Burial Rites in Retro Chapter Chicks

Jan 30, 2015 Candi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, mystery-crime, historical-fiction, book-i-own

"They said I must die. They said that I stole the breath from men, and now they must steal mine. I imagine, then, that we are all candle flames, greasy-bright, fluttering in the darkness and the howl of the wind, and in the stillness of the room I hear footsteps, awful coming footsteps, coming to blow me out and send my life up away from me in a gray wreath of smoke."

The words of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, convicted for the murders of two men and awaiting execution in early nineteenth century Iceland, "They said I must die. They said that I stole the breath from men, and now they must steal mine. I imagine, then, that we are all candle flames, greasy-bright, fluttering in the darkness and the howl of the wind, and in the stillness of the room I hear footsteps, awful coming footsteps, coming to blow me out and send my life up away from me in a gray wreath of smoke."

The words of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, convicted for the murders of two men and awaiting execution in early nineteenth century Iceland, grip you immediately upon opening this novel. Hannah Kent’s writing is stunning and I was blown away to note that this was her debut! Iceland is on my bucket list. In fact, I toyed with the idea of a trip there last summer, but realistically this will remain on the list a bit longer – unless I stumble across a windfall in the near future. Burial Rites, however, swept me away and set me down right there this summer, well in advance of any planned adventure. Albeit, this journey was much more desolate and heartbreaking than any I could have imagined. The story was incredibly atmospheric, and I was wholly wrapped up in Agnes’s story and my discovery for the truth from start to finish.

"They will see the whore, the madwoman, the murderess, the female dripping blood into the grass and laughing with her mouth choked with dirt. They will say ‘Agnes’ and see the spider, the witch caught in the webbing of her own fateful weaving. They might see the lamb circled by ravens, bleating for a lost mother. But they will not see me. I will not be there."

Oftentimes, we see what we expect to see in another, what we’ve been told to see. Can we look beyond the stories that we’ve heard and the preconceived notions of a person’s nature in order to reveal the true individual that lies beneath all the gossip and rumors? When Agnes is transferred to a farm in Kornsá to await her death sentence, she is placed under the care of poor but upstanding Christians, Jón and Margrét, and their two daughters, Steina and Lauga, who are tasked with ‘inspiring repentance’ in the prisoner. For some yet unknown reason, Agnes has requested a new spiritual adviser, the Assistant Reverend Thorvardur, or Tóti, who has been summoned to the farm as well. Jón and Margrét and their daughters are gripped with fear, suspicion and the weight of their responsibility. Reverend Tóti is haunted by his own doubts as to whether or not he is the right religious mentor for the job. How to guide someone to the path of salvation when they do not want to speak of divine matters or penitence? But as Tóti sits with Agnes and listens to her recount her life story, one of much hardship and immense grief, he comes to realize what should be his real duty to this forsaken soul. "I have come upon the conviction that it is not the stern voice of a priest delivering the threat of brimstone, but the gentle and inquiring tones of a friend that will best draw back the curtain to her soul…"

As the farmer’s family sits in the confines of their cramped badstofa, they, along with the reader, overhear the details of Agnes’s account as well. A different woman from what they initially presumed is gradually revealed. Agnes is a woman of intellect but low standing and few advantages who had finally found love with a man who was able to open up new worlds to her. One to whom she was able to freely speak of those things she had read about in the sagas and dreamed of during the dark, Icelandic nights. "We’d place words carefully together, piling them upon one another, leaving no spaces. We each created towers, two beacons, the like of which are built along roads to guide the way when the weather comes down. We saw one another through the fog, the suffocating repetition of life." Ah, but love can have its own form of vengeance, especially when that inevitable third or even fourth party intrudes itself on the scene, creating havoc for all involved.

My heart wept for Agnes. The ending took my breath away. I loved the way her history was peeled away one layer at a time until we finally felt we truly understood her and had all pieces of the puzzle in place. This book was based on a true story, and the author’s note at the end is fascinating. The amount of research that went into this novel is quite impressive. Throughout, we are given snippets of actual letters and documents relating to the case. This added a feeling of real authenticity to the story that I greatly appreciated. The prose is beautiful and lyrical, and the stark landscape will grab hold of you and make you feel as if you are right there reliving the events with Agnes. This book is highly recommended to fans of historical fiction and anyone that admires excellent writing.

"Memories shift like loose snow in a wind, or are a chorale of ghosts all talking over one another. There is only ever a sense that what is real to me is not real to others, and to share a memory with someone is to risk sullying my belief in what has truly happened."

