The Little Book of the Icelanders

50 Miniature Essays on the Quirks and Foibles of the Icelandic People

De: Alda Sigmundsdottir

Narrado por: Alda Sigmundsdottir

After more than 20 years away, Alda Sigmundsdottir returned to her native Iceland as a foreigner. With a native person's insight yet an outsider's perspective, Alda quickly set about dissecting the national psyche of the Icelanders. This second edition, from 2018, contains new and updated chapters from the original edition, reflecting the changes in Icelandic society and among the Icelandic people since the book was first published in 2012.

Among the fascinating subjects broached in The Little Book of the Icelanders are the appalling driving habits of the Icelanders, naming conventions and customs, the Icelanders’ profound fear of commitment, the irreverence of the Icelanders, why Icelandic women are really men, how the Icelanders manage to make social interactions really complicated, the importance of the family in Icelandic society, where to go to meet the real Icelanders (and possibly score some free financial advice), rituals associated with weddings, confirmations, graduations, and deaths, and many, many more!

Praise for the book:

"One chapter leads to the next, creating a continuous chain of storytelling. It feels as if you’re sitting in the author’s kitchen, enjoying a cup of coffee and conversing with her about the quirks of her countrymen, every now and then, bursting out laughing. [I’m] going to heartily recommend The Little Book of the Icelanders, both to fans of Sigmundsdóttir’s blog and those unfamiliar with her work." (Iceland Review Online)

"There aren’t many books I’d recommend reading over morning coffee, but The Little Book of the Iceanders is one of them. [I] laughed at the essays in this book, not because I was laughing at Icelanders but because I recognize much of the behaviour in myself and members of my family. It felt good. It’s not just the sanest, most impressive characteristics that we pass on and share but also some of the zaniest. As I read this book, I frequently thought, yup, I’m definitely part Icelandic." (Lögberg-Heimskringla, Canada)

©2012 Alda Sigmundsdóttir (P)2020 Alda Sigmundsdóttir

OK

The stories are not very entertaining. I was excited about visiting Iceland, the home of Saga literature and history and exciting landscapes and wonderful horses, but now I'll have to rethink this if Icelanders are really such a bunch of self-absorbed, dour alcoholics.

Succinct and interesting

This little book tells it like it is of the Icelandic people. Pretty unique perspective

Loved it.

Very interesting listen. Love to learn about other nationalities and their habits. Short and sweet too.

Little book of gross generalizations

This book is not at all what it is described to be.
I understand that much of this was intended as tongue-in-cheek humor, but it was not funny or even "quirky", just came off as mean spirited. Each essay was nothing more than gross generalizations of the Icelandic people, painting them as rude, self-absorbed, drunks that can't drive.
The reading sounded automated and impersonal.

disappointed

The author seems so bratty, obnoxious and full of herself, insufferable. On a positive note, two stars for a few, pithy and precious phrases of Icelandic.

"What I find weird about Iceland"

This collection of essays reads very much like the author's personal surprises and pet peeves about living in Iceland. Her introduction makes it clear, these essays are not based on research - just personal observation.
She has lived in a few countries, but her generalizations about "North American life" read more like what her younger self experience in Toronto - specifically, many years ago, in a specific socio-economic & cultural setting. The generalizations don't hold for large groups of Toronto's population, let alone other North American cities. In some ways, her observations apply to any move from a major metropolis (particularly one with a large immigrant population), to a region with a smaller populace.
The result is a book that reads more like "Iceland is different than where I grew up" or "What I find weird about Iceland". Since her generalizations about "North American life" often seem overly broad or inaccurate, it makes me severely doubt her generalizations about Icelandic behavior. Especially when the noted behavior doesn't seem that unusual or particular to Iceland. I would guess that it is most accurate within a specific socio-economic group of Icelanders.

That said, within all of this, there are indeed some observational gems and delightful humour. The book probably would have been better had it actually been written as "What I find Weird about Iceland" - and didn't try to go further than that.

As a Narrator, Alda isn't bad, but isn't amazing either. Her style is somewhat stiff. Having listened to a few other Icelandic-speaking narrators recently, some of that seems to fit the Icelandic personality, but part is likely due to less experience with narration.