The Glass Woman

A Novel

By: Caroline Lea

Narrated by: Heiða Reed, 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.

Enjoyed this book

This book kept my interest. Enjoyed the story and the narration. I will listen again!

A nice surprise

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started listening to this book. It’s not at all what I thought it would be. Wonderful narrators. In-depth and thought-provoking story. I’ve never “read” anything like it. I was sad when it finished.

loved the story. Hated the Rosa character.

this is a nice story but boy did i dislike the Rosa character. she reminds me of the bella character from twilight.

I Absolutely Loved It

Atmospheric, intriguing, a departure from the usual cop/killer mysteries. So refreshing. Loved the characters. Loved the narrators.

Painfully slow

This is the second book in succession that I have found to be painfully slow. The writing is good, the story has all the elements for a suspenseful read, but the pacing is glacial. Credit to the audiobook publisher for using narrators who are comfortable with the language of Iceland. It added authenticity.