The Sealwoman's Gift
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The Sealwoman's Gift
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Narrated by:
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Katherine Manners
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By:
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Sally Magnusson
About this listen
In 1627 Barbary pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted some 400 of its people, including 250 from a tiny island off the mainland. Among the captives sold into slavery in Algiers were the island pastor, his wife and their three children. Although the raid itself is well documented, little is known about what happened to the women and children afterwards. It was a time when women everywhere were largely silent.
In this brilliant reimagining, Sally Magnusson gives a voice to Ásta, the pastor's wife. Enslaved in an alien Arab culture Ásta meets the loss of both her freedom and her children with the one thing she has brought from home: the stories in her head. Steeped in the sagas and folk tales of her northern homeland, she finds herself experiencing not just the separations and agonies of captivity, but the reassessments that come in any age when intelligent eyes are opened to other lives, other cultures and other kinds of loving.
The Sealwoman's Gift is about the eternal power of story telling to help us survive. The novel is full of stories - Icelandic ones told to fend off a slave-owner's advances, Arabian ones to help an old man die. And there are others, too: the stories we tell ourselves to protect our minds from what cannot otherwise be borne, the stories we need to make us happy.
©2018 Sally Magnusson (P)2018 John Murray PressListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"A remarkable feat of imagination...I enjoyed and admired it in equal measure." (Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent)
"An extraordinarily immersive read, that emphasises the power of stories, examining themes of motherhood, identity, exile and freedom...a journey that not only crosses continents, but encompasses tragedy and rich sensuality." (Guardian)
"A powerful tale of Barbary pirates...richly imagined." (Sunday Times)
What listeners say about The Sealwoman's Gift
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mandy
- 31-05-19
Wonderful
I loved this story and the reading and the names. It was woven like a perfect web.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aileen McGowan
- 15-02-19
Fabulous!
Beautifully read and a fantastic story. Really enjoyed listening to this and would highly recommend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- carol
- 12-07-18
Throughly enjoyable
I had my reservations whether I would enjoy the story, but it was delightful written by Sally Magnusson, and i soon got lost in the twists and turns of a captured wife and mother, who was snatched from Iceland to spending life in Algiers, this is based on an actual historical time in the 1600's when Iceland was invaded by pirates. Highly recommended
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Fin de Ville
- 15-09-18
Rich and beautiful read
Not what I thought it was going to be. The story unfolded into a beautiful tale of love in all its forms.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- cyntaxia
- 10-12-18
fantastic and i miss it as a friend already
wonderful book. listen to it. i miss it as a friend already. atmospheric and beautiful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- kathryn schofield
- 21-02-21
Beautifully written and narrated novel.
This book had my interest and attention from the very beginning and unable to stop reading.
I found the characters most engaging and the relationship between them absolutely beautiful especially between Asta and her husband and Asta and her moor capturer.
I loved the way the author describes Asta children existing in her memory and bringing them back into Asta and her husband’s lives.
The descriptions of their island and the place they are taken to really makes you imagine those places and their different types of beauty and brings them alive.
A wonderful and at times tearful book that takes the reader right back to the 17th century and the way of life.
Thoroughly recommended and I will certainly read Sally Magnusson’s next novel.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Luce S
- 21-04-21
Fascinating story that is narrated perfectly
This is simply the best audio book I have listened to. An evocative story set in the 1600s told from the perspective of an Icelandic woman. Sally Magnusson weaves a brilliant tale (based on truth) about the harsh lives of Icelanders taken captive by pirates and traded as slaves. I highly recommend it! I'm hooked and now listening to her next book.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- A20man
- 07-07-18
Thought provoking read
Unusual and interesting story line. Conjured up what it might be like to be wrenched from one culture to another... and how, in order to survive, we inevitably start to put down roots where ever we find ourselves. Narrator was excellent, loved her prounciation of all the Icelandic words I would have skipped over had I read the book.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss st Clair
- 12-02-20
The delight of stories
This is a story filled with parts of traditional stories from Iceland and Algiers. It is about mysteries, love, torture, religion, and how they all shape one. I would highly recommend it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- GORIMACALE
- 13-12-18
Great story beautifully told
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. it is beaurifully written and the characters are truly sensitively portrayed.
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