Summer at Little Lava: A Season at the Edge of the World

by Charles Fergus

Book Overview

Little Lava is a farm on the west coast of Iceland. No roads lead to it; the way lies across a lagoon flooded twice a day by the tide. A lava field borders the farm. From the house, views give onto... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374525528
• ISBN13: 9780374525521
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: North Point Press
• Length: 289 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Nice balance of nature, travel, and journal writing.

My kind of book is a non-fiction book entitled "A Year in (blank)" or any calendar subset of that (e.g., Sue Hubbell's A Country Year). So when I encountered Summer at Little Lava, I was interested. I knew that it wasn't the journal of the author's life for a year in the country. But a summer in a remote cottage on the coast of Iceland was close enough for me. I was not disappointed. I tended to skim over the detail of natural history and bird behavior, but slowed down considerably when Fergus described crossing the lava fields, ocean kayaking, or having coffee with their distant Icelandic neighbors. The mix of natural history, animal and plant description, and story telling was well balanced. There was enough "journal-like" story telling to keep me reading to the end. The chapter "Poison Cold" was so good it was worth re-reading, but be warned -- be close to a woodstove when you read it because it will make you cold. An added human dimension to the book is the occasional memories and thoughts of the author as he wrestles with the deaths of both his mother and his niece. A particularly touching passage recounts the telling to his son of the tragic death of his niece. I recommend this book for all travel and nature readers. And for readers looking for a book without a hidden agenda and unnecessary symbolism. The author simply writes about what he sees and feels . . . and sometimes what he deeply feels.

Of great interest becouse of my lineage

I am third generation Icelandic, all of my grandparents immegrated to america in the late 19th century. They were all: "west coast Icelanders" Reading Fergus's book was of especial interest because my maternal grandmother [Holmfrethur Hansdottir] was born on Oct 20, 1860 at: Litliahrauni, Iceland, the exact site of Little Lava in this book. I have a journal writen by her husband in 1930 that spells out this history. I would like to send a copy of this journal to Mr. Fergus if I can get his address. Thank you.