Review of Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
This historical fiction is based upon the true life of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last person to be executed in Iceland. Agnes Magnúsdóttir, along with two others, has been found guilty of the murder of two men in 1828. Her sentence is death by beheading this is a story to portray her final months and journey to her execution day.
We first meet Agnes Magnúsdóttir as she is spending her final moments in a small holding cell in Húnavatn District awaiting her death. The community is not prepared to house a criminal of this magnitude, as typically they are sent abroad to be dealt with elsewhere. This will not be the case for Agnes; she will be used as an example and not sent abroad.
This decision does not bode well with the Jónsson family, as they are the upright Christian family chosen to house her during her final months. As you can imagine, they are not over-joyous to have a condemned criminal living under the same roof and have no protection. Each of the members of the Jónsson family, Jon and Margrét and their two daughters Steina and Lauga, have different ways of dealing with this new situation, can you function in your day to day duties while you fear for your life? Agnes' presence has an impact on the family and forces them to learn about themselves in the process.
We also meet Assistant Reverend Tóti, whom Agnes has requested as her spiritual leader. Reverend Tóti is young and not ready to be a spiritual leader, he is still training. Grasping to understand why he has been selected by this strange unknown woman, Reverend Tóti tries to refuse his duty. Understanding he must continue on with his guidance he sets out to discover who Agnes was in her past and what has led her to this point in life so he may help her prepare and accept her fate.
Life is not easy, the family does not have much and struggles to meet the daily brutal conditions this isolated Icelandic countryside offers. Agnes lives as one of the family during these months, she toils in the fields with them and labors in the same way she did growing up as a housemaid. How do the neighbors view Agnes being part of the family, do they still visit or shy away? Agnes is private and not quick to share information and makes the Reverend work for his information. As she shares flashbacks of her life with the Reverend and Margrét we learn a great deal about Agnes' journey. Her sharing opens up a new world of understanding for the Reverend and Margrét and forces them into a state of self-discovery.
Hannah Kent does an excellent job pulling you into the story and wondering what did happen that fateful night that has Agnes accused of a double murder. Who were these two murdered men and how do the two co-conspirators play into the murders? This was one of my Top Ten picks for 2013.
[Notice: Original posting 2014-01-01 at Plethora of Books Blog: http://bookchallenges.weebly.com]
Tags: Historical Fiction, Top Ten by Year, 2013
This historical fiction is based upon the true life of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last person to be executed in Iceland. Agnes Magnúsdóttir, along with two others, has been found guilty of the murder of two men in 1828. Her sentence is death by beheading this is a story to portray her final months and journey to her execution day.
We first meet Agnes Magnúsdóttir as she is spending her final moments in a small holding cell in Húnavatn District awaiting her death. The community is not prepared to house a criminal of this magnitude, as typically they are sent abroad to be dealt with elsewhere. This will not be the case for Agnes; she will be used as an example and not sent abroad.
This decision does not bode well with the Jónsson family, as they are the upright Christian family chosen to house her during her final months. As you can imagine, they are not over-joyous to have a condemned criminal living under the same roof and have no protection. Each of the members of the Jónsson family, Jon and Margrét and their two daughters Steina and Lauga, have different ways of dealing with this new situation, can you function in your day to day duties while you fear for your life? Agnes' presence has an impact on the family and forces them to learn about themselves in the process.
We also meet Assistant Reverend Tóti, whom Agnes has requested as her spiritual leader. Reverend Tóti is young and not ready to be a spiritual leader, he is still training. Grasping to understand why he has been selected by this strange unknown woman, Reverend Tóti tries to refuse his duty. Understanding he must continue on with his guidance he sets out to discover who Agnes was in her past and what has led her to this point in life so he may help her prepare and accept her fate.
Life is not easy, the family does not have much and struggles to meet the daily brutal conditions this isolated Icelandic countryside offers. Agnes lives as one of the family during these months, she toils in the fields with them and labors in the same way she did growing up as a housemaid. How do the neighbors view Agnes being part of the family, do they still visit or shy away? Agnes is private and not quick to share information and makes the Reverend work for his information. As she shares flashbacks of her life with the Reverend and Margrét we learn a great deal about Agnes' journey. Her sharing opens up a new world of understanding for the Reverend and Margrét and forces them into a state of self-discovery.
Hannah Kent does an excellent job pulling you into the story and wondering what did happen that fateful night that has Agnes accused of a double murder. Who were these two murdered men and how do the two co-conspirators play into the murders? This was one of my Top Ten picks for 2013.
[Notice: Original posting 2014-01-01 at Plethora of Books Blog: http://bookchallenges.weebly.com]
Tags: Historical Fiction, Top Ten by Year, 2013