I really liked the concept of The Mercies, and wanted to enjoy the book more than I did. Hargrave has obviously done a great deal of historical research, and doesn't shy away from the gory details - which was admirable (although also nauseating in parts!). Her writing style - which some have deemed atmospheric - I found overwritten and contrived, so I found it hard to get involved in the book, or care deeply about the characters. I'm not normally a fan of historical fiction though, so if it's your kind of genre you may well enjoy it more than me. I did like the ambiguous ending; this is a decent first foray into adult fiction for Hargrave.

The quality of Kiran Millwood Hargrave's writing is mesmerising. She uses words to create an intricate pattern, one that is rewarding to follow. Set in the north of Norway, in the small town of Vardo, it follows little-known historical events. Not a simple read but a hugely worthwhile one.

A wonderfully described book, packed full of atmosphere. It took me to a time and place I know nothing about, Norway in 1617. It was brilliantly focused on the experience of a young woman living in a remote fishing village where a sudden storm kills her father and brother. The description of the hardships endured, and the daily life in the village, are really engaging and become even more interesting when a new commander arrives from Scotland with a young Norwegian wife. He is part of king James witch hunts, and is on the lookout for witch craft. We really feel for the female characters and see how the hysteria of witch hunts can build. A really interesting look at a true piece of history, bleak but rewarding.

Set in a small fishing community on a remote Norwegian isle where hardship and poverty are the norm comes a tempest so sudden and severe, the majority of the menfolk fishermen are drowned. A core of strong women have to battle alone to feed and clothe themselves. Soon, rifts develop and these are brought to a tragic head when a withchfinder is appointed.
Brooding, building and bloody, The Mercies cast light upon life in the sixteen hundreds. It’s grim and cruel, with women suffering at the hand of bigoted male sadists. The writing style immerses you in to the period very well but for those (like me) who are hopeless with names, it can be a bit of a challenge at times.

Set in 1600s Norway this story tells of the island of Vardo and a devastating storm which kills most of the men from the island. An island of women is dangerous as Maren discovers. Her father,brother and betrothed all drowned. She turns to her outspoken friend Kirstin who guides the women to survive for themselves. Yet the arrival of a commissioner and his new wife Ursa turns everything they know upside down. Wanting to help Maren gets closer and closer to Ursa but also closer to her husband as the village discovers his real purpose for being there - to discover and try witches. A village entirely of women must be witches.

This was a slow start and the isolation and claustrophobia of the environment was clear. As Maren and Ursa's friendship developed the story moved along with more purpose and also more menace as the hysteria of witch hunts too over. It's an interesting read and a new setting on a familiar theme.

What an incredibly interesting book. Such an unusual subject, time in history and style of writing. I cannot say that I enjoyed the read as the subject matter was so harrowing and the life depicted really brutal to say the least. But it was extremely interesting and as long as you are a mature and gritty reader, then this book is a worthy challenge.I would not however recommend it as reading matter for a younger person.

Such an interesting book!
I really enjoyed the story and found myself totally immersed.
It’s one of those books that is great to ready on a cold winter night.
Perfect for this time of year.

As always, thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for an advance copy of this book.
Firstly this is not my usual genre of books. I don't think I've read very many historical novels, and certainly not ones with their roots based on true accounts. The Mercies has been inspired by the real events of the storm on the remote Norwegian island of Vardo and the subsequent 1621 witch trials. On Christmas Eve 1617 a terrible storm took place drowning 40 fishermen, almost all of the male population of Vardo and the story interweaves facts with fiction on how the mothers, wives and daughters coped. The main characters are Maren Magnusdatter, a Norwegian girl who lost her father, brother and fiancé to the storm. Absalom Cornet, in effect a witch hunter, who believes himself to be ultra religious and working in God's name to drive out evil and his very young new bride Ursa. Ursa has had a sheltered life and is totally unprepared for life, and certainly not the life she finds in Vardo..
The book is well written, a slow burner, but the pace certainly speeds up towards the end. I found it incredible how attitudes, suspicion and superstitions could be misconstrued within the small community.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to readers who enjoy historical fiction - and also to anyone like me who might just fancy a change from police procedurals and murders.

I loved this book. It does what novels can do so well which is take an interesting subject about a far away place in time and space - it is mostly set in a remote fishing village in seventeenth century Norway -  and turn it into a fresh, breathing creature that speaks to the world we live in today. 

The story can be described in sensational terms: after a storm kills all the men bar the Pastor, the women of Vardø have to fend for themselves. This is at a time when old traditions and the polytheism of Sámi beliefs (the Sámi historically have been known in English as Laplanders) still hold some sway but with a Norwegian King keen to enforce Lutheranism these old traditions and beliefs in addition to the enforced female empowerment of Vardø after the storm, leave the community open to charges of witchcraft. When a Scottish Lutheran is sent to rule over the area, and he brings his young Norwegan wife, Ursa, with him, Vardø will have a new kind of storm to face. This is without mentioning the strength of friendship that develops between Ursa and a young girl of Vardø, Maren. 

