Scan barcode
A review by mellkayy
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
- Burial Rites details the last execution in Iceland. Agnes Magnúsdóttir is accused of murder, and is sentenced to death. For the months leading up to her death she is sent to live with a farming family in Iceland.
This novel is told from both Agnes’s first person perspective, and the supporting characters third person perspective. Though this novel is based on a real life event, a lot of this story is fictionalised. Through Agnes’s perspective we learn a lot about her past, as well as first-hand accounts of the murder. It goes to show that things aren’t always what they seem.
Kent creates an amazing atmosphere in this novel. The novel is set in Iceland, where it is wet, muddy and dreary, and as I was reading this (in the middle of an Australian summer) I actually felt cold.
Aside from Agnes, I didn’t really care for any of the characters in this book. I felt quite detached from the story, which I think was the authors purpose, but it definitely hindered my enjoyment of the novel.
This novel is told from both Agnes’s first person perspective, and the supporting characters third person perspective. Though this novel is based on a real life event, a lot of this story is fictionalised. Through Agnes’s perspective we learn a lot about her past, as well as first-hand accounts of the murder. It goes to show that things aren’t always what they seem.
Kent creates an amazing atmosphere in this novel. The novel is set in Iceland, where it is wet, muddy and dreary, and as I was reading this (in the middle of an Australian summer) I actually felt cold.
Aside from Agnes, I didn’t really care for any of the characters in this book. I felt quite detached from the story, which I think was the authors purpose, but it definitely hindered my enjoyment of the novel.