The Viking Princess

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian in North Wales,
Pennsylvania.

Edith is bored with her life tending sheep on her father’s farm in
Greenland. Her desire for adventure comes true when she is unwittingly
stowed away on a Viking ship bound for supplies of timber from North
America. At first, the superstitious sailors believe Edith to be an evil
omen and threaten to throw her overboard; but she finds an ally in the
wife of the ship’s captain and, with a bit of luck, her life is
spared. The ship travels further south than intended and the adventure
continues when the captain decides to stay in “Vineland” and rule a
new settlement there. Edith’s future is in peril once again as the
Native tribe they meet wants to keep Edith as their “Viking
Princess.” After some suspenseful negotiations, she is allowed to
travel back to her home and family.

The subject of this historical fiction is intriguing, but the story
seems too ambitious for a novel of this size. Much of the major action
is summarized in brief paragraphs and some of the quick shifts in the
plot are hard to follow. The addition of some background information at
the start would have helped place the story in its historical context.
The limited perspective of two young women focuses on the details of
daily life of the Greenlanders and the North American Indians that they
encounter. The meeting of the two cultures provides an interesting look
at how language, games, skills, and goods are exchanged. Recommended
with reservations.