Greenlanders, The

Book Description

"HAUNTING."
--The New York Times Book Review
Jane Smiley, the Pultizer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres, gives us a magnificent novel of fourteenth-century Greenland. Rich with fascinating detail about the day-to-day joys and innumerable hardships of remarkable people, The Greenlanders is also the compelling story of one family--proud landowner Asgeir Gunnarsson; his daughter Margret, whose willful independence leads her into passionate adultery and exile; and his son Gunnar, whose quest for knowledge is at the compelling center of this unforgettable book. Echoing the simple power of the old Norse sagas, here is a novel that brings a remote civilization to life and shows how it was very like our own.
"TOTALLY COMPELLING . . . FASCINATING . . . In the manner of the big books of the nineteenth century, in which complex family and community matters unravel--Dickens, Dumas, Tolstoy--The Greenlanders sweeps the reader along. . . . Jane Smiley is a true storyteller."
--The Washington Post
"A POWERFUL, MOVING STUDY OF HUMAN FRAILTY AND THE EPHEMERAL NATURE OF COURAGE AND LOVE."
--USA Today
"WONDERFUL . . . A HISTORICAL NOVEL WITH THE NEARNESS OF CONTEMPORARY FICTION."
--The New Republic
"[AN] EPIC MASTERPIECE . . . SPELLBINDING."
--Newsday

Customer Reviews:

Global cooling.......2007-08-25

Today I read a news article about Greenland entitled "Climate Change Is a Mixed Bag for Inuit." I had to smile at that since I have just finished reading Smiley's book, which recreates the society of Greenland at the end of the 1300's when the problem was global COOLING. Nowadays, the fjords are ice free by April or May (instead of July): that contrasts with the ice and hard winters coming earlier and earlier for the ancient Greenlanders. Then, farms were abandoned, people died of disease and starvation, the Inuit had to come further south to hunt. And Smiley even contrasts this to the hardy folk and explorations of Erik the Red's time. Who knows? Maybe as our own century proceeds, we will see farmers again in Greenland!!
This extraordinary novel spins out many of the conflicts of the time: between and within families, between the Church and the old Nordic laws represented by the dwindling number of lawsayers, between the old culture of "riches" and the rapidly approaching destitution, between the settlers and the Inuit. The book is so rich in theme and character; the reader will find many more conflicts to mull over. Most of all, in the lives of these people, we see ourselves in all of life's cycles. Smiley's style evokes the way these people thought and talked, with a predominance of the old Anglo-Saxon lexicon that is our heritage as English speakers.
This eloquent book is in the great tradition of "Kristin Lavransdatter" by Sigrid Undset (the translation by Charles Archer had me mesmerized) and "Giants in the Earth" by Rolvaag.

Good, not great.......2007-05-28

I'm a huge fan of hers. There were a few things that I didn't like about this one:
1) Too long and repetitive. 1/4 could have been pruned
2) Weak character development
3) Confusing at parts

Sorry to have finished it.......2007-05-01

A really good read. This spare and yet rich tale spun out over generations had me longing for a loom and a trencher of dried reindeer meat. As I turned the last page, I ruefully left my paperback time-travel machine and returned to the time of packaged foods and incandescent lighting.

An Epic of 14th Century Greenland.......2007-01-14

This book reads and is written as an epic, a sprawling novel, illustrating the customs, weather, beliefs, habits, and lifestyle of the people of Greenland in the Middle Ages. There is a lot of detail, about hunting parties, shoes, tiny beds built into walls, imaginary creatures, and most importantly the relationships of the people.

