The Woman at 1,000 Degrees

Reviews

‘Published in 13 languages, this novel about one feisty Icelandic woman's proximity to history's big moments is a thoroughly entertaining ride.'

‘A blitzkrieg of a novel… Funny, shrewd and reliably rude… This hugely entertaining tale is surely destined for classic status.'

‘In this black-humoured novel...the narrator recounts her misshapen life with engaging vividness.'

‘Breathtaking… Herra's life, and voice, is deeply compelling.'

‘The hottest new book from Iceland… [Herra's] perspective might be just what we need in these uncertain times: She survives and shares her story on her terms. And what a story it is, one worth reading to further understand the complexity of World War II — and to enjoy the quick wit of a woman you won't forget.'

‘The Woman at 1,000 Degrees is incredibly funny, incredibly insightful and incredibly moving.'

‘What a novel! Helgason's Woman at 1,000 Degrees is a gutsy, brilliant book: I could not tear myself away from it. Octogenarian Herra Björnsson's dying recollections, as she lies nursing a hand grenade between her legs in an Icelandic garage, hurtle the reader headfirst into an epic narrative of war, loss, desire and survival, across years and continents. Both funny and deeply moving, I finished it utterly dazzled, my ears ringing.'

‘One of the most original novels of the year.'

‘An explosive experience.'

‘By turns funny, sweet, gripping and sad but never sentimental, Helgason's work...is a sensitive tale of a nearly lived life.'

‘Herra…is exceedingly quick-witted and has a wickedly colorful way with words… Brilliantly written with flashing insights.'

'The Woman at 1,000 Degrees is a bold work of fiction that gnaws at the silence blanketing the blackest holes of humanity to lay bare the author's dark vision of truth.'

'This novel is a shock, a laugh, an evocation of grief, and a tribute to survival and imagination.'

'Helgason's sad and funny novel begins in 2009, as 80-year-old Herra Björnsson lies dying in a Reykavík garage, still in possession of a live hand grenade from World War II...In her unsentimental, unsparing narrative, she offers insights into Icelandic culture and character, including a riff on reticence and a brief summary of Iceland's financial meltdown. Like the Icelandic landscape, she can be both appealing and treacherous.'

‘Compelling…uplifting…required reading for those who want sour along with the sweet of life.'

‘A very enjoyable story…a terrific read. Herra is a great character; she is bawdy, at times outright vulgar and mischievous.'

'Gripping, darkly comic, and utterly original.'

'Icelandic novelist Helgason shares with John Irving a knack for masterful plotting and clever, sarcastic humour...anyone willing to...revel in its flights of language will find much to enjoy.'

‘Helgason's characters are rare beauties. One falls for his absurd fantasies immediately.' 

‘Long after I read it, the story and its prickly protagonist has stayed with me.'

‘You don't know her yet, but she already despises you… With a biting humour, she examines love, marriage, sex, politics, and those who practice them.'  

‘Extraordinarily absorbing and enjoyable. The story revolves around a woman who lived ahead of her time. Many young women would idealize Herra Björnsson. At the same time, it gives an insight into life during World War II.'

'This is a profoundly, triumphantly feminist book... There's nothing like it in our language.'

‘Helgason's novel is superbly written, with characters and events that grab your attention and make it hard to put down.'

‘Unpredictable and endearing.'

‘It's a sophisticated work, combining elements of Bildungsroman, comic burlesque, fictional biography and historical commentary… The novel's sheer invention, talkativeness and linguistic zest recall Joyce, while the plot itself, with its logical progression into the absurd, is not too distant from the labyrinths of Kafka.'

‘A magnificent novel about maybe the most memorable character in Icelandic fiction.'

‘A mind-blowing doorstopper'

‘This novel is toxic. The cover, the crumpled lady with the pink wig should have been warning enough, still one is stunned. This novel charges at you like a little terrier after you have opened a garden gate. It barks short, hoarse sentences. However, you don't want to put this book down again!'

‘A ride through the 20th century of the ice island through the Nazi German Reich to Argentina and back again - wildly, tough, and devilishly clever. "Like” it? It rocks!' 

‘The most surprising, funny, bonkers novel of the season' 

‘Passionate, explosive and fiery…' 

‘Book of the year!' 

‘Irresistible.'

‘A caustic and human story that is tragic with a great sense of humour at the same time.' 

‘If this had been written by a different, non-Icelandic author, it would be a pulp Charles Dickens, with a bit of Chuck Palahniuk thrown in.' 

‘Playing with time and with history, this is a tragicomic and hard-hitting novel in which the author gets to the heart of a global situation and the vagaries of Icelandic politics.'