Publication
Picador (2014)
Original publication date
2013-09-10
Collections
Awards
Women's Prize for Fiction (Longlist — 2014)
Dublin Literary Award (Shortlist — 2015)
Davitt Award (Winner — Debut Novel — 2014)
Barry Award (Nominee — First Novel — 2014)
British Book Award (Shortlist — 2014)
Maine Readers' Choice Award (Longlist — 2014)
Guardian First Book Award (Shortlist — 2013)
Australian Book Industry Awards (Shortlist — Literary Fiction — 2014)
Nib Literary Award (Shortlist — 2013)
Voss Literary Prize (Shortlist — 2014)
The Indie Book Award (Winner — 2014)
Victorian Premier's Literary Award (Shortlist — Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction — 2014)
BookPeople Booksellers' Choice Award (Winner — 2014)
ALS Gold Medal (Shortlist — Shortlist — 2014)
Stella Prize (Shortlist — 2014)
Historical Novel Society Editors' Choice (Literary)
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — September 2013)
Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List (Selection — 2014)
Description
Set against Iceland's stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution. Horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer, the family at first avoids Agnes. Only Tóti, a priest Agnes has mysteriously chosen to be her spiritual guardian, seeks to understand her. But as Agnes's death looms, the farmer's wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they've heard. . . . BURIAL RITES evokes a dramatic existence in a distant time and place --
User reviews
LibraryThing member brenzi
”"They said I must die. They said that I stole the breath from the men, and now they must steal mine." Page 3
The protagonist in this historical fiction novel, set in Iceland in 1829, Agnes Magnusdottir, has been found guilty of murder and is scheduled to be executed (beheaded) in a few months.
I found the descriptions of the chores that made up the everyday lives of this typical farm family, fascinating. Life here was no picnic and life inside the croft dwelling left no possibility of privacy. Everything Agnes reveals to her confessor, the inexperienced and gullible Rev. Toti, is easily overheard by the family members. So although Agnes at first seems enigmatic, in time she opens up to critical farm wife Margret, who becomes her greatest ally.
This may be a debut novel but Kent knows exactly what she’s doing. Spare, haunting prose, and descriptions of the unforgiving landscape as well as the harsh living conditions combine with a narrative that had me hoping all the way through that somehow Agnes would escape her fate. Highly recommended.
The protagonist in this historical fiction novel, set in Iceland in 1829, Agnes Magnusdottir, has been found guilty of murder and is scheduled to be executed (beheaded) in a few months.
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Due to a lack of prisons in Iceland, the powers that be ask a farm family to take her in rather than incarcerating her. Initially, most family members resent her presence in their home but, as time passes, they warm to her presence, so much so that when the time comes for the execution they are all devastated. Based on real historical events including the last beheading in Iceland, the author has written a debut novel that is filled with descriptions of the harsh conditions prevalent in Iceland throughout the year.I found the descriptions of the chores that made up the everyday lives of this typical farm family, fascinating. Life here was no picnic and life inside the croft dwelling left no possibility of privacy. Everything Agnes reveals to her confessor, the inexperienced and gullible Rev. Toti, is easily overheard by the family members. So although Agnes at first seems enigmatic, in time she opens up to critical farm wife Margret, who becomes her greatest ally.
This may be a debut novel but Kent knows exactly what she’s doing. Spare, haunting prose, and descriptions of the unforgiving landscape as well as the harsh living conditions combine with a narrative that had me hoping all the way through that somehow Agnes would escape her fate. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member jolerie
At first I did not know why these people stood about, men and women alike, each still and staring at me in silence. Then I understood that it was not me they stared at. I understood that these people did not see me. I was two dead men. I was a burning farm. I was a knife. I was blood. Pg. 36
On an
Inspired by true events, Hannah Kent's debut novel, Burial Rites takes us through the life of Anges Magnusdottir, the last woman to be publicly executed on the island of Iceland. History may know her as an evil witch, accusing her of manipulation and control, while Kent provides us with a different perspective. The story, much like the setting of Iceland, is cold, stark, and dreary. Slowly, morsel by morsel, Agnes recounts the steps that lead her to that fateful night and you can't help but feel moved by a woman whose hands were bound both by her own choices and the cards that God had dealt her. Despite fully knowing the fate that awaits Agnes, Kent is still able to weave a tale wrought with both tension and heartache. Perhaps what we see with the eye is not always the complete truth while the truth may not always be what we want to see. Highly recommend for fans of historical fiction with a healthy dash of crime and mystery thrown in for good measure.
On an
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isolated farm in the northern parts of Iceland, two men are found dead, their bodies bludgeoned and burned beyond recognition. Charged with the murders, Agnes Magnusdottir along with two other accomplices are sentenced to be executed by public beheadings. Through her eyes, Agnes reveals the story of a life of poverty, isolation, abandonment, and ultimately how one becomes one of Iceland's most notorious murderess.Inspired by true events, Hannah Kent's debut novel, Burial Rites takes us through the life of Anges Magnusdottir, the last woman to be publicly executed on the island of Iceland. History may know her as an evil witch, accusing her of manipulation and control, while Kent provides us with a different perspective. The story, much like the setting of Iceland, is cold, stark, and dreary. Slowly, morsel by morsel, Agnes recounts the steps that lead her to that fateful night and you can't help but feel moved by a woman whose hands were bound both by her own choices and the cards that God had dealt her. Despite fully knowing the fate that awaits Agnes, Kent is still able to weave a tale wrought with both tension and heartache. Perhaps what we see with the eye is not always the complete truth while the truth may not always be what we want to see. Highly recommend for fans of historical fiction with a healthy dash of crime and mystery thrown in for good measure.
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LibraryThing member Smiler69
I picked up Burial Rites, a first novel by Hannah Kent just yesterday and finished it today. Yes, I thought it was great. It seems that historical fiction is really a favourite genre of mine these days, though I've always liked it, even before I knew it was called that, in the days when a book was
I have to make a special mention of Morven Christie, the narrator of the audio version I first discovered with Code Name Verity—another much recommended book—, who read the story with great compassion and feeling, and a real sense of intimacy. She is now among my favourites, and I look forward to her next projects too.
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a book to me, with no categories to make me wonder what was "right" or "wrong" or "high" or "low" literature. This story takes place in Iceland, and is based on the true story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, who was the last person in Iceland proper to receive the death sentence. She was beheaded in 1830 on the charge that she had—together with a conspirator, a young man called Friðrik Sigurðsson (also beheaded the same day)—murdered two men, Nathan Ketilsson, a farmer and local healer and also Agnes' employer, and Pétur Jónsson. This story begins in the year preceding Agnes' beheading, when she is sent to live in cramped quarters with a family in a small isolated farming community, where she is meant to prepare for her punishment and meet her end with the appropriate attitude of contrition and religious faith. The family are understandably outraged and horrified to be made to take in a convicted murderess, and Agnes, who has spent her life as a maid, is put to work doing the lowliest tasks. Agnes has specially requested that a young assistant priest called Tóti be her spiritual advisor, claiming that they know each other and she believes he is in the best position to help her, though the young priest is not aware of having ever met her and their connexion is only revealed quite late in the story. Tóti quickly comes to realize the best he can do for Agnes is to let her tell her own story, which is how we come to learn about the events which led up to the murder of her former employer and erstwhile lover, an event which was not as clear cut as the authorities made it out to be. It's impossible to read (or in my case, listen) to this story without growing feeling compassion and empathy for Agnes, which is also what happens to the members of the family. Of course, while the main characters and events are based on true circumstances, Hannah Kent had ample room to embroider on what might have been Agnes' inner life and motivations, though she claims to have done this based on a great deal of documentation from eyewitnesses and people who knew the convicted woman. A very promising start for Hannah Kent, and I will be looking forward to what she comes up with next. Of course it's a very touching story, and one which was a very fitting follow-up to Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, which I finished just a few days ago. Interestingly enough, in her acknowledgments, Kent gives special thanks to Geraldine Brooks for her role as a mentor, something I did not know about till I got to the very end. I just love it when this kind of reading synchronicity happens!I have to make a special mention of Morven Christie, the narrator of the audio version I first discovered with Code Name Verity—another much recommended book—, who read the story with great compassion and feeling, and a real sense of intimacy. She is now among my favourites, and I look forward to her next projects too.
