Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Pan Macmillan (2020), Hardback, 256 pages. Waterstones signed edition with exclusive endpapers, red sprayed edges and extra content.
Description
After the men in an Arctic Norwegian town are wiped out, the women must survive a sinister threat in this "perfectly told" 1600s parable of "a world gone mad" (Adriana Trigiani). Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Magnusdatter stands on the craggy coast, watching the sea break into a sudden and reckless storm. Forty fishermen, including her brother and father, are drowned and left broken on the rocks below. With the menfolk wiped out, the women of the tiny Arctic town of Vardø must fend for themselves. Three years later, a stranger arrives on their shore. Absalom Cornet comes from Scotland, where he burned witches in the northern isles. He brings with him his young Norwegian wife, Ursa, who is both heady with her husband's authority and terrified by it. In Vardø, and in Maren, Ursa sees something she has never seen before: independent women. But Absalom sees only a place untouched by God, and flooded with a mighty evil. As Maren and Ursa are drawn to one another in ways that surprise them both, the island begins to close in on them, with Absalom's iron rule threatening Vardø's very existence. Inspired by the real events of the Vardø storm and the 1621 witch trials, The Mercies is a story of love, evil, and obsession, set at the edge of civilization. One of the Best Books of the Year USA Today Good Housekeeping… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member shelleyraec
The Mercies is a historical fiction novel from Kiran Millwood Hargrave, an award winning poet, playwright, and children’s author.
As Hargrave explains in a note, The Mercies is inspired by historical fact. In 1618 King Christian began a crusade to convert his subjects to his own religious
Hargrave begins her story in 1617 as a freak midwinter storm hits Vardø, Norway’s north-easternmost point, leaving the women of the island devastated as their fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons perish in the vicious squall. As the bodies of their men, dragged from the sea, lay shrouded awaiting spring’s arrival for burial, the womenfolk grieve, but once they are laid to rest they must confront their need for survival. Defying convention a small group take up the menfolk’s duties, among them twenty year old Maren Bergensdatter. For nearly three years the village manages in this way, led by Kirsten Sørensdatter, who also lost her husband.
The author skilfully evokes the isolated and harsh environment of Vardø, with its subarctic climate where the land is frozen solid during winter, and summer brings the midnight sun. The conditions in which the villagers live are generally basic, entire families live in one room huts, with fish, reindeer meat and potato bread providing the bulk of their diet, relying on infrequent opportunities for trade for additional resources.
All of the community attend church (kirke) weekly, but the beliefs of the indigenous Sámi have a place in the life of many. In the wake of the tragedy, with the absence of someone to blame for their misfortune, some women seek refuge in the teachings of the church, and their righteousness, born in part from the bitterness of grief, begins to divide the community. The arrival of Lensmann Absolom Cornet, an ambitious and pious Scotsman directed by the King to quash the ‘sorcery’ practiced by the Sámi, along with his new bride, Ursula, serves only to deepen the rift.
The Mercies unfolds from the perspectives of Maren and Ursula, both of whom are struggling with the changes in their lives. Maren, who lost her father, brother, and betrothed, must step up to support her widowed mother and pregnant sister-in-law who are consumed by their grief, and play peacemaker as the two women turn on each other. Ursula quickly discovers that her new husband is a prideful and often hateful man, and she is ill prepared for both the duties of a wife and life in Vardø. Despite their differences, the two young women unexpectedly find comfort in each other. Hargrave’s portrayal of their evolving friendship is achingly tender, and a counterpoint to the rising tension in both Ursula’s marriage and Maren’s community.
When it comes, the conclusion of The Mercies is powerful and devastating. Eloquent and beautifully crafted, this is a captivating novel about love, fear, obsession, and evil.
As Hargrave explains in a note, The Mercies is inspired by historical fact. In 1618 King Christian began a crusade to convert his subjects to his own religious
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persuasion and employed an enforcer to expose non-believers, particularly amongst the indigenous Sámi in Finnmark (Northern Norway). In all, fourteen Sámi men were executed, accused of sorcerery, but the Lensmann wasn’t satisfied with his remit, and over the next few years he was responsible for the trial, and execution of, 77 Norwegian women named as witches.Hargrave begins her story in 1617 as a freak midwinter storm hits Vardø, Norway’s north-easternmost point, leaving the women of the island devastated as their fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons perish in the vicious squall. As the bodies of their men, dragged from the sea, lay shrouded awaiting spring’s arrival for burial, the womenfolk grieve, but once they are laid to rest they must confront their need for survival. Defying convention a small group take up the menfolk’s duties, among them twenty year old Maren Bergensdatter. For nearly three years the village manages in this way, led by Kirsten Sørensdatter, who also lost her husband.
The author skilfully evokes the isolated and harsh environment of Vardø, with its subarctic climate where the land is frozen solid during winter, and summer brings the midnight sun. The conditions in which the villagers live are generally basic, entire families live in one room huts, with fish, reindeer meat and potato bread providing the bulk of their diet, relying on infrequent opportunities for trade for additional resources.
All of the community attend church (kirke) weekly, but the beliefs of the indigenous Sámi have a place in the life of many. In the wake of the tragedy, with the absence of someone to blame for their misfortune, some women seek refuge in the teachings of the church, and their righteousness, born in part from the bitterness of grief, begins to divide the community. The arrival of Lensmann Absolom Cornet, an ambitious and pious Scotsman directed by the King to quash the ‘sorcery’ practiced by the Sámi, along with his new bride, Ursula, serves only to deepen the rift.
