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Title: Burial Rites
Author: Hannah Kent
Narrator: Morven Christie
Format: Unabridged
Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
Language: English
Release date: 08-29-13
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd
Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 197 votes
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
Publisher's Summary:
Longlisted Baileys Womens Prize 2014
They said I must die. They said that I stole the breaths from men, and now they must steal mine. I imagine, then, that we are all candle flames, greasy-bright, fluttering in the darkness and the howl of the wind, and in the stillness of the room I hear footsteps, awful coming footsteps, coming to blow me out and send my life up away from me in a grey wreath of smoke.
In northern Iceland, 1829, Agnes Magnúsdóttir is condemned to death for her part in the brutal murder of her lover. Agnes is sent to wait out her final months on the farm of district office Jón Jónsson, his wife and their two daughters. Horrified to have a convicted murderer in their midst, the family avoid contact with Agnes. Only Tóti, the young assistant priest appointed Agnes spiritual guardian, is compelled to try to understand her. As the year progresses and the hardships of rural life force the household to work side by side, Agnes story begins to emerge and with it the familys terrible realization that all is not as they had assumed.
Based on actual events, Burial Rites is an astonishing and moving novel about the truths we claim to know and the ways in which we interpret what were told. In beautiful, cut-glass prose, Hannah Kent portrays Icelands formidable landscape, in which every day is a battle for survival, and asks, how can one woman hope to endure when her life depends upon the stories told by others?
Members Reviews:
Worth stepping out of your comfort zone
Would you listen to Burial Rites again? Why?
Yes, I'd like to listen again to pick up on some of the smaller details/descriptions
Who was your favorite character and why?
Agnes, the character really drew me in.
Which character as performed by Morven Christie was your favorite?
Agnes. Morven Christie is an amazing performer. As Agnes her often breathy tone really brought across the feeling of despair. All of the characters are done well. You hardly notice a change in her voice yet it sounds like different people are reading.
If you could rename Burial Rites, what would you call it?
Hmm not sure.
Any additional comments?
I bought this book purely based on the fact that Morven Christie was the narrator. I hadn't heard of it before and probably wouldn't have given it a second glance otherwise. I was not at all familiar with the real life event and found this work to be quite surprising and very interesting. I'm now off to google it to learn more :)
Heartfelt Story
This is such a great story...Used a box of tissues. Couldn't stop listening! Loved the characters! Could feel the harshness of the environment. Will listen again...
an ok story beautifully narrated
Would you consider the audio edition of Burial Rites to be better than the print version?
Undoubtedly. The story itself, though well written is a bit disappointing. There is a lot of build up but it doesn't end up leading anywhere. I might not have continued to the end if it weren't for the wonderful narration.
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
The detail of life in 1800's Iceland was infinitely more interesting than the story itself.
What about Morven Christies performance did you like?
EVERYTHING. This is actually the second book I have bought from Audible with Morven Christie narrating, though I didn't notice at first as the other performance was very different and in a Scottish accent.