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LibraryThing member RobinDawson
What a terrific book! How does a young Australian author write so convincingly about rural Iceland in the early 1800’s?
The novel is based on an actual historical fact – the execution of Agnes Magnusdottir, accused of murdering two men. After her sentencing Agnes is billeted into the family of
As it’s based on a real event s we know from the outset that Agnes will be executed, yet it is all credit to the author’s skill that Agnes’ story is so compelling. The writing is excellent.
The names of the places and people are a bit tricky but overall it’s a great piece of historical fiction and likely to win various prizes.
The novel is based on an actual historical fact – the execution of Agnes Magnusdottir, accused of murdering two men. After her sentencing Agnes is billeted into the family of
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a provincial administrator to await the final decision about her execution. Much of the story is about the complex dynamics that arise as the family adjusts to the presence of a convicted criminal in their very cramped, smoky dwelling. It’s a visiting priest or confessor who gradually gains Agnes’ confidence and we learn the real circumstances that led to her being charged. As it’s based on a real event s we know from the outset that Agnes will be executed, yet it is all credit to the author’s skill that Agnes’ story is so compelling. The writing is excellent.
The names of the places and people are a bit tricky but overall it’s a great piece of historical fiction and likely to win various prizes.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
Memories shift like loose snow in a wind, or are a chorale of ghosts all talking over one another. There is only ever a sense that what is real to me is not real to others, and to share a memory with someone is to risk sullying my belief in what has truly happened.
Set in 19th century Iceland,
Through Agnes’ conversations with Toti and Margret, and through Agnes’ thoughts, we learn her life story and how she came to be associated with the dead man. Agnes is a sympathetic character, but is she reliable? Is her memory accurate? Is she telling the truth? It’s up to the reader to decide what they believe.
I was initially captivated by this story, with Hannah Kent’s ability to create a setting, and the alternating first- and third-person narrative voices. But once this stage was set my attention began to flag. With the exception of Agnes, I found most of the characters too one-dimensional. And then Kent appeared to run out of details to surround the protagonist, and the last third of the novel is Agnes telling the rest of her story to Margret, as they sat by the hearth in the middle of the night. It was no more imaginative than reading about it in a history book.
That said, Kent writes beautifully and this is her debut novel. I will be interested to see her next work.
Set in 19th century Iceland,
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Burial Rites is based on a true story of murder and arson. Agnes Magnussdottir is one of three convicted of the crimes and sentenced to death. Following her conviction, she is relocated to the area where the execution is to take place, and put to work as a servant to a farming family. The government also provides a spiritual advisor for the condemned woman; she chooses Toti, a young priest whom she met many years before. As time passes, the family becomes more comfortable with Agnes’ presence and relationships begin to form, especially between Agnes and the farmer’s wife, Margret.Through Agnes’ conversations with Toti and Margret, and through Agnes’ thoughts, we learn her life story and how she came to be associated with the dead man. Agnes is a sympathetic character, but is she reliable? Is her memory accurate? Is she telling the truth? It’s up to the reader to decide what they believe.
I was initially captivated by this story, with Hannah Kent’s ability to create a setting, and the alternating first- and third-person narrative voices. But once this stage was set my attention began to flag. With the exception of Agnes, I found most of the characters too one-dimensional. And then Kent appeared to run out of details to surround the protagonist, and the last third of the novel is Agnes telling the rest of her story to Margret, as they sat by the hearth in the middle of the night. It was no more imaginative than reading about it in a history book.
That said, Kent writes beautifully and this is her debut novel. I will be interested to see her next work.
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LibraryThing member janeajones
Shortlisted for the 2014 Bailey's Prize (formerly the Orange Prize), Burial Rites is Hannah Kent's first novel. As a historical novel reimagining the murder of a landowner involving his female servant who is confiding her story to a sympathetic young man, it must bear some comparison to Margaret
However, Burial Rites stands on its own as an accomplished work of fiction with a well developed protagonist, a highly detailed picture of northern Iceland in the early 19th century, and thoroughly researched background material.
Agnes Magnusdottir was the last person to be executed in Iceland on January 12, 1830. She, along with Sigridur Gudmundsdottir and Fridik Sigurdsson, was convicted of murdering Natan Ketilsson and Petur Jonsson and burning down Natan's house to try to conceal the crime. The murder is well known to this day in Iceland, and Agnes is generally characterized in local legend as a scorned and vengeful lover who incited two young people to violence and murder.
Kent, who first heard the tale when she was an exchange student in Iceland, was fascinated by the character of Agnes and her isolated existence. An illegitimate child, abandoned by her mother at 6, Agnes was brought up in poverty and servitude. Nevertheless, like nearly all Icelanders in the 19th century, she was literate, and she had a roving intelligence that embraced the lore of the sagas and the starkness of the Icelandic landscape.
The novel spans the period of about six months before Agnes's execution when she is being held by a local official's family to await final authorization from the King in Denmark to proceed with the sentence. Within the family she labors as a servant, and Kent explores the evolving relationships within the family. Agnes is assigned a spiritual advisor, Thorvadur Jonsson, to whom she gradually tells her story.
So what was Agnes's role in the murder? This is the crux of the novel, and the reader's judgement depends of the interpretation of the reliability of the narrator.
All in all, a highly accomplished first novel.
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Atwood's Alias Grace to any reader familiar with Atwood's work.However, Burial Rites stands on its own as an accomplished work of fiction with a well developed protagonist, a highly detailed picture of northern Iceland in the early 19th century, and thoroughly researched background material.
Agnes Magnusdottir was the last person to be executed in Iceland on January 12, 1830. She, along with Sigridur Gudmundsdottir and Fridik Sigurdsson, was convicted of murdering Natan Ketilsson and Petur Jonsson and burning down Natan's house to try to conceal the crime. The murder is well known to this day in Iceland, and Agnes is generally characterized in local legend as a scorned and vengeful lover who incited two young people to violence and murder.
Kent, who first heard the tale when she was an exchange student in Iceland, was fascinated by the character of Agnes and her isolated existence. An illegitimate child, abandoned by her mother at 6, Agnes was brought up in poverty and servitude. Nevertheless, like nearly all Icelanders in the 19th century, she was literate, and she had a roving intelligence that embraced the lore of the sagas and the starkness of the Icelandic landscape.
The novel spans the period of about six months before Agnes's execution when she is being held by a local official's family to await final authorization from the King in Denmark to proceed with the sentence. Within the family she labors as a servant, and Kent explores the evolving relationships within the family. Agnes is assigned a spiritual advisor, Thorvadur Jonsson, to whom she gradually tells her story.
So what was Agnes's role in the murder? This is the crux of the novel, and the reader's judgement depends of the interpretation of the reliability of the narrator.
All in all, a highly accomplished first novel.
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LibraryThing member andersongs
Hannah Kent has created a tragic yet beautiful masterpiece in the telling of this story, which reminds me not only of the great sagas of the Icelandic tradition, but dark and brooding Norse poetry, as well as vintage Laxness. Kent has captured the essence of a wintry 19th century Iceland in a jar,
Kent’s descriptions are so powerful, that your senses react to them instinctively, as if you were there, in spite of how uncomfortable those sensations may be at times.