Haunting and unforgettable. .......2006-07-16

I first read this book soon after it came out in 1988 or `89, and its magic has never left me even after having reread it more than once since. The story, written in spare but illuminating saga style and historically accurate as far as it's known, vividly fleshes out a time and place, a society struggling to survive while being virtually forgotten by the outside world, a society of which many today are unaware that it ever existed. The novel spans generations, set during the latter half of the 1300s to early 1400s (some evidence indicates that the last Greenland Norse remnants in the Eastern Settlement may have held on into the early 1500s). Although its two widely separated settled areas never numbered more than a total of perhaps five thousand persons at the max, to ask why it disappeared is, in a real sense, to put the cart before the horse. As the late geographer Carl O. Sauer reminded us in his 1968 book "Northern Mists," the first thing to be asked -- the obverse, the first side of the question of why Norse Greenland failed -- is how it survived for five hundred years. This remarkable medieval people endured over a span as long as that of the Roman Empire and a century longer than the American culture has yet done since the first permanent English settlements of the early 1600s with far more support from overseas. With a sure hand Smiley portrays a distinctive slice of humanity in all its strengths, weaknesses, capacity for good and evil, fallability, wisdom, and stoic acceptance of its own mortality. Unlike some more recent writing of hers I've seen, the author essentially "tells it like it is," and in the manner of a true saga lets the chips fall where they may -- thus allowing the reader to make one's own judgments. This book is a masterpiece.

White Angakok;: Hans Egede and the Greenlanders

Average customer rating:

White Angakok;: Hans Egede and the Greenlanders
Erling Nicolai Rolfsrud
Manufacturer: Augustana Book Concern
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

From the Writings of the Greenlanders: Kalaallit Atuakklaannit

Average customer rating:

From the Writings of the Greenlanders: Kalaallit Atuakklaannit
Michael Fortescue
Manufacturer: University of Alaska Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Folklore & Mythology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

The Greenlanders
Jane Smiley
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 000223419X

Average customer rating:

The Greenlanders
Jane Smiley
Manufacturer: Fawcett Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KG8M0O

Eiriksdottir: A Tale of Dreams and Luck : A Novel

Average customer rating:

A feminist explorer
A fantastic tale of an age near lost in the mists of time...

Eiriksdottir: A Tale of Dreams and Luck : A Novel
Joan Clark
Manufacturer: Macmillan of Canada
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0771590091

Customer Reviews:

A feminist explorer.......2001-01-30

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.

A fantastic tale of an age near lost in the mists of time..........1999-04-01

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!!!

Average customer rating:

The Greenlander

Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GRM1EU

Average customer rating:

An old-fashioned novel about becoming a man
Go North young man

The Greenlander
Mark Adlard
Manufacturer: Summit Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0671240447

Customer Reviews:

An old-fashioned novel about becoming a man.......2004-05-14

"The Greenlander" by Mark Adlard is a good attempt at bringing back the old-fashioned novel. It is about a whaling ship and its crew "Greenlanders" who embark from Northumbria, England to the Greenland Sea to find whales. Tragedy occurs, and the ship has to turn back to England. Will the crew survive the trip back? Will the hero get the girl he loves? It is a good saga of survival and brotherhood. I did like the competant Shetland woman, she was a good character.

Go North young man.......2000-04-11

This is excellent fiction, with an historical basis. Anyone with an appetite for Arctic literature or northern sailing stories will enjoy this one. Apart from giving us some fine writing and a simple, vivid story, Adlard takes us back to the last days of sail and the hunting of whales in Greenland waters. The timbers creak on board ship and the whalers somehow engage our entire attention and sympathy, simple poor men that they are, even though in our so much more developed world, we shun the very notion of their trade. But for generations they had to do this job, leaving for months at a time, frequently falling victim to the ice. In seaport towns on both sides of the Atlantic and in parts of the Southern Hemisphere as well, there are rich traditions associated with the ghastly ritual of the harpoon. It is just as well that their stories be preserved; it is a vanished way of life and one that needs to be more carefully documented.

I don't know any more about Mark Adlard, but it is indeed a pity that he seems not to have published much other work. "The Greenlander" whether as history or as fiction, is very good quality material.

