Invention of Lefse
A Christmas Story

In this pandemic year, simple things make up Christmas. I was raised in a Norwegian family on a farm in Iowa. My mother made amazing lefse. Every Christmas eve before church ( Lutheran of course ) we had a Norwegian meal - cod, potatoes, lefse, and rice pudding. No vegetables that I can remember..........more

Cold, barren landscape, an empty larder, and a cast of characters who aren't exactly warm and cuddly doesn't seem to be a recipe for a delightful holiday book, but The Invention of Lefse pulls it off. The setting is bleak. Any icy December in the cold, dark Norway of the 1890s. Religion was harsh, th......more

The Invention of Lefse is a peaceful, homely Christmas tale that spins a fable for the origin of Norwegian lefse bread while also drawing the reader back into a long-forgotten day of simple celebration and elaborate joy. Thirteen-year-old Mette Iversdatter wakes early on Christmas eve to the wonder o......more

Amidst the plethora of books that could have been read and reviewed--many of which are on weighty matters--I found this tiny jewel. The Invention of Lefse by Larry Woewode is a short tale set against a distinctly Norwegian backdrop. Easily read in one setting, the brief pages paint a sweet picture of......more

I picked this up from my library discard sale. It didn't get enough checkouts to keep, but I thought, I'm Norwegian American, and it had such a pretty cover. It was pretty underwhelming. Not bad, not anything to specifically dislike, but it read like a typical Christmas sermon that someone had stretc......more