Blue-Eyed Arabs of the North

The title, Blue-Eyed Arabs of the North, indicates Europeans, specifically Norwegians, who have been hugely successful in the oil business. They literally went from rags to riches. The story begins in rainy Stavanger, Norway in the summer of 1989. Katie Hammerstrøm, 43, an American divorcée, is newly married to Norwegian civil engineer Olaf Hammerstrøm, 59, a kind and good man. Unfortunately, about the only thing they have in common is their religion, which is New Age. Suffering from culture shock and dissatisfaction with her marriage, Katie wants to take a summer job teaching in England to get away for awhile. Olaf lets her go, but with trepidation. In England, Katie is immediately taken under the wing of the director of studies at the boarding school where they work. The two quickly become friends, and as time goes by, draw ever closer. The school itself is a personality, forming a strong foundation for the lives of teachers and students alike. What will Katie decide to do at the end of her summer job? Patricia Bjørnstad grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, lived with a Navy husband in Miami and in Norfolk, and then left the U.S. for a new life with a new husband in Norway. She is a retired teacher who finds great joy in writing and gardening. "Life in a foreign land was so different, challenging, and inspiring to creativity that I kept diaries, and subsequently turned them into a book." Her previous book was A Quiet Life in Bedlam. Publisher's website: http://sbpra.com/PatriciaBjornstad