The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley
Set in medieval Greenland, this novel recounts the history of a community plagued with rivalries and feuds, famines and battles with Eskimos. Although the story centres on a woman's struggle in exile, the main theme of the book is the decay and ultimate destruction of a civilization. Jane Smiley has also written the novels "Paradise Gate", "Duplicate Keys" and "The Age of Grief".