The Mercies unfolds from the perspectives of Maren and Ursula, both of whom are struggling with the changes in their lives. Maren, who lost her father, brother, and betrothed, must step up to support her widowed mother and pregnant sister-in-law who are consumed by their grief, and play peacemaker as the two women turn on each other. Ursula quickly discovers that her new husband is a prideful and often hateful man, and she is ill prepared for both the duties of a wife and life in Vardø. Despite their differences, the two young women unexpectedly find comfort in each other. Hargrave’s portrayal of their evolving friendship is achingly tender, and a counterpoint to the rising tension in both Ursula’s marriage and Maren’s community.
When it comes, the conclusion of The Mercies is powerful and devastating. Eloquent and beautifully crafted, this is a captivating novel about love, fear, obsession, and evil.
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LibraryThing member oldandnewbooksmell
Inspired by true events, The Mercies is about a small community called Vardø, in Norway beginning in 1617 after an unexpected storm takes the lives of practically the entire male population.
The story switched between two women. Maren, a member of the Vardø community who lost her father, brother,
The other woman is Ursa, a young woman who is used to carrying for her poor sister after her mother passed away years ago. One day her father tells her she is to marry a man named Absalom Cornet, a Commissioner. Together, Ursa and Absalom go to Vardø where Absalom is tasked with bringing religious order to the community.
I absolutely adored the writing in The Mercies. I don't know what it was about Kiran Millwood Hargrave's writing but I couldn't put it down. You truly get immersed into the story. It felt so simple, beautiful, and honest. From the very first page I was hooked and the main characters were so well written I fell in love with them. Once the climax happened, my heart was aching for all the women in the story.
Being from America, I was fairly familiar with the Salem Witch Trials but not too much of others from around the world. This beautifully written historical fiction turns the light on to this different era of those trails. It's been a few days since I finished the novel and I still have the feeling I had when I read the book now while I'm just thinking of it.
The story switched between two women. Maren, a member of the Vardø community who lost her father, brother,
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and the man she was to betrothed. The loss of the men forced Maren to see outside the norm of what is expected of both males and females in the community in order to survive.The other woman is Ursa, a young woman who is used to carrying for her poor sister after her mother passed away years ago. One day her father tells her she is to marry a man named Absalom Cornet, a Commissioner. Together, Ursa and Absalom go to Vardø where Absalom is tasked with bringing religious order to the community.
I absolutely adored the writing in The Mercies. I don't know what it was about Kiran Millwood Hargrave's writing but I couldn't put it down. You truly get immersed into the story. It felt so simple, beautiful, and honest. From the very first page I was hooked and the main characters were so well written I fell in love with them. Once the climax happened, my heart was aching for all the women in the story.
Being from America, I was fairly familiar with the Salem Witch Trials but not too much of others from around the world. This beautifully written historical fiction turns the light on to this different era of those trails. It's been a few days since I finished the novel and I still have the feeling I had when I read the book now while I'm just thinking of it.
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LibraryThing member Perednia
Good potential that was wasted
LibraryThing member maryreinert
Great historical fiction set in remote Finnmark, Norway, the northern most part of Norway above the Arctic Circle. In the 1600's, a terrible storm took the lives of almost all the men while fishing. One of those who lost her fiance is Maren who also lost her brother. She lives with her mother,
A few years later, the King of Norway thinks it is necessary to have more control of the area and sends a Scottish man to oversee as a Lensmann. Absalom Cunningham has just taken a Scottish wife, Ursula known as Ursa. Ursa knows nothing of this remote northern area and first attempts to be a dutiful wife. It soon becomes apparent that Absalom is there to root out any kind of witchcraft or Sami influence which many believe caused the terrible storm.
The story follows Maren and Ursa as they bond together and witness the horrors of the witch hunt which eventually ends in the burning of two women.
The novel feels very historically accurate and paints a picture of isolation, fear, suspicion. There are a few times that the bond of Maren and Ursa seems a bit too easy and the ending relationship seems unnecessary. However, a good historical read about a time and place rarely seen.
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sister-in-law, and young nephew. The sister-in-law is an indigenous Sami and shunned by the rest of the women. A few years later, the King of Norway thinks it is necessary to have more control of the area and sends a Scottish man to oversee as a Lensmann. Absalom Cunningham has just taken a Scottish wife, Ursula known as Ursa. Ursa knows nothing of this remote northern area and first attempts to be a dutiful wife. It soon becomes apparent that Absalom is there to root out any kind of witchcraft or Sami influence which many believe caused the terrible storm.
The story follows Maren and Ursa as they bond together and witness the horrors of the witch hunt which eventually ends in the burning of two women.
The novel feels very historically accurate and paints a picture of isolation, fear, suspicion. There are a few times that the bond of Maren and Ursa seems a bit too easy and the ending relationship seems unnecessary. However, a good historical read about a time and place rarely seen.
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LibraryThing member Lisa2013
I read this as a buddy read with GR friend Hilary. If not for reading it with a friend I don’t think I’d have gotten very far into it, even though I did want to finish it. Hilary sent me photos of the maps and I was glad to have them. My Kindle e-copy borrowed from the library was missing
Beautifully written. It’s powerful and it should be so that is a compliment but it was painful to read.
Grim. Brutal. Tragic. Sad. Heartwarming too at times but not enough to lift the gloom all that much. Mostly heartbreaking and horrific.
Like many good books I did feel immersed in this world. It was starkly, effectively brought to life.
Given the living conditions and additional tragedies, this book and some others make clear why so much Scandinavian literature is incredibly dark, just like their winters. Dark.
There were some good relationships but these people lived a subsistence life. No reading, no entertainment, no real diversions other than relationships except in this story some destructive ones. Church, witch hunting, the latter providing exciting for some, but horror.
I know isolated people living that far north must live on nothing but or almost nothing but land and sea animals but I didn’t enjoy reading about it, about the killing required.
