Having survived a terrifying burglary, Emma had reached a point in life where she feared being awake and dreaded falling asleep. She grabbed her late mother’s notebooks, packed her car with warm clothes, a swimsuit that had seen better days, a set of winter tyres and a brand new tent, and caught a ferry to Iceland. Surtsey was an unexpected eruption - just as my own birth was unplanned and something of an interruption. So captivated by the magic of Iceland, our mother returned home with a bar of Toblerone for each of us. There were no hugs or questions as to our welfare. My sisters and I had been alone for three weeks. I was almost 5 years old. Inspired by a six-month journey to Iceland in wintertime, “Where the f**k is Blönduós?” is moving, honest, and entertaining.
Why would a middle-aged woman choose to spend a winter alone in the far north of Iceland? It’s a fair question, though the answer isn’t quite so straightforward. I dreamed of lying on a blanket gazing up into the night sky, holding my breath in anticipation of the colourful aurora that may soon dance overhead, without being asked, “Will you be long?” By battling the elements, conquering her fears, and learning to knit, all under the watchful gaze of the small community, Emma made sense of the past, found peace with the present, and felt strong enough to deal with the future.
I loved this book. I kept having to remind myself that this wasn't a novel that I was reading but it was actual accounts of Emma's experience over there. It was honestly so captivating I felt that I couldn't put it down.
I have been to Iceland once for a few days and stayed just outside of Reykjavik - I thought where I stayed was remote however Emma's trips definitely beat me on that. She is also far braver than I am as there is no way that I could drive over there - and definitely not after reading Emma's experiences of her road trip.
I feel like the book really highlights the non-touristy Iceland and I must admit - it sounds beautiful. I feel really privileged that Emma decided to share her experience over there with us as she was feeling somewhat 'lost' before heading over there and then to get the news that she did not long after arriving it would have been very easy for her to get the next ferry home.
I for one am glad that Emma is clearly a strong woman and decided to go in for her experience wholeheartedly and then share it with us. I must admit that whilst I appreciate that the book is around her experiences there - I feel somewhat invested in her life and would love to know what she has done since her return and how her trip there has changed her life? I'd also love to see some of the photo's that she took whilst over there as the sights that she saw sounded breathtaking and she described them so beautifully it was almost as though you could see them yourself.
Huge thank you to Emma Strandberg and Palamedes PR for allowing me to take part in the blog tour in exchange for a free honest review.
I sincerely thank you for your honest review. Writing has been a dream of mine since childhood. When writing from my own experiences, I aim to be as honest as possible in order to tell the whole story. For a reader to be entertained is everything I wish for. Where the f**k is Blönduòs is my second book. Fully Booked- it isn’t called running a bed and breakfast for nothing ( reprinted 2023) was my first published book. This year my third book titled Friluftsmys will be published. It continues the journey “after Iceland”, following me on my journey of self discovery and healing through natural therapy, forest bathing and a developed appreciation for the outdoors. As you can imagin…