I found this book to be a very slow burner but by the end I am full of praise for both the beauty and brutality of this book based on true events. Definitely worth reading

I read Kiran Millwood Hargrave's middle grade novels and really enjoyed them so I was delighted to hear she had written an adult novel. I wasn't disappointed. It is beautifully written, at times disturbing and others moving and romantic. The demonstration of how bitterness and hatred can turn into something much worse and career out of control is really well done. The build up from suspicion and dislike to accusations of witchcraft is convincingly gradual and realistic. The love story at the heart of the novel is so touching and a bit of relief from the disturbing witch trials.
Don't let this one pass you by, it's well worth a read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is an absolutely stunning and haunting historical novel about witchcraft, suspicion, rumours and love. Great for fans of Burial Rites and The Gloaming.

Wow, what an atmospheric, tragic and real book it was! It's written beautifully, to get you attached to this tough environment, but real people slowly.
I felt the pain they went through and the difficulties of the time.
I absolutely loved it as a historical fiction fan.

Definitely recommended.

Thanks a lot to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Mercies fictionalise the spread of superstitious hysteria and denunciation of innocent people in the far reaches of Norway during the witch hunts of the early 15th century. Having lost most of their menfolk during a sudden freak storm on Christmas Eve, Absalom, a ‘witch finder’, is appointed to take up residence in the tiny fishing village to root out the perpetrators. With the help of the ‘kirke’ women, fervent church goers with a grudge to settle, Absalom obtains a number of accusatory revelations with dangerously incriminating and disastrous consequences for those tried. This book conveys the terror of living within the religious and misogynistic constraints at a time when witchcraft was considered all too real!

Heartbreaking, compelling and harrowing.

I did not expect this from the Mercies. Reading the description and how the book first starts I thought it was a little slow after the initial big scene so to speak but after finishing it, it made complete sense.

Kiran really has written a blinder here, oh these women! It just shows how innocents can be persecuted for no reason other than jealousy. It made me so angry that these women were treated so poorly because of some whispers and fears of witchcraft.

After the storm that killed most of the men of Vardø, the women are forced to fend for themselves. Vardø is a small remote village in Norway and fishing was their main source of survival. During this time period, men were seen as the ones to do everything for the women. Their pastor frowned upon the women for fishing but let them go ahead as they were in dire need of it. Christianity is spreading and anyone practicing other religions are seen as heretics.

The arrival of a Scottish man, Absalom Cornet and his Norwegian wife Ursa brings an abrupt change. Cornet is determined to root out witches and spread the word of god to this godless place on the edge of the world.

Some of the Vardø women are suspicious and vindictive but some stand out, I LOVE Kristin, her wearing men’s trousers and just her attitude I adored!. Maren who is involved heavily in this story is such an interesting character, she doesn’t judge people based on their religion and is loyal and honest. The chapters jump from Ursa to Maren and it’s so interesting to see the story from both their perspectives. Women who are strong and years ahead of their time, trying to survive in such a dark time in history.

This is literally a witch hunt and you feel so absorbed in the life of Vardø and these women that it’s truly shocking when you see what they are capable of.

A beautifully gut-wrenching story that will leave you chilled to the core.

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
Not into wichy books but this was so much more a a fabulously strong storyline really enjoyed it and can highly recommend

This is a richly descriptive, incredibly atmospheric book with plenty of underlying tension. I've always been fascinated by witch hunts and the witch craze. I agree with what some others have said, in that it really is quite a slow burner and the story only unfolds slowly. I found that a little bit exhausting, to be honest. Compared to her previous books, I'm not quite sure if this foray into writing adult literature worked that well. I definitely prefer her as a YA/Middle-grade writer.