This novel’s story is based on real happenings: the 1617 Vardo (Finnmark, way up at the farthest north of Norway) deadly storm and the 1620 witch trials that followed it. The author’s note in the back was good but I would have liked even more and am already doing more research. I might have preferred a non-fiction book about these events but not enough is known to have shown relationships with the same depth as could be shown in this fiction book. I suspect that some events toward the end are complete fiction but I was okay with that.
It took me a bit of time to warm up to it but I enjoyed it more and more as I continued reading and for me it became a page turner. A difficult but great read.
There is some humor and some heart, thank goodness. Most of it is cheerless, start to end.
The entire narrative makes 2020 look like utopia. It’s the opposite of jolly.
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them.Beautifully written. It’s powerful and it should be so that is a compliment but it was painful to read.
Grim. Brutal. Tragic. Sad. Heartwarming too at times but not enough to lift the gloom all that much. Mostly heartbreaking and horrific.
Like many good books I did feel immersed in this world. It was starkly, effectively brought to life.
Given the living conditions and additional tragedies, this book and some others make clear why so much Scandinavian literature is incredibly dark, just like their winters. Dark.
There were some good relationships but these people lived a subsistence life. No reading, no entertainment, no real diversions other than relationships except in this story some destructive ones. Church, witch hunting, the latter providing exciting for some, but horror.
I know isolated people living that far north must live on nothing but or almost nothing but land and sea animals but I didn’t enjoy reading about it, about the killing required.
This novel’s story is based on real happenings: the 1617 Vardo (Finnmark, way up at the farthest north of Norway) deadly storm and the 1620 witch trials that followed it. The author’s note in the back was good but I would have liked even more and am already doing more research. I might have preferred a non-fiction book about these events but not enough is known to have shown relationships with the same depth as could be shown in this fiction book. I suspect that some events toward the end are complete fiction but I was okay with that.
It took me a bit of time to warm up to it but I enjoyed it more and more as I continued reading and for me it became a page turner. A difficult but great read.
There is some humor and some heart, thank goodness. Most of it is cheerless, start to end.
The entire narrative makes 2020 look like utopia. It’s the opposite of jolly.
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LibraryThing member CharlotteBurt
This is a fascinating tale, inspired by the witch trials that followed a devastating storm in 1621. This is a tale told from the POV of two women. Maren is a local to Vardø and her betrothed was one of the 40 men to drown in the storm, she is strong and resilient and is doing just fine thank you
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very much until a Scottish commissioner and his young wife from Dresden appears. Ursula, this young wife is our second POV and is utterly unprepared for life in Vardø. The two women form an unlikely friendship and support each other as things take a much darker turn. Show Less
LibraryThing member LindaLoretz
This novel is based on the 1617 storm off the coast of Vardo, Norway, where forty men drowned. Hargrave's historical fiction depicts strong and beautiful relationships that develop among surviving women. She also demonstrates the ability of women to support each other during trying times. Not
The word "mercies" appears eleven times in this novel, a few more if you include other word forms. The dictionary says that mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone to whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. Maren, the protagonist, shows mercy to Ursa, the naive city girl whose marriage to the sinister religious commissioner Absalom Cornet has been arranged. Maren shows mercy to the birds whose eggs she snatches. Kirsten and Maren show mercy to Pastor Kurtsson, the local man of the cloth. However, when Kurstsson implores God's mercies upon the survivors of the 1617 Christmas Eve hurricane, it is challenging to convince independent-thinking women that there is any value to believing in this modern God about whom Kurtsson and Cornet preach. The title's significance seems ironic and laughable since the men who preach about God's mercies show little if any mercy to the women they are trying to convert. There is little attempt to understand the women; their purpose is to control, conquer, and eradicate them.
The message from Commissioner Absalom Cornet is that women who act upon their survivor instincts, do "man's work," or don't yield to the power of men, will be accused of witchcraft. Absalom's subjugation and abuse of his wife is a parallel story to his proud killing of many women who have been accused of sorcery. The males in power control the accused's trials, and of course, the plot reveals who has power in the mostly female society—men. The accusations and desires to rid the area of witches are based on Scotland's King James VI, who was determined to spread Lutheranism and drive out indigenous belief systems. It is a powerful story with themes that ring true for modern times.
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surprisingly, she also highlights some women's cattiness and the "mean girls" mentality among some community members. The dynamics of female relationships within and across families are captured with sensitivity and empathy, including a strained mother/daughter situation and a heartwrenching relationship between a mother and daughter-in-law. The female characters are dealing with losing the men they love—husbands, sons, and betrothed. They are also figuring out how to survive without their male counterparts' fishing and hunting roles. The word "mercies" appears eleven times in this novel, a few more if you include other word forms. The dictionary says that mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone to whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. Maren, the protagonist, shows mercy to Ursa, the naive city girl whose marriage to the sinister religious commissioner Absalom Cornet has been arranged. Maren shows mercy to the birds whose eggs she snatches. Kirsten and Maren show mercy to Pastor Kurtsson, the local man of the cloth. However, when Kurstsson implores God's mercies upon the survivors of the 1617 Christmas Eve hurricane, it is challenging to convince independent-thinking women that there is any value to believing in this modern God about whom Kurtsson and Cornet preach. The title's significance seems ironic and laughable since the men who preach about God's mercies show little if any mercy to the women they are trying to convert. There is little attempt to understand the women; their purpose is to control, conquer, and eradicate them.
The message from Commissioner Absalom Cornet is that women who act upon their survivor instincts, do "man's work," or don't yield to the power of men, will be accused of witchcraft. Absalom's subjugation and abuse of his wife is a parallel story to his proud killing of many women who have been accused of sorcery. The males in power control the accused's trials, and of course, the plot reveals who has power in the mostly female society—men. The accusations and desires to rid the area of witches are based on Scotland's King James VI, who was determined to spread Lutheranism and drive out indigenous belief systems. It is a powerful story with themes that ring true for modern times.
