Review: Women of the Dunes

Women of the Dunes by Sarah Maine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Book for providing me an ARC of Women of the Dunes by Sarah Maine in exchange for an honest review.

The story goes back and forth between three timelines which described the lives of three women. The first timeline is about a Norsewoman in the ninth century named Ulla who escaped her evil Viking husband with her lover and sailed to Scotland. There, Ulla meets a monk upon her arrival and asks him to help to save her lover who was seriously wounded. Her lover dies, but a legend is birthed.

The second timeline is about a Scottish servant woman in the nineteenth century named Ellen who lived on the estate where the legend of Ulla was born. Ellen is obsessed with Ulla’s story. She ends up leaving Scotland and moving to Newfoundland, but never forgot the legend and passed it on to her daughter who passed it on to her grand-daughter, Libby.

The last timeline is about Libby, a young archeologist in the twenty-first century. Libby finds the perfect job; she is hired as a lead archeologist on a project which will take place in the birthplace of her grandmother. The project is to dig a mound where, it is believed, Ulla’s lover was buried. In preparation for the dig, Libby visits the site and discovers that the mound hides many secrets which could change everything she heard about the legend.

This is a fantastic read. The book has all the elements of a great story: love, betrayal, murder, and forgiveness. This book will be available at your favorite bookstore on July 24, 2018.

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