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Hekla is a young woman in 1960s Iceland. She is named after a volcano, and like her namesake so much is going on under the calm surface. Hekla is a writer but it seems only men can be? Olafsdottir writes in an observational way - we hear what people say to Hekla, see what she sees and we notice the hypocrisy, but we are left to imagine what Hekla is thinking. I like this style of writing and the way it makes the reader try to figure out Hekla. ⬇️

A woman who doesn‘t want to accept what society in Iceland in the 60s wants her to be. A man who doesn‘t want to be different just because he‘s gay.

This book has heavy undertones but it still manages to have a tenderness, that‘s delightful. Read for this month‘s #foodandlit

3✨ While the title is pretty misleading I was invested in the characters. It is really a story about trying to overcoming division of different segregation. Hekla is named after one of the many volcanos in Iceland. She is a bit of a misfit in being a woman that is writing several novels. This is in a time period where that would not be accepted. Her room mate and best friend fights injustice because he loves men. ⬇️ #FoodandLit 🇮🇸

A delight. Set in one of my favourite places. Set in the 60s, a budding female writer in a very male dominated time, a close gay friend also in a difficult time for gay men. I read it in a few hours. A perfect way to spend inside time as we are having much warmer weather than usual for this time of year.

I liked the story of a woman in 1960s Iceland who wants to be a writer, but faces oppression and sexism at every step. Her good friend is a gay man who faces similar prejudice. But I didn‘t like the writing and felt the depiction of the main character diminished her, in a way that felt like just another example of sexism. Plus, the cover doesn‘t work for this book at all—it‘s cute, but doesn‘t fit the content.

Great companion piece to Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Lessons in Chemistry! It was so interesting to have a feel for what Iceland would have been like in the early 1960s. Somethings were pleasant surprises like love of literature and nature. Other things sounded quite familiar with the times it is set in (treatment of women and homosexuals). All in all a good read, but that ending left me shaking my head! 🤷🏻‍♀️

This slim novel, written as a collection of vignettes, follows the story of two friends in 1960s Reykjavík, Iceland: an aspiring writer working as a waitress and a gay aspiring theater costume designer working as a sailor. Both struggle to be socially accepted as their true selves. I loved and hated the bittersweet ending.?#decemberreads2021

Always nice when you pick a book without knowing anything about it or the author, and it turns out to be a good one. It's set in 1960s Iceland, and it's about a young woman who wants to become a writer. The writing is beautiful. I loved it's exploration of what it was like to be a woman at that time in Iceland. And what daily life in Iceland was like. Definitely will seek out more by this author. And also makes me want to go back to Iceland

Hmmmmmm 🤔 A rather melancholic short novel about a young Icelandic female writer in the ‘60s who can‘t get published, her friend who is relegated to being a wife and mother too early, and her best friend who is homosexual and can‘t live an open life. All rather unhappy and unsatisfied souls.

Rather incongruent novel with my Nebraska prairie setting. We‘ve begun our annual trek west and love it!

In 1960s Iceland, an unconventional woman pursues her writing despite antiquated views on women alongside her gay best friend. The style of this novel in translation was really interesting and I enjoyed did overall despite a bummer of an ending (which, yes, was kind of the point but still).

Started this one yesterday!

Switching to Kindle in prep for camping vacation. I miss paper, but the convenience of ebooks is hard to beat.

The two books I bought today with my Waterstones points - plus I still have £7 on there! 😊😍

First real life in person book shopping since... September? I'm excited for both of these. Miss Iceland was picked quite randomly (as the bookshop seemed really well curated, I thought it was a safe place for a random selection) and sounds really good. And the other one got positive reviews from @squirrelbrain and I like the sound of it.

Miss Iceland is so good, and it will likely be one of my favorites this year! Hekla is a writer in 1960s Iceland, publishing under pseudonyms and working part-time at a hotel, all while avoiding a customer who tries to get her to participate in a beauty contest. As a volcano erupts, Hekla and those near her experience the pressures of society, causing the landscape of their relationships to shift.

I have no idea how to explain this book. A girl moves from rural Iceland to the capitol, moves in with her bff, and tries to write and get a novel published. But there's so much more. She and her friends struggle to fit into society. I discovered this author in the airport in Iceland but this is the first of her books that I actually read. I really like the covers.

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@TheAromaofBooks

This book is AWESOME!!! The story is about Hekla, named after a volcano, who wants and is compelled to be a writer in a time when women ( especially in Iceland) are not writers or poets. It follows her life and her close friends as they move forward. It‘s poetic and wonderful! I. Love. It.

Started this today and I‘m thinking all books should match the rosé and the sunset henceforth ✊? before I even started this I was thinking about the movie EuroVision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, have you watched it on Netflix? It‘s hilarious and awesome.

This sounds great - and I could do with being transported somewhere soon - this might be my July #staycation choice!

Hekla is a writer living in Iceland in the 1960s but because she is a woman, everyone around her keeps trying to tuck her back into more traditional roles of wife and mother. She is beautiful and pursued relentlessly by men who want her to compete to be Miss Iceland with somewhat questionable promises. ⤵️