The Glass Woman: A Novel

Written by Caroline Lea

Narrated by Heiða Reed and Smari Gunn

A tale in the tradition of Jane Eyre and Rebecca, in which a young woman follows her new husband to his remote home on the Icelandic coast in the 1680s, where she faces dark secrets surrounding the death of his first wife amidst a foreboding landscape and the superstitions of the local villagers

“Haunting, evocative and utterly compelling. The Glass Woman transports the reader to a time and place steeped in mystery, where nothing is ever quite as it seems. Stunning.” — Tracy Borman, author of The King’s Witch

“Piercing…. Devastating and revelatory.” — New York Times Book Review

Rósa has always dreamed of living a simple life alongside her Mamma in their remote village in Iceland, where she prays to the Christian God aloud during the day, whispering enchantments to the old gods alone at night. But after her father dies abruptly and her Mamma becomes ill, Rósa marries herself off to a visiting trader in exchange for a dowry, despite rumors of mysterious circumstances surrounding his first wife’s death.

She follows her new husband, Jón, across the treacherous countryside to his remote home near the sea. There Jón works the field during the day, expecting Rósa to maintain their house in his absence with the deference of a good Christian wife. What Rósa did not anticipate was the fierce loneliness she would feel in her new home, where Jón forbids her from interacting with the locals in the nearby settlement and barely speaks to her himself.

Seclusion from the outside world isn’t the only troubling aspect of her new life—Rósa is also forbidden from going into Jón’s attic. When she begins to hear strange noises from upstairs, she turns to a local woman in an attempt to find solace, but the villager’s words are even more troubling.

Rósa’s isolation begins to play tricks on her mind: What—or who—is in the attic? What happened to Anna? Was she mad, a witch, or just a victim of Jón’s ruthless nature? And when Jón is brutally maimed in an accident a series of events are set in motion that will force Rósa to choose between obedience and defiance—with her own survival and the safety of the ones she loves hanging in the balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Sep 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9780062972576

Caroline Lea

Caroline Lea was born and raised in Jersey in the United Kingdom. The Glass Woman is her second novel. She lives in Warwick, England.

Reviews for The Glass Woman

[Tiffany Mannion · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Soooo hard to put down! Intoxicating! Read brilliantly! So perfect! Bravo! Brava writer and reader!

[RubabMirza · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A most amazing book. I enjoyed listening to it. It’s tale is heart-wrenching and beautiful at the same time.

[Ana-Maria · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

" Love opens us, as an earthquake opens the earth. I turn to face the sea and I walk. I am overwhelmed by the sensation of lightness, as if the stones weight nothing. It is a return to the still waters, after a lifetime of currents and drift. And beneath the breathing sky, I have never felt more alive".

A beautiful book, about how we judge people without truly knowing their stories and struggles; we make opinions about others based on other's peoples' words, and we continue to pick out only those confirmatory aspects about them, so that we confirm our hypothesis. The same happens with Rosa, the character who marries Jon, to escape poverty and help her mother survive winter. Her instinct tells her initially that Jon is a good person, but when she moves out in the remote settlement with him, she picks out on gossip and all kinds of clues that make her think that he might be a murderer.

It turns out that his secret was different, and that her heart was also not in that marriage as well.

Jon becomes in the end from the villain, the hero, and Rosa changes and becomes more independent, wiser, and able to follow her heart.

The writing was excellent, and the story exciting and engaging. I loved every page and recommended the book wholeheartedly.

[karenbayly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found this to be a real page-turner. Haunting, bleak, and beautiful, the characters were interesting, the atmosphere chilling, and the writing clear but poetic. I'll admit to being a sucker for anything set in Iceland at period in history. It's a place that always seem to enter stories as another character rather than a landscape.

[dreesie-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I heard about this book on Strong Sense of Place podcast Iceland episode, and then found the audio on Hoopla.I thought this book was going to be be straight historical ficti0n (1600s Iceland), but it ended up being a historical thriller? I didn't even know that was a thing, but it was fine. I have been in a bit of an audiobook slump lately, and this kept me interested, which lately has been unusual! The author is English and I don't know how accurate/researched anything in this novel is, but it let me listening.There are actually two narrators on the audio, a man and a woman. Hoopla only names the woman, Hei∂a Reed, who is fantastic. Her (presumably Icelandic) accent is strong enough to give flavor but also very easy to listen to and understand. The man's accent--or maybe his stylizing the voice of Jon--is a bit rougher, but was also fine.

[managedbybooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This story takes place in 1680s Iceland, which is already pretty out of the norm for my reading, but this book was so dark, mysterious and atmospheric. It was like nothing I've ever read before. Rósa falls on hard times and must marry a visiting trader in order to help her family, but once she's at his home, she faces overwhelming seclusion.

[mnpose · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m not even sure what genre to place this book. This book is very atmospheric and had me holding my breath at times. It is not an easy read. I think it builds slowly but the story is compelling. The descriptions of the landscape had me feeling the cold and smelling the snow and the sea.

[janerawoof · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Shivery novel set in 17th century Iceland. A young girl, Rosa, marries the headman of another village, Jon. The story is that he has murdered his first wife and buried her. There are certain parts of his property he keeps locked and forbids her to enter: the loft in his home and the "pit-house" [a storehouse?] on his property. He forbids her becoming friends with anyone in the village, especially the herbalist and healer, Katrin. Why? He is an eccentric man, cold, distant and dour. She often hears strange noises above her in the night. From the loft? He has a apprentice, Petur, who has had a terrible childhood. The two are inseparable. Rosa feels evil in the air. Will it affect her? She is alone, having moved from her native village.This novel kept me engrossed and guessing. Another reviewer mentioned on Goodreads the story's being predictable, but it wasn't to me. There were many twists and turns; around every corner another one appeared. Don't read this one at night!! Highly recommended.