“Up in the highlands blizzards howl like the widows of fishermen and the wind blisters the skin off your face. Winter comes like a punch in the dark. The uninhabited places are as cruel as any executioner.”
The tale – based on a true story - is that of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, a woman who has been sentenced to die for her part in the gruesome murder of two men in North Iceland in 1828, along with her co-conspirators Fridrik Sigurdsson and Sigrídur Gudmundsdóttir. The two deceased, local rogues Natan Ketilsson and Petúr Jónsson, were beaten, stabbed and then burned to death in a croft.
Agnes is initially held in Storá-Borg where she is brutally treated by her guards, which leads to the district commissioner, Björn Blöndal, to have her transferred to the farmstead Kornsá to await her execution. It is here she is put into the employ of Jón Jónsson, the farmer and his wife Margrét; the latter immediately puts her to work on the farm as a typical servant girl.
“Endless days of dark indoors and hateful glances are enough to set a rime on anyone’s bones.”
Margrét is understandably bemused to have a murderer living alongside her two daughters Lauga and Steina, and is wary of allowing Agnes to be near them, for fear of her influence as well as her perceived evilness. However Agnes shows an aptitude for farmwork and as Margrét relies more and more on her skills around the farm, she warms to her and begins to take more of an interest in her.
Tóti Jónsson is the assistant reverend assigned to Agnes at her own request. After failing initially to engage with Agnes through religious verses and prayers, he relaxes and becomes more like a counsellor to Agnes, much to the chagrin of Blöndal who believes she should be reading relevant scripture to prepare her for her end.
“Any woman knows that a thread, once woven, is fixed in place; the only way to smooth a mistake is to let it all unravel.”
Tóti – and eventually Margrét also - lends a friendly ear to the condemned woman, and she opens up to tell her tragic story, through which we start to learn the circumstances of her life, up to and including the events which led up to the murders at Illugistaðir. In particular, the story Agnes tells of her mother and younger sister is heart-breaking. It is a scene which will stay with you for some time, charged with raw emotion and leaving a feeling of numbness and pity at its end.
“Cruel birds, ravens, but wise. And creatures should be loved for their wisdom if they cannot be loved for kindness.”
Throughout this story, you cannot help but empathise at times with Agnes; her intelligence shines through upon hearing her elegant and eloquent personal thoughts, and her resigned acceptance of her fate adds to the darkness of this novel. Throughout the novel, the proverbial doomsday clock is always ticking for Agnes, and though you know that her judgment day is coming, you simply don’t want that clock to stop for one minute.
“Those who are not being dragged to their deaths cannot understand how the heart grows hard and sharp, until it is a nest of rocks with only an empty egg in it.”
I was completely engrossed in the novel from start to finish, and it has left me wanting more. Burial Rites is one of the finest books I have read in a long time, and I expect huge things from Hannah Kent in years to come. Given her level of research into this novel, I can only assume she will put similar groundwork into her next project.
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for all its harshness, and then spilled it onto the page in stunning prose. Kent’s descriptions are so powerful, that your senses react to them instinctively, as if you were there, in spite of how uncomfortable those sensations may be at times.
“Up in the highlands blizzards howl like the widows of fishermen and the wind blisters the skin off your face. Winter comes like a punch in the dark. The uninhabited places are as cruel as any executioner.”
The tale – based on a true story - is that of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, a woman who has been sentenced to die for her part in the gruesome murder of two men in North Iceland in 1828, along with her co-conspirators Fridrik Sigurdsson and Sigrídur Gudmundsdóttir. The two deceased, local rogues Natan Ketilsson and Petúr Jónsson, were beaten, stabbed and then burned to death in a croft.
Agnes is initially held in Storá-Borg where she is brutally treated by her guards, which leads to the district commissioner, Björn Blöndal, to have her transferred to the farmstead Kornsá to await her execution. It is here she is put into the employ of Jón Jónsson, the farmer and his wife Margrét; the latter immediately puts her to work on the farm as a typical servant girl.
“Endless days of dark indoors and hateful glances are enough to set a rime on anyone’s bones.”
Margrét is understandably bemused to have a murderer living alongside her two daughters Lauga and Steina, and is wary of allowing Agnes to be near them, for fear of her influence as well as her perceived evilness. However Agnes shows an aptitude for farmwork and as Margrét relies more and more on her skills around the farm, she warms to her and begins to take more of an interest in her.
Tóti Jónsson is the assistant reverend assigned to Agnes at her own request. After failing initially to engage with Agnes through religious verses and prayers, he relaxes and becomes more like a counsellor to Agnes, much to the chagrin of Blöndal who believes she should be reading relevant scripture to prepare her for her end.
“Any woman knows that a thread, once woven, is fixed in place; the only way to smooth a mistake is to let it all unravel.”
Tóti – and eventually Margrét also - lends a friendly ear to the condemned woman, and she opens up to tell her tragic story, through which we start to learn the circumstances of her life, up to and including the events which led up to the murders at Illugistaðir. In particular, the story Agnes tells of her mother and younger sister is heart-breaking. It is a scene which will stay with you for some time, charged with raw emotion and leaving a feeling of numbness and pity at its end.
“Cruel birds, ravens, but wise. And creatures should be loved for their wisdom if they cannot be loved for kindness.”
Throughout this story, you cannot help but empathise at times with Agnes; her intelligence shines through upon hearing her elegant and eloquent personal thoughts, and her resigned acceptance of her fate adds to the darkness of this novel. Throughout the novel, the proverbial doomsday clock is always ticking for Agnes, and though you know that her judgment day is coming, you simply don’t want that clock to stop for one minute.
“Those who are not being dragged to their deaths cannot understand how the heart grows hard and sharp, until it is a nest of rocks with only an empty egg in it.”
I was completely engrossed in the novel from start to finish, and it has left me wanting more. Burial Rites is one of the finest books I have read in a long time, and I expect huge things from Hannah Kent in years to come. Given her level of research into this novel, I can only assume she will put similar groundwork into her next project.
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LibraryThing member bsquaredinoz
Hannah Kent was a teenage exchange student from Australia when she first heard about Agnes Magnusdottir, the last person to be executed in Iceland (in 1829). A decade long obsession with the woman has resulted in a fictionalised account of Agnes’ life which has become something of a publishing
If I had to choose a genre besides crime fiction as my favourite it would be what Kent describes (in the TV documentary that aired here a couple of months ago) as speculative biography. I’ve never heard the term before but it’s a perfect description to suit things like Geraldine Brooks’ YEAR OF WONDERS (one of my all time favourite novels) and this novel. Essentially Kent has researched as much as humanly possible about Agnes, the murders she was convicted of and life in Iceland at the time and told Agnes’ story, imagining what she wasn’t able to supply with facts.
Kent uses a range of mechanisms to piece together her version of Agnes’ life and death. The extracts from letters and other primary sources which begin each chapter ground the story in time and social structure. They also provide the factual details of the conviction, the sentence and the odd arrangements made for the period before the execution will take place. This is how we first learn for example that Agnes and and her fellow accused are, for financial and logistical reasons, to be housed with the families of local officials until the executions can be carried out. The discussions Agnes has with Toti, the young assistant priest she has chosen as her spiritual adviser, provide most of the details of Agnes’ early life of abandonment by her mother and eking out an existence as a servant. Finally the passages told from Agnes’ own point of view provide the perspective of a woman who knows she is going to die, horribly, and who is afraid. Her memories, her hopes, her fears, her wishes for a different life are all depicted alongside her experiences of conviction, imprisonment and living with the family who are, at least initially, repulsed by the idea of having to house someone universally thought of as a whore and murderer.