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LibraryThing member LivelyLady
Mid 1600s and a rogue wave knocks out the male population of a small fishing village in Scandinavia. The women learn to fend for themselves. A "commissioner", like a minister from Scotland takes a wife and travels to this new assigned post. His mission is to find the "witches" who have caused this
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to happen. His wife, Ursa, becomes friends with some of the women of the village, as she is young and has no knowledge of housekeeping or anytthing. And her husband is not a good example of a loving husband. The ending is brutal but probably appropriaate to the time the novel takes place. It has left an impression on me. For a first adult novel by the author it is powerful in the story line and in the writing. The style is reminiscent of COLD MOUNTAIN. It is not a fast read but it is worth reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member write-review
Cold, Cruel World
Kiran Millwood Hargrave spins her story of oppression, control, and women finding comfort in each other out of a true incident, the sudden rise of a storm off the coast of Vardø Island that instantly took the lives of forty fishermen on Christmas Eve, 1617. This was a particularly
As in the true incident, the women of Vardø Island witness their husbands, sons, and friends drowned when a storm suddenly arises. This leaves the women not only grief stricken but in a situation where they must fend for themselves. Fortunately, many have skills learned by watching their husbands and sons. They set off to successfully fish the waters off the shores of the island. Then the island comes to the attention of the government and church and Lensmann Cunningham appoints Absalom Cornet to resolve the Sámi issue by virtue of his work in rooting out witchcraft in his native Scotland, namely the execution of accused witch Elspeth Reoch (a historical figure). Before taking on this assignment, which he regards as a way of making himself, he travels to Bergen in search of a wife. This he finds in Ursa (Ursula), the daughter of a shipowner currently in the throes of misfortune. Without her own agency, the father agrees to Cornet’s offer, they marry, and he carries her off to Vardø, literally tearing her from everything she knows and the people she loves, including an ill younger sister whom she helps care for.
Cornet proves to be a man with a focused passion: advancing his standing by finding witches among the Sámi women and executing them as he did Reoch. Ursa, bereft at first, tries befriending the women, and succeeds with unwed Maren, with whom she develops a close relationship, a love akin to that she had with her sister. She also manages to earn the respect of the other women, and she herself comes to respect them. As for Cornet, she recognizes, resents, and hates him for his cruelty, especially when he brings two of the women she knows to trial and to the stake as witches. After, when he comes for Maren, Ursa exerts herself in a fit of desperation and rage, in a neat ending that represents a form of justice not often, but sometimes, found in the real world, though perhaps not the 17th century.
Overall, readers will easily lose themselves in another time and culture, recognize how men have dominated women through institutions they themselves have created, and how religion has been, and continues to be, used to justify a multitude of sins. As for the mercies, even today it is a world without nearly enough of them.
Kiran Millwood Hargrave spins her story of oppression, control, and women finding comfort in each other out of a true incident, the sudden rise of a storm off the coast of Vardø Island that instantly took the lives of forty fishermen on Christmas Eve, 1617. This was a particularly
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complex time in this region of Norway, when the king of Denmark-Norway wished to establish the dominance of his religion, Lutheranism, and when the cultures of Europe and indigenous Sámi clashed. Superstition consumed many, while others saw it as a useful tool for suppressing anyone who might threaten the theocratic-monarchist governance of the day. It was also a time when women existed in a world in which they had no voice, no independence, no freedom, and when any who thought to exert anything close to personhood soon found themselves firmly put in their place, sometimes by violent means. All this features in Hargrave’s period piece of hardscrabble living, repression by fear of witchery, sanctioned murder, and women turning to each for understanding, companionship, and tenderness. On this last score, Hargrave shows how far women have come in many parts of the world against cultures that still seem retrograde.As in the true incident, the women of Vardø Island witness their husbands, sons, and friends drowned when a storm suddenly arises. This leaves the women not only grief stricken but in a situation where they must fend for themselves. Fortunately, many have skills learned by watching their husbands and sons. They set off to successfully fish the waters off the shores of the island. Then the island comes to the attention of the government and church and Lensmann Cunningham appoints Absalom Cornet to resolve the Sámi issue by virtue of his work in rooting out witchcraft in his native Scotland, namely the execution of accused witch Elspeth Reoch (a historical figure). Before taking on this assignment, which he regards as a way of making himself, he travels to Bergen in search of a wife. This he finds in Ursa (Ursula), the daughter of a shipowner currently in the throes of misfortune. Without her own agency, the father agrees to Cornet’s offer, they marry, and he carries her off to Vardø, literally tearing her from everything she knows and the people she loves, including an ill younger sister whom she helps care for.
Cornet proves to be a man with a focused passion: advancing his standing by finding witches among the Sámi women and executing them as he did Reoch. Ursa, bereft at first, tries befriending the women, and succeeds with unwed Maren, with whom she develops a close relationship, a love akin to that she had with her sister. She also manages to earn the respect of the other women, and she herself comes to respect them. As for Cornet, she recognizes, resents, and hates him for his cruelty, especially when he brings two of the women she knows to trial and to the stake as witches. After, when he comes for Maren, Ursa exerts herself in a fit of desperation and rage, in a neat ending that represents a form of justice not often, but sometimes, found in the real world, though perhaps not the 17th century.
Overall, readers will easily lose themselves in another time and culture, recognize how men have dominated women through institutions they themselves have created, and how religion has been, and continues to be, used to justify a multitude of sins. As for the mercies, even today it is a world without nearly enough of them.