Captivating, enthralling, addictive, emotional, chilling, I could go on but you need to go read this for yourself to experience this amazing book. Full of tension, it really does evoke the feelings of a true witch hunt, it’s scarily good. The writing itself is true beauty, I knew a chapter in this was a book and writing I was going to adore. It’s not e book you can truly enjoy, the subject matter is so harrowing, but it’s a true work of classic fiction, it’s a must read especially with the current climate, a challenging read but a worthwhile read. Another of my favourite books of this year and will be a huge book of 2020.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This is a great read for lovers of fiction based on true events. The storm of 1617 altered the lives of the women of Vardo on Norway's north eastern tip in many ways and it coincided with King Christian's decision to tighten up on religious practices and what was believed to be witchcraft. Racial and gender persecution by another name. A chilling story with a great sense of time and place. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review an e-ARC of this book.

Chilling and captivating; set against a backdrop of social climbing,overly religious women and witchcraft,the book has tension and pace a plenty.

When I first started this book I was immediately taken with the beautiful quality of the writing and I knew then that this was a book I was going to love and I’m full of praise for just stunning it was.
Based in part on some true events the story starts with a storm in which 40 fishermen from the small town of Vardø are drowned at sea leaving just the womenfolk to try and cope with their losses and also to survive. Tensions between the women gradually begin to surface and with the arrival of a new commissioner Absolom Cornet who is a most dislikeable character and his wife Ursa things take a sinister turn as hints of witchcraft begin to threaten.
This is a book filled with atmosphere, love, fear and mistrust as the zealot Absolom’s obsession with finding witches increases while his wife’s friendship with Maren a young woman of the town grows and it’s this relationship that’s makes for a beautiful read along with a storyline full of detail that is both compelling and heartbreakingly sad.
It’s a wonderful novel, the characters are so well crafted and the author Kiran Millwood Hargrove has done a fantastic job of writing a story that has everything you want in a novel.
I can 100% recommend this and for me it was a humongous five star read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Picador for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A brilliant look at how jealousy and the unknown can turn into hatred and fear. At how people create cliques, and need to feel special. Although we don't have witch hunts any more we have seen these patterns over and over in a million different ways. There must always be an in-crowd and an out-crowd and people will manufacture it from nothing. Even if, in the case of this book, it means turning on your friends and the people who brought you food when you would have died. Some of the women in this book saw where the power lay and chose to follow it, even if it was wrong. And then were surprised at the consequences. I'd like to think from near the ending that they had repented, and realised what they had done but I doubt it honestly.

The other storyline woven into this is the story of Ursa and Maren. I enjoyed their interactions and how they came together. The feelings they developed for one another were lovely to read, even though they happened in spite of the fear they each felt.

I was sad at the ending but also, this was the only way it could have gone.

This was a slow burner for me but in the end I really admired the beauty and brutality of this story.

Christmas Eve 1617, a freak storm wipes out the male population of Vardo an island in the north east of Norway. The women are devastated but take it upon themselves to carry out the tasks previously left to men in spite of the reservations of their minister. Some time later, a new commissioner arrives with his wife Ursa and it soon becomes clear that he is on a mission. He is Scottish and has already been involved in witch trials in King James iv Scotland. And in Norway there is already a community of Samii ready to be scapegoats.

