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A review by herreadingroom
The Witches of Vardø by Anya Bergman
5.0
Inspired by the real life events which happened during witch trials on the island of Vardø, Norway between 1662 and 1663 - this is historical fiction at its best!
It was a terrifying time for many women who were often persecuted and accused of being witches for the most bizarre and outlandish of reasons.
It is told from two perspectives: Anna - once a lover of the King but now imprisoned by him; she seeks to gain a pardon from him by helping to accuse women of being witches; and Ingeborg - a fisherman’s daughter whose mother Zigrid, wracked by grief at the loss of her husband and son, seeks solace in an affair which has disastrous consequences for her and her family.
One day Zigrid is arrested and accused of being a witch, she is taken to Vardø and thrown into the “witches hole” to await trial. Ingeborg sets about trying to rescue her mother along with the help of Maren, the daughter of a witch burnt at the stake.
It is an atmospheric tale of entrenched misogyny, extreme cruelty, depraved brutality, twisted perversion and the abhorrent treatment of women. But, most of all, it is also a tale of the bravery, courage, love, strength and power that these women had, and when they were able to make their voices heard - wow, did they ROAR!!
I find this period in history absolutely fascinating and horrifying in equal measure but I often feel compelled to pick up books about witches when I find one, so when this book came up I jumped at the chance to read it! I’m so glad that I did, not only because it is meticulously researched and I learned a lot, but also because I met a new heroine in Maren who was just 16 years old at the time of these trials, what a fascinating young woman she must have been.
If you like a witchy book then I urge you to read this one - I feel their stories are important ones to be told; and, if you do, I also urge you to read the author’s note at the end which certainly added a “WOW” factor to this book for me.
It was a terrifying time for many women who were often persecuted and accused of being witches for the most bizarre and outlandish of reasons.
It is told from two perspectives: Anna - once a lover of the King but now imprisoned by him; she seeks to gain a pardon from him by helping to accuse women of being witches; and Ingeborg - a fisherman’s daughter whose mother Zigrid, wracked by grief at the loss of her husband and son, seeks solace in an affair which has disastrous consequences for her and her family.
One day Zigrid is arrested and accused of being a witch, she is taken to Vardø and thrown into the “witches hole” to await trial. Ingeborg sets about trying to rescue her mother along with the help of Maren, the daughter of a witch burnt at the stake.
It is an atmospheric tale of entrenched misogyny, extreme cruelty, depraved brutality, twisted perversion and the abhorrent treatment of women. But, most of all, it is also a tale of the bravery, courage, love, strength and power that these women had, and when they were able to make their voices heard - wow, did they ROAR!!
I find this period in history absolutely fascinating and horrifying in equal measure but I often feel compelled to pick up books about witches when I find one, so when this book came up I jumped at the chance to read it! I’m so glad that I did, not only because it is meticulously researched and I learned a lot, but also because I met a new heroine in Maren who was just 16 years old at the time of these trials, what a fascinating young woman she must have been.
If you like a witchy book then I urge you to read this one - I feel their stories are important ones to be told; and, if you do, I also urge you to read the author’s note at the end which certainly added a “WOW” factor to this book for me.