Hannah Kent

”"They said I must die. They said that I stole the breath from the men, and now they must steal mine." Page 3

The protagonist in this historical fiction novel, set in Iceland in 1829, Agnes Magnusdottir, has been found guilty of murder and is scheduled to be executed (beheaded) in a few months. Due to a lack of prisons in Iceland, the powers that be ask a farm family to take her in rather than incarcerating her. Initially, most family members resent her presence in their home but, as time show more passes, they warm to her presence, so much so that when the time comes for the execution they are all devastated. Based on real historical events including the last beheading in Iceland, the author has written a debut novel that is filled with descriptions of the harsh conditions prevalent in Iceland throughout the year.

I found the descriptions of the chores that made up the everyday lives of this typical farm family, fascinating. Life here was no picnic and life inside the croft dwelling left no possibility of privacy. Everything Agnes reveals to her confessor, the inexperienced and gullible Rev. Toti, is easily overheard by the family members. So although Agnes at first seems enigmatic, in time she opens up to critical farm wife Margret, who becomes her greatest ally.

This may be a debut novel but Kent knows exactly what she’s doing. Spare, haunting prose, and descriptions of the unforgiving landscape as well as the harsh living conditions combine with a narrative that had me hoping all the way through that somehow Agnes would escape her fate. Highly recommended. show less

At first I did not know why these people stood about, men and women alike, each still and staring at me in silence. Then I understood that it was not me they stared at. I understood that these people did not see me. I was two dead men. I was a burning farm. I was a knife. I was blood. Pg. 36

On an isolated farm in the northern parts of Iceland, two men are found dead, their bodies bludgeoned and burned beyond recognition. Charged with the murders, Agnes Magnusdottir along with two other show more accomplices are sentenced to be executed by public beheadings. Through her eyes, Agnes reveals the story of a life of poverty, isolation, abandonment, and ultimately how one becomes one of Iceland's most notorious murderess.

Inspired by true events, Hannah Kent's debut novel, Burial Rites takes us through the life of Anges Magnusdottir, the last woman to be publicly executed on the island of Iceland. History may know her as an evil witch, accusing her of manipulation and control, while Kent provides us with a different perspective. The story, much like the setting of Iceland, is cold, stark, and dreary. Slowly, morsel by morsel, Agnes recounts the steps that lead her to that fateful night and you can't help but feel moved by a woman whose hands were bound both by her own choices and the cards that God had dealt her. Despite fully knowing the fate that awaits Agnes, Kent is still able to weave a tale wrought with both tension and heartache. Perhaps what we see with the eye is not always the complete truth while the truth may not always be what we want to see. Highly recommend for fans of historical fiction with a healthy dash of crime and mystery thrown in for good measure. show less

There is nothing I would change about this story, least of all the incredibly well-told, intricately researched, gripping historical tale it told. The story follows Nora, whose husband dies on the first page, and her increasingly hard to manage grandson who is inflicted with an unnamed disability resulting in an inability to walk or talk. Nora seeks the assistance of a young maid, and Nance, the local herb-prescribing, archetypal spinster-come-'doctress'- apparently somewhat common in 1820s show more Ireland. Stuff happens, other people are involved..blah, blah blah.

What really impressed me with this book is what it says about people, society, psychology, religion and relationships. This story takes place at a time when paganism is being forced out by religion, but the superstitions of the villagers are very real, and their rituals to ward off evil are still entrenched. They blame the different amongst them for the poor crops and the lack of butter from the churn. The new priest in town has some vocal ideas about how religion (and attendance at, and payments to, the church that go with it) will be the peoples' saviour. Conflict! The way the characters navigate this stressful time, and the way they rationalise and account for their actions, and their very humanness, is where the one shines. show less

Devotion by Australian author Hannah Kent tells the story of a Lutheran family in Prussia who flee religious persecution in the early 1800s and set sail for the colony of South Australia. Our narrator Hanne is a nature lover and different from other girls her age. She's an oddball in her village who doesn't really fit in, until she meets Thea.

Several families from the town leave Prussia together and a large portion of the novel takes place on their hazardous and trying journey by sea to show more Australia. The writing is sublime and the conditions on board the ship felt so real that I began to feel a little claustrophobic just reading about their cramped living quarters and harsh conditions.

The foreign beauty of the landscape when they arrive in South Australia is powerful and moving, and I enjoyed reading this fictionalised settlement of what we now recognise as Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills. The treatment of the original custodians of this land was respectful and well handled and the author provides more information in her Author's Note at the end.

Devotion is a slow moving character study about love and grief and I saw many parallels with Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. The writing is incredibly evocative and I often had to pause to enjoy the prose on the page. The title of this historical fiction novel is apt, as it's about an individual's right to worship, pray and embrace their own beliefs free from judgement and harm. But it's also about Hanne's devotion to nature, her twin brother and her friend Thea.

I adored Burial Rites and thoroughly enjoyed The Good People, but here in Devotion, Hannah Kent does something a little different. While The Good People contained Gaelic superstitions and folklore, Devotion dips more than a toe into the supernatural realm around halfway through the book. This unexpected shift will be met with surprise by many readers and I suspect some won't enjoy the change in direction. I willingly went with it, however my favourite part of the novel by far was the beginning, prior to the journey to Australia. The daily lives of those in the village of Kay put me in mind of several novels I've enjoyed recently.

Beautifully written, Devotion is about love and yearning, the uncertainty of youth and the hardships of the period. Overall, it was an emotionally heavy book to read, but so intricately lyrical at times I felt as though I was intruding on Hanne's private and inner most thoughts. It also made me wonder whether Kent drew on her own love story in order to create this fictional relationship so convincingly and so heartbreakingly.

Devotion is the third novel by Hannah Kent and this talented Australian writer has now become an 'auto read' author for me, which is rare. Highly recommended for historical fiction readers who have the time and patience to slow down and enjoy a character study about love and devotion.

* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan Australia * show less