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A review by book_concierge
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
4.0
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I liked the way Kent began each chapter with either some historical document of the period or a poem or excerpt from a saga.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.
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.