Based on true events this is an astonishing read. I found myself holding my breath several times so vivid are the descriptions of a community torn apart by a witch hunt. The petty slights that are turned into evidence of witchcraft and devilry, the customs of the Samii that are found to be evil. All of it is very convincing. I've read close to a hundred books this year so far and this is my favourite. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Hargrave, a poet, chooses a true historical incident to underpin her first adult novel. On Christmas Eve in 1617 a major storm affected the coast of north eastern Norway – and on the island community of Vardo all the adult men who were out fishing were drowned. In this harsh and unforgiving landscape the women had to struggle to survive – coping not just with their own traditional chores, but those of the men too. A new minister arrives. But the early 17th century could be a toxic time for many in northern communities. In Scotland King James is leading a personal campaign against witches and others are trying to stamp out the last vestiges of paganism or old folk traditions that they associated with devil worship. New commissioners will be sent into Finnmark to deal with these iniquities – an initial attack on male shamans will, with the arrival of an Orkney witch hunter lead to the “searching, finding and sorting” over a hundred “witches” who will ultimately be tortured into confession and then burnt at the stake.
Hargrave will interpret what happened in Vardo. First through the life of Maren who loses both her father, brother and fiancé in the storm, then, after about 18 months, through the tale of Ursa, new wife of the Commissioner Absalom Cornet. In this deep imagining the two will meet after the initial trauma and the need to rebuild the community to cope with the loss of the men. The seeming early recovery of the community will then fall apart very rapidly as the incomers re-ignite old feuds and rivalries are replayed. The women will (at risk of their lives) have to choose sides under the new rules being introduced.
Focussing on individuals makes the tale both immediate and easy to parallel with one’s own family and community challenges. Most will have very little real experience of the harsh realities of living on the edge, both literally and economically – at a time when early death travelled close. More will recognise the realities of balancing family politics while living in close proximity. Maren will watch her sister in law Diinna give birth to her son – the last male in the family - while her hopes of marrying and having children of her own fade. Only to see her at particular threat under the new regime – not helped by her mother’s vocal bitterness that places all of them at risk.
Ursa represents other challenges of being a woman – her mother has died in childbirth, her father is failing the family business. He then marries her to an unknown husband who will be heading to isolated places north leaving her both financially dependent and reliant on his goodwill. She has no experience of marriage, household chores or living in the harsh north with its largely subsistence economy, all without close female support. She is presented as vibrant, feisty, open minded and prepared to grow; ultimately loyal to her new friend at risk to herself.
Are you likely to believe the community depicted – Hargrave tries to measure the difficulties and balances of living in a very challenging environment? She tries to give an impression of women’s ongoing chores that keep the community alive even when the men were around. Perhaps she is a little naïve as to the scale of how much women in fishing communities undertook at that time. But her awareness of local bitterness that can accrue is spot on – and her depictions of women seeking male approval at the expense of other women feels painfully true. The landscape feels real, maybe the trials of constant cold and darkness not so visceral.
The concept of men moving into others’ community and applying rules and restrictions (that they would never apply to themselves) on women they do not know and under threat of extreme violence is a particularly resonant one at the moment to any thinking woman who reads the news. But this is a compelling and vibrant read. Because of the tale – so clearly defined in the personal - it will not always be comfortable to read. It is recognisable at the same time as taking the reader to a different place and time. Recommended to other readers and reading groups.

One of the best "witchy" books I've read, mainly because the historical detail is so well rendered and the characters are just impossible not to sympathise with. This isn't a period of history I know a lot about, so I found it absolutely fascinating.

An incredible book, I cannot recommend this enough.

The Mercies is based in Scandinavia, in the early 17th century at a time where sorcery and witchcraft are big headlines and the church is set to attack these threats.

The community of Vardo is suddenly devastated by a freak storm, wiping out most of the men. The women are left behind, slowly working adapting to life by themselves and teaching themselves to fish and do the manual labour of the men in order to pull their community back together. Maren’s fiancé is one of the men drowned, along with her father and brother, and her strength and drive pushes her on to help the community survive.

Enter Absalom Cornet, a Scotsman, accompanied by his new wife Ursa, sent by the authorities to take control over the community. This is where the witchcraft accusations start coming thick and fast and the community is soon devastated and torn apart. Ursa has been sheltered and is naïve and new to her wifely responsibilities – she soon engages the help of Maren to help her keep house, and they develop a strong relationship.

Every single character is intensely powerfully written, many who you won’t like but fascinating nonetheless. The story is inspired by real events – a freak storm, and witchcraft trials, and the historical context adds to the fascinating narrative. This is a real page turner, and the best book I have read for a very long time.

The Mercies swept me up and blew me away as forcefully as the storm that opens this incredible novel.

