Burial Rites

A little slow at first, but picked up quickly and was immersing.

It’s certainly not an enjoyable read but it’s a good one. I liked the way the different characters were portrayed by the author. She is obviously a great observer of humanity in all its forms and just because centuries have passed since the events of this story I think we can all relate to the fears and prejudices of the characters in the book. After all, who wouldn’t be fearful of a convicted killer being forcibly billeted into one’s home? We can all be guilty of being too quick to judge before we know a person’s full story. Hannah Kent structures “Burial Rites” in such a way that the reader, from the viewpoint of the present day can begin to understand the different experiences of the characters involved and of the interactions between them. Initially the fears and prejudices towards Agnes are accepted but as Tóti attempts to get to know her better we , along with Margrét see her in a different light and we realise that her story has never been fully heard or understood. Hopefully justice is a lot fairer now. It certainly wasn’t then and definitely not if you were poor or a woman. The story is set in the bleak landscape of Iceland and reference is made to the appalling living conditions of the time and, to make matters worse, in the bleakest of landscapes. For me, some of the descriptions were reminiscent of Thomas Hardy’s portrayal of the sheer drudgery faced by the characters in his Wessex novels. Country folklore manifested by the sightings of Ravens as Agnes describes the journeys she makes were cleverly reflected in the design of the book cover of the edition that I read, with the image of a Raven’s wing wrapping itself around the cover of the book and the page edges dyed blood red; symbolic of lives tragically lost.

Beautifully written and wonderfully told. The story of a woman condemned to die for her involvement in the murder of the man she loved. When it all unfolds, there are no big surprises, but the style and the detail keep your attention.

This retelling, and fictionalization of a true incident is haunting. The story is told through the eyes of the condemned woman, Agnes and her religious advisor, Toti, in barren 1820s Iceland. The common people were literate, but lived in hovels, and as the tale unfolds Agnes is being removed from an underground prison to go and live with a family until her execution. What happens next gives us a clear view of 19th century life in Iceland, and compelling story of life and love in the face of poverty and discrimination.

This one is for a book club night coming up and I went 100% into it not having read a thing about it.

I was sucked in after the 2nd chapter and could not stop reading. Darn going to work, eating and sleeping! *shakes fist*

I had no idea until the very end that this was based on a true story. Agnes Magnúsdóttir was a real person and was the last person to be executed in Iceland in 1830. Kent, in her first novel, did a wonderful job in humanizing Agnes and giving an account, based on actual official documents, of what might have happened with the murder of Natan and Pétur. I was actually hoping for a different ending, until I realized it was history and we can't really change that!

Ah well.

The story is bleak, the writing is bleak and stark and bare to the bones. It fits so perfectly with the Icelandic landscape and harrowing times in which it was set. I can't even comprehend the poverty that the farmers of this land had to endure during the winter months.

Agnes requests, as her guide to death, assistant reverend Toti. He is able to pull the story of what really happened that night those 2 men were murdered from Agnes by just... being there. Being her friend and a comforting ear to listen. The family whose farm Agnes is forced to work on before her execution comes to find out that she is a human being and, while she did the crime she was accused of, it was for entirely different reasons than anyone thought.

“To know what a person has done, and to know who a person is, are very different things.”

I couldn't help but feel for her and wished a different outcome for her. Historical fiction is still fiction but I want this version to be true.

“They will see the whore, the madwoman, the murderess, the female dripping blood into the grass and laughing with her mouth choked with dirt. They will say “Agnes” and see the spider, the witch caught in the webbing of her own fateful weaving. They might see the lamb circled by ravens, bleating for a lost mother. But they will not see me. I will not be there.”