This novel is based on a true story of the last woman , Agnes Magnusdottir, to be executed in Iceland.
I was originally interested in this novel because I find Iceland such a mysterious country culturally. I was also intrigued as the author is a young Australian writer.
I feel this story could provide some interesting discussions for us.
As this story is based on a woman to be executed I would assume a major theme may be death, or perhaps it may focus more on life and living.I feel we may also discuss capital punishment and the role this has played in this story and throughout history.
When asked in an interview with Picador in Aug 2013,
Why did Agnes’s story resonate with you so much?
Hannah Kent replied:
“While I may not fully understand why I initially found the idea of this condemned woman so compelling, the more I learnt about the crime, and the more research I conducted, the more I became perplexed and frustrated at the way in which Agnes was spoken of as being unequivocally evil. It made me reflect on the ways in which so many people, particularly women in the past, were unable to author their public identity. Women who transgressed, or deviated from the norm, or otherwise seemed not to fit into the accepted – yet limited – roles for women (the mother, the daughter, the virgin, the victim) were seen as suspicious: if you are not an angel, then you must be a demon. It was a cruel dichotomy.”
So, I guess here we can also discuss if Agnes was the victim of a witch hunt or not, and as so many times before we have discussed whose truth is true.
Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteSue, some new titles for our list would be great!!
Hello Katie and Nancy
ReplyDeleteSome recommended books:
Barbara Kingsolver: Flight Behaviour
Steven Galloway: The Cellist of Sarajevo
Nathan Filer: The Shock of the Fall
Barbara Trapido: Frankie and Stankie
And could we consider Richard Flanagan's "The Narrow Road to the Deep South"? It won the Booker Prize this year, but it does look rather hefty.
Let me know what you think, Ladies.
Love
Sue
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI've read the reviews for your suggestions Sue, they sound great.
I've always loved Barbara Kingsolver, I thought Poisonwood Bible was fantastic.
I'll happily add them to our list if that's OK with you Katie.
Cheers
Hello Ladies
ReplyDeleteDidn't you suggest "The Library of Shadows", Nancy? Or have I mis-remembered?
We could add that, too, if it's O.K. with you, Katie?
Still waiting For "Burial Rites" - clearly a popular book.
Love
Sue
I'm happy with any of your suggestions :-)
ReplyDeleteHello Ladies
ReplyDeleteFinally had to order "Burial Rites" from Amazon. The library has four copies and all are either out until the end of the month or "misplaced". amazon will deliver between 25th November and 5th December. Christmas rush, no doubt.
So, I might be a little late in posting.
Meanwhile, Happy Christmas Preparations.
Much love
Sue
I received the book from the library on Thursday and have just finished it. Very powerful sense of place – the author must have immersed herself in Iceland, its culture, history and geography. Wonderful story - Agnes completely trapped by her poverty, her sex and her need to be loved.
ReplyDeleteHer situation reminded me of the fate of witches in medieval Britain: female, older, single, often with specialist knowledge of herbs, medicine and childbirth passed down from generation to generation. You’d only need to lose one patient and the community might decide to test whether you had supernatural powers: if you failed to drown when tied to a chair and held under water, you were a witch and should be burned at the stake.
We’re a little kinder to outsiders these days, though some modern communities’ treatment of their less able, poor and different members is very reminiscent of Agnes’s fate.
Fortunately, she wouldn’t be executed today. Given the number of mistakes we’ve made in Britain in determining guilt, I’m very pleased about that. One reason is that witnesses are notoriously unreliable – Jay and I can never agree on what we saw even half an hour ago. Goodness only knows what happened on the night of the murders and the fire. Agnes will have complete faith in the truth of her own recollections and they are a wonderful story. No doubt Sigga’s story was convincing, too, and different.
An English department I once worked in used to show to fifteen/sixteen year old students a documentary based on the case of Timothy Evans: a young man with learning disabilities who was hung for instructing his friend carrying a gun aimed at a policeman to, “Let him have it.” His friend killed the policeman. The friend was too young to hang, but Evans “went to the gallows”. The students’ response was always that capital punishment is wrong, whatever the circumstances. However, in Singapore, any discussion of capital punishment (never based on the documentary used only in the U.K.) demonstrated total support for it because it was a deterrent to would-be criminals. Perhaps a cultural difference here? (I must point out that in both cases, capital punishment was topic on the syllabus.)
