A horrible storm off the cold coasts of fifteenth-century Iceland sends the Trinity crashing to shore, with nearly no survivors. For Ragna, the teenage daughter of a respected family who is betrothed to the dashing and wealthy Thorkell, the shipwreck presents a life-changing risk she cannot resist: a handsome sailor named Michael, who is seduced by her gentle singing during his stay in the hospital, then impregnates her and promptly disappears. Thorkell cannot marry her and take in another man’s son, and Ragna is left barren from a traumatic childbirth and stigmatized as a fallen woman.
A decade later, Ragna becomes a housekeeper to the new English bishop in North Iceland, where passionate and ambitious Thorkell is a priest and steward. They embark on a fervent but doomed love affair as priests cannot marry and Ragna will not be a concubine. As sweeping as it is intimate, On the Cold Coasts is a powerful, enduring story of love and personal sacrifice.
Download and start listening now!
"I enjoyed the experience of 15th century Iceland. This was a compelling story of a young woman struggling to deal with her role in a male-dominated society."
— Kathy (4 out of 5 stars)
" Overall I thought the book was ok. It drags in a few areas and for me Ragna was hard to relate to. "
— Sonia, 7/29/2013" Interesting tale, but something gets lost in the translation to English. Also the ending seems unfinished...... "
— Hafiza, 7/4/2012Angela Dawe is an actor, writer, and audiobook narrator based in the Midwest. Her work as an actor has included roles in theater, film, and television, as well as improv and sketch comedy with such theaters as Second City and the Annoyance. In the literary world, Angela has received multiple awards and nominations for her work as an audiobook narrator, and is a published fiction author herself. She holds a BA in philosophy, so if the writing/performing work dries up, she has something to fall back on.