Average customer rating:
The Greenlander : A Novel of the Early Whaling Industry
Adlard Mark
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KEV6MW

Average customer rating:
Greenlanders 1ST Edition
Jane Smiley
Manufacturer: ALFRED A KNOPF
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PZSQOC

Book Description

World-class entertainer and Sazi councilmember, Antoine Monier has taken his big cats all over the world without any trouble-until his latest trip to Stuttgart, where one of his tigers is stolen and killed. To Antoine's surprise, the German police have another tiger in custody-a tiger who is actually a lovely Turkish-American woman, Tahira Kuric. Like Antoine, Tahira is a shapeshifter, but of the Hayalet Kabile, the ghost tribe of shapeshifters. And despite their immediate attraction, Tahira wants nothing to do with Antoine-the Sazi are the enemy of the Hayalet Kabile. But Tahira doesn't have a choice, because she and Antoine have discovered that she is a fabled "power well," able to store magical energy from other shapeshifters-and something is hunting her, eager to use her powers for itself. Only if they can set aside their peoples' ancient rivalry and rely completely on each other-body and soul-can Tahira and Antoine save themselves and their people.

Customer Reviews:

Captive Moon not captivating.......2007-08-05

Even though I like this kind of book, this book just didn't do it for me.

A new breed of shapeshifters!.......2007-04-04

I stumbled into the Sazi books a year ago and fell in love with this world of shapeshifters and magic. They are dangerous, fascinating and noble. In Captive moon, Antoine (a powerful lion shifter)is investigating the murder of some of his cats when he discovers a tigress unlike anything he's seen or heard of before. She's a shapeshifter, but she's not Sazi and she's not interested in letting him help her, even though she's trapped and dying.

If you dig shapeshifters, thrillers, or paranormal romance, you'll dig this series!

not bad, but not great, either.......2007-02-03

I really enjoyed the second book in this series and was looking forward to this one. I was a bit disappointed. I think the authors had a good idea, but didn't push it into as much depth as they could. I didn't feel they brought out the culture of the Turkish and German lands they were visiting enough and the characters were not as relatible as they could be. Again, I think it was a lack of depth of the character. I get that Antoine had a bad childhood and that is what is holding him back from wanting to let go with his visions, but for Tahira to be able to know him so well in only a few days and one sexual encounter to be able to diagnose his problem and advise him on it was silly. Also, the scene where her brother escapes completely annoyed me. The thought that he could have so easily escape for over a month! and didn't because he simply never thought of it?! I know this is fantasy, but that is simply unrealistic human behavior.

I'll continue reading, simply because I liked the first two books, but I certainly hope this was a one time only goof.

Not a patch on the previous 2 books.......2007-01-08

This was as dull as dishwater. Too many details crammed together which didn't make any sense. The sex wasn't very good. I found some of the writing actually a bit childish. I didn't care about the two main characters, and the female lead was just annoying. This is not a patch on Hunters Moon and Moon's web.

Good read.......2007-01-03

I am Turkish in origin, that is why I bought this book (and also I am into paranormal romance) It disappointed me a bit as the lead character who is supposed to be Turkish, is almost embarrassed about it. Other than that, good action scenes and romance scenes.

Two Moons: The Freeman's Captive: Book Two

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Read
Wow!
Excellent sequaql
Shepard does not disappoint!

Two Moons: The Freeman's Captive: Book Two
Chelsea Shepard
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0595330843

Book Description

As Megan struggles to adjust to a green sky and a sexually-inventive society, she is brutally forced to confront the dark side of the planet Khyra. Kidnapped and held hostage by a determined and dangerous freeman, she must fight ruthless adversaries as well as contradicting feelings in her heart.

At a time when she needs strength and resilience, will her love for Khiru, the fierce Rhysh Master, be help or hindrance? In Two Moons II: The Freeman's Captive, the second novel of her intergalactic adventures, Megan finds herself in a battle she didn't choose, one in which the outcome will forever change her life.

Praise for Two Moons I: Worthy of a Master:

"Finally! What an awesome 4-star read. Ms. Shepard has a unique ability for true character development along with inventive scenes."

Download Description

At a time when she needs strength and resilience, will her love for Khiru, the fierce Rhysh Master, be help or hindrance? In Two Moons II: The Freeman

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Read.......2007-04-02

I enjoyed this story and glad I read it right after the first one. Both together made the story even better.

