The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.2008, Qupperneq 48

186
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 61 #4
Hecla Island’s
Thora Grows Up
Sqlvia Sigurdson
Aufevr^ thora* l*lwvl Home
Hecla Island’s Thora Grows
Up
by Sylvia Sigurdson
Reviewed by Margaret Thorarinson
Eyja Publishing, ISBN 9780969908005
Soft Cover
to eventually moving to the city of
Winnipeg. Having adjusted to life on the
Island, Thora begins a new venture when
she leaves Hecla to move to the city to con-
tinue her education and to build a career.
Once again she encounters many chal-
lenges as she adjusts to her new environ-
ment all the while building new relation-
ships and eventually finding love.
Sylvia Sigurdson’s memories and fond-
ness of Hecla Island and its people are evi-
dent throughout the book. We get a
glimpse of life on Hecla from the two room
schoolhouse, to the dangers and triumphs
of fishing on Lake Winnipeg. We learn of
the isolation of the people during the
break-up of the lake in the spring and the
freezing of the lake during the fall. We also
get a glimpse of the struggles encountered
when moving from a small remote close-
knit community to the larger fast moving
city.
Hecla Island’s Thora Grows Up would
appeal not only to people of Icelandic
descent or families of the original settlers,
but would also appeal to a wider audience
wanting to become familiar with the life of
the early settlers. This book is easily read
and would be especially appealing to
teenagers and young adults.
Thora’s Island Home, Sylvia
Sigurdson’s previous book, introduces us
to Thora, a twelve year-old, who has been
sent from Iceland to stay with her aunt and
uncle in Hecla. Thora is faced with many
challenges including living with a bad-tem-
pered uncle who resents her and an aunt,
who is not only bedridden, but depressed
and withdrawn. Although experiencing
times of loneliness and difficulties, she
gradually adjusts to her new life in Canada.
Hecla Island’s Thora Grows Up con-
tinues the story of Thora. From youth to
adulthood, we share Thora’s experiences
while living in a small remote community