Two Ravens

by Cecelia Holland

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394499883
• ISBN13: 9780394499888
• Release Date: January 1977
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Length: 199 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Great Saga

Two Ravens is a refreshing read that sets its own course. Unlike typical Viking historical fiction that follows the adventures of a superman, our main character Bjarni ("Bear") is admirable in a humble way and is plagued by his own faults and self-perceived shortcomings. As other reviewers have pointed out, he comes from a highly dysfunctional family, like many of us, and the cast of characters are generally not very nice to each other. Mrs. Holland tells the tale in a voice that comes straight out of a saga, which adds a sense of authenticity and allows our imaginations to explore this strange world. The result is a very lively and personal experience, that encourages the creativity to flow. I recently read Magnus the Viking by Olav Crone-Aamot, and his character begins with tragedy and then enjoys a whole book-full of great fortune. Not so here. Bjarni's life is one great big tragedy interspersed with dribbles of small luck; just enough to help him get by in life and move forward one step at a time. Through his adversity he grows, even if the success is not so sweet or self-evident. It was a hard life for an Icelander, and Cecelia's Bjarni never has it easy. Even when he realizes his dreams in the end, the result is more bittersweet than he ever envisioned it. Bjarni's father is a retired Viking and we never get more than a small glimpse into his back-story, but it is just enough to let the imagination soar. This is a source of inspiration for Bjarni, who seems to both hate and admire his hard father. This cryptic curiosity propels Bjarni to leave Iceland seeking adventure, and reminded me of Luke Skywalker feeling trapped on the moisture farm. His brothers and some other young men follow him on a misguided adventure following their dreams of becoming great Vikings, but instead discover only disappointment. The book is not full of great battles and lot of action, but is more of a character-driven tale as they cope with various adversities without going too far in life. It is a page-turner and I polished it off in 2-sittings. If you like the Sagas and the Viking genre, then I highly recommend this book. I just got The Soul Thief, and I'm looking forward to it.

A Good Saga Rendering

Two Ravens is the story of Bjarni Hoskuldsson, one of the many restless young men of the Viking age, seeking adventure and glory beyond the Iceland home steading. At least on the surface. Family tension is like a taut bow throughout the tale. Bjarni is not on good terms with his father Hoskuld and he is also in love with his stepmother Hiyke, a complication he at first seeks to avoid by his departure. Cecelia Holland writes in the style of the old saga tellers here, sparsely and to the point. We are often led to guess at the motivation of the hero, which involves the reader to a greater extent than if everything was explained. There is a quirkiness and humour throughout also which makes this an endearing work. Like all good Icelandic saga heroes, Bjarni cannot fight his fate and is drawn back to his home country to confront the father who tried to arrange his death and claim the woman he loves. On arrival however he finds that his father has passed away, leaving the farm to Ulf, the younger brother. Dauntless, Bjarni moves back in and there then follows an engaging, funny and sometimes violent interchange between the members of the household. The women are constantly at odds and frequently indulge in hilarious slanging matches, the funniest being those between Ulf's vain wife Gudrun and the pregnant coarse English peasant girl Bjarni has picked up during his travels. Tension continues to build in a cabin-fever atmosphere, with Bjarni facing possible outlawry for making a pagan sacrifice at the local assembly, surviving sudden attacks from his jealous brothers and even a poisoning attempt. At the conclusion of the saga we leave Bjarni in bold determination to sit in his father's high seat in defiance of everyone and everything, with the future looking grim. Cecelia Holland has a natural story telling talent and proves that a book doesn't have to have a happy ending to entertain.

A Great Tale of a Dysfunctional "Viking" Family

The tale of Bjarni Hoskuldsson who lives a claustrophobic life with his father and young stepmother, brothers and half-brother on a rude Icelandic farm at the tail end of the viking period, this is a very psychological work which chronicles the deterioration of the relationship between father and son and between brother and brothers as Bjarni, too big to be beaten by his brutal father, leaves his home and sets out on adventures with his brothers. But the effort is aborted early on by bad luck and only Bjarni ends up making his way to the England of King William Rufus, successor to William the Conqueror. There he does a few things to distinguish himself, but nothing of any lasting note, longing instead for the farmstead and step mother he has abandoned back in Iceland. How he returns and makes his presence felt in that farm and his Icelandic district make up the remainder of this tale. It's worth reading, not for the action but for the sharply delineated and probing portrait of these people and especially of Bjarni the almost-viking. Not the very best of the saga novels which have been written since the nineteenth century, but a modern one. And a unique one. SWM author of The King of Vinland's Saga