Wow!.......2006-02-19

I couldn't put this book down, once I started it. It is a first-rate successor to Two Moons: Worthy of A Master. Beware if BDSM shocks you. Although such scenes abound, Shepard never fails to build meaningful relationships among her characters and to characterize them, especially Megan, so that the reader really cares about them. Nor does she neglect a fascinating and tension-filled plot. The leading male character, Khiru, seems remote, but I suspect that is purposeful. The second leading male character, Kalhan, although just as dominant as Khiru, seems more like a real person with honest disappointments, doubts, and emotional attachments. Minor figures such as Leeham, the neophyte submissive, are masterfully drawn and evoke sympathy and smiles from the reader. The leading villain, Vogh, is portrayed as deeply dark and evil as possible. although Shepard fleshes out the character by revealing one weak spot in his armor (I won't tell and ruin the plot!) The structure of society on the alien planet that is the setting seems carefully and believably drawn. Strong recommendation with the caveat mentioned above.

Excellent sequaql.......2005-12-26

This is a follow on to The first boos Worthy of a Master. Megan gets Khiru a trained Master, but their relationship turns rockey. She is kidnaped by some folks from the free colonies for the same reason that the Global Council wants her, as a source of DNA that will let them repair the genitic damage done during the gene wars. They changed the male/female birth rate to 4 to 1 and then when the wars were over the attempt to nromalize make things much worse and left 1/2 of the couples unable to have children. (Even today genetic manipulation in this regon of the gene is known to cause secfonday problems and unpredictable resultws.) The free arieas are those who refused to submit to the Council because they objected for religious, cultural or other reasons the rule of the Council. Good plot/subplot, sex scenes, and characterization. Reminds me of Laura Antoniou at her best, but without the transsectual issues. Nicley done BDSM, Ds, and MS scenes; even if you generaly don't like this type of book I would highly recomend this one.

Shepard does not disappoint!.......2004-12-31

After reading Two Moons: Worthy of a Master (book 1), I couldn't wait to get Freeman's Captive. This book is just as witty, sexy, and well-written as the first.

Our heroine, Megan, finds herself on Khyra with her wonderful new lover, Khiru. However, not all is paradise, as Megan and Khiru come to understand that Megan will never be able to satisfy Khiru's complex needs as a Master -- a graduate of the exclusive acadamy where Dom/mes and subs are formally trained in the fine art of BDSM.

Back in book 1, Megan's disasterous incident with an irresponsible dom left her with emotional scars. She enters book 2 with all sorts of psychological baggage concerning masochism.

Meanwhile, the whole planet is looking to her DNA as the saving force that will keep Khyrians from eventually becoming extinct (a result of their previous meddling with reproductive genetics). As the wonderfully-twisty plot unfolds, Megan is kidnapped by rebels who want to see the Free Territories gain the same benefit from Megan's fertile body.

Megan steps up to every challenge (or, um, lays down for every challenge?) blooming into a new woman as she is forced to face her greatest fears about sex, bondage, pain, submission ... and utimately, love.

I cannot recommend this series enough, and I cannot wait for the next installment!

ANALOG - Science Fiction Science Fact - Volume 112, number 10 - August Aug 1992: Captive Dreams; The Clone in the Moon; Eavesdroppers; A Cape Canaveral Diary; Interfaces; Castles in the Air; In His Image; The Taking of Slaves; Real-Time

Average customer rating:

ANALOG - Science Fiction Science Fact - Volume 112, number 10 - August Aug 1992: Captive Dreams; The Clone in the Moon; Eavesdroppers; A Cape Canaveral Diary; Interfaces; Castles in the Air; In His Image; The Taking of Slaves; Real-Time
Stanley (editor) (Michael F. Flynn; Jerry Oltion; F. Alexander Brejcha; Vincent Di Fate; Arian Andrews; Jayge Carr; G. David Nordley; Francis Marion Soty; Lee Goodloe) Schmidt
Manufacturer: Davis Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J5R31A

Analog Science Fiction & Fact August, 1992: Captive Dreams; The Clone in the Moon; Eavesdroppers

Average customer rating:

Analog Science Fiction & Fact August, 1992: Captive Dreams; The Clone in the Moon; Eavesdroppers
Michael F.; Oltion, Jerry; Brejcha, F. Alexander Flynn
Manufacturer: Davis Publications, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KP2EFE