Together these elements tell an evocative story in which the setting plays a major role. Not only is the weather cold, miserable and dark for much of the novel but the time and location add to the sense of bleakness that pervades this book. It’s no surprise that a poor servant would have had little in the way of creature comforts during her life but even the home of Agnes’ host family – the father of whom is some sort of official – is pretty uninviting. The small house is made of mud which falls from the walls and ceilings and is always damp and all the householders – parents, children, servants, the occasional visitor and Agnes – sleep in the same room, which is basically the same space as all the inside living and cooking is done. I swear that as I read I started to smell a combination of bad food and unwashed bodies which is a testament to Kent’s image-laden writing.
Then of course there’s Agnes herself who, even by the end of the novel, is still something of an unknown quantity though I don’t mean this as a criticism. I simply don’t think we’re meant to know everything about her or have answers to all of the questions that her recollections and the known facts of her life might cause us to wonder about. We do however have a strong sense of who this woman might have been. When she hears that her priest wants to know more of her background she muses
“If he wants to learn of my family he’ll have a hard time of it. Two fathers and a mother who seem as blurry to me as strangers departing through a snowstorm”
which sets the scene for the kind of life she had in the 30 odd years prior to when we meet her. She has had to fend for herself, always, and even before she learned it would be dramatically cut short any dreams she harboured for her future were so modest they barely warrant the term. But even though Agnes was depicted as settling easily, almost willingly, into her role of servant to the family she never became resigned to her ultimate fate. She wanted, desperately, to live.
In small ways though she makes an impact, demonstrating to some of the family at least that she might not be what they had been led to believe. One of the family’s daughters comes to think of her as a friend and the mother grows quite close to Agnes in some ways. Though this aspect of the story must surely be conjecture, for me it seemed terribly credible. It’s hard to imagine not becoming close to others when you’re living and working on top of each other day in and day out.
In some ways the things I liked most about BURIAL RITES were the things that weren’t there. It didn’t provide easy answers, it’s ending didn’t include lurid details (though Kent doesn’t gloss over the undoubted horror of a public beheading) and there were no implausible scenes better suited to the modern day. It is a sad but rich story that offers a glimpse into the world of someone we have to imagine because Agnes Magnusdottir is one of the millions of people which official history records precious little about. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting her.
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sensation, generating a bidding war for publishing rights after winning the inaugural Writing Australia Unpublished Manuscript Award. As Hannah Kent is a local girl and there aren’t many girls (or boys for that matter) from my home town who make it big in world publishing, my book club couldn’t resist seeing what all the fuss was about.If I had to choose a genre besides crime fiction as my favourite it would be what Kent describes (in the TV documentary that aired here a couple of months ago) as speculative biography. I’ve never heard the term before but it’s a perfect description to suit things like Geraldine Brooks’ YEAR OF WONDERS (one of my all time favourite novels) and this novel. Essentially Kent has researched as much as humanly possible about Agnes, the murders she was convicted of and life in Iceland at the time and told Agnes’ story, imagining what she wasn’t able to supply with facts.
Kent uses a range of mechanisms to piece together her version of Agnes’ life and death. The extracts from letters and other primary sources which begin each chapter ground the story in time and social structure. They also provide the factual details of the conviction, the sentence and the odd arrangements made for the period before the execution will take place. This is how we first learn for example that Agnes and and her fellow accused are, for financial and logistical reasons, to be housed with the families of local officials until the executions can be carried out. The discussions Agnes has with Toti, the young assistant priest she has chosen as her spiritual adviser, provide most of the details of Agnes’ early life of abandonment by her mother and eking out an existence as a servant. Finally the passages told from Agnes’ own point of view provide the perspective of a woman who knows she is going to die, horribly, and who is afraid. Her memories, her hopes, her fears, her wishes for a different life are all depicted alongside her experiences of conviction, imprisonment and living with the family who are, at least initially, repulsed by the idea of having to house someone universally thought of as a whore and murderer.
Together these elements tell an evocative story in which the setting plays a major role. Not only is the weather cold, miserable and dark for much of the novel but the time and location add to the sense of bleakness that pervades this book. It’s no surprise that a poor servant would have had little in the way of creature comforts during her life but even the home of Agnes’ host family – the father of whom is some sort of official – is pretty uninviting. The small house is made of mud which falls from the walls and ceilings and is always damp and all the householders – parents, children, servants, the occasional visitor and Agnes – sleep in the same room, which is basically the same space as all the inside living and cooking is done. I swear that as I read I started to smell a combination of bad food and unwashed bodies which is a testament to Kent’s image-laden writing.
Then of course there’s Agnes herself who, even by the end of the novel, is still something of an unknown quantity though I don’t mean this as a criticism. I simply don’t think we’re meant to know everything about her or have answers to all of the questions that her recollections and the known facts of her life might cause us to wonder about. We do however have a strong sense of who this woman might have been. When she hears that her priest wants to know more of her background she muses
“If he wants to learn of my family he’ll have a hard time of it. Two fathers and a mother who seem as blurry to me as strangers departing through a snowstorm”
which sets the scene for the kind of life she had in the 30 odd years prior to when we meet her. She has had to fend for herself, always, and even before she learned it would be dramatically cut short any dreams she harboured for her future were so modest they barely warrant the term. But even though Agnes was depicted as settling easily, almost willingly, into her role of servant to the family she never became resigned to her ultimate fate. She wanted, desperately, to live.
In small ways though she makes an impact, demonstrating to some of the family at least that she might not be what they had been led to believe. One of the family’s daughters comes to think of her as a friend and the mother grows quite close to Agnes in some ways. Though this aspect of the story must surely be conjecture, for me it seemed terribly credible. It’s hard to imagine not becoming close to others when you’re living and working on top of each other day in and day out.
In some ways the things I liked most about BURIAL RITES were the things that weren’t there. It didn’t provide easy answers, it’s ending didn’t include lurid details (though Kent doesn’t gloss over the undoubted horror of a public beheading) and there were no implausible scenes better suited to the modern day. It is a sad but rich story that offers a glimpse into the world of someone we have to imagine because Agnes Magnusdottir is one of the millions of people which official history records precious little about. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting her.
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LibraryThing member rainpebble
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent; (5+*)
This is an amazing historical novel. I will be remembering this one for a long time. The story is so heartbreaking that I wish it wasn't true. The writing is beautiful and just everything about this book is wonderful except for the horror of the truth.
The book is
The protagonist fell in love with a cruel man who owned a very isolated farm (though all the crofts seem isolated in this story) and went to live with him there where murderous and manipulating individuals greedily decided her fate.
This is strong fiction based on fact. Iceland is fascinating. The way the people lived is fascinating. The story is compelling and the characters are very well developed.
This book is so amazing that it may well be my best read of the year. I very highly recommend it.
This is an amazing historical novel. I will be remembering this one for a long time. The story is so heartbreaking that I wish it wasn't true. The writing is beautiful and just everything about this book is wonderful except for the horror of the truth.
The book is
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well written, interesting, emotional and informative. It is a very compelling read about a woman who was abandoned at an early age by her unmarried mother. She was left to take care of herself and defend herself while working as a servant girl. The coldness throughout the story made me feel chilled even as I read the book, as though I were in the croft itself.The protagonist fell in love with a cruel man who owned a very isolated farm (though all the crofts seem isolated in this story) and went to live with him there where murderous and manipulating individuals greedily decided her fate.
This is strong fiction based on fact. Iceland is fascinating. The way the people lived is fascinating. The story is compelling and the characters are very well developed.
This book is so amazing that it may well be my best read of the year. I very highly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member CasualFriday
This acclaimed debut novel is based on a real historical incident: the execution of Agnes Magnúsdóttir in Iceland in 1830. Agnes, abandoned by her mother and later by her foster family, has eeked out a bleak living as a servant until she is employed (and seduced) by Natan, a farmer and
I couldn't get a handle on this book. I never got inside Agnes's head or felt any sympathy for her. She may have been intended as an unreliable narrator - usually my favorite kind - but instead of being enjoyably intrigued, I was confused. I was also disappointed that the relationship between Agnes and the family who kept her was so undeveloped, especially as regards the two sisters. In fact, the character development in general was weak. The book has been well received and has apparently already been optioned for a film, but for me it was an unenjoyable slog.
