Praise for The Thrall’s Tale
From the Reviewers
“Judith Lindbergh has created an engaging whopper of a first novel. …The Thrall’s Tale is an epic of the first degree. Historical fiction at its best not only evokes and enlightens a time long-lost but engages the reader via a flesh-and-blood story. Lindbergh has done that and more. With a mother vs. daughter theme, murder, revenge, a heartbreaking love affair and a heroine reminiscent of Celie from The Color Purple but singularly her author’s own creation, The Thrall’s Tale defines the genre.”
– The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Lindbergh has done something bold. She has co-opted the archetypal ‘male’ tale – the story of a warrior – and made it feminine…. A portrait of the whole human race in adolescence. On these desolate plains, surrounded by cruelty, humans somehow learned to embrace forgiveness.”
– San Francisco Chronicle
“…Fascinating tale. …Masterful.”
– Luan Gaines, www.curledup.com
Read Luan Gaines’ interview with Judith
“Epic debut… well-researched and emotional evocations of characters in a time of religious and social upheaval are dramatic and entertaining.”
– Publishers Weekly
“Thoroughly researched and beautifully executed. Highly recommended.”
– Library Journal
From Booksense.com
“This gritty, epic tale set in Viking Greenland will thrill any fan of historical fiction. The theme of good versus evil looms large.”
– Laura Huemer, Goldfinch Books, Maplewood, NJ
Buzz about THE THRALL’S TALE
The Thrall’s Tale by Judith Lindbergh. Fabulous and strong…. This “beautifully written” novel is set in Viking Greenland in 985 and focuses on the intertwined lives of 3 women. But it’s not aimed solely at women; …the men who have read it think it’s terrific. BIG expectations.
– Buzz Girl: A Publishing Insider Gets the Skinny on Tomorrow’s Bestsellers
Advance Praise for THE THRALL’S TALE
Every once in a while, a writer creates a novel that opens our eyes to a lost world. Arthur Golden achieved this with “Memoirs of a Geisha,” and now Judith Lindbergh has performed a similar feat in her re-creation of the risky, arduous Viking settlement of Greenland. Gripping and wholly original, in “The Thrall’s Tale” Lindbergh places her prodigious research in the service of a story that transports through time and place, but always remains anchored in the unchanging territory of the human heart.
– Geraldine Brooks, 2006 Pulitzer Prize winning author of March and Year of Wonders
The Thrall’s Tale is not only a wonderfully rich historical novel, it resonates strongly into our current age with its exploration of religion-driven cultures in collision. The alternating voices of the story are pitch-perfectly convincing, and tenth-century Greenland is evoked with absorbing vividness. Judith Lindbergh is a greatly gifted novelist and she has created an enchanted and provocative reading experience.
– Robert Olen Butler, winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Lindbergh is a master storyteller, deftly weaving meticulously researched detail with unforgettable characters. This novel satisfies on every level–an escape to a faraway time when the Vikings settled in Greenland and the gods still walked the earth–and a gripping tale of magic, lust, deception, retribution, and love. This is innovative history at its best–inventive, alive with language, detail. Lindbergh inhabits her characters with rare compassion and honesty, exploring their cruelty, courage, and capacity to love. The plot unfolds with the suspense of a thriller, and you’ll stay up all night to follow the many transformations of Katla’s life. With The Thrall’s Tale, Judith Lindbergh emerges as one of the finest historical novelists in recent years.
– Jonis Agee, author of NY Times Notable Books, including The Weight of Dreams
A deeply imaginative and moving tale of a young slave who fights for her life and freedom while voyaging to, and settling on the southwestern shores of Greenland.
– Gretel Ehrlich, author of The Solace of Open Spaces and This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland