Reviews

The Mercies, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

bookishlyawkward's review against another edition

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3.5

[EN] Not exactly "mine" but I do appreciate it. It was truly heartbreaking at times.

[PL] Nie do końca "moja", ale ją doceniam. Momentami łamała mi serce.

markalkman's review against another edition

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3.0

RTC - Bookclub book of the month November

your_true_shelf's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

gerbilreads's review against another edition

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2.0

A really interesting period to write about with some strong characters. However, I felt that for me the narrative skipped past the things I would have been interested in and instead focussed on a fairly belaboured illicit relationship- hard to consider that important when there are people being burned at the stake in the background.

adonia's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.5

izzy_r's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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

betweenbookends's review

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4.0

4.5/5

What a stunning, compelling and remarkably well-written novel! Based on true historical events, a sudden freak storm of mythic proportions killed 40 fishermen off the coast of a remote village of Vardo in 1617, leaving the women to fend for themselves. What followed was the brutal, and senseless massacre of many indigenous Sami women believed to be witches. The Mercies fictionalizes and brings to life this tumultuous period of flux in Norway and Denmark under the reign of King Christian IV through an insular narrative following the women of this remote island of Vardo. The prose is gorgeously cinematic and transportive, completely placing you in its setting of 1617, Norway. It's a mesmerizing evocation of a small community and the land they inhabit, of prejudices that run deep and force people to turn in on one another to save themselves. It also portrays a gentle, deep, forbidden love between two characters that fill you with a sense of hope against this backdrop of dread. It is easily one of the most skilled, tense and atmospheric historical fiction novels I've read in the recent times.

toriknockin's review

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dark emotional sad tense medium-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

3.0

meldob's review

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I bought this because it was recommended by my book club. I tried to listen to this audiobook 3 times, and each time I would get half way to 3 quarters through the first chapter and stop. It's just so depressing. I hate not finishing books, but there has just never been a time when I felt like I could get through this book. You can't listen to it when you're happy because it makes you sad, you can't listen to it when you're sad because you become depressed. 

samykookis97's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0