--- product_id: 1989690 title: "The Greenhouse" price: "£19.13" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/1989690-the-greenhouse store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # The Greenhouse **Price:** £19.13 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Greenhouse - **How much does it cost?** £19.13 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/1989690-the-greenhouse) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: The Greenhouse: 9781611090796: Olafsdottir, Audur Ava, FitzGibbon, Brian: Books Review: A Glowing Gift from Iceland - Now that it's finally available in English, beautifully translated by Brian FitzGibbon, I got the chance to read The Greenhouse. It's a truly remarkable novel, and its widespread acclaim as the 2010 book of the year was well-deserved. On the surface it is a first-person narrative that tells the coming of age story of Arnljótur (or "Lobbi"), a 22 year old from Iceland who goes on a journey to find himself. He is a thoughtful boy who studies in the family greenhouse "to be able to read close to the plants" and who thinks about what it might mean to "spend one's entire childhood waiting for a single tree to grow". His journey takes him from Iceland, which he sees as dominated by moss, tussocks and swamps, to a cliff-top monastery in an intentionally unnamed country that provides a stark contrast to his homeland. We hear him think through his bodily longings, what it means to be a man, fatherhood, faith, death, and our connections with the planet and the plants around us. And beneath all of this there is the question of how we relate to people, and how those relationships make us whole. There is the ever-present memory of Arnljótur's mother and the unforgettable final conversation that he had with her, as well as his evolving closeness to his daughter, Flóra Sól. Olafsdottir makes liberal use of symbolism, and most significantly there is the precious Rosa Candida, the violet-red, thorn-less, eight-petaled rose. Richness also comes from Olafsdottir's beautifully drawn minor characters. She captures monastic life wonderfully; in the absence of sustained contact with a broader community the small details of daily routines and of relationships mean so much to the monks. The villagers also are simple yet colorful. And there is Arnljótur's father, about whom you learn a lot from this one line: "When he's finished asking me about the weather and the traffic conditions on the roads, he tells me that seven depressions have crossed the country in about as many days." Finally, there is Father Thomas. If you're a fan of Indie and Art House films then you might enjoy this list of mentioned movies: 1. Cesar & Rosalie 2. Nostalghia 3. Trois Couleurs: Bleu 4. The Seventh Seal 5. Eat Drink Man Woman 6. Chocolat 7. Babette's Feast 8. Like Water For Chocolate 9. Chungking Express 10. In the Mood for Love 11. Je vous salue (Hail Mary) He Also mentions Michelangelo Antonioni and Jean-Luc Godard. His recommendations range from the bizarre (the movie with Yves Montana and Romy Schneider is César & Rosalie) to the more expected (Trois Couleurs: Bleu, in which the heroine, like Arnljótur, witnesses a horrific car accident, obsesses about death, and goes on a journey of self-discovery). Arnljótur emerges as an everyman with whom we can identify, and I hope that we will see more from Audur Ava Olafsdottir. Review: Sweet, Simple and Engaging - I heard about this novel one morning when listening to a review on National Public Radio. I was interested to hear that desertcart is publishing its own translations of international writers otherwise unpublished in English and applaud them for doing so. This novel tells a sweet, simple and engaging story and is a joy to read. Though relatively short, the characterizations are wonderful, as are the dichotomous settings of Icelandic tundra and a monastery (and its rose garden) in a small European town. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #2,177,016 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #151 in Scandinavian Literature (Books) #33,643 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 1,010 Reviews | ## Images ![The Greenhouse - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/619rR7QchsL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Glowing Gift from Iceland *by T***A on October 31, 2011* Now that it's finally available in English, beautifully translated by Brian FitzGibbon, I got the chance to read The Greenhouse. It's a truly remarkable novel, and its widespread acclaim as the 2010 book of the year was well-deserved. On the surface it is a first-person narrative that tells the coming of age story of Arnljótur (or "Lobbi"), a 22 year old from Iceland who goes on