Here's what it is about:
"A brilliant literary debut, inspired by a true story: the final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829.
Set against Iceland's stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution.
Horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer, the family at first avoids Agnes. Only Tóti, a priest Agnes has mysteriously chosen to be her spiritual guardian, seeks to understand her. But as Agnes's death looms, the farmer's wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they've heard.
Riveting and rich with lyricism, Burial Rites evokes a dramatic existence in a distant time and place, and asks the question, how can one woman hope to endure when her life depends upon the stories told by others?"
This book won and/or was nominated for 13 awards. There is a movie in the works starring Jennifer Lawrence.
With that being said, I will share what the MBC members thought about it.
With 19 people in attendance, we had a very lively discussion about this book. The story and writing brought out quite a variety of emotions, and strong opinions at that.
Here are my thoughts first.
This is an interesting story based on facts. The writing is very good. The story is depressing. It certainly evokes emotion and sympathy toward Agnes and the people of the time. It describes in detail what it was like to live in 1828 in Iceland and it sounds awful. I purposely did not look up the "facts" of the case, because I was hoping Toti was going to save Agnes in the end. It was not easy for me to read due to the subject matter and vivid descriptions. I do like historical fiction. I like biographies. I like reading about life in "the old days", especially Scandanavia.
The groups thoughts:
Some people really liked it. They liked the lyrical writing, the descriptions of life at that time the characters, and the folklore. One person said it was a love story.
Some people did not like it because it was so graphic although they finished it. Some felt that it was not a mystery. I offered that it was a mystery because what really happened, remains a mystery.
Some did not finish the book.
After everyone said what they thought, people that really liked it began to talk about why the others should like it and vice a versa. It was very interesting. If you want a book for your group to bring about a good discussion, this may be a good book for you.
I did look up the story of Agnes Magnusdottir. I found an entry for her on Find a Grave. There is a nice picture of her grave that yes, she shares with Fridrick, who was also convicted of the crime.
Here is the link to the entry.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/187420909/agnes-magnusdottir
I and several people are not convinced Agnes killed anyone. Of note, the Icelandic Legal Society retried the case in 2017 in a mock trial. Under modern rules, Agnes was sentenced to 14 years in prison, instead of death.
Do you think Agnes did it?
http://hannahkentauthor.com/burial-rites/
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