Burial Rites

I didn't expect to like a crime novel set in 1829 Iceland, and it is a slow burn but ultimately a gripping account of a woman’s part in the notorious murder of two men. Evocative, powerful writing brings to life the grim, reality of Icelandic life at the time and a society hugely judgemental of women. Family ties and relationships are fluid, life is precarious, held together by unforgiving religious dogma. All this is brought vividly to life through the author’s meticulous research of original documents and a deep knowledge and understanding of the culture and history.
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This book resonated deeply with me because it explored the intricate layers of human nature, beautifully encapsulated in the quote, ‘To know what a person has done, and to know who a person is, are very different things.’

The gripping narrative, based on a true story set in 19th-century Iceland, draws me into the life of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, a woman accused of murder, as she awaits her execution. Kent's masterful storytelling skilfully delves into Agnes' complexities, making her a character so vividly real that I fervently hoped for a different outcome despite knowing the inevitable fate that awaited her.

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As somber and sobering as the Icelandic landscape it takes place in, this tale of the last person condemned to die in that remote country at the turn of the 19th century is one of endurance and hope in the face of injustice.

In vivid and atmospheric writing, Kent brings a little-known historical figure into a new light, leaving us with a new and lasting legacy for someone few knew or cared for before.

Kent has resurrected Agnes into an unforgettable, all-too-human being whose place in history would surely be among those forgotten without her sensitive and moving book,

As sombering as the Icelandic landscape it takes place in, this tale of a woman condemned to die in that remote country in 1829 is one of endurance and hope in the face of injustice.

In vivid and atmospheric writing, Kent brings a little-known historical figure into a new light, leaving us with a new and lasting legacy for someone few knew or cared for before.

Burial Rites was a book that I became completely immersed in.

The story is set in Iceland amongst a small community during the 19th century, which is unique in itself, but it is the way in which Hannah Kent writes that makes this novel so exceptional. Description transports the reader to the frigid landscape, with the author having the capability to use simplistic symbols to convey deeper meaning in the narrative. This novel showed me that sometimes less is more when writing.

Based on a true story, Burial Rites has all the elements of an enthralling novel.

Although we all face challenges, some challenges are more often experienced by women than men, and vice versa. This foreboding and strikingly desolate novel depicts such insightful representations of the female experience that it’s hard to know what resonates more deeply—the factual basis that inspired the story, or the wild barren plains of Northern Iceland that hide philosophical mysteries of truth and sacrifice. Murder, executions, survival, love, and passion, all adorn the ongoing suspense of how the story’s inevitable conclusion will end.