Spotlight on Odin’s Promise–and a promise of a giveaway!

I almost hate to use the word ‘historical’ to describe Odin’s Promise because I think there’s an idea, sneaking around somewhere in the back of our brains, that ‘historical’ also means boring, dry, and maybe dated. This is ridiculous, of course. At least, it should be to anyone who loved the Little House on the Prairie books, or Anne of Green Gables series. And Sandy Brehl’s lovely Odin’s Promise reads like those, plus a bit of intrigue and more than a wisp of danger.

Odin's Promise

It’s also a wonderfully new perspective on World War II, as the entirety of the book takes place during the German occupation of Norway. The pov character is Mari, an eleven year old girl. She is normally quite soft spoken and easily frightened, relying on her two (much older) siblings, parents, Bestemor (Grandma), and beloved dog Odin to help her feel safe and secure. It is both ironic and appropriate, somehow, that the arrival of true danger with the flood of belligerent German soldiers teaches Mari that she’s braver than she knew. Throughout the book, we see her grow and push the limits of her capacity, until it is she who is taking steps to protect her family, friends, and fellow villagers.

And honestly, the book would be lovely if that’s all it had to it. But Mari’s sense of self is so woven into her family and home that it’s impossible to think of her without picturing the smiling faces of her family, the courage of her fellow villagers, the unshakable sense of humor of her Bestemor, and the cultural heritage of Norway, which they clung to with such tenacity throughout the occupation. But–and here’s the real kicker–the book doesn’t stop there! Through Mari’s eyes, one of the German soldiers slowly goes from being a fiend and demonic brute, to something more like a misguided human. And with this insight the book launches itself out of the category of lovely historic book and into the realm of beloved classic.

But that’s my perspective, and I’m kind of a sucker for history. Let’s see what Apricot-kitty thought:

???????????????????????????????“I really can’t believe you’ve done this to me. You’ve made me like a book–about a dog! And before you try to say the book isn’t about a dog, need I point you to the title? Yes, it’s about a dog named Odin.

Hmph. Well. At least he was quite tolerable, as dogs go. And I very much liked his human, Mari. She knew exactly when to keep still, and when to step out boldly, which is something you humans struggle with.”

 

 

Not a bad review, all things considered! Next week for MMGM I’ll be interviewing Sandy right here on the blog, and we’ll have some books to give away, as well! Stop by to snag your copy. ๐Ÿ˜€

And in the mean time…if you were suddenly living in an occupied country and on strict rations, what one item, food or something else, do you think you’d miss most? I almost hate to admit it…but mine might be dark chocolate!

You’ll find more MMGM spotlights, reviews and interviews on Shannon’s blog, so go to and happy reading!

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31 Comments

  1. Reply

    I loved the title, ODIN’S PROMISE, though the cover doesn’t do much for me. This type of book is so important in that it brings history alive for kids. Sounds like a wonderful story and one I’ll be sure to recommend.

  2. Reply

    Historical fiction is such a great way for a story-lover to enjoy history. I like the way you describe it as leaping from historical to beloved classic.

  3. Reply

    Glad to hear that, Greg! I’ve been doing some recommending, too, which is the way word spreads!

    Thank you, Barbara! It is a great way to enjoy history–where the love of history most often starts, I suspect. Glad you could stop by and comment!

  4. Reply

    Are you a Brony, Lindsay? Not sure that I’d qualify, but I’ve got a son who definitely would! Dr. Pepper and MLP…there’s something appropriate about that, though not sure those ponies need any caffeine! lol

  5. Reply

    Not being a dude, no. But my little girl is obsessed with Ponies. She has a pony poster she got at comic con hanging up next to her lightsaber collection. I got the pony cup because it had a picture of Firefly, who was my favorite pony on it. Plus it holds 32 oz of De Peppery goodness.

  6. Reply

    Technically speaking (and yes, I’m a geek enough to know this…) you don’t have to be a guy to be a Brony, you just have to be outside the MLP target audience of little girls.

    And as a further aside, your daughter sounds awesome. ๐Ÿ˜€

  7. Reply

    My daughter is pretty awesome. She’s actually wearing a Pinkie Pie/Portal 2 shirt to school today. And it’s really fun to see her pick up on references to other shows that she sees on ponies. The other day she picked up on an Indiana Jones and LOTR reference in the same episode.

  8. Reply

    Nice, Susan! I find it amusing that we’re all picking the little luxuries rather than staples, but I suspect that’s exactly how it would go down in real life!

  9. Reply

    According to something I read somewhere (yes, vague) from those who’d suffered scarcities in WW II, what was most missed was fat of any kind, as it’s so instrumental in preparing food and in taste.

  10. Reply

    I got a little obsessed with the whole food storage thing back when my husband and I were looking for a home in Utah and every place we looked at had what I began to call the “mandatory food storage room.” (Which we liked, because I had my own food storage.) I wrote a story about a disaster in Utah where food was plentiful but almost all the people had died off, called “Harden Times.” The title came from my kids, who used to get into our wheat supply and play “harden times.” All of which might be TMI. Can you tell I’m putting off writing? ๐Ÿ™‚

  11. Reply

    LOL Not a TMI, but if you’re putting off writing you should get to work! There, I’ve been dutiful and given you a nudge. ๐Ÿ˜‰
    Missing fat makes sense–and now that I think about it, one of my other all time favs is cheese, and that’s pretty much fat. Then you can add spicey sausage (or for some people, bacon) and even just butter to wash bread down…and yeah, it would probably be pretty hard to do without!

  12. Reply

    Good point, Heidi! Even water rationing–with enough to live on–would be incredibly difficult, when I think about all the baths I take.

  13. Reply

    This sounds fascinating. I am intrigued that it’s about the Nazi occupation of Norway, something that hasn’t been covered much, especially in kidlit.
    I will definitely be checking this out!
    I’m with you, I’d probably miss dark chocolate the most.

  14. Reply

    Natalie (and Jenni, well, all of you) be sure to come back next week, as rumor has it we’ll have TWO copies to giveaway! And, honestly, I loved it so much I wish I could press a copy into all your hands! lol

    Jenni, I thought the same thing–that this was a bit of WWII history that I’m not sure I’ve really come across anywhere, despite having a history degree. And glad to get another vote for dark chocolate. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Elm, lemons and other spices/seasonings would probably be much harder to give up than we realize. For example, it now occurs to me that I’m not sure I could live without curry!

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  16. Karen Schulz

    Reply

    Odin’s Promise is on my reading list. The Nazi occupation of Norway during WWII is not well known. Love stories that make history come alive.

  17. Reply

    Exactly, Karen! You just summed up perfectly what I’ve been saying. ๐Ÿ™‚ I hope you get the chance to drop by next week and maybe win a copy, so it can jump up your reading list!

  18. Reply

    Just found my way here. I love historical fiction and never found it boring. I’ll be looking for this book. It sounds great. And I look forward to your author interview. Thanks for an interesting post.

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