Note: This novel made me reflect on another book that I truly loved and one that I believe is not as well-known as this. If you have read this one, then I highly recommend you try Corrag by Susan Fletcher. It is equally exquisite! It is one that I don't see widely read on Goodreads and one I love to share with my friends here :) ...more

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Jan 12, 2018 Celia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction-read, kindle-list, group-bom, 2018-read, 52-2018

Burial Rites is the first book written by its author, Hannah Kent. It was nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2014.

Based on a true story, Burial Rites describes the last days of Agnes Magnusdóttir, a woman purported to have brutally murdered two men in Iceland in 1829. Agnes is sent to a farm to await her execution. The family housed there is understandably upset that a murderess is being housed in their midst.

Agnes' story slowly emerges as she relates what happened to Toti, a young p ...more

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Mar 20, 2015 Book Concierge rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, literary-fiction, 19th-century, debut, tragedy, concierge, strong-women, women-writers, library, social-commentary

Audiobook performed by Morven Christie

Agnes Magnusdottir has been convicted of a brutal murder and sentenced to death. Lacking any public facilities for imprisonment, the district commissioner declares that she shall be kept on a district farm, where the fine upstanding Christian family may provide a good example to her and lead to Agnes’s repentance. Margret and Jon are not happy with this arrangement but have little choice in the matter, treating Agnes as a servant on the farm. Their daughters Audiobook performed by Morven Christie

Agnes Magnusdottir has been convicted of a brutal murder and sentenced to death. Lacking any public facilities for imprisonment, the district commissioner declares that she shall be kept on a district farm, where the fine upstanding Christian family may provide a good example to her and lead to Agnes’s repentance. Margret and Jon are not happy with this arrangement but have little choice in the matter, treating Agnes as a servant on the farm. Their daughters Steina and Lauga have decidedly different reactions; 21-year-old Steina is fascinated by Agnes and tries to draw her out, while Lauga is angry and judgmental, refusing to have anything to do with the murderess. The only person who seems to care about her is Rev Thorvadur Jonsson – Toti – who tries to draw her out and is willing to listen to her story.

This novel is based on a true incident in history. In January 1830 Agnes Magnusdottir became the last person to be executed in Iceland; she was beheaded for her role in the murders of Natan Kittelson and Petur Jonsson. Kent has crafted a wonderfully complex character study based on this incident, relying on historical records for the timeline and central facts, but embellishing with what she has imagined might have happened.

We have all witnessed the storm of controversy and conflicting reports that attend a high-profile crime. People are quick to judge and may misrepresent or “misremember” facts to suit their interpretation or pre-conceived notions of guilt (or innocence). This is not a new phenomenon; it just spreads faster with 24-hour news channels and internet coverage.

Like the farm family, I was initially put off by Agnes’s closed-off and close-mouthed demeanor; she seemed somewhat haughty for someone in her position. Agnes is a woman who has nothing, and expects nothing. But just as the family, Agnes and Toti slowly come to know and trust one another, I came to trust Agnes and found myself eager to hear her side of the story. I loved the way that these relationships slowly thawed while the landscape slowly froze.

I liked the way Kent began each chapter with either some historical document of the period or a poem or excerpt from a saga. In many ways the novel reminded me of oral story-telling traditions, where a (possibly) true incident is passed down generation to generation, taking on epic proportions and imparting some life lesson to the listeners. This was particularly evident when Agnes would relate dreams and try to interpret their meanings.

As in real life, there are no perfectly evil (nor perfectly good) characters here. The ending, however inevitable, is written in a way that still builds suspense and left me breathless.

Morven Christie does an acceptable job performing the audio version. She has good pacing, but limited voice artist skill and there was little difference in “voice” from character to character, which sometimes confused me.

...more

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Aug 30, 2018 Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction

Quite enjoyable. Great descriptions and character development, gritty and dark, but fitting to the era and the nature of the novel. Well researched. Would read another book by the author.

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Jan 06, 2014 Tasha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites-2014

Beautifully written and hard to put down. That about sums it up. The writing was so smooth and the story so engaging. The story itself was sad and depressing but the author gave a voice to Agnes that I think she would have truly appreciated. Well done and I look forward to more from Hannah Kent. ...more

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Aug 06, 2018 Belle Blackburn rated it it was amazing

Skillfully crafted tale of Agnes, the last person to be executed in 1800s Iceland. It was easy to absorb the setting and society. An engaging take on an unusual situation with a condemned prisoner with interesting and relatable characters. My only criticism was the shifting narrator format. Different viewpoints are fine but when it shifts to first person the chapter should be notated as such, instead of having to figure out who is narrating several paragraphs in.

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