The Sealwoman's Gift: the Zoe Ball book club novel of 17th century Iceland

Written by Sally Magnusson

Narrated by Katherine Manners

'REMARKABLE' Sarah Perry | 'EXTRAORDINARILY IMMERSIVE' Guardian | 'EPIC' Zoe Ball Book Club
'A REALLY, REALLY GOOD READ' BBC R2 Book Club' | 'LYRICAL' Stylist | 'POETIC' Daily Mail

1627. In a notorious historical event, pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted 400 people into slavery in Algiers. Among them a pastor, his wife, and their children.

In her acclaimed debut novel Sally Magnusson imagines what history does not record: the experience of Asta, the pastor's wife, as she faces her losses with the one thing left to her - the stories from home - and forges an ambiguous bond with the man who bought her. Uplifting, moving, and sharply witty, The Sealwoman's Gift speaks across centuries and oceans about loss, love, resilience and redemption.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA DEBUT CROWN | THE BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD | THE MCKITTERICK PRIZE | THE PAUL TORDAY MEMORIAL PRIZE | THE WAVERTON GOOD READ AWARD | A ZOE BALL ITV BOOK CLUB PICK

'Sally Magnusson has taken an amazing true event and created a brilliant first novel. It's an epic journey in every sense: although it's historical, it's incredibly relevant to our world today. We had to pick it' Zoe Ball Book Club

'Richly imagined and energetically told' Sunday Times
'The best sort of historical novel' Scotsman
'Compelling stuff' Good Housekeeping
'An accomplished and intelligent novel' Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, author of Why Did You Lie?
'Vivid and compelling' Adam Nichols, co-translator of The Travels of Reverend Ólafur Egilsson

*And Sally Magnusson's second novel, The Ninth Child, publishes March 2020 - available to pre-order now*

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Murray Press
• Release date: Feb 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781473662599

Sally Magnusson

Bestselling author, journalist and broadcaster Sally Magnusson has written several books for adults and children, most recently her Sunday Times bestseller Where Memories Go (2014) about her mother's dementia, The Sealwoman's Gift (2018), her acclaimed debut novel, The Ninth Child (2020) and Music in the Dark (2022). Sally lives outside Glasgow.

Reviews for The Sealwoman's Gift

[lauralkeet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In 1627, Corsairs from Morocco and Algiers sailed to Iceland and staged several raids, destroying property, murdering resistors, and capturing slaves to sell in Algiers. Asta and her husband Olafur were among over 200 captured in one of the largest raids. They were separated from each other and from their children. Olafur was fortunate to be released and sent on a mission to Denmark, to meet the King and request ransom for the captives. This much is known to be true, documented in historical records.

But what happened to Asta and the children? And to Olafur after his journey to Denmark? Sally Magnussen has drawn on research to fill the blank space with a plausible and ultimately moving tale. In Algiers, Asta becomes a slave in a wealthy man’s harem. Two children remain with her but her eldest son is sold to another master. Asta remains hopeful despite the odds and attempts to blend into the harem, where the master’s two wives and an aunt spin Algerian tales to pass the time. Asta, too, is a storyteller, in her case of Icelandic sagas. The harem isn’t interested in her traditions, but her master is, and this skill elevates Asta’s place in the household. Years pass, and she becomes more accepting of Algerian culture and religion. Still, Asta is and will always be a slave and has no control over her fate or that of her family.

I’ll leave it there so as not to spoil the rest of the novel. There is so much here about women’s power (or lack thereof), the dissonance of being part of two cultures, and the importance of love and family. I also found Magnussen’s afterword quite interesting, showing how much of the narrative was based in fact. I enjoyed learning about a history I was completely unfamiliar with.

[vguy_6 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

fictional account of actual Barbary attack on Iceland to grab slaves. Interesting topic but slow moving with too many characters. Gave up when they arrived on North African coast.

[moosenoose · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

“…there are different kinds of love and different ways of loving. The deepest ones bring pain, always, and it cannot be otherwise.”

An historical fiction based around the abduction and enslavement of 400 Icelandic people in the 1600s. The premise sounded very interesting and just my thing but, I did not gel with the storyline or any character. The apparent love affair (or perhaps elements of Stockholm syndrome) between Asta and her captor was unbelievable, especially when considering the fate of her children. In my opinion, this also diminished the true reality of what enslaved people have likely suffered through.

[cariola_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel is based on a true event when, in the mid-17th century, a Turkish fleet flying under Danish flags raids the small Icelandic island community of Heimat, slaughtering many of the inhabitants but also pirating others away to be sold as slaves. The main character, Asta, is the pregnant second wife of Olafur, a much older priest. Asta gives birth to her youngest child, Jon, during the journey to Algiers. There, the family is split apart, and Asta spends nearly ten years as slave to a Muslim master. During this time, she struggles to hold on to her Christian faith and to reunite with her children and friends. She finds solace in the Icelandic sagas that she loves and also uses them to entertain her master. When Asta learns that her husband (who she had presumed was dead) has finally persuaded the Danish king to ransom the some of the captives, she faces a decision that will be devastating, no matter what choice she makes. She is forced to reassess her life, her priorities, and her values.

Although I enjoyed the novel, I felt that it got bogged down at times, especially when it broke out in romance. Magnusson certainly has done her research and gives insights into the reality of life for Muslim women in the time period: near the end, one character even observes how odd it seems that these women, who had suffered terrible fates as slaves, came home not broken but standing taller and stronger.