Mette Hansdatter

By Phyllis Florin

Kirkus Review: Florin's historical novel fictionalizes the life of her Norwegian great-grandmother during courtship, marriage, and years of motherhood. In the late 1800s, Mette Hansdatter, an impoverished, fatherless 17-year-old girl, serves as a farmhand and weaver to support herself and her mother. Mette and her childhood companion, Finn Olesson, fall in love and plan their marriage. He will soon immigrate to America and call for her with a ticket overseas. However, her fear of family tensions, and her fear of God, lead her to make heartbreaking decisions to stay near her mother and on Norwegian soil. Florin's story ably explores themes of free will and determinism, the heartbreaking life of women in agrarian societies, and dogmatic interpretations of divine will. It also serves as a tragic narrative of hardscrabble motherhood, the loss of children, and the experience of catastrophic postpartum depression and mental illness. However, there are also many beautiful descriptions of the Norwegian landscape, as when Finn, early on, observes the sea as he thinks of soon leaving the country behind him: "The afternoon sun glinted off the surface of the water where two grebes floated. Fimreite mountain rose on the other side, now thick with cloudberries, and the air was rich with the smell of the sea and the sweet musty fragrance of the hay that dried in the fields." The author also beautifully weaves Norwegian folklore into the story and skillfully presents Mette's interior conflicts, smartly building a sense of tension throughout. The story limns the lives of women when they were expected to serve their husbands, and when many left all decisions in life to God and authority. Florin treads gently, fostering a sense of hope as Mette demonstrates artistry as a weaver. She also effectively nods toward aspects of age and mental health aging that remain under discussed, even in the modern world. A beautiful yet harrowing narrative of a difficult existence.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0CTCPBJFZ
• ISBN13: 9798870128399
• Release Date: January 2024
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 179 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 6.0"