Reviews
Fylgia reviews.
“A subtle and poignant novel set in a small town in Sweden during World War I, and 60 years later, wherein a woman reflects on her life choices and their long-reaching consequences.”
Mrs. Dalloway’s Recommended Read, San Francisco Chronicle
“The love, loss, and heartache here will take your breath away. Just beautifully written, by an author who has come into her own.”
Susan Mary Malone, Author of Over the Pass, and Other Stories (Dark Horse Fiction, 2018)
“Rich description, focus on tiny details, and pithy summations of the characters make it hard for the reader to believe that this is not actually a memoir, so totally does the author inhabit the world of which she writes.”
Annie Whitehead, Discovering Diamonds
“Based on actual events, Fylgia lures the reader with unanswered questions amid vivid evocations of life in war-time Sweden. With this novel Hjalmarson shifts from historian to master storyteller. At once flinty and subtle, Fylgia is a most satisfying read.”
Jacquelynn Baas, Author of Marcel Duchamp and the Art of Life (MIT, Fall 2019)
“I was completely enchanted by the Swedish lore and atmosphere. This storyline creates a sense of mystery and intrigue and evokes mood and expectation fused with themes of birth, death, history, religion, and war. This is a classic tale and each character is brilliantly written so that they remind us of the eminent frailties of human nature.”
Lori Shriver, Lori’s Book Loft
“This is a historical fiction memoir with a bite, as the story draws you in, and draws you on.”
Sam Law, It’s Good to Read
“No spoilers here, except to say about the ending—powerful, searing, magnificent really.”
Pam Reitman, Goodreads
“This book is fierce, and tender, and resolute. Just like Sweden.”
Janet Kitchens, Goodreads
“Something intriguing and gripping flows through every page of this unique work of fiction. We move with the people of Hult through WWI, the Spanish Flu, the Great Recession, WWII and modern times, a world where matchmaking still exists but love finds a way beyond public restrictions. This is classic historical fiction spanning several decades and revealing the characters behind the veil of Swedish law. Beautifully crafted.”
Viviane Crystal, The Historical Novels Review
Buy Fylgia (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indie Bound, Mrs Dalloway’s)
Journal
by Birgitta Hjalmarson
She Sat the Whole Time Cold
Journal by Birgitta HjalmarsonThe castle in Stockholm was cold. Descartes had died here in 1650, supposedly freezing to death. Queen Kristina, whom he had come to tutor, would abdicate and flee to Rome. In 1891, when Victoria arrived from her native Germany, the old...
On Writing.
Journal by Birgitta Hjalmarson This interview was originally published by Lori's Book Loft at author-spotlight-birgitta-hjalmarson.html. Please tell us a little about growing up in Sweden and your studies? I grew up in a town on the West Coast...
When Swedish Farmers Marched.
Journal by Birgitta Hjalmarson In the years before the First World War, as tension mounted on the continent, the Swedish political parties drew their own internal battle lines. The Conservatives championed a stronger defense, opposed by...