding.

This is definitely told from the women's point of view. Fighting is only reported, all the action takes place in the world of house and farm, following the rhythm of the seasons. One of the revelations in this book is that a viking woman's skills as a housewife literally meant the difference between life and death during the long northern winters.

The most amazing thing is that all the characters are REAL PEOPLE who were among the first Icelandic settlers. For anybody who thinks women of the past were meek and submissive, Aud will be a revelation. As a viking woman she had a great deal of freedom along with her responsibilities, and she was able to make important decisions that radically changed the life of those around her. The three boys are each interesting in their own way as they grow into men with the strength and judgment to run their own lives. It's good to know that, as the author tells us in her afterword, their descendants are living and thriving in modern-day Iceland.