When We Were Vikings Audiobook By Andrew David MacDonald cover art

When We Were Vikings

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When We Were Vikings

By: Andrew David MacDonald
Narrated by: Phoebe Strole
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Indie Next Pick for February 2020

Book of the Month January 2020

LibraryReads January 2020 Pick

Bookreporter New Release Spotlight

New York Post “Best Books of the Week”

Goodreads “January’s Most Anticipated New Books”

The Saturday Evening Post “10 Books for the New Year”

PopSugar “Best Books in January”

Book Riot Best Winter New Releases

“Zelda is a marvel, a living, breathing three-dimensional character with a voice so distinctive she leaps off the page.” (The New York Times)

“Heartwarming and unforgettable.” (People)

For Zelda, a 21-year-old Viking enthusiast who lives with her older brother, Gert, life is best lived with some basic rules:

  1. A smile means “thank you for doing something small that I liked”.
  2. Fist bumps and dabs = respect.
  3. Strange people are not appreciated in her home.
  4. Tomatoes must go in the middle of the sandwich and not get the bread wet.
  5. Sometimes the most important things don’t fit on lists.

But when Zelda finds out that Gert has resorted to some questionable - and dangerous - methods to make enough money to keep them afloat, Zelda decides to launch her own quest. Her mission: to be legendary. It isn’t long before Zelda finds herself in a battle that tests the reach of her heroism, her love for her brother, and the depth of her Viking strength.

“A most welcome and wonderful debut” (Tyrell Johnson, author of The Wolves of Winter), When We Were Vikings is an uplifting debut about an unlikely heroine whose journey will leave you wanting to embark on a quest of your own, because after all...we are all legends of our own making.

©2020 Andrew David MacDonald (P)2020 Simon & Schuster Audio Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Neurodiversity Heartfelt Inspiring Feel-Good

Editor's Pick

A new vinátta
"If, like me, you love a story with an unforgettable lead character—let me introduce you to Zelda. At 21 years old, Zelda has long-adapted to her diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. What defines her the most is how she is utterly and completely obsessed with all things Viking. Zelda is also intensely loyal to her family and friends and is on a quest to become legendary. Yes, she calls it an actual, real-life, quest and yes, she wants to become the thing of legends as big as the Viking tales she can't get enough of. Narrator Phoebe Strole's performance perfectly captures Zelda's undaunting positivity and charming determination. The more I listened, the more I found myself not simply rooting for Zelda, but becoming completely invested in her journey. You will want her to be your new best friend—I certainly do. And you know what? I think she would welcome all of us into her tribe." —Tricia F., Audible Editor

Compelling Narrative • Authentic Representation • Inspiring Protagonist • Emotional Depth • Unique Perspective
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If I could give this novel 10 stars, I would! Every high school student should have this novel as required reading, including highly dyslexic students who could read it via Audible.

The perspective of the main character is SO educational and the first person narrative creates so much power addressing so many areas of aspects of survival and compassion among handicapped people, their families, and the nature of other professionals helping them.

Siblings caring for siblings without parents is a topic seldom addressed in novels. The entire novel makes one ask, who is taking care of whom?
It discusses good guys vs. bad guys, and shades of gray between good vs. evil.

It also makes one wonder who is truly handicapped, disabled people or normal people?

Just a really great piece of modern literature!

Too few star ratings

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Best novel I have read in a really long time. Get it. Listen to it. Love it. You won’t regret it.

Wow!!!

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I really enjoyed this novel. I’ll be frank and admit it to a minute to get into but not so much as to be a barrier. I liked seeing the world through Zelda’s eyes. It was equal parts freeing and frustrating given her condition but always felt true. She finds herself in a rough place of not being completely normal but also not fully developmentally disabled and it makes it hard for her to fit in either world. The read the book on audible and the narrator was incredible. She really made the characters come to life and it was a beautiful journey.

Narrator makes this no el come to life

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This book is very well written. The reader does a magnificent job! There is a lot of cussing. If it’s an issue, and you can get past it you’ll really enjoy the story.

Captivating, but strong language.

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What an awesome and amazing group of characters in this book. Long live Zelda the Queen of the new Vikings

Great read. Almost wished it wouldn’t end

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A story of the monsters and heroes that surround us, and sometimes, without even trying and unbeknownst to us, we are the heroes in another’s story. A story of family, struggles, dreams, loss, and incredible strength. Zelda and Gert, will stay in your heart and become your inspiration.

Heroes are all around us

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The story was so sweet. I was a little sad the ending wasn't different, but oh well. The narration of this was so excellent! Very well done!

Excellent Experience

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this was not at all what I was expecting. It was an interesting read, and delved into people with mental disabilities and disorders. It's about how people face different battles throughout life, and how we fave them. It's about growing up, and finding our true self.

don't judge a book by its cover or title

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I enjoyed this immensely. Fell in love with the characters. Zelda is such a Valkyrie! We could all learn something from her.

Excellent.

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This book was part of our book club list for the month of March, and I am SO happy to have chosen it. Anyone who is complaining about the “obsession with sex” or the “over use of cussing” has clearly never spent time with anyone who is neurodivergent. The subject matter was handled so well!

I’m typically wary of reading stories about women written by men, but the author did a wonderful job of researching his subject. All in all, I’d give it 10/10 if I could.

Listen before you judge

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