A review by alexisreading23
The Witches of Vardø by Anya Bergman
3.5
Bergman's passion for this period of history and telling the stories of these women is palpable and definitely comes across in her writing which must have been rather painstakingly researched. I appreciated the inclusion of the 'fact or fiction' chapter at the end of the novel which shed more light on the historical events that informed the book.
I admire the premise of this book but there were several things that marred its execution for me. I found the pacing was a little strange, at times quite laborious and at other points hastening on rapidly. The first half passed especially slowly for me as I was waiting for the different story lines to intersect although this was quite a long read for me over all as well - this is partly due to the fact that I rarely read through audiobooks so not entirely the fault of the book itself. I found the final quarter of the novel the most exciting and though I understand the need to set up a good foundation for each character, I feel this could have been done a bit swifter. To continue this point, I found that the character focus sometimes seemed to 'forget' about a character for a while. There were points in the second half of the novel where I was wondering where Maren was and why there seemed to be a lack of interaction between her and Ingeborg.
(Mild Spoiler warning)
I wasn't entirely satisfied with the equivocation on witchcraft. I empathised with the novel's argument that it was patriarchal systems and entrenched misogyny and distrust of women that fuelled the vitriolic witch hunt but the novel decided to include the reality of magic towards the end which I felt wasn't fully fleshed out and seemed to contradict its overlying point that women were being persecuted - not witches.
(Spoilers end here)
I found the second-person narration of Anna mostly compelling but it occasionally struck an odd chord in its attempts to explain the past whilst remaining a letter to the King. This note of unreality resurfaced in certain dialogue which rung a little melodramatic and through certain characters which were rather cartoonishly villainous although this can be excused slightly since their actions were truIy reprehensible. What I admired the most were the characters of Ingeborg, Maren, and Anna who in their own ways were complex and faced by difficult choices and situations. The evocative descriptions of the landscape, the ways of life, and especially the Sami people and their culture were also extremely fascinating. I appreciated that folk tales were included periodically. I also liked that the novel did not flinch from the realities many women faced and made a point to emphasise the joint role of other women and men in power in denouncing these women.
Overall, I found this an entertaining and informative read on a period of history and place that I knew very little about. While my reading experience was slightly marred by the pacing and certain aspects of the storytelling, it was still enjoyable and a very interesting historical fiction.
I admire the premise of this book but there were several things that marred its execution for me. I found the pacing was a little strange, at times quite laborious and at other points hastening on rapidly. The first half passed especially slowly for me as I was waiting for the different story lines to intersect although this was quite a long read for me over all as well - this is partly due to the fact that I rarely read through audiobooks so not entirely the fault of the book itself. I found the final quarter of the novel the most exciting and though I understand the need to set up a good foundation for each character, I feel this could have been done a bit swifter. To continue this point, I found that the character focus sometimes seemed to 'forget' about a character for a while. There were points in the second half of the novel where I was wondering where Maren was and why there seemed to be a lack of interaction between her and Ingeborg.
(Mild Spoiler warning)
I wasn't entirely satisfied with the equivocation on witchcraft. I empathised with the novel's argument that it was patriarchal systems and entrenched misogyny and distrust of women that fuelled the vitriolic witch hunt but the novel decided to include the reality of magic towards the end which I felt wasn't fully fleshed out and seemed to contradict its overlying point that women were being persecuted - not witches.
(Spoilers end here)
I found the second-person narration of Anna mostly compelling but it occasionally struck an odd chord in its attempts to explain the past whilst remaining a letter to the King. This note of unreality resurfaced in certain dialogue which rung a little melodramatic and through certain characters which were rather cartoonishly villainous although this can be excused slightly since their actions were truIy reprehensible. What I admired the most were the characters of Ingeborg, Maren, and Anna who in their own ways were complex and faced by difficult choices and situations. The evocative descriptions of the landscape, the ways of life, and especially the Sami people and their culture were also extremely fascinating. I appreciated that folk tales were included periodically. I also liked that the novel did not flinch from the realities many women faced and made a point to emphasise the joint role of other women and men in power in denouncing these women.
Overall, I found this an entertaining and informative read on a period of history and place that I knew very little about. While my reading experience was slightly marred by the pacing and certain aspects of the storytelling, it was still enjoyable and a very interesting historical fiction.