Show Less
LibraryThing member write-review
Cold, Cruel World
Kiran Millwood Hargrave spins her story of oppression, control, and women finding comfort in each other out of a true incident, the sudden rise of a storm off the coast of Vardø Island that instantly took the lives of forty fishermen on Christmas Eve, 1617. This was a particularly
As in the true incident, the women of Vardø Island witness their husbands, sons, and friends drowned when a storm suddenly arises. This leaves the women not only grief stricken but in a situation where they must fend for themselves. Fortunately, many have skills learned by watching their husbands and sons. They set off to successfully fish the waters off the shores of the island. Then the island comes to the attention of the government and church and Lensmann Cunningham appoints Absalom Cornet to resolve the Sámi issue by virtue of his work in rooting out witchcraft in his native Scotland, namely the execution of accused witch Elspeth Reoch (a historical figure). Before taking on this assignment, which he regards as a way of making himself, he travels to Bergen in search of a wife. This he finds in Ursa (Ursula), the daughter of a shipowner currently in the throes of misfortune. Without her own agency, the father agrees to Cornet’s offer, they marry, and he carries her off to Vardø, literally tearing her from everything she knows and the people she loves, including an ill younger sister whom she helps care for.
Cornet proves to be a man with a focused passion: advancing his standing by finding witches among the Sámi women and executing them as he did Reoch. Ursa, bereft at first, tries befriending the women, and succeeds with unwed Maren, with whom she develops a close relationship, a love akin to that she had with her sister. She also manages to earn the respect of the other women, and she herself comes to respect them. As for Cornet, she recognizes, resents, and hates him for his cruelty, especially when he brings two of the women she knows to trial and to the stake as witches. After, when he comes for Maren, Ursa exerts herself in a fit of desperation and rage, in a neat ending that represents a form of justice not often, but sometimes, found in the real world, though perhaps not the 17th century.
Overall, readers will easily lose themselves in another time and culture, recognize how men have dominated women through institutions they themselves have created, and how religion has been, and continues to be, used to justify a multitude of sins. As for the mercies, even today it is a world without nearly enough of them.
Kiran Millwood Hargrave spins her story of oppression, control, and women finding comfort in each other out of a true incident, the sudden rise of a storm off the coast of Vardø Island that instantly took the lives of forty fishermen on Christmas Eve, 1617. This was a particularly
Show More
complex time in this region of Norway, when the king of Denmark-Norway wished to establish the dominance of his religion, Lutheranism, and when the cultures of Europe and indigenous Sámi clashed. Superstition consumed many, while others saw it as a useful tool for suppressing anyone who might threaten the theocratic-monarchist governance of the day. It was also a time when women existed in a world in which they had no voice, no independence, no freedom, and when any who thought to exert anything close to personhood soon found themselves firmly put in their place, sometimes by violent means. All this features in Hargrave’s period piece of hardscrabble living, repression by fear of witchery, sanctioned murder, and women turning to each for understanding, companionship, and tenderness. On this last score, Hargrave shows how far women have come in many parts of the world against cultures that still seem retrograde.As in the true incident, the women of Vardø Island witness their husbands, sons, and friends drowned when a storm suddenly arises. This leaves the women not only grief stricken but in a situation where they must fend for themselves. Fortunately, many have skills learned by watching their husbands and sons. They set off to successfully fish the waters off the shores of the island. Then the island comes to the attention of the government and church and Lensmann Cunningham appoints Absalom Cornet to resolve the Sámi issue by virtue of his work in rooting out witchcraft in his native Scotland, namely the execution of accused witch Elspeth Reoch (a historical figure). Before taking on this assignment, which he regards as a way of making himself, he travels to Bergen in search of a wife. This he finds in Ursa (Ursula), the daughter of a shipowner currently in the throes of misfortune. Without her own agency, the father agrees to Cornet’s offer, they marry, and he carries her off to Vardø, literally tearing her from everything she knows and the people she loves, including an ill younger sister whom she helps care for.
Cornet proves to be a man with a focused passion: advancing his standing by finding witches among the Sámi women and executing them as he did Reoch. Ursa, bereft at first, tries befriending the women, and succeeds with unwed Maren, with whom she develops a close relationship, a love akin to that she had with her sister. She also manages to earn the respect of the other women, and she herself comes to respect them. As for Cornet, she recognizes, resents, and hates him for his cruelty, especially when he brings two of the women she knows to trial and to the stake as witches. After, when he comes for Maren, Ursa exerts herself in a fit of desperation and rage, in a neat ending that represents a form of justice not often, but sometimes, found in the real world, though perhaps not the 17th century.
Overall, readers will easily lose themselves in another time and culture, recognize how men have dominated women through institutions they themselves have created, and how religion has been, and continues to be, used to justify a multitude of sins. As for the mercies, even today it is a world without nearly enough of them.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Beamis12
Finmark, Norway, 1617 in the fishing town of Vardo, a storm sweeps in, causing the deaths of forty men. All the names left are the elderly, the very young and the village cleric. Now, the women must fend for themselves, which presents a huge problem. Women are not supposed to wear pants not rushing
I finished this book a few days ago and it hasn't left my thoughts. The atmosphere is so immersive, the characters so well drawn. Maren is a young 22, but capable and free thinking. Ursa, not used to this life, nor her sudden marriage to a man who has been sent to weed out witchcraft. Some of these women show surprising strength and work together for their survival. Some as always are jealous and willing to label those who have more, as witches. Marens sister in law, now a widow with a young son, is a Sami and these are people whose customs and runes are suspicious.
This book doesn't spare one in it's descriptions of the smells and sounds, nor the beliefs of those in the village. The tone is tense and builds as the story progresses, as the danger becomes more apparent. Although there names may not be real, what happens here is actual history, as the author note explains. She also explains how and why the witch trials were happening in various countries and villages. A horribly, tragic time and one well documented in this novel.
