Publisher: Penguin Group Page Count: 446 Fiction Genre: Historical, Fantasy, Medieval, Adventure Dates Read: June 15-18, 2015 Summary This is the story of Katla, a thrall (a slave). Set in Greenland, we learn right away about the brutal rape of Katla by her master's son. A rape that left her maimed and nearly destroyed. Thorbjorg, a seer, takes the beaten and pregnant Katla in. Thorbjorg becomes a surrogate mother to Bibrau, the baby produced by the rape. Katla is so fractured by her assualt that she cannot even look at her own daughter, because all she sees in the evil of her father. Bibrau is a smart and beautiful child, whom Thorbjorg trains in the Shamanic arts. No matter what Thorbjorg does, it does not stop the immense hate and evil that builds inside of Bibrau. A Thrall's Tale is the story of Katla, as told from the different perspectives of these women. Review This book is brutal. It is nightmarishly graphic in details, especially surrounding Katla's rape, and several deaths throughout the book. The book also has a lot of difficult prose. It is beautifully written, but at times I found it difficult to follow. There were numerous points where I had troubles keeping my attention to the book. There were moments that captivated me, and I couldn't put the book down, but then it was followed by moments of sheer boredom, where I considered skipping pages to move the story along quicker. Lindbergh spent 10 years researching for this book, and I have to commend her for her dedication to be genuine and authentic to history. However, it did not feel like she spent enough time developing her characters. Katla was the only character I cared about. Maybe that was out of sympathy for her situation, or maybe it's because Thorbjorg and Bibrau did not give you anything to love. Overall I liked this book. It was a challenge to get through, but I always like a good challenge. I will most likely never pick this book up again, but I do not regret reading it. Ratings (based on a 10 point scale) Quality of Writing - 7 Pace - 4 Plot Development - 5 Characters - 6 Enjoyability - 8 Insightfulness - 8 Ease of Reading - 5 Photos/Illustrations - N/A Overall Rating - 4 out of 5 stars
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