A review by madamelacy
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The story follows Agnes after she’s sentenced to death and is awaiting the sentence being carried out. She recounts her life story, and her involvement in a murder, to a young priest and to the woman she’s billeted with.

As well as being very invested in Agnes’s story, I enjoyed learning about how people lived in 19th Century Iceland. The descriptions of their homesteads and culture were fascinating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Vomit, and Miscarriage