The Sea Road: A NovelA haunting and compelling historical novel, The Sea Road is an ambitious retelling of the Viking exploration of the North Atlantic from the view-point of one extraordinary woman, as transcribed by an Icelandic monk commissioned to write her life story by his superiors in Rome. Gudrid lives at the remote edge of the known world, in a starkly beautiful landscape where the sea is the only connection to the shores beyond. It is a world where the old Norse gods are still invoked, even as Christianity gains favor, where the spirits of the dead roam the vast northern ice fields, tormenting the living, and Viking explorers plunder foreign shores. Taking the accidental discovery of North America as its focal point, Gudrid's narrative describes a multilayered voyage into the unknown, all recounted with astonishing immediacy and rich atmospheric detail. |
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afraid Agnar Arnarstapi asked baby beach Bjarni Bjorn boats body Brattahlid Breidavik brother cattle dark dead door dream Einar Eirik Raudi Eiriksfjord Eiriksson eyes face farm fate father feast feel fjord forest Freydis Frodriver ghosts girl Glaum gone Green Greenland Grimhild Gudleif Gudrid Halldis hand happened heard hearth Herjolf Herjolfsnes hunting Iceland Karlsefni Kjartan knew land Laugarbrekka Leif Leif Eiriksson Leif's houses living looked Margaret Elphinstone married meat never night Norway once realised remember Rome round sail Sandnes seemed shadow ship shore skraelings skyr Snaefel Snorri Snorri Thorbrandsson snow sometimes spring Stokkanes stood story strange summer sure sword talk tell there's things Thjodhild Thorbjorn Thorfinn Karlsefni Thorhall Thorir Thorstein the Black Thorvald thought thralls Thurid told took turned Vinland voyage watched wife wind wine winter woman women young