The Icelandic Canadian - 01.03.1994, Page 53

SPRING, 1994
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
163
BOOK REVIEWS:
my Rmnrn and me
by Evelyn K. Thorvaldson
Winnipeg: Watson and Dwyer, 1993. Pp. 92.
Reviewed by Elva Simundsson.
Amma is the Icelandic word for
grandmother. The book is
about a relationship of a young
lady with her grandmother. My
Amma and Me is a book written as
the biography of Kristin Thorsteins-
dottir Palsson, the author’s grand-
mother who was an immigrant
pioneer in the Lunar district of Mani-
toba. Where the story intersects with
Evelyn’s life, the book also becomes
an autobiography. This started out as
a project to be shared only within the
Palsson family. Fortunately for all of
us, the publisher recognized the
universality of the story and con-
vinced the author to make the
publication publicly available.
The story is divided into three time
frames. The first takes place prior to
Kristin’s emigration from Iceland.
There is a very clear and detailed
description of the economic and social
conditions in Iceland during the time
when most of the Icelandic settlers to
Canada emigrated. Although the story
My Amma and Me
by
Evelyn Thorvaldson
MY
AMMA
and
ME
'LveCyti % rTtorva(dson
PAPERBACK 110 PAGES $12.95
The story of Kristin Thorsteinsdottir
who fell in love with Hjortur Palsson
and left Iceland in 1901, against her
parents’ wishes, to homestead near
Lundar, Manitoba. She never saw her
parents again.
Her granddaughter, Evelyn, describes
the well-established home farm in
Iceland and the growth of a strong
new Icelandic family on the Canadian
prairies.
Evelyn Thorvaldson is Past President
of the Icelandic National League of
North America.
Available at better bookstores
or directly from the publisher.
WATSON & DWYER
PUBLISHING
232 ACADEMY ROAD, WINNIPEG, MB R3M 0E7
PHONE (204) 284-0985, FAX (204) 453-8320