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well-regarded herbalist/healer. At Natan's farm, Agnes expects to be a housekeeper but finds she is just another servant reporting to Sigga, the actual housekeeper and clearly one of Natan's lovers. When Natan ends up dead, it's hard to mourn for him. Because Iceland, a Danish colony, lacks prison space, Agnes is sent to live with a farm family pending her execution.I couldn't get a handle on this book. I never got inside Agnes's head or felt any sympathy for her. She may have been intended as an unreliable narrator - usually my favorite kind - but instead of being enjoyably intrigued, I was confused. I was also disappointed that the relationship between Agnes and the family who kept her was so undeveloped, especially as regards the two sisters. In fact, the character development in general was weak. The book has been well received and has apparently already been optioned for a film, but for me it was an unenjoyable slog.
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LibraryThing member Cariola
Based on a true story, the novel focuses on Agnes Magnusdottir, a servant accused of murdering her master (and lover) in early nineteenth-century Iceland. The court, deciding there was no appropriate (or affordable) place to keep her until the day of execution, sent her to live with the family of a
My sole criticism of the book, which indeed engaged me throughout, is that it was perhaps a bit overly dramatic.
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remote district magistrate. Through Agnes's conversations with her young pastor, Toti, and with Margret, the magistrate's wife, we learn the sad facts of her life and the truth behind the murder. The story, which is apparently legendary in Iceland, brings to life the disadvantages of being poor, abandoned, and female in the period with heartbreaking accuracy.My sole criticism of the book, which indeed engaged me throughout, is that it was perhaps a bit overly dramatic.
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LibraryThing member irregularreader
Burial Rites is a poetically written and mesmerizing mystery set in 19th century Iceland. The tale, based on historical events, provides an interesting look into the mind of the murderess Agnes Magnusdottir.
The story builds slowly but steadily, leaving the reader increasingly anxious to see the
I'd highly recommend this book to mystery lovers looking for something off the beaten track, or for any lover of history.
The story builds slowly but steadily, leaving the reader increasingly anxious to see the
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events play out and find resolution.I'd highly recommend this book to mystery lovers looking for something off the beaten track, or for any lover of history.
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LibraryThing member japaul22
I liked this debut novel by Australian author Hannah Kent. The book is historical fiction about the last person executed in Iceland in the 1800s. Her name was Agnes Magnusdottir. She was abandoned by her mother early in her childhood and grew up working on various farms in the northern settlements
There are many things I really liked about this book. The story is compelling and the writing was good. I thought it captured the Icelandic atmosphere well and had a lot of interesting historical details about the way of life in Iceland in the 1800s. The narration switches between first person from Agnes's point of view and third person, which worked well. There were a few things that could have been better, though. I wish the author had come up with a more clever way of revealing Agnes's life story than having her just tell it to the priest and family. I also couldn't help comparing this to the brilliant [Alias Grace] by [[Margaret Atwood]] and wishing that [[Hannah Kent]] had worked some ambiguity into the story. But, that being said, I still very much enjoyed this debut novel and would like to read more by [[Hannah Kent]].
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of Iceland. As an adult she lands at the farm of Natan Ketilsson, a hard man who emotionally abuses Agnes and another servant, Sigga, living on the farm. Agnes, Sigga, and Frederik, a nearby farmer who wants to marry Sigga, conspire to murder Natan and a friend of his who happens to be staying in the croft and then burn the home down. Or so the official story goes. When Agnes is placed with the family of a low-level district official while awaiting her execution, her version of events comes out. Agnes is allowed to choose a priest to aid her in preparing for death. She tells the priest much of her story and slowly gains the trust of the family she is living with, sharing the rest of the story with them. There are many things I really liked about this book. The story is compelling and the writing was good. I thought it captured the Icelandic atmosphere well and had a lot of interesting historical details about the way of life in Iceland in the 1800s. The narration switches between first person from Agnes's point of view and third person, which worked well. There were a few things that could have been better, though. I wish the author had come up with a more clever way of revealing Agnes's life story than having her just tell it to the priest and family. I also couldn't help comparing this to the brilliant [Alias Grace] by [[Margaret Atwood]] and wishing that [[Hannah Kent]] had worked some ambiguity into the story. But, that being said, I still very much enjoyed this debut novel and would like to read more by [[Hannah Kent]].
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LibraryThing member alexdaw
Iceland. What do you think of when you hear the word Iceland? I think bleak, cold and does anyone live there - really? This book, based on a true story, is about the last person, a woman, executed in Iceland in 1830 for a murder committed in 1828. The book is endorsed on the front cover of my
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edition by Geraldine Brooks, who the author, Hannah Kent, acknowledges for her guidance. It's a great story - particularly for those like me with a fondness for history and a fascination for that most slippery of concepts - the truth. Kent give us some very beautiful haunting words which provoke deep thought about relationships and how society deals with crime and punishment. I look forward to reading more from this new author. Show Less
LibraryThing member saratoga99
Set in starkly austere, weather-driven, sparsely inhabited, early 1800's Iceland, this stunningly engrossing historical literary inaugural novel of one murderess’s last days not only swiftly seizes your unassuming mind within the first few pages, it also beckons so incessantly that you are driven
Impeccably researched and ingeniously written, this masterful debut, dramatic, yet luminous and emotionally riveting tale grants the reader an intimate and exceedingly painful view of one woman’s life within the restricted confines of an initially disdainful and reluctant Nordic family’s “croft (turf home).” Anticipate physically raw, crudely unembellished and explicit images to unexpectedly haunt as you grasp how truly grim daily life could be among strictly conforming members of Christian districts whose commanders/leaders dictated all aspects of life while routinely updated ministerial registers of souls provided a linear depiction of each person’s life.
At a young age, Hannah Kent visited Iceland and discovered the plight of one woman’s dispirited life and mournful death, and this kernel of knowledge evolved into a literary pursuit. As it did for me, Burial Rites inscrutable narrative of Agnes Magnúsdóttir may leave you contemplating this historical period as it relates to harsh early Nordic life, women, religion, truth, forgiveness, and redemption.
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to re-arrange your life to answer its relentless call. Impeccably researched and ingeniously written, this masterful debut, dramatic, yet luminous and emotionally riveting tale grants the reader an intimate and exceedingly painful view of one woman’s life within the restricted confines of an initially disdainful and reluctant Nordic family’s “croft (turf home).” Anticipate physically raw, crudely unembellished and explicit images to unexpectedly haunt as you grasp how truly grim daily life could be among strictly conforming members of Christian districts whose commanders/leaders dictated all aspects of life while routinely updated ministerial registers of souls provided a linear depiction of each person’s life.
At a young age, Hannah Kent visited Iceland and discovered the plight of one woman’s dispirited life and mournful death, and this kernel of knowledge evolved into a literary pursuit. As it did for me, Burial Rites inscrutable narrative of Agnes Magnúsdóttir may leave you contemplating this historical period as it relates to harsh early Nordic life, women, religion, truth, forgiveness, and redemption.
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LibraryThing member judylou
Agnes Magnusdottir is a servant in Iceland in the early 1800s. She has been sentenced to death for the murder of her former master and another man. While waiting for the sentence to be carried out she is billeted on a local farm. The family, including two grown daughters, are dismayed at the
Iceland is a fascinating place for me and this book brings to life its bleak landscape and its incredible weather.
Based on a real life event, Agnes Magnusdottir was the last woman to be sentenced to death in Iceland.
