Elizabeth Rokkan

Tarjei Vesaas

Two 11-year old girls, Unn and Siss, meet. Unn is about to reveal a secret, one that leads to her death in a formation of ice caused by a large waterfall. Siss's struggle with her fidelity to the memory of a friend, the strange frozen world of the waterfall, and the description of Unn's fatal exploration of the ice palace are described in prose of a lyrical economy that ranks among the memorable achievements of modern literature.

The Ice Palace

"Eleven-year-old Unn is a recent arrival in a rural community where she lives with her aunt. Shy and introverted, she strikes up an unlikely friendship at school with a boisterous classmate, Siss, and an unusual bond develops between them. When Siss visits Unn they declare their intense feelings for each other, but Siss suddenly feels threatened and leaves. Unn, who has been wanting to share a secret, cannot face Siss the next day. Learning of a forthcoming school outing to the 'ice palace' - a giant structure formed by a frozen waterfall - she sets off alone to visit it never to return. Siss's struggle with her fidelity to the memory of her friend, the strange, terrifyingly beautiful frozen chambers of the waterfall and Unn's fatal exploration of the ice palace are described in prose of a lyrical economy that ranks among the most memorable achievements of modern literature."--Cover.

A series of semi-autobiographical sketches, The Boat in the Evening evokes intensely poetic scenes with cinematic beauty: a colony of cranes arrive at their mating ground to play out a delicate ritual drama; a boy and his father clear a road together in a pitiless snowstorm; a drowning man floats down river towards rescue.

The Boat in the Evening

Jostein Gaarder

Joachim discovers a magic Advent calendar which contains the story of a little girl who traveled through time to be present at the birth of Jesus.

The Christmas Mystery

Cora Sandel

Alberta and Jacob (Peter Owen Modern Classic)

The ice palace (Is-slottet, engl.) Transl

As Cecilia lies ill in bed, and her family prepares for Christmas, knowing she will not recover, an angel steps through her window to chat about life, death, and the universe.

Elizabeth Rokkan

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