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Woman, Captain, Rebel

The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Icelandic Sea Captain

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

A daring and magnificent historical narrative nonfiction account of Iceland's most famous female sea captain who constantly fought for women's rights and equality—and who also solved one of the country's most notorious robberies.

Every day was a fight for survival, equality, and justice for Iceland's most renowned female fishing captain of the 19th century.

History would have us believe the sea has always been a male realm, the idea of female captains almost unthinkable. But there is one exception, so notable she defies any expectation.

This is her remarkable story.

Captain Thurídur, born in Iceland in 1777, lived a life that was both controversial and unconventional. Her first time fishing, on the open unprotected rowboats of her time, was at age 11. Soon after, she audaciously began wearing trousers. She later became an acclaimed fishing captain brilliant at weather-reading and seacraft and consistently brought in the largest catches. In the Arctic seas where drownings occurred with terrifying regularity, she never lost a single crewmember. Renowned for her acute powers of observation, she also solved a notorious crime. In this extremely unequal society, she used the courts to fight for justice for the abused, and in her sixties, embarked on perilous journeys over trackless mountains.

Weaving together fastidious research and captivating prose, Margaret Willson reveals Captain Thurídur's fascinating story, her extraordinary courage, intelligence, and personal integrity.

Through adventure, oppression, joy, betrayal, and grief, Captain Thurídur speaks a universal voice. Here is a woman so ahead of her times she remains modern and inspirational today. Her story can now finally be told.

Praise for Woman, Captain, Rebel:

"Meticulously researched and evocatively written, Woman, Captain, Rebel provides not only a captivating insight into 19th-century Iceland, but also introduces readers to the inspirational, real-life fishing captain Thurídur, a tough and fiercely independent woman who deserves to be a role model of determination and perseverance for us all." —Eliza Reid, internationally bestselling author of Secrets of the Sprakkar

"A crime has been committed in 19th century Iceland and in steps a mysterious seawoman moonlighting as a detective, dressed in male clothes. Margaret Willson unravels this legendary casework of Captain Thurídur, down to the finest detail, with a brilliant portrait of old Iceland by the sea." —Egill Bjarnason, author of How Iceland Changed the World

"Reading about this remarkable woman's journey will challenge your ideas about history and change yours too." —Major General Mari K. Eder, author of The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line

"All credit to Margaret Willson for excavating the story of Thurídur Einarsdóttir in a century which can at long last appreciate this feisty and resilient Icelandic seafarer. The meticulous research is worn so lightly that it reads like a saga." —Sally Magnusson, author and broadcaster

"A beautiful story of one woman's perseverance against tragedy, hardship, and the open seas." —Katharine Gregorio, author of The Double Life of Katharine Clark

"With a clear, compelling narrative voice, Willson illuminates the life of an extraordinary woman and brings rural Iceland to life for her readers." —Shelf Awareness

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    • Booklist

      September 1, 2022
      Woman, Captain, Rebel skillfully combines anthropology, history and sheer adventure into an entertaining and informative account of a legendary Icelandic figure. While traveling with an Icelandic friend, author Willson learned of Captain Thur�dur from an historic plaque. Determined to bring this story of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries into historic context, Willson put her scholar's mind to the task and was able to find documentation for the facts behind the legend. In a society fraught with sexism and superstitions, with formal education nearly nonexistent, Thur�dur started fishing at age eleven, audaciously wearing trousers on sea and on land. She became a captain in a profession where few women achieved that role, successfully advocated for herself and other women using the courts, and proved herself to be a detective in a notoriously unsolved case. Reading about Thur�dur gives a glimpse into the harsh and sometimes cruel history of a country not so far away. Appropriate for academic and large public libraries.

      COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 3, 2022
      Cultural anthropologist Willson (Seawomen of Iceland) delivers an earnest and admiring biography of pioneering Icelandic fishing captain Thurídur Einarsdóttir (1777–1863). An outlier in her patriarchal oceanside community of Stokkseyri, Thurídur went to sea at age 11 and soon began wearing trousers; not long after, she added her signature short top hat and a “jaunty tailcoat.” By that time, she was known for her “keenly observant eyes and her startling weather-reading ability,” which brought in Stokkseyri’s largest catches. Thurídur became captain of a 10-oared boat and developed a reputation for “looking out for others”: she hired women on her crew, adopted an impoverished niece, and modeled female independence by using the court system to fight for her rights in a culture that defined “wife” as a man’s possession. Famously, her remarkable powers of observation helped solve a robbery when she identified the culprit based on a shoe left at the scene of the crime. (The county commissioner took credit, however.) Throughout, Willson draws from Iceland’s rich storytelling tradition to evoke Thurídur’s intelligence, courage, and “pithy wit” and to describe life in the island’s rural communities. This earthy portrait will win its subject plenty of new fans.

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