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devoe1se's review against another edition
4.0
As many other reviews stated, this book is reminiscent of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, as it centers around a 21-year-old woman with ASD, Zelda. Zelda is under the care of her older brother following foster placement with an abusive uncle. This story follows Zelda and her understanding of the world as she navigates it with the help of her day program and her brother, whom she is very close to. Zelda learns of some shady activity her brother falls into, and in doing so, begins to navigate the world of adult relationships.
Zelda lives her life by a set of rules, many of which are based on how Vikings lived. She is fascinated by Viking history, and strives to live as one. MacDonald does a wonderful job incorporating many real-life struggles to those living with Autism Spectrum Disorder, including juggling appointments with a psychiatrist, managing activities of daily living, and navigating the social world. While the story itself wasn't always gripping, there were times when the reader can relate with many of the characters and their life experiences. The storyline moves along well and reads easily.
Zelda lives her life by a set of rules, many of which are based on how Vikings lived. She is fascinated by Viking history, and strives to live as one. MacDonald does a wonderful job incorporating many real-life struggles to those living with Autism Spectrum Disorder, including juggling appointments with a psychiatrist, managing activities of daily living, and navigating the social world. While the story itself wasn't always gripping, there were times when the reader can relate with many of the characters and their life experiences. The storyline moves along well and reads easily.
me_alley's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really really loved this book. I am a sucker for a neurodiverse narrator, especially female. Zelda is 21, she goes through so much growth in this book. It’s the perfect mix of character development and plot. We see the world through her eyes as she navigates therapy, getting a job, her first sexual experiences, and coping with survived trauma. She is truly loved by those around her, her brother Gert, boyfriend Marxy and her brother’s on-again-off-again girlfriend Annie, who zelda calls “AK47.” The best word I can use to describe this book is endearing. Something about the clear cut and blunt way that Zelda (and narrators like her) describes the world help me to better understand myself and the complexity of honesty. How she responds to rules. How she tries to figure out the rules of our culture that really don’t make sense to her. I laughed out loud several times.
iceangel32's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t know what I thought when I picked up this book, but I did not expect what I got. I am not saying in any means that I am disappointed in the book. The blurb and name just pulled me in before I knew what I was getting pulled into. I really enjoyed this book. It is a story of a girl who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome and her life, her love of Vikings her struggle to be independent. Her story of family, love, and her journey to be legendary. This book is not PG in language or situations, but was real and that I liked about it. It did not candy coat any of the situations that the characters were put through. I am glad I picked it up. I will leave you with this quote.
“Deeds and actions are what will make a person great and legendary”
“Deeds and actions are what will make a person great and legendary”
amstratton's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
gkelch's review against another edition
3.0
Emotional story with a heartwarming protagonist. I really liked reading the story in Zelda's voice and watching events unfold through her perspective. I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
martha_imani's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
naznin4nelson's review against another edition
4.0
I'd really like to give 3.5 stars, but will round to 4 based on the fact that we rarely get to hear the narrative come from someone with a fetal alcohol syndrome perspective. I enjoyed her literal translation of the world and recognizing her struggle when things aren't so black and white. I just felt the whole story line was a bit cliche...selling drugs to make money for a broken family, gang bangers being rapists and manipulators. For having such a unique personality as the main character, the rest were just a pack of stereotypes. I feel like I'm being harsh. I was pumped in the beginning because I enjoy Norse mythology as well, but by 3/4 through I just wanted to speed through to the end.
kangaruthie's review against another edition
3.0
This book follows the story of Zelda, a young adult woman with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome who is obsessed with Viking culture and trying to make her way in life and protect her loved ones. I really appreciated the narration of what the world looked like from her perspective. The characters were convincingly compelling and flawed. Many important themes were explored in this book about what it’s like to have a cognitive disability, including the barriers Zelda faces, the independence she negotiates for, and the way the word sees her. However, maybe around halfway through the book, things started to get pretty dark. There were a couple scenes that were incredibly cringey, and towards the end some were filled with trauma that felt like a lot to swallow. I was also left wanting more at the end, which left some characters’ development feeling a bit unresolved.
novelvisits's review against another edition
4.0
Note: I received an advance copy of this audiobook from Simon & Schuster Audio and Libro.fm in exchange for my honest review.
Listening to When We Were Vikings turned out to be a very surprising experience for me. This is the story of 21-year old Zelda, born with fetal alcohol syndrome and some resulting mental deficits, but generally high functioning. She’s obsessed with all things Vikings and lives by a strict Viking code of conduct. At first, I found all the Viking talk tedious. Surprisingly, at about the two hour mark, I realized I didn’t anymore. It was part of Zelda and by then I’d come to appreciate her quirky charms.
Zelda’s world centers around her tribe which includes her older brother Gert, his ex-girl friend AK-47, and Zelda’s more mentally handicapped boyfriend, Marksie. Zelda and Gert’s mother died when she was young. Gert has always done his best to care for Zelda, often at his own expense. When Zelda comes to understand that Gert is involved with shady figures, she embarks on a quest, using the Viking code, to become a legend and save her tribe. This may sound like a silly premise, but similarly to that in Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (my review), it works. Zelda sees the world much differently than you or I would, but her heart is always in the right place and her journey was both uplifting and inspiring. At times the story felt a little YA, because of Zelda’s differences, but even that quickly faded away for me. I look forward to reading more from Andrew David MacDonald. Grade: B+
Narration: Phoebe Strole is a new narrator for me and one I’ll look forward to listening to again. Zelda tells her own story, so the narrator truly needed to embody the character and Strole did that perfectly. Her expressive reading brought Zelda and When We Were Vikings to life. Grade: A-
Listening to When We Were Vikings turned out to be a very surprising experience for me. This is the story of 21-year old Zelda, born with fetal alcohol syndrome and some resulting mental deficits, but generally high functioning. She’s obsessed with all things Vikings and lives by a strict Viking code of conduct. At first, I found all the Viking talk tedious. Surprisingly, at about the two hour mark, I realized I didn’t anymore. It was part of Zelda and by then I’d come to appreciate her quirky charms.
Zelda’s world centers around her tribe which includes her older brother Gert, his ex-girl friend AK-47, and Zelda’s more mentally handicapped boyfriend, Marksie. Zelda and Gert’s mother died when she was young. Gert has always done his best to care for Zelda, often at his own expense. When Zelda comes to understand that Gert is involved with shady figures, she embarks on a quest, using the Viking code, to become a legend and save her tribe. This may sound like a silly premise, but similarly to that in Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (my review), it works. Zelda sees the world much differently than you or I would, but her heart is always in the right place and her journey was both uplifting and inspiring. At times the story felt a little YA, because of Zelda’s differences, but even that quickly faded away for me. I look forward to reading more from Andrew David MacDonald. Grade: B+
Narration: Phoebe Strole is a new narrator for me and one I’ll look forward to listening to again. Zelda tells her own story, so the narrator truly needed to embody the character and Strole did that perfectly. Her expressive reading brought Zelda and When We Were Vikings to life. Grade: A-