The Icelandic Canadian - 01.04.2007, Blaðsíða 42

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 61 #1
Blessed
Portrait of Asdis Sigrun Anderson
by Katrina Anderson
Reviewed by Karen Emilson
The book, Blessed, was given to me as
a gift and as someone who enjoys pioneer
stories, particularly about North American
Icelanders, I found this book to be a bless-
ing indeed.
Blessed is the life story of Asdis Sigrun
(Guttormson) Anderson who grew up and
lived most of her life in Manitoba’s
Interlake Region, moving a few times as a
child, then settling with her husband at
Libau, Manitoba.
Asdis tells her story the same way she
led her life - simple and straightforward
with a refreshing honesty that at times, is
surprising. There is no glossing over of
unpleasantries nor is there a feeling that
that Asdis, or the author, has left out details
to spare anyone’s feelings.
The book is written in first person and
you get the sense when reading it that the
author, (granddaughter Katrina Anderson),
spent many hours interviewing her beloved
Amma in an effort to get her story right.
Peppered throughout are anecdotes and
short stories told by family members who
recalled the incidents that Asdis describes,
adding a perspective that Asdis herself
would not have seen at the time. These
anecdotes and memories round off the
woman’s personality in a way that when
you finish reading this book you feel as if
you knew her. It is a brilliant literary
device that more biographers should con-
sider, and one that would help autobiogra-
phies that sometimes come across as being
self-absorbed. Blessed is completely devoid
of conceit and a true pleasure to read.
Having said that, Asdis did not have an
easy life. She married young and bore
many children. Her husband, Thorsteinn
“Stoney” Anderson had an “explosive
nature” and her mother-in-law, Gudrun
was “quite uncharitable.” However,
throughout the difficulties Asdis encoun-
tered, she responded with dignity and
kindness and it becomes obvious early on
in the book why this woman was beloved
by so many.
What Katrina Anderson has given us in
Blessed is a multi-layered narrative of what
life was like for many women in the rural
west during the 1920s-1950s, as today’s
farms and communities were being settled
and built. There is also much social com-
mentary by Asdis, who describes the
racism that existed between the Icelanders
and European immigrants, as well as the
defined roles of men and women.
There is a strong sense that Asdis loved
people unconditionally and this story is
more than just an elderly woman’s recol-
lections, it is a true reflection of an old soul.