Reviews

Burial Rites, by Hannah Kent

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ankewesterman's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

marginaliant's review against another edition

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3.0

I ended up liking this book a lot more than I thought it was going to at the start. The parts that are from Agnes’s point of view were wonderful, poignant and lyrically written. I adored how the plot has been woven with historical documents. The only thing that I kept coming back to was that Toti felt like an afterthought. He had no personality, he was kind of a wet blanket, and his unfolding relationship with Agnes felt very inorganic. Having him in addition to Margret was unnecessary—I preferred Margret and Agnes as a narrative pair to explore the crime and I wish the story had focused on them rather than crowbarring Toti in as well.

meggiemine's review

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sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

"We'll remember you, Agnes." She presses my fingers more tightly, until I almost cry out from the pain, and then I am crying. I don't want to be remembered, I want to be here!

This is a very slow, melancholy read with a bleak setting and a tragic ending. I thought the historical details were interesting, but I never became very invested in the story. While it's not a long book, it took me a long time to read because other books I was reading were far more engaging and less somber. I've owned a paperback copy of this for years, but will probably put it in a box to donate or sell as I don't see myself ever rereading it.

In the author's note at the end, Kent says some of the books written about the Illugastaðir murders "hold a common view of Agnes as 'an inhumane witch stirring up murder'. This novel has been written to supply a more ambiguous portrayal of this woman." Unfortunately, I think by making Agnes an ambiguous and mysterious character, Kent inadvertently made her a bit flat and uninteresting.

Other than some issues with multiple points-of-view and tense in the first chapter, the writing was decent, so I might try another of Kent's books in the future.

If you're looking for another literary novel about a woman murderess in the 19th century I recommend Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, which I remember liking a lot more than this.

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