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prospect of accommodating this woman and fear that they will also become her victims. However, as she lives with them throughout the seasons, they come to know her and her story a bit better and even develop some affection for her. Iceland is a fascinating place for me and this book brings to life its bleak landscape and its incredible weather.
Based on a real life event, Agnes Magnusdottir was the last woman to be sentenced to death in Iceland.
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LibraryThing member kiwifortyniner
This was a great first novel by this Australian author and I can see why it is on the best seller lists. She has done a brilliant job of bringing to life the character of Agnes Magnusdottir the last woman to be executed in Iceland, and whats more she has brought to life the Icelandic landscape and
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its people. Agnes has been sent to wait out the time leading to her execution on the farm of Jon Jonsson and his wife and two daughters and one could imagine how a family might feel being told this person must live with them. but she works well, and has particular skills and knowledge and gradually they and the priest sent to counsel her, all get to know her a little better and feel sad and helpless at the end that awaits her. And what a sad life she has had and how sad it is that what happens to her depends on the stories that others tell of her and what happened. It thought that it was a well written book and found the end very moving. Well worth a read. Show Less
LibraryThing member chrissie3
I cannot write a review that can do this book justice. This is what goes through my head:
* I am so happy I give few books five stars, because then when I run into a book this good my five star rating means something!
* You need a strong stomach for this book. I have warned you.
* Once you start you
* There is NO humor in this book. I always need humor, except NOT here. Don't ask me why! I just didn't need it. I was riveted from start to finish. I needed to understand the relationships that lie at the core of what happened. I was so focused on understanding the why, I didn't have any need for humor. Humor simply doesn't belong in this book. This is Nordic historical fiction of times long past - there is hunger and cold and darkness. That is the way it was. And people living in such difficult times did such twisted things.
* The book is NOT spooky, it is atmospheric.
* The writing! Similes, metaphors - they are all just perfect. Stunning writing.
* You will be moved. Jeez, at the end...... No, not just at the end, all the way through.
* And this is very important. Do not read this book. Please, if you possibly can, listen to it. The narration by Morven Christie is totally fantastic. The Icelandic is perfect. The tempo is slow and it must be slow, so you can think about what is being said, so you feel the doom and darkness of the events. This is an excellently written book AND excellently narrated. BOTH!
Phew, after this I don't want another Nordic drama for a long time. My emotions cannot take it. I have been through a wringer with this one.
I assume you have read the book description, so you know that this story is based on true events. There is a chapter at the end that explains all the research involved. The author closely follows what is known. There are different views of Agnes' behavior, but the author has totally convinced my of what her study of the facts have lead her to believe.
This is one of the best books I have read/listened to this year.
**************************************
After half:
I have listened to half now. I still absolutely love it. It has love too. One of the few authors that can feed me a love story and please me immensely. I am convinced Agnes did not kill the man she is accused of killing. But history says she is beheaded for this reason. Remember this is Nordic historical fiction! Now I will say no more. I don't know what will happen in the rest of the book, so I cannot possibly give a spoiler.
You read this book for the marvelous atmosphere and the lines. Gorgeous lines! A superb writer.
*****************************
After 6 chapters:
This book is beautifully written. Atmospheric. Nordic historical fiction at its best. The narration by Morven Christie is wonderful too. Don't read it, listen to it. I have only listened to 6 chapters, but there is no way this book can get anything but 5 stars.
Hannah Kent is Australian, mentored by Geraldine Brooks! This book is far better than any I have read by Geraldine Brooks, and I am not disparaging Brooks when I say that.
* I am so happy I give few books five stars, because then when I run into a book this good my five star rating means something!
* You need a strong stomach for this book. I have warned you.
* Once you start you
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will not be able to read or do anything else.* There is NO humor in this book. I always need humor, except NOT here. Don't ask me why! I just didn't need it. I was riveted from start to finish. I needed to understand the relationships that lie at the core of what happened. I was so focused on understanding the why, I didn't have any need for humor. Humor simply doesn't belong in this book. This is Nordic historical fiction of times long past - there is hunger and cold and darkness. That is the way it was. And people living in such difficult times did such twisted things.
* The book is NOT spooky, it is atmospheric.
* The writing! Similes, metaphors - they are all just perfect. Stunning writing.
* You will be moved. Jeez, at the end...... No, not just at the end, all the way through.
* And this is very important. Do not read this book. Please, if you possibly can, listen to it. The narration by Morven Christie is totally fantastic. The Icelandic is perfect. The tempo is slow and it must be slow, so you can think about what is being said, so you feel the doom and darkness of the events. This is an excellently written book AND excellently narrated. BOTH!
Phew, after this I don't want another Nordic drama for a long time. My emotions cannot take it. I have been through a wringer with this one.
I assume you have read the book description, so you know that this story is based on true events. There is a chapter at the end that explains all the research involved. The author closely follows what is known. There are different views of Agnes' behavior, but the author has totally convinced my of what her study of the facts have lead her to believe.
This is one of the best books I have read/listened to this year.
**************************************
After half:
I have listened to half now. I still absolutely love it. It has love too. One of the few authors that can feed me a love story and please me immensely. I am convinced Agnes did not kill the man she is accused of killing. But history says she is beheaded for this reason. Remember this is Nordic historical fiction! Now I will say no more. I don't know what will happen in the rest of the book, so I cannot possibly give a spoiler.
You read this book for the marvelous atmosphere and the lines. Gorgeous lines! A superb writer.
*****************************
After 6 chapters:
This book is beautifully written. Atmospheric. Nordic historical fiction at its best. The narration by Morven Christie is wonderful too. Don't read it, listen to it. I have only listened to 6 chapters, but there is no way this book can get anything but 5 stars.
Hannah Kent is Australian, mentored by Geraldine Brooks! This book is far better than any I have read by Geraldine Brooks, and I am not disparaging Brooks when I say that.
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LibraryThing member jmchshannon
Hannah Kent is crafty. She draws readers into Burial Rites with stark descriptions of the brutal treatment Agnes suffers in captivity all the while maintaining her dignity in the most undignified of situations. She keeps readers’ interest through the hints at a much more complex story than the
Agnes is the best kind of unassuming heroine. Her prickly exterior makes sense given her rough childhood and life as an unmarried woman with no financial means. In fact, given how well she survives in this unforgiving masculine world is admirable and downright astonishing. Her current plight is nothing short of complete frustration at the unfairness of Agnes’ world, at her stubbornness about refusing to defend herself, and at the rough lot in life she was forced to experience. Yet, it is her sensitive side, the part of her that still hopes, dreams, and longs for safety and security, to which readers are most drawn. Her fierce independence allows her to survive in the cruel world into which she is born, but it is the softer, feminine side of her, exposed through her confessions and story-telling, in which she truly comes alive. Ms. Kent’s careful and extremely thorough research pays off in the strong emotional reactions of the reader and with the multi-dimensional elements of Agnes and the novel’s entire setting.
Burial Rites is a haunting glimpse into an obscure historical event and remote geographical region. Agnes’ unfolding story breaks down the barriers between servant and master, the haves and the have-nots, as well as past and present, as Ms. Kent brings 1829 Iceland back to life in all its desolate vibrancy. The social, religious, political, and economic issues at play behind Agnes’ fate are fascinating in their unfamiliarity as well as their similarities to current issues. Told with breathtaking clarity, Burial Rites is without a doubt once of the best books released in 2013.