On the remote Norwegian island of Vardo (think Arctic Circle, midnight sun level of remote) in 1617, a community is left without men after a violent storm drowns an entire fishing fleet. Maren Magnusdatter loses her father, brother and the man she was to marry. It is Maren's trauma and grief that sets the scene for a shocking story, hardened by historical fact and softened with love.

The female community of Vardo soon divides loosely into two groups - the kirke (church)-going women and those who learn to row boats into the icy sea, cast nets and catch fish.

Meanwhile Ursa, a shipowner's daughter in Bergen, is married to the Scotsman Absolom Cornet - on his way to his new post of Commissioner of Vardo with the specific remit of rooting out evil in the form of witches. After a long sea voyage, Ursa and Absolom arrive in Vardo, where Ursa's shock at the primitive lifestyle is soon replaced by feminine empathy and a close friendship with Maren.

The storm and the witch trials of Vardo really happened. Everything else in The Mercies is fiction and what a propulsive fiction it is! Underpinned by the horror of knowing that many innocent women were tortured and killed by God-fearing men, the story gallops along at a pace that belies the slightly antiquated style of writing; a style that keeps the reader firmly in 17th Century Norway.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave displays a confident control of this pace, like the skilled rider of a wild horse. Characters are revealed in layers, and by the time Ursa and Maren meet alone I was fizzing with anticipation.

It's always impressive when an author has clearly put a huge amount of research into a novel - in this case the history of Finnmark and witch trials - but can let the story speak for itself; not over-explaining or providing every last detail they have learnt in order to write the book. It feels as though The Mercies is the tip of the iceberg of Millwood Hargrave's knowledge yet, conversely the full history provides only the tip of the iceberg of her imagination and talent as a writer.

Although the use of witchcraft as a pretext to blame women for anything men don't understand (which in the 17th century was a lot) remains in our past, its echoes reverberate today and some cultures have yet to eradicate the ignorance. There is also a strong element in The Mercies of the persecution of an indigenous people, the Sami, who are not kirke-goers and have their own spiritual beliefs and customs. And of course this xenophobia is very much evident in the world today, at the highest level of power. So, although The Mercies is rooted in the past, its canopy casts a distressing shadow on the contemporary world, that begs illumination.

The Mercies is a brilliant, addictive, important book. I can't think of another novel that I loved so fiercely whilst frowning so sadly. It will stay with me for a very long time and I'll recommend it to everyone I know.

This is set on the remote Norwegian island of Vardø. On Christmas Eve 1617 forty fisherman set out to fish. A sudden, freak and very violent storm kills all of them Among them are Maren's father and brother. She watches it happen. This is her story of the aftermath. The writing immediately creates a feeling of a cold and bleak land where the men who the community depended on are no longer there. What will those who are left do?

There is a real sense of isolation and some desperation at the start of this. There is also a division within the community. There are those who follow the kirk and those whose interests lie more with the Sami way of life and approach to religion. As time goes by this division become more important. A man arrives from Scotland to take the position of Lensmann at the request of the King. He brings his wife with him and is tasked to deal with the threat to the kirk. Can those who do not attend be called witches?

The story is about the community and Maren in particular. We see the life she leads, her family and those who are or who become her friends. There are the ordinary minor events in life and those that are far more significant. I guess I never found myself fully engaged with Maren despite everything she went through. Even a couple of weeks later I'm not sure whether that is my fault or something about her character. I would stress that I was on her side - I simply never felt part of it.

This is more generally about women in what is predominately a man's world - women at best are accessories. It is also about a world where "different" is unacceptable and wrong. Above all it is about independent women and what was probably a gross crime against humanity. It's powerful.

There is a sense in which I found this unremittingly bleak, indeed unpleasant, at times. Would I have chosen to read it - maybe not. However the writing is at a very high level. The story telling is so powerful in an almost understated way. If by any chance I needed convincing at the end you discover that this story is based on real events. The lives of the women concerned are fiction - the overall story is not. Maybe I didn't quite "enjoy" this read however I am sure that I will never regret reading it.