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A review by thereadingmum
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
The greatest compliment I can pay this book is that it made me cry.
Based on the true story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman to be executed in Iceland, who was convicted with two others of murdering two men. It follows her final weeks where she is placed with a family of a minor official.
For three quarters of the book, I kept relating it to Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace. Particularly Agnes' relationship with the priest, Tóti and her relationship with the family she has to live with.
Kent writes beautifully and manages to knit her characters together so well. The little descriptions of relationships subtly build the right chemistry between them. The harsh landscape and life of rural Iceland provides the perfect backdrop for this heartbreaking story. The misogyny is pretty awful, but not as bad as the witch trials.
I'm not sure I agree with Kent's version of Agnes' part in the murders related towards the end. Hence the rating is closer to a 4.
Based on the true story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman to be executed in Iceland, who was convicted with two others of murdering two men. It follows her final weeks where she is placed with a family of a minor official.
For three quarters of the book, I kept relating it to Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace. Particularly Agnes' relationship with the priest, Tóti and her relationship with the family she has to live with.
Kent writes beautifully and manages to knit her characters together so well. The little descriptions of relationships subtly build the right chemistry between them. The harsh landscape and life of rural Iceland provides the perfect backdrop for this heartbreaking story. The misogyny is pretty awful, but not as bad as the witch trials.
I'm not sure I agree with Kent's version of Agnes' part in the murders related towards the end. Hence the rating is closer to a 4.