Not a saga by any means, but the 1935 Nobel Prize winner's Haldor Laxness' novel, The Fish Can Sing still captures the earthy beauty and earnestness of the Icelandic people in this, one of his later books. In a small village near Reykjavik at the beginning of the twentieth century, a boy named Alfgrimur is raised by his beloved foster grandparents. His grandfather, Bjork, is a simple fisherman, often taking Alfgrimur out in his boat to catch lumpfish. Alfgrimur tells the villagers, when they ask what he wants to do with his life, that he wants to be a fisherman like his grandfather. But the return of the reknowned lieder singer, Gardar Holm, to his native village inspires Alfmigur to follow in Gardar's path after Gardur has heard him sing and thinks he has a future. The plot, which is meandering but not to a fault, moves toward a recognition of who Gardar really is and what Alfmigur learns which is the "one true note." Poignant, funny, and revealing the independent spirit of the people of Iceland at that time, this is a special book. And Magnus Magnussen's translation is poetic and lush. I can't wait to read some of Laxness' other books.