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official version of the crime, and she immerses readers into a world where money and appearances mean more than anything, and where the survival of humans in this very isolated and harsh part of the world depends on the strict adherence to laws and customs. A reader instinctively knows that Agnes’ story is incomplete but the way in which the story unfolds is utterly entrancing, keeping readers guessing and then wrestling with their own definitions of right and wrong as well as guilt and innocence.Agnes is the best kind of unassuming heroine. Her prickly exterior makes sense given her rough childhood and life as an unmarried woman with no financial means. In fact, given how well she survives in this unforgiving masculine world is admirable and downright astonishing. Her current plight is nothing short of complete frustration at the unfairness of Agnes’ world, at her stubbornness about refusing to defend herself, and at the rough lot in life she was forced to experience. Yet, it is her sensitive side, the part of her that still hopes, dreams, and longs for safety and security, to which readers are most drawn. Her fierce independence allows her to survive in the cruel world into which she is born, but it is the softer, feminine side of her, exposed through her confessions and story-telling, in which she truly comes alive. Ms. Kent’s careful and extremely thorough research pays off in the strong emotional reactions of the reader and with the multi-dimensional elements of Agnes and the novel’s entire setting.
Burial Rites is a haunting glimpse into an obscure historical event and remote geographical region. Agnes’ unfolding story breaks down the barriers between servant and master, the haves and the have-nots, as well as past and present, as Ms. Kent brings 1829 Iceland back to life in all its desolate vibrancy. The social, religious, political, and economic issues at play behind Agnes’ fate are fascinating in their unfamiliarity as well as their similarities to current issues. Told with breathtaking clarity, Burial Rites is without a doubt once of the best books released in 2013.
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LibraryThing member agarcia85257
Few stories haunt. Truly haunt. Whether through fear or injustice or that simple reticent feeling that stays with the reader well past the turn of the final page. Few stories haunt. In her debut novel, Burial Rites, Hannah Kent has created a truly haunting tale of murder, injustice and the
...They said I must die. They said that I stole the breath from men, and now they must steal mine...
Agnes Magnusdottir has been convicted of the brutal murder of two men. Along with two accomplices she has been sentenced to die. Awaiting her sentence she is removed to an isolated farm in the farthest reaches of Iceland. The family she is sent to stay with is horrified to have such evil in their home, afraid of how her presence will taint their peaceful lives.
...It was not so hard to believe a beautiful woman capable of murder, Margret thought. As it says in the sagas, Opt er flagd I fogru skinni. A witch often has fair skin.
But this woman was neither ugly nor a beauty...
The family is drawn into the plight of Agnes as she waits in their servitude. Neighbors come to gawk and gossip. Believing somehow that her act of violence is a sign of supernatural power. Whispers of witchcraft follow. Agnes requests a young priest named Toti, whose duty it is, to make her feel repentant for her crime. Something Agnes cannot do.
Slowly, instead of confessing and asking for absolution from God; Agnes tells her tale. A story of loss and desperation. Of betrayal and trust. A live of bitter disappointment that ended one night with a blade in her hand. How Agnes came to be in the home of the victim Natan and the promises made to her that he found so easy to break. Her alliance with the young thug Fridrik and the teenage girl Sigga and how their anger erupted one night in blood and fire.
Burial Rites is based on a true happening. The research done is detailed and well gathered. The novel itself embodies its setting in much of the story and becomes a central theme to the impoverised lives of those who survive in this remote part of the world.
Agnes Magnusdottir was the last person to be executed in Iceland. You will not forget her. She will haunt you in these pages long after the book is closed.
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aftermath of the crime....They said I must die. They said that I stole the breath from men, and now they must steal mine...
Agnes Magnusdottir has been convicted of the brutal murder of two men. Along with two accomplices she has been sentenced to die. Awaiting her sentence she is removed to an isolated farm in the farthest reaches of Iceland. The family she is sent to stay with is horrified to have such evil in their home, afraid of how her presence will taint their peaceful lives.
...It was not so hard to believe a beautiful woman capable of murder, Margret thought. As it says in the sagas, Opt er flagd I fogru skinni. A witch often has fair skin.
But this woman was neither ugly nor a beauty...
The family is drawn into the plight of Agnes as she waits in their servitude. Neighbors come to gawk and gossip. Believing somehow that her act of violence is a sign of supernatural power. Whispers of witchcraft follow. Agnes requests a young priest named Toti, whose duty it is, to make her feel repentant for her crime. Something Agnes cannot do.
Slowly, instead of confessing and asking for absolution from God; Agnes tells her tale. A story of loss and desperation. Of betrayal and trust. A live of bitter disappointment that ended one night with a blade in her hand. How Agnes came to be in the home of the victim Natan and the promises made to her that he found so easy to break. Her alliance with the young thug Fridrik and the teenage girl Sigga and how their anger erupted one night in blood and fire.
Burial Rites is based on a true happening. The research done is detailed and well gathered. The novel itself embodies its setting in much of the story and becomes a central theme to the impoverised lives of those who survive in this remote part of the world.
Agnes Magnusdottir was the last person to be executed in Iceland. You will not forget her. She will haunt you in these pages long after the book is closed.
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LibraryThing member Lisa2013
recommended by: Chrissie
recommend for: all historical fiction fans
I read this book’s Audible Macmillan audiobook edition. I’ll be reading the hardcover edition too. It’s a wonderful choice for an audiobook. The narrator, Morven Christie, is superb. I’d have never otherwise gotten the
I was incredibly curious so I looked up information about the main character as I was reading, so I knew some of what to expect. This book stayed true to the real story. Of course, some of what was written had to be conjecture, but I bought the author’s theory, and naturally what the characters said was made up, but even a non-fiction wouldn’t have been able to provide that kind of information.
My opinion about capital punishment wasn’t changed one whit. I don’t think anything could change it, but this book strongly validated it.
The book is marvelous. I got an excellent feel for what Iceland was like circa early 1800s. It was almost too realistic. The sense of isolation and doom came right through the pages and wrapped itself around me. I literally kept turning up my heat as I couldn’t tolerate feeling physically cold while I was reading it.
It wasn’t the ideal book for me to read right now. I’m certainly glad I didn’t read it over the holidays. I enjoyed how it was told from the point of view of so many characters. I loved watching how certain characters’ attitudes and opinions changed over time.
The last chapter seemed a bit rushed to me but perhaps that was apropos.
I was shocked about how ever-present religion (Christianity) was in that time and place, how brutal life was for even the luckiest humans and animals, how survival itself was such arduous work.
The story is beautifully and skillfully written. I particularly enjoyed the exceptionally fine writing, made particularly impressive by the author’s fairly young age. I’m not surprised she’s getting her PhD. The characters are incredibly believable and the ways the reader gradually learns about them is exceptionally well done.
I know I’ll always remember Agnes. I’m glad I read the book. It’s an amazing book.
Despite all this I did consider giving it 4 stars, but given its excellence and the powerful effect it had on me, I can’t give it less than 5 stars.
I’m no longer finding reviewing much fun, and posting reviews in 4 places, along with other information such as shelves, and book editing at one place, well it all feels exhausting rather than enjoyable. Editing would take way too much effort, so I’m afraid my frequent typos and other mistakes will remain as is in virtually all my reviews. Ditto my omissions; I often think of more to say after I post a review but I think those things, however important they might feel to me, are going to have to remain unsaid.
I highly recommend the book and also strongly suggest readers have fun, amusing, or otherwise distracting things planned for after every reading session.
recommend for: all historical fiction fans
I read this book’s Audible Macmillan audiobook edition. I’ll be reading the hardcover edition too. It’s a wonderful choice for an audiobook. The narrator, Morven Christie, is superb. I’d have never otherwise gotten the
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pronunciations correct if I’d read a paper edition, but I yearned to see what people and place names, and other words too, looked like on the page, and the hardcover edition has a map. I love maps in books. Not having maps is a real downside of audiobook editions, for me. My real world book club is going to be reading this in April and I’m going to be rereading it, and reading the hardcover edition. I enjoy being read to, but my current lifestyle isn’t conducive to audiobooks. I thought I’d be able to lie in bed and listen, but I often had to rewind by 30 seconds or more, too many times to count, and it turns out that I’m too sleep deprived to stay alert when at rest and listening to a book, even with black or green tea as an aid. I think I might be able to get into audiobooks if I ever regularly have at least an hour minimum sessions on treadmills or at least an hour uninterrupted in a car, things common in my past but not recently and not likely in my near future. I think with my current lifestyle the only way I’d read more audiobooks would be to simultaneously read a paper edition, but whatever word deviations occurred would drive me slightly nuts. I was incredibly curious so I looked up information about the main character as I was reading, so I knew some of what to expect. This book stayed true to the real story. Of course, some of what was written had to be conjecture, but I bought the author’s theory, and naturally what the characters said was made up, but even a non-fiction wouldn’t have been able to provide that kind of information.