Reminiscent of the novel, Burial rites, but with its own character and flavor.
ARC from Netgalley.
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boats.I finished this book a few days ago and it hasn't left my thoughts. The atmosphere is so immersive, the characters so well drawn. Maren is a young 22, but capable and free thinking. Ursa, not used to this life, nor her sudden marriage to a man who has been sent to weed out witchcraft. Some of these women show surprising strength and work together for their survival. Some as always are jealous and willing to label those who have more, as witches. Marens sister in law, now a widow with a young son, is a Sami and these are people whose customs and runes are suspicious.
This book doesn't spare one in it's descriptions of the smells and sounds, nor the beliefs of those in the village. The tone is tense and builds as the story progresses, as the danger becomes more apparent. Although there names may not be real, what happens here is actual history, as the author note explains. She also explains how and why the witch trials were happening in various countries and villages. A horribly, tragic time and one well documented in this novel.
Reminiscent of the novel, Burial rites, but with its own character and flavor.
ARC from Netgalley.
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LibraryThing member DidIReallyReadThat
An exceptional story of an isolated community in the extreme north of Norway. Great character development and the plot was great. I really liked learning about the culture of northern Norway, the Sami and other locals.
LibraryThing member ASKelmore
Best for:
Fan of claustrophobic fiction
In a nutshell:
In the 1600s in Norway, a sudden storm kills nearly all the men in the village of Vardø. A year later, a man is sent to govern the remaining women.
Worth quoting:
“But now she knows she was foolish to believe that evil existed only out there. It
Why I chose it:
It was in a subscription box and I hadn’t yet read it. Then my partner got it for me for my birthday (whoops) so I figured it was a sign to finally read it.
Review:
This is a story primarily about about young women growing up and trying to make their way in difficult circumstances. On the one hand there is Maren, a resident of the village who loses her father, brother, and fiancée in the storm. Her sister-in-law is Sámi, and is pregnant with Maren’s nephew. The women attempt to deal with having lost 40 men from their village, including the town minister. Some take it upon themselves to do things like fish (which is seen as absurd for a woman to do) and try to survive in this freezing land north of the Arctic Circle, while others lean deeper into their Christianity, judging others around them who are defying their ideas of what women should be.
On the other had there is Ursa. She is promised to Absalom, the man who has been identified as the one who will go up to Vardø to ‘take control’ of the situation. She knows nothing about Absalom before she has to get on a ship with him and travel north for a month. She is unprepared to be a wife, let alone a wife in such a challenging environment, but she and Maren become friends.
Then more things happen, which I won’t share because spoilers but yikes.
The writing is great. Author Millwood Hargrave manages to create such a descriptive environment. I could picture every scene so vividly. And, like some of the crime novels I love that are set in Iceland, she is able to make such an open place feel utterly claustrophobic. And the characters she’s created are well-defined and interesting. I want to learn more about all of them, even the most vile ones.
I was about 1/3 of the way through this book when I was listening to the humor podcast Wine and Crime. If you’re not familiar, three friends pick a theme each week and learn about the background and then share two real-world examples of crimes that fit the theme. A recent one was about a specific topic, which I knew because I listened to the whole starting bit with background on the topic. And then the first story they start telling is about 1617 Vardø, in Finnmark. I hit pause and double-checked and yup, they were about to talk about the historical incident that this book is based on. So I was spoiled, wish I hadn’t been, but it didn’t ruin the book at all.
Recommend to a Friend / Keep / Donate it / Toss it:
Recommend to a Friend and Donate it
Fan of claustrophobic fiction
In a nutshell:
In the 1600s in Norway, a sudden storm kills nearly all the men in the village of Vardø. A year later, a man is sent to govern the remaining women.
Worth quoting:
“But now she knows she was foolish to believe that evil existed only out there. It
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was here, among them, walking on two legs, passing judgment with a human tongue.”Why I chose it:
It was in a subscription box and I hadn’t yet read it. Then my partner got it for me for my birthday (whoops) so I figured it was a sign to finally read it.
Review:
This is a story primarily about about young women growing up and trying to make their way in difficult circumstances. On the one hand there is Maren, a resident of the village who loses her father, brother, and fiancée in the storm. Her sister-in-law is Sámi, and is pregnant with Maren’s nephew. The women attempt to deal with having lost 40 men from their village, including the town minister. Some take it upon themselves to do things like fish (which is seen as absurd for a woman to do) and try to survive in this freezing land north of the Arctic Circle, while others lean deeper into their Christianity, judging others around them who are defying their ideas of what women should be.
On the other had there is Ursa. She is promised to Absalom, the man who has been identified as the one who will go up to Vardø to ‘take control’ of the situation. She knows nothing about Absalom before she has to get on a ship with him and travel north for a month. She is unprepared to be a wife, let alone a wife in such a challenging environment, but she and Maren become friends.
Then more things happen, which I won’t share because spoilers but yikes.
The writing is great. Author Millwood Hargrave manages to create such a descriptive environment. I could picture every scene so vividly. And, like some of the crime novels I love that are set in Iceland, she is able to make such an open place feel utterly claustrophobic. And the characters she’s created are well-defined and interesting. I want to learn more about all of them, even the most vile ones.
I was about 1/3 of the way through this book when I was listening to the humor podcast Wine and Crime. If you’re not familiar, three friends pick a theme each week and learn about the background and then share two real-world examples of crimes that fit the theme. A recent one was about a specific topic, which I knew because I listened to the whole starting bit with background on the topic. And then the first story they start telling is about 1617 Vardø, in Finnmark. I hit pause and double-checked and yup, they were about to talk about the historical incident that this book is based on. So I was spoiled, wish I hadn’t been, but it didn’t ruin the book at all.
