The Greenhouse

(Paperback)

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Description

For Lobbi, the tragic passing of his mother proves to be a profound catalyst. Their shared love of tending rare roses in her greenhouse inspires him to leave his studies behind and travel to a remote village monastery to restore its once fabulous gardens. While transforming the garden under the watchful eye of a cinephile monk, he is surprised by a

Reviews

2011 Winner of the Quebec Booksellers Prize (Canada) 2010 Winner of the Prix de Page for Best European Novel of the Year (France) 2007 Winner of the DV Culture Award (Iceland) Shortlisted for the Prix Femina (France) One of the most unexpected and greatest discoveries of the year. Le Parisien Excellent introduction to Icelandic fiction; funny. The New York Times The Greenhouse is a rare book, full of beauty. After opening the book I was unable to put it down, entirely captivated by its enchanting style. Le Page A revelation. Le Monde [An] entertaining read. The Complete Review At once wryly observant and sweetly comic, The Greenhouse is a meditation on such sweeping themes as sex, death, becoming a parent, manhood, and finding a place for oneself in the world which doesnt once fall prey to cloying generalizations or clich. Rather, through the eyes of twenty-two year old Arnljtur Thriror Lobbi, as his elderly father affectionately calls himauthor Audur Ava Olafsdottir breathes a freshness and sincerity into her subject matter which is as charming as it is insightful. Three Percent

Author Bio

Audur Ava Olafsdottirwas born in Reykjavk, Iceland, in 1958. She studied art history and art theory in Paris and is a lecturer in history of art at the University of Iceland and a director of the University of Iceland Art Collection. She has curated art exhibitions in Iceland and abroad, including the Venice Biennale, and written about art and art history in various media. Audur Ava is the author of three novels, a book of poetry, and a play. The first novel,Raised Earth, was published in Iceland in 1998.Rain in November was published to rave reviews in 2004 and received the City of Reykjavik Literary Award.The Greenhouse, published in 2007 and forthcoming in English from AmazonCrossing, won the DV Culture Award for literature and a womens literary prize in Iceland and was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Award. SinceThe Greenhouse was published in France in the autumn of 2010 under the title ofRosa Candida, the book has attracted a great deal of coverage in the French media and received unanimously good reviews. In September 2010, it received the Prix de Page literary award as the best European novel of 2010. The Prix de Page award is determined by a group of 771 bookstores in France where the book was on the bestsellers list for five consecutive months. The novel was also nominated for three other literary awards in France, including the prestigious Femina award. In JanuaryThe Greenhouse was shortlisted for the Canadian 2011 Prix des libraires du Qubec award. Audur Ava Olafsdottir publishedThe Hymn of Glitter, a book of poetry, in 2010, and her first play will premiere at the National Theatre of Iceland in September 2011. Audur Ava Olafsdottirs middle name, Ava, was adopted a few years ago as a tribute to the blind medieval French saint, Ava. Audur Ava Olafsdottir lives and works in Reykjavik.