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The Glass Woman

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

1686, ICELAND. AN ISOLATED, WINDSWEPT LAND HAUNTED BY WITCH TRIALS AND STEEPED IN THE ANCIENT SAGAS.

Betrothed unexpectedly to Jón Eiríksson, Rósa is sent to join her new husband in the remote village of Stykkishólmur. Here, the villagers are wary of outsiders.

But Rósa 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 mistrust them both. Dark threats are whispered. There is an evil here - Rósa can feel it. Is it her husband, the villagers - or the land itself?

Alone and far from home, Rósa sees the darkness coming. She fears she will be its next victim . . .


'Memorable and compelling. A novel about what haunts us - and what should' Sarah Moss, author of Ghost Wall

'Utterly unputdownable. Rich in superstition and mystery, it pulled me in. An incredible novel' Ali Land, author of Good Me Bad Me

'Haunting, evocative and utterly compelling. The Glass Woman transports the reader to a time and place steeped in mystery, 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 Smile of the Wolf

'Suspenseful, gripping and beautifully drawn' Cecilia Ekbäck, author of Wolf Winter

Historical Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Marriage Fantasy Fiction Village Heartfelt

Critic reviews

A fantastic, atmospheric debut
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
A perfect, gripping winter read. I loved it
Memorable and compelling. A novel about what haunts us - and what should
This evocative debut is compelling with a brilliant twist
Compelling, atmospheric
A chilling tale
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
An enthralling tale of the Icelandic witch trials
Crackles with tension. Moving and atmospheric, I couldn't put it down
All stars
Most relevant
This was an intriguing story all through and beautifully told. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was captivated until the last word!!

Fantastic Tale

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Loved this book and the narrators brought it to life .felt all the cold

Wonderfull story

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Would definitely recommend . Real depth of characterisation. Kept wanting to know more about each one. Demonstrated well the complexity and layers that form individual choices and experience

Loved this book

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Can’t really describe what it’s like listening to this book, but it is a bitter adventure. Its excellent written. Heida & Smari narrate beautifully.

A bleak and beautiful book

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A haunting story of love, family, suspicion & hardship, all set in the omnipresence that is the landscape of Iceland. It's a story that keeps unfolding and folding in on itself, a marked comment on the life of women in that time and the things we had too, and were expected to, endure. I was pulled in by the intellect that shines out through Rosa, that and compassion carried the story all the way to the end. And through to the end it never disappointed, just beautiful.

It's a perfect story, in a totally imperfect way. I loved it. I'll be waiting for Caroline Lea's next work.

Beautiful, a future star in the literary sky

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