a journey to find himself. He is a thoughtful boy who studies in the family greenhouse "to be able to read close to the plants" and who thinks about what it might mean to "spend one's entire childhood waiting for a single tree to grow". His journey takes him from Iceland, which he sees as dominated by moss, tussocks and swamps, to a cliff-top monastery in an intentionally unnamed country that provides a stark contrast to his homeland. We hear him think through his bodily longings, what it means to be a man, fatherhood, faith, death, and our connections with the planet and the plants around us. And beneath all of this there is the question of how we relate to people, and how those relationships make us whole. There is the ever-present memory of Arnljótur's mother and the unforgettable final conversation that he had with her, as well as his evolving closeness to his daughter, Flóra Sól. Olafsdottir makes liberal use of symbolism, and most significantly there is the precious Rosa Candida, the violet-red, thorn-less, eight-petaled rose. Richness also comes from Olafsdottir's beautifully drawn minor characters. She captures monastic life wonderfully; in the absence of sustained contact with a broader community the small details of daily routines and of relationships mean so much to the monks. The villagers also are simple yet colorful. And there is Arnljótur's father, about whom you learn a lot from this one line: "When he's finished asking me about the weather and the traffic conditions on the roads, he tells me that seven depressions have crossed the country in about as many days." Finally, there is Father Thomas. If you're a fan of Indie and Art House films then you might enjoy this list of mentioned movies: 1. Cesar & Rosalie 2. Nostalghia 3. Trois Couleurs: Bleu 4. The Seventh Seal 5. Eat Drink Man Woman 6. Chocolat 7. Babette's Feast 8. Like Water For Chocolate 9. Chungking Express 10. In the Mood for Love 11. Je vous salue (Hail Mary) He Also mentions Michelangelo Antonioni and Jean-Luc Godard. His recommendations range from the bizarre (the movie with Yves Montana and Romy Schneider is César & Rosalie) to the more expected (Trois Couleurs: Bleu, in which the heroine, like Arnljótur, witnesses a horrific car accident, obsesses about death, and goes on a journey of self-discovery). Arnljótur emerges as an everyman with whom we can identify, and I hope that we will see more from Audur Ava Olafsdottir. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sweet, Simple and Engaging *by B***6 on January 3, 2012* I heard about this novel one morning when listening to a review on National Public Radio. I was interested to hear that Amazon is publishing its own translations of international writers otherwise unpublished in English and applaud them for doing so. This novel tells a sweet, simple and engaging story and is a joy to read. Though relatively short, the characterizations are wonderful, as are the dichotomous settings of Icelandic tundra and a monastery (and its rose garden) in a small European town. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A lovely story... *by K***E on July 14, 2015* One of the most beautiful and enthralling books I have read in a very long time. Growing up in Iceland, Lobbi lived with his parents and his handicapped twin brother and worked in his mother's greenhouse. She had developed a rose of rare beauty called the eight-petal rose. When Lobbi is 20 two events shake up his life—he shares a brief intimacy with the girlfriend of one of his friends during which she becomes pregnant, and his beloved mother is killed in a car wreck. Anna, the mother of his daughter, names her Flora but makes no effort to involve Lobbi in their life. Lobbi, unhappy and desolate, takes a job at a monastery in a remote mountain village that was once famous for its gardens which have now fallen into disrepair. Lobbi travels to the village in an unnamed location and finds a land that is strange indeed. The people there are kind but they speak their own language—a language that is dying—and there are no children that he can see. He begins work at the monastery and meets a monk who is a movie fan and who invites him to join him for his nightly movie watching. Just as Lobbi settles into a routine, he receives a letter from Anna telling him she has to go away for a month and wants to know if he will care for his now nine-month-old daughter. The writing is lovely, the people are touching, and the descriptions of this mysterious land are positively enchanting. A lovely book. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/1989690-the-greenhouse](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/1989690-the-greenhouse) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-06-18*