A captive of love,: Founded upon Bakin's Japanese romance Kumono tayema ama yo no tsuki (The moon shining through a cloud-rift on a rainy night)

Average customer rating:

A captive of love,: Founded upon Bakin's Japanese romance Kumono tayema ama yo no tsuki (The moon shining through a cloud-rift on a rainy night)
Edward Greey
Manufacturer: C.T. Dillingham
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00085J918

Average customer rating:

The Captive's Journey
Blue Moon Books
Manufacturer: Blue Moon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Adult Fiction | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1562010565

Average customer rating:

Held Captive by a Picture
Arnold Moon
Manufacturer: Merlin Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0863036066

Newbery Award Library III: Walk Two Moons, Catherine, Called Birdy, Indian Captive

Average customer rating:

The best book on earth!!!!
greatest book i have ever read
A wonderful book!
Reading this book can teach you a valuable moral.
Sad, happy, depressing all at the same time.

Newbery Award Library III: Walk Two Moons, Catherine, Called Birdy, Indian Captive
HarperCollins , Lois Lenski , and Karen Cushman
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This boxed set contains Trophy paperback editions of Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech; Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman; and Indian Captive by Lois Lenski.

Walk Two Moons

As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe's outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold -- the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing mother.

In her own award-winning style, Sharon Creech intricately weaves together two tales, one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming, compelling, and utterly moving story of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion.Catherine, Called Birdy

Catherine feels trapped. Her father is determined to marry her off to a rich man -- any rich man, no matter how awful.

But by wit, trickery, and luck, Catherine manages to send several would-be husbands packing. Then a shaggy-bearded suitor from the north comes to call -- by far the oldest, ugliest, most revolting suitor of them all.

Unfortunately, he is also the richest.

Can a sharp-tongued, high-spirited, clever young maiden with a mind of her own actually lose the battle against an ill-mannered, piglike lord and an unimaginative, greedy toad of a father?

Deus! Not if Catherine has anything to say about it!Indian Captive

In this classic frontier adventure, Lois Lenski reconstructs the real life story of Mary Jemison, who was captured in a raid as young girl and raised amongst the Seneca Indians.

Meticulously researched and illustrated with many detailed drawings, this novel offers an exceptionally vivid and personal portrait of Native American life and customs.

Customer Reviews:

The best book on earth!!!!.......2001-12-01

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech is my all-time favorite book I've read through my 10 years of living. I think this book is very touching, especialy at the end. All the characters have different characteristics, especialy Phoebe.
It's alltogether Happy,touching, and amazingly sad. I recomend this book to people who love to read books with all these things included. I have to say, I couldn't put this book down!!!! ^-^'s and :('s, Jammer Lammy.

greatest book i have ever read.......2000-06-13

this is one of the greatest collection of words i have read in my 13 yrs. it is an enlightening book w/ stories that relate to eachother it will keep you reading and reading until you are done i love it i recomend it to all ages!

A wonderful book!.......1999-05-06

This is a wonderful book! I would recommend it to readers of all ages. Though it has a terribly sad ending, I'm sure it will touch the souls of readers everywhere. It contains wonderful philosophies and a great motto;no matter how many birds of sadness are nesting in your hair, you should always get on with life. This is a wonderful book and I would recommend it to readers everywhere-especially tear-jerker lovers.

Reading this book can teach you a valuable moral........1999-04-07

Walk Two Moons is a depressingly sad story. The author creates a sense of hope and faith through the main charecter. By the end of the book the reader has been given a simple moral that everyone should have, "to get on with our lifes no matter what happens".

Sad, happy, depressing all at the same time........1998-12-17

This is a very nice book and well written. Sharon Creech is a very imaginative writer. She comes up with wonderfull idea's. She knows exactly what she is going to write next. She doesn't stop to think on what to write. I think that's a very good habit. If you like this book then you should read "Chasing red bird" that is a very good book. But anyways when I was reading this book I couldn't put this book down!!!!!!! Great book... For ages 9-13.

Average customer rating:

CAPTIVE MOON (SAZI, NO 3)
ADAMS / CLAMP
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000Q93X0E

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books