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ashleymg99 's review for:
Burial Rites
by Hannah Kent
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this as part of the 2025 StoryGraph “read the world” challenge for the “Iceland” prompt.
This book really helped bring the history of Iceland alive for me. I visited there a few months ago and fell in love with the remote country and its unique culture. On our tours, we had heard about the turf houses that many Icelanders lived in well into the 20th century, their focus on sustenance farming, and their relative poverty in comparison to many countries at that point in history. I felt like Burial Rites brought all of that to life in a deeply humanizing way.
Tthe tiny aspects of every day life and community structure are things that can be hard to imagine when looking at historical documents, and historical fiction is a great way to bridge that gap. I felt Agnes and her story was handled with care, and Kent clearly put a great deal of effort into researching and creating a picture of 19th century Iceland that was as accurate as she could. I highly recommend looking up photos online of the real-life locations of the book.
I think this is a great read for historical fiction fans. It’s definitely a slower, more cerebral read, but I think it captures the color of Iceland’s landscape in a way that’s hard to articulate.
This book really helped bring the history of Iceland alive for me. I visited there a few months ago and fell in love with the remote country and its unique culture. On our tours, we had heard about the turf houses that many Icelanders lived in well into the 20th century, their focus on sustenance farming, and their relative poverty in comparison to many countries at that point in history. I felt like Burial Rites brought all of that to life in a deeply humanizing way.
Tthe tiny aspects of every day life and community structure are things that can be hard to imagine when looking at historical documents, and historical fiction is a great way to bridge that gap. I felt Agnes and her story was handled with care, and Kent clearly put a great deal of effort into researching and creating a picture of 19th century Iceland that was as accurate as she could. I highly recommend looking up photos online of the real-life locations of the book.
I think this is a great read for historical fiction fans. It’s definitely a slower, more cerebral read, but I think it captures the color of Iceland’s landscape in a way that’s hard to articulate.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death
Minor: Colonisation