Women of Quality (2014)

FOUR STARS “... a true ode to Iceland. To the azure heavens, the glaciers and the powers of nature. ... a multifaceted story that offers countless potential interpretations. ...”

“The story is in a certain way a Bildungsroman of a woman at a turning point in her life. The main character is the vulcanologist Maria who has, along with her colleague Bardur, survived a crash after their vehicle fell 200 meters from a snowbank in Vatnajokull glacier. After the fall she awakens to a new life, but nothing is the same as it was. But life carries on and before long Maria again finds in a free fall of another kind where her entire safety net seems to be failing and her existence takes off in an unexpected direction. ... The book is an enjoyable read, with moments with narrative joy and humor ... At the time she takes on philosophical and ethical questions of human existence, interpersonal relationships, strength and frailty, power, acquiescence and independence. At the core of this spectrum is love in all its various and at times fractured forms ...”