{"product_id":"the-brides-of-midsummer-9780873519205","title":"The Brides of Midsummer","description":"For centuries, people have celebrated every Midsummer's Eve at an ancient spring near a small Swedish village. On that special night, when unmarried men and women dance and some unusual activities are permitted, the Bridal Spring has special powers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Vilhelm Moberg introduces four musicians on the last day that each one will ever know: a curmudgeonly fiddler from the 1930s, a sad and conscientious key-harp player from the plague era of 1711, a ne'er-do-well who plays the flute in 1545, and a goat-horn blower from prehistoric times who, like the others, only seeks happiness with a woman. Binding their stories together is the voice of the Bridal Spring itself, tart and grudgingly compassionate--and slow to reveal its secret. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Each progression backward in time reflects Moberg's rich knowledge of folklore and shows the changes in everyday life in Sweden's past. First published in 1946, before the Emigrants novels, \u003cb\u003eThe Brides of Midsummer\u003c\/b\u003e is a complex, compelling journey through the whole arc of human life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eVilhelm Moberg, \u003c\/b\u003e Swedish author, playwright, and historian, was the author of the four-volume Emigrants series. \u003cb\u003eGudrun Brunot\u003c\/b\u003e is a translator, vocal performer, and actor; she was born in Sweden and lives in Washington. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBrunot, Gudrun:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Gudrun Brunot is a translator, vocal performer, and actor; she was born in Sweden and lives in Washington.","brand":"Minnesota Historical Society Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50330150076690,"sku":"9780873519205","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_98ce3c30-d13a-4430-b99e-228455ecd322.jpg?v=1727793536","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-brides-of-midsummer-9780873519205","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}