Kent suggests that some members of Icelandic society of the time felt capital punishment must be accompanied by religious instruction so the victim meets his/her maker in an appropriate frame of mind. Was it thought that this would prevent them going to hell, I wonder? Capital punishment as a means of rescuing souls? It did seem that elements of the society believed those being executed deserved their fate, were not fit to mix in society and could be abused with impunity. Clearly, there are those who hold those views today.
I did feel that the telling of the story to different audiences was a little contrived: Tóti’s illness allowing the last part of the narrative to be told to Margrét, for example. But Agnes’s final dreadful fear of death, her appreciation of warmth, light, human company as she enters what she knows will be the final phase of her life, a life she does not want to leave despite its shocking hardship and lack of opportunity, is a wonderful portrait. I think it must resonate with anyone who knows death is imminent, whatever the reason for that death.
A very interesting book, Nancy: thank you for recommending it.
Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteI hope the weather isn’t too cold in your countries, we have had some hot and blustery days, also some fantastic beach days, so with the brats home from uni we have been sunning and swimming whenever we can!
I have been quite busy with mum and dad also. Mum is pretty low at the moment and we are all spending as much time as we can with her. She is doing lots of sleeping so she is at least comfortable.
My copy of Burial Rites was borrowed by a friend practically as I was finishing it, she was keen to read it.
I loved the sense of place the author conveyed and it certainly satisfied my yearning to learn more of Iceland.
I feel the story was primarily about the preciousness and beauty in life, and the appreciation of simple essentials.
I enjoyed Kent’s alternate version of the events of Agnes’ life and like you Sue, was reminded of the witch hunts of old. I feel this was intentional by the author.
I was also reminded of some of our previous books ‘The Red Tent’ , The Liars Gospel and even the now infamous ‘Not Wanted On The Voyage’ , :] ,and how the authors of those novels also offered us an alternative version to the commonly accepted story, and how much I enjoyed reading them.
I enjoyed the contemporary feel of this novel, even though we were reading an account of a historical event. The characters were very real and could easily be transported to our current time, obviously without the beheading.
I enjoyed this novel and also am excited about the great new titles on our ever growing list.
Love to you both and your beautiful families, stay safe
Nancy
Hello Ladies! Hope you are both doing well. Sue, I am very impressed by your speed reading! And as we see our first snow fall of the season, please enjoy some sunshine for me Nancy!
ReplyDeleteI have to say that for a first novel, Ms. Kent did extremely well. Her descriptions were lovely. I enjoyed the alternating first person and omniscient narrations. This made for unique reading. I admit that the toughest challenge I had with this novel were the names. I was very grateful for her pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book and referred back to it frequently.
I love what Ms. Kent says in her interview, the one you posted Nancy. How true is it that women throughout history have been labeled evil or bad if they stray out of their socially acceptable roles? There is a bumper sticker that I see frequently that makes me laugh. It says: Well-behaved women rarely make history. How accurate. Would any of us know Agnes’s name if she had been more docile? Many of the characters said that Agnes was not content with her social situation and was always reaching for more. This discontent lead Agnes to commit a despicable crime, or at least that is how the other servants view the murder. Turning back to Ms. Kent’s comment on a how women are perceived, If Agnes had been a man reaching for a better life she would not have been viewed so negatively. It is acceptable for men to try and rise above their situations but not women.
Certainly this frame of mind is still prevalent in the twenty-first century. How many women are forced to choose between a career and a family? The women who choose both face the greatest hardships of all. This double standard is harsh. While Ms. Kent has us believe Agnes’s motive was love, the beliefs of the other servants are no less cruel. Agnes is called a witch because she is not considered sweet or innocent like Sigga. How unkind society often is.
The wait from the trial to execution was cruel. Since Agnes and Fredrick were real people, it must have been horrible knowing that death was coming but uncertain of when. Agnes says a couple of times that it would be less cruel if they would just slit her throat quickly like the lambs. I don’t understand the need for religious instruction for the condemned individuals either, Sue. It seems quite pointless. I presume that the thought process is to not be completely cruel and deny the convicted individual of any chance for salvation.
I’m hoping to finish up my intro to Sisterland for you shortly, Nancy.
Much love!
Katie