Recommend to a Friend / Keep / Donate it / Toss it:
Recommend to a Friend and Donate it
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LibraryThing member Castlelass
Set in what is now northwest Norway in the early 1600s, this book tells the story of the women living in the small town of Vardø. Almost all the men are lost at sea at the beginning of the story. They endure grief and many hardships but eventually find a way to survive. A few years later
This book is beautifully written with poetic prose. I enjoyed the first two-thirds, which is about how women band together in difficult times to overcome many obstacles due to the loss of their men. I enjoyed the development of the friendship between Ursa and Maren. It then takes a dark and disturbing turn. In the end, It turns out to be a feminist novel set in historic times. I am not a fan of books that take a historic setting and tell a contemporary story, but I am pretty sure many people enjoy them since it appears to be a trend.
3.5
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Commissioner Absalom Cornet arrives with his new Norwegian bride, Ursa. The story focuses on two women – Ursa and Maren, a local woman. At first, Ursa is unaware of the underlying reasons for her husband’s presence, but she eventually recognizes his sinister plans. This book is beautifully written with poetic prose. I enjoyed the first two-thirds, which is about how women band together in difficult times to overcome many obstacles due to the loss of their men. I enjoyed the development of the friendship between Ursa and Maren. It then takes a dark and disturbing turn. In the end, It turns out to be a feminist novel set in historic times. I am not a fan of books that take a historic setting and tell a contemporary story, but I am pretty sure many people enjoy them since it appears to be a trend.
3.5
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LibraryThing member LynnB
The extreme north of Norway (known as Finnmark) in the 1600s is the setting for this tragic story. A large, sudden storm at sea kills 40 of the village's men, leaving only women, children, and a few elderly men. The women must now provide for themselves in this harsh, barren, cold environment.
We have a story of how religion and superstition combine with disastrous effects on women. We have a story of survival, of coming together and coming apart. It is a dark story but a great read. The writing is excellent and so nuanced. We see Ursula (Absalom's wife) become revulsed by his behaviour, even as she recognizes her dependence on him and tries to fulfill her duties as a wife. The writing really drew me in; I felt as if I were there.
One disappointment for me was the character of Diina. She is a Sami woman, married to the protagonist's (Maren) brother. In the book, she is rather two-dimensional -- not fitting in with the other women or getting along with her in-laws. I longed for her back-story. Maren remembers dancing at Diina's wedding; Maren's brother (Erik) loved Diina and she left her home for him. There could have been so much more to Diina's character!
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Enter a church minister and a governor, with his new wife, from southern Norway to run things. These men have strict views of proper behaviour, especially for women. Rather than fostering self-sufficiency, they insist on adherence to Church laws. We see persecution for witchcraft, and women turning against each other as the governor (Absolam) rules with an iron fist. We have a story of how religion and superstition combine with disastrous effects on women. We have a story of survival, of coming together and coming apart. It is a dark story but a great read. The writing is excellent and so nuanced. We see Ursula (Absalom's wife) become revulsed by his behaviour, even as she recognizes her dependence on him and tries to fulfill her duties as a wife. The writing really drew me in; I felt as if I were there.
One disappointment for me was the character of Diina. She is a Sami woman, married to the protagonist's (Maren) brother. In the book, she is rather two-dimensional -- not fitting in with the other women or getting along with her in-laws. I longed for her back-story. Maren remembers dancing at Diina's wedding; Maren's brother (Erik) loved Diina and she left her home for him. There could have been so much more to Diina's character!
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LibraryThing member atreic
This book tells the story of an island where most of the men are wiped out in a sudden storm. It is loosely based on true events. It is a tale with some really bright sparks of hope - the women rebuilding their community, Maren teaching Ursa to keep house, bravery and courage and keeping going when the witch trial, the final separation of Maren and Ursa . Absalom is a terrifying and convincing villain of the piece, made more so by his convincing motivations for what he does, and his convictions he is on the side of good. It is compelling and beautiful and captures the sense of the far north, with no trees and reindeer and light all day, and the characters are full of life and self.
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life is hard - and a tale of deep and painful darkness - the deaths of all the men, Show Less
LibraryThing member japaul22
This is historical fiction set in the 1600s on a remote island in far northern Norway. In the opening scenes, 40 men, virtually all the adult males in the community, are drowned in a sudden storm while fishing. The remaining women draw the attention of the male political leadership. This is a time
I really liked this, even though the story is familiar and has been told (in different regions of the world) many times. Nothing innovative, but a good story and decent characters (though pretty predictable). It was a good diversion. I consider this in the same category as reading a well-written mystery. Entertaining and engaging.
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in Norway's history when Christianity is attempting to wipe out the local customs of the Sami people. As in so many places around the world, women are blamed for natural events and community discord as witches. I really liked this, even though the story is familiar and has been told (in different regions of the world) many times. Nothing innovative, but a good story and decent characters (though pretty predictable). It was a good diversion. I consider this in the same category as reading a well-written mystery. Entertaining and engaging.
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LibraryThing member tangledthread
On Christmas Eve 1617 a freak storm and rogue wave wipes out the entire working male population of Vardo, a small fishing village in a remote northern Norway (Finnmark). In order to avoid starvation, the women take on the work that the men traditionally did including fishing and caring for
Meanwhile, King Christian of Norway in 1618 begins a pogrom to bring the country in line with his religious belief. His aim is to root out anything that could be conceived as witchcraft and the casting of spells. The Sami people were specific targets, but also women who did not conform to patriarchal traditions were suspected of being witches.
This book is historical fiction based on those facts. It was engaging and well written.
I found this in the ship library while on a Viking Great Lakes cruise.
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reindeer. Meanwhile, King Christian of Norway in 1618 begins a pogrom to bring the country in line with his religious belief. His aim is to root out anything that could be conceived as witchcraft and the casting of spells. The Sami people were specific targets, but also women who did not conform to patriarchal traditions were suspected of being witches.
