The Glass Woman

(Paperback)

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Description

Rich in character and description, The Glass Woman is an atmospheric debut about superstitions and everything they conceal 1686, Iceland. Betrothed unexpectedly to Jon Eriksson, Rosa travels to the isolated, windswept village of Stykkisholmur. Here, the villagers are suspicious of outsiders - especially one from the everdark edge of civilisation. But Rosa harbours her own suspicions. Her husband buried his first wife alone in the dead of night. He will not talk of it. Instead he gives her a small glass figurine. She does not know what it signifies. The villagers look on them both not only with suspicion - but dread. They whisper dark threats. There is an evil here - she can feel it. Alone and far from home, Rosa sees the darkness coming. She fears she will be its next victim . . .

Reviews

A fantastic, atmospheric debut * The Times *
The eerie opening brilliantly sets the scene for a suspenseful read. A tremor cracks open an ice floe and an arm appears, plunging the reader into a harsh landscape and a world of suspicions and secrets * Sunday Express *
A perfect, gripping winter read. I loved it * Sophie Mackintosh, Man Booker longlisted author of 'The Water Cure' *
Memorable and compelling. A novel about what haunts us - and what should * Sarah Moss, author of The Times Book of the Year 'Ghost Wall' *
This evocative debut is compelling with a brilliant twist * Daily Express *
Compelling, atmospheric * The Times *
A chilling tale * Good Housekeeping *
Intensely written and atmospheric, with an unusual setting, this is a stark evocation of a community where fear of the outsider is rife and unsettling * Daily Mail *
An enthralling tale of the Icelandic witch trials * Stacey Halls, bestselling author of THE FAMILIARS *
Crackles with tension. Moving and atmospheric, I couldn't put it down * Laura Purcell, author of THE SILENT COMPANIONS and THE CORSET *
Gripped me in a cold fist. Beautiful * Sara Collins, author of THE CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON *
A gothic novel for a cold climate. Mesmerising * Elly Griffiths, author of THE STRANGER DIARIES *
Utterly unputdownable. Rich in superstition and mystery, it pulled me in. An incredible novel * Ali Land, author of Sunday Times Bestselling 'Good Me Bad Me' *
Haunting, evocative and utterly compelling. The beautifully drawn narrative transports the reader to a time and place steeped in mystery and superstition, where nothing is ever quite as it seems. Stunning * Tracy Borman, author of 'The King's Witch' *
Like a ghost story told around a winter fire, The Glass Woman is taut, haunting, and broodingly tense. Playing out against the harsh backdrop of the Icelandic winter, it kept me hooked all the way to the end * Tim Leach, author of The Times Book of the Year 'Smile of the Wolf' *
Tremendous. Atmospheric and beautifully wrought, The Glass Woman is both chilling and beguiling * Elizabeth Fremantle *
Is this some Icelandic version of Jane Eyre in which a madwoman lurks in the attic Or do ghosts haunt the household In a sense they do, although the truth Rosa eventually uncovers in this compelling, atmospheric novel are more material and more disturbing than her imaginings * Sunday Times *
Lea draws upon Jane Eyre, Rebecca and Bluebeard to create an eerie, unsettling atmosphere ... Full of promise, and I look forward to reading more from Lea * Daily Telegraph *
Suspenseful, gripping and beautifully drawn * Cecilia Ekbck, author of 'Wolf Winter' *
Eerie and atmospheric * Daily Telegraph *
Tells the tale of the Icelandic witch trials * Red *
A tense, Iceland-set thriller * Sunday Post *
A gorgeous book about the power of stories that makes the landscape of Iceland as powerful a character as any of the humans * Sarah Shaffi, PHOENIX *
A haunting novel that delivers chills. THE GLASS WOMAN is charged with the dark energy of the Icelandic Sagas * Kirkus Reviews *
Mystery and potential danger linger throughout, and with its dreamy prose THE GLASS WOMAN satisfies readers with the ways of an old world * Publishers Weekly *
A chilling and enthralling telling of the Icelandic witch trials. Not only beautifully drawn but poignant, evocative and fascinating. A haunting gothic tale' * Historia *
A rare look at male witch trials, set in Iceland * Guardian *

Author Bio

Caroline Lea grew up on the island of Jersey and gained a First from Warwick University. Her fiction and poetry have been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, while her debut novel, The Glass Woman -a gothic thriller set during the Icelandic witch trials - was shortlisted for the Historical Writers Association Debut Crown Award. Her next novel, The Metal Heart - a powerful Second World War love story set on the island of Orkney - was selected as a Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month. Prize Women, her latest novel, is inspired by film footage Caroline found, showing the women who took part in the Great Stork Derby. Caroline was immediately struck by the awful implications of a competition which made women compete to have children, and by the fact that such a shocking story had remained buried for so long.