I tend to complain about books with adolescent protagonists. Too often they feel like TV shows where twenty-something actors pretend (unconvincingly) to be high-schoolers. Sometimes I feel like the author wrote the story with an older character in mind and then changed the hero's age for marketing purposes without rewriting any of the plot or dialogue. Solveig provides a welcome contrast: her voice is authentically young, and she approaches her problems in ways that seem appropriate for her age. What I really found remarkable, though, is that Solveig is undeniably feminine. Where lots of female protagonists seem to be genderless (thinking and acting essentially the same way you'd expect a male protagonist would), Solveig *feels* feminine throughout, without those parts of her character being portrayed as a weakness. This struck me as especially unusual coming from a male author.I probably would have given Icefall five stars if the skald's story-telling had been more involved and lyrical. The legends retold in the book were disappointingly simple and flat, and I had the impression they were dumbed down for a young audience. Guardando la copertina mi aspettavo un fantasy, invece ho trovato una storia molto diversa e stupenda.I tre figli di un re vichingo sono stati mandati dal padre a rifugiarsi in un fiordo inaccessibile in inverno per sfuggire a una guerra, protetti da servi fidati e da un gruppo di guerrieri berserkr.La protagonista del libro �� Solveig, la figlia di mezzo. Non bella come la sorella Asa, e non importante come il fratello minore, erede al trono.Durante il lungo inverno Solveig imparer�� a conoscere la propria forza e trover�� la sua strada nel mondo.E' una storia delicata e poetica, ma anche appassionante e profonda. Consigliatissimo.
Do You like book La Figlia Dei Ghiacci (2012)?
A beautiful story about a middle child becoming a skald (bard).
—Sue
A great historical whodunnit for kids in grades 4 and up.
—rowena