This book is historical fiction based on those facts. It was engaging and well written.
I found this in the ship library while on a Viking Great Lakes cruise.
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LibraryThing member Moshepit20
This book reminded me a lot of a Scandinavian novel version of the graphic novel "The One Hundred Nights of Hero".
LibraryThing member banjo123
I really liked this book. It's historical fiction, read for the lesbian book group. (the Lesbian contact is there, but light.) It is set in a fishing village in Finnmark, Norway in 1617, where two young women, Maren and Ursa meet. A freak storm drowns almost all of the villages men, including
Unfortunately this is just before the Norwegian witch trials. The king sends a commisioner, Absalom Cornet; who has a record of "successful" witch-hunting. Cornet brings with him his new, young and pretty, Norwegian wife, Ursa, who befriends Maren.
Most of the book is pretty traumatic, actually, because the witch hunts were awful. But I couldn't put the book down.
Here's a passage:
“The day is impossibly bright: the sort of crystalline clarity that comes when winter still sits in the air. They have already entered at the narrow mouth of the fjord, and the cliffs rise sheerly either side, a clean hundred feet, the black rock raked with lines of lighter grey. The sea is green and glitters with chips of ice, and as soon as the wind bites at her face and brings up its blood, chilling her lungs, she feels better than she has since she left home."
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Maren's father, brother and fiancee. Hargrave really sets the stage, a bleak landscape and a hard life. We also learn about Maren's sister-in-law, Diinna, who is Sami; and a little about the relationships between the Sami and the Norwegian.Unfortunately this is just before the Norwegian witch trials. The king sends a commisioner, Absalom Cornet; who has a record of "successful" witch-hunting. Cornet brings with him his new, young and pretty, Norwegian wife, Ursa, who befriends Maren.
Most of the book is pretty traumatic, actually, because the witch hunts were awful. But I couldn't put the book down.
Here's a passage:
“The day is impossibly bright: the sort of crystalline clarity that comes when winter still sits in the air. They have already entered at the narrow mouth of the fjord, and the cliffs rise sheerly either side, a clean hundred feet, the black rock raked with lines of lighter grey. The sea is green and glitters with chips of ice, and as soon as the wind bites at her face and brings up its blood, chilling her lungs, she feels better than she has since she left home."
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LibraryThing member moosenoose
“I remember once when runes gave you comfort…They are a language, Maren. Just because you do not speak it doesn’t make it devilry”
Based on true events from a remote and isolated Norwegian community in 1617, where folklore, superstition and fear are used to turn women against each other and
This is a gripping read that shows just how women have been persecuted and used throughout the ages. In their own way, each female character is a victim of her time and circumstance. There are the conformists who will do anything to advance their status, with no regard for the suffering of others. There are the submissive, who knowingly make the wrong choice in an attempt to protect themselves. Finally there are the strong and steadfast, who aren’t afraid to step-up and act when needed, but are ultimately betrayed.
Whilst this story is focused on dominance, fear and vulnerability it also has a central theme of loyalty, love and hope. The writing is beautifully detailed and vivid, the characters and pace were spot-on. A fantastic read that shows just how much men have controlled the fate of women and just how far we have come.
Based on true events from a remote and isolated Norwegian community in 1617, where folklore, superstition and fear are used to turn women against each other and
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to preform sanctioned murder in the name of religion.This is a gripping read that shows just how women have been persecuted and used throughout the ages. In their own way, each female character is a victim of her time and circumstance. There are the conformists who will do anything to advance their status, with no regard for the suffering of others. There are the submissive, who knowingly make the wrong choice in an attempt to protect themselves. Finally there are the strong and steadfast, who aren’t afraid to step-up and act when needed, but are ultimately betrayed.
Whilst this story is focused on dominance, fear and vulnerability it also has a central theme of loyalty, love and hope. The writing is beautifully detailed and vivid, the characters and pace were spot-on. A fantastic read that shows just how much men have controlled the fate of women and just how far we have come.
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LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
This is very depressing book, from which comes maybe good but depressing advice. When you're being burned at the stake, breathe deep. It's better to die of smoke inhalation than by burning. So, a word to the wise witches among us. When I finished the book, my first thought was, why do we need to
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read this stuff? It's about The Witchcraft Trials of Vardø in the early 17th century. What we learn from the book is that proud supporters of the patriarchy who enjoy dominating and damaging women get great joy from dominating and damaging women. What a shock. Trump supporters only wish they had the same freedom of those men in the 17th century. Show Less
Awards
Betty Trask Prize and Awards (Award Winner — Shortlist — 2021)
Jhalak Prize (Longlist — 2021)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Fiction — 2020)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2020-01-28
Physical description
256 p.
ISBN
2928377000028
Local notes
On Christmas Eve, 1617, the sea around the remote Norwegian island of Vardo is thrown into a reckless storm. As Maren Magnusdatter watches, forty fishermen, including her father and brother, are lost to the waves, the menfolk of Vardo wiped out in an instant. The women must fend for themselves until 18 months later, a sinister figure arrives from Scotland.
Inspired by the real events of the Vardo storm and the 1621 witch trials, a story about how suspicion can twist its way through a community, and a love that may prove as dangerous as it is powerful.
Signed edition from Waterstones with exclusive decorated endpapers, red sprayed edges, and extra content.
Inspired by the real events of the Vardo storm and the 1621 witch trials, a story about how suspicion can twist its way through a community, and a love that may prove as dangerous as it is powerful.
Signed edition from Waterstones with exclusive decorated endpapers, red sprayed edges, and extra content.
Other editions
The Mercies [Waterstones Exclusive] by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Paperback)