My opinion about capital punishment wasn’t changed one whit. I don’t think anything could change it, but this book strongly validated it.
The book is marvelous. I got an excellent feel for what Iceland was like circa early 1800s. It was almost too realistic. The sense of isolation and doom came right through the pages and wrapped itself around me. I literally kept turning up my heat as I couldn’t tolerate feeling physically cold while I was reading it.
It wasn’t the ideal book for me to read right now. I’m certainly glad I didn’t read it over the holidays. I enjoyed how it was told from the point of view of so many characters. I loved watching how certain characters’ attitudes and opinions changed over time.
The last chapter seemed a bit rushed to me but perhaps that was apropos.
I was shocked about how ever-present religion (Christianity) was in that time and place, how brutal life was for even the luckiest humans and animals, how survival itself was such arduous work.
The story is beautifully and skillfully written. I particularly enjoyed the exceptionally fine writing, made particularly impressive by the author’s fairly young age. I’m not surprised she’s getting her PhD. The characters are incredibly believable and the ways the reader gradually learns about them is exceptionally well done.
I know I’ll always remember Agnes. I’m glad I read the book. It’s an amazing book.
Despite all this I did consider giving it 4 stars, but given its excellence and the powerful effect it had on me, I can’t give it less than 5 stars.
I’m no longer finding reviewing much fun, and posting reviews in 4 places, along with other information such as shelves, and book editing at one place, well it all feels exhausting rather than enjoyable. Editing would take way too much effort, so I’m afraid my frequent typos and other mistakes will remain as is in virtually all my reviews. Ditto my omissions; I often think of more to say after I post a review but I think those things, however important they might feel to me, are going to have to remain unsaid.
I highly recommend the book and also strongly suggest readers have fun, amusing, or otherwise distracting things planned for after every reading session.
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LibraryThing member Erin.Patel
I will be discussing this book on my book club coffeetalkwitherin.com on August 15th, 2013.
All I can say for now is, wow. That final scene. Read it and join in the discussion of this fabulous Australian writer, Hannah Kent.
All I can say for now is, wow. That final scene. Read it and join in the discussion of this fabulous Australian writer, Hannah Kent.
LibraryThing member marthaearly
Damn. That is all I have to say about this book.
But just in case you're not convinced...a twisty-turny crime whodunit set in 19th-century Iceland, excellent prose, and a complex female protagonist. Starts a bit slow but I changed my rating from 4 to 5 stars based on the last thirty pages alone.
DAMN.
But just in case you're not convinced...a twisty-turny crime whodunit set in 19th-century Iceland, excellent prose, and a complex female protagonist. Starts a bit slow but I changed my rating from 4 to 5 stars based on the last thirty pages alone.
DAMN.
LibraryThing member SonjaYoerg
No need for spoiler alerts. We know how this one ends before it begins: In Iceland in 1830, a woman is executed for murder.
It takes real skill to build suspense toward a known outcome, and something akin to sorcery to make that outcome almost surprising. Hannah Kent manages this, and so much
Her depiction of life in rural Iceland 200 years ago is fascinating. Read the book just for that, and consider the flowing prose and gripping plot a bonus. Then fall on your knees and give thanks for a lice-free bed and central heating.
Burial Rites is a stunning view into a cold, bleak corner of history. Kent lifts it up for us to see and fills it with humanity--both the light of compassion and the darkness of pride and jealousy.
It takes real skill to build suspense toward a known outcome, and something akin to sorcery to make that outcome almost surprising. Hannah Kent manages this, and so much
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more.Her depiction of life in rural Iceland 200 years ago is fascinating. Read the book just for that, and consider the flowing prose and gripping plot a bonus. Then fall on your knees and give thanks for a lice-free bed and central heating.
Burial Rites is a stunning view into a cold, bleak corner of history. Kent lifts it up for us to see and fills it with humanity--both the light of compassion and the darkness of pride and jealousy.
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LibraryThing member Quiltinfun06
Can't say enough good things about the way Hannah Kent wrote the story of Anges Magnusdottir. She was sentenced to death for the murder of Natan the man she was in service to. As she awaits her execution she stays with a family on their farm where she almost begins to feel normal again. At her
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request, Assistant Reverend Toti comes to hear her story. As it is revealed the reader wonders is she innocent and can she have the sentence of death dismissed. I read every single page rooting for her. the research the writer has done shows a devotion to the story that translates into an excellent book. Show Less
Media reviews
One of the best “Scandinavian” crime novels I have read, Burial Rites is the work of an Australian who visited Iceland on a cultural exchange.
The novel isn't seamless—Ms. Kent disrupts its rhythms by awkwardly switching between an omniscient narrator and Agnes's first-person point of view. But it convincingly animates Agnes, who feels "knifed to the hilt with fate," showing her headstrong humanity and heart-wrenching thirst for life.
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At one point she recalls seeing two icebergs grinding together off the northern shore, the friction from their exposed boulders causing gathered driftwood to go up in flames. At her best, Ms. Kent achieves a similar eerie force in this story of passion in a frozen place. Show Less
There are other stylistic problems. Some dialogue that’s meant to seem elevated and of its time simply sounds unidiomatic: “I was worried of as much”; “The only recourse to her absolution would be through prayer.” There’s prefab phrasing — “my heart throbbed,” “she said
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breathlessly,” “overcome with relief” — and descriptive clichés, including a sky that’s “bright, bright blue, so bright you could weep.” Show Less
A remarkable story of the last case of capital punishment recorded in Iceland, Burial Rites is the extraordinary debut novel by Australian author Hannah Kent.
Burial Rites is a debut of rare sophistication and beauty – a simple but moving story, meticulously researched and hauntingly told.
Although its setting — Iceland in 1829 — is strikingly unpromising, Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites is a remarkable achievement.
Amidst an agrarian existence of bleak deprivation, the stories, whether Biblical or other, that characters tell themselves in Burial Rites are the meat they feed off; small but compelling pleasures they allow themselves.
Hannah Kent has a fine turn of phrase. It is this, more than anything, that makes Agnes Magnusdottir, the central figure in her debut novel, both elusive and captivating.
A major two-book deal with Pan Macmillan and some heavyweight PR means that most will read about Kent’s work before they read the novel itself, a pressure this competent debut could do without. Having started life as a verse novel, Burial Rites still bulges at its seams, descriptive lyricism
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occasionally spilling over into excess. Show Less
IT all started because she was a girl who had never seen snow. That lack, commonplace enough in an Australian childhood, took Hannah Kent to a desolate hillside in Iceland where, more than 170 years earlier, one woman's life came to a brutal end.
The author, who has researched with utmost scrupulousness this spare, disquieting first novel about the last execution to occur in Iceland, describes it as a “dark love letter” to the country. Dark it certainly is, with a sombre foreboding so thick it is almost tangible. ...Kent portrays the
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harsh existence of these rural, highly literate people with exactitude; and even the bleakness of Agnes’s end, its gut-churning fear, holds an exhilaration that borders on the sublime. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
9781447233176
Physical description
384 p.; 5.12 inches
Pages
384