Siri: A Long Norwegian Winter (Book Review)

Siri: A Long Norwegian Winter
By Jo Ann P. Bronzan
Illustrated by Lou Ann Styles
69 pp. Berkeley, CA
Creative Arts Book Company. $13.95.
(Ages 9 to 12)

The phrase, “History repeats itself” has been echoed many a time in social studies classrooms, but few children grasp the significance of this concept until much later. Indeed, it can take a critical and experienced eye to extract a recognizable pattern from the muddle of facts and figures we daily encounter. Yet, in Siri: A Long Norwegian Winter, it’s possible for a young girl of Norwegian extraction to identify the repeating patterns of girlhood across time in the Norwegian household.

Set in rural Norway during the 1920s, Siri documents the snow-bound winterland of the twelve-year-old daughter of a sheep farmer. An only child, Siri is a practical girl who takes after her mother in appreciating the value of work and utility. Already adept at spinning and carding wool, Siri faces the monotony of winter with a knitter’s optimism, planning time for projects in between the occasional excursion. Like many Norwegian girls today, she happily anticipates the prospect of learning to use new techniques and materials in her craft. In this respect, Siri is the timeless figure of a Norwegian girlhood that injects a practical work ethic with boundless enthusiasm.

Author Jo Ann P. Bronzan, who is herself an experienced knitter, not to mention the former president of a regional spinning guild in California, skillfully weaves elements of the craft into Siri’s story. For young girls who are interested in knitting or spinning their own wool, Bronzan provides interesting and informative descriptions of the process that could intrigue even the most inept do-it-yourselfers. From information on working rabbit hair into angora yarn to the hauntingly familiar phrase of the knitting mentor, “I will get you started,” her contributions are refreshingly authentic and natural.

While Bronzan’s interjections on the art of knitting and spinning are absolutely top-notch, dialogues outside of this sphere of expertise fall somewhat short. Her characters speak in exceedingly rigid language, often to the point of appearing overly formal or, in some cases, patronizing. Though characters include both mature adults and children as young as five, on the basis of dialogue alone it is difficult to differentiate one speaker’s voice from that of the next.

Slightly more troublesome is the subtle blending of Norwegian lore with distinctively Californian elements. Somewhat suspect, for instance, is the menacing, but unprecedented, presence of a New World cougar on the Norwegian sheep farm. Another less obvious contamination is the introduction of the tooth fairy to traditional Norwegian culture. Despite these oversights, Broznan makes a valiant effort toward authenticity by adding such details as the names of traditional foodstuffs and descriptions of Norwegian pastimes and rural practices.

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