However, the story can also be described as a portrait of a community at that time. The subsistence living that flows with the seasons and relies upon the bounty of the sea, is a careful and quiet story. 

Into all of this, developing organically from the hardships that both young women have to face in a world built around men, is the story of Ursa and Maren. A visceral relationship you can feel so clearly that their future and the things they are prepared to do for each other has you spellbound.

Needless to say, the questions it raises about what people are willing to do in the name of religious belief and increased status and control, is painfully relevant to today.

It’s a great book that gets better and better as it goes on. Go Kiran Millwood Hargrave. I haven’t read her children’s fiction, but I can’t wait to read her next adult book. I definitely recommend preordering The Mercies. It comes out in January of 2020.

I enjoyed this from the first to the last. So good to see the women fend for themselves, so devastating to see the price they paid for it. Also sad that nothing has changed in that, as soon as a disaster happens, someone has to be blamed. In the days before science could blame meteorologists for getting the forecast wrong or boatbuilders for not having health and safety measures etc, etc, the blame fell on the women.

I found the subject matter of this book made it quite hard to read. At times I almost could not believe what I was reading! From our 21st century perspective it seemed unreal that people could be so prejudiced against women who did not fulfil the ‘norm’, who were individuals. It was interesting to see how once the ‘witch finding’ process had started it could not be halted - it took on a life of its own.

I found it interesting to read about the role of 17th century women and how Maren and Ursa worked around the societal constraints to build a friendship and a relationship.

A powerful read about love, evil and obsession. Hard but worth reading.

By a strange coincidence, I had already read a little about the witch trials of Vardø, and so I was excited to see the premise of The Mercies and delighted when my request to review it was approved. What followed was an excellent October read- an unflinching look at grief and fear in the wake of the 1617 storm in Finnmark, Norway, that wiped out almost the entire male population of Vardø and was in some ways the catalyst for the subsequent witch trials.

I especially enjoyed the character of Maren, perhaps because we spent a little more time with her than Ursa, the other main character in the narrative. Her perspective on the village, and her complicated feelings of grief and loss, seemed to complement the harsh setting better, and seeing her relationship with Ursa develop was a real highlight.

I will say that it would have been good to have more of the Sami perspective in the book- though one of the characters, Diinna, is Sami herself, you only really see her through Maren's eyes and despite the fact that the witch hunts were partially motivated by efforts to wipe out the Sami people, she's the only Sami character with much of a role.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who appreciates a good historical read about an intriguing and often overlooked corner of history.

I enjoyed this ‘Norwegian Crucible’ of a story. Based on historical events where the search for witches becomes a bloodthirsty passion; it’s such an horrific part of our world history, that shouldn’t be forgotten ~ this book serves to remind us of the awful way power, superstition, control, jealousy and mass hysteria can cause humans to do horrific things.
The story follows two young women, who meet in differing circumstances but find an instant connection with one another. One woman who has endured great loss and hardship and another married to a stranger and taken to a new land. Both are likeable protagonists and I loved how their relationship developed admit the chaos of accusations and suspicion.
The writing is rich and immersive, the landscape dark and cold. I really enjoyed this book and the inevitable bittersweet ending.
Recommended read.

I don’t even know where to begin with this review but let me just preface it with: I absolutely LOVED this novel. I haven’t read any of Kiran Millwood Hargraves other novels so I was looking forward to seeing what her writing style was like after such an intriguing synopsis. I know a little about the witch trials of the early 17th century so I had some background information, but I definitely learned a lot more after reading.

The novel is told through the perspective of two young women; Maren and Ursa. Maren and her fellow villagers have suffered the terrible loss of all the men in their village – fathers, husbands and brothers, all gone due to a massive storm. What follows after is their desperate bid for survival and we read how their lives change as they gain independence and a sense of freedom, despite being haunted by their grief. With the absence of the men, it is up to Maren and the other women to provide for themselves and go out to fish for example, which is deemed socially unacceptable.

Ursa is the daughter of a merchant, a young woman who has lived a rather privileged life in relative comfort despite the crippling loss of her mother many years ago. She lives in the humdrum routine of caring for her sister Agnette who is ill and being cared for by a kind servant, Siv. After a series of bad investments, her father drowns his sorrows in alcohol and life carries on so until one day Absalom Cornet comes to his door. He is searching for a bride and Ursa is presented to him after which their wedding is quickly arranged and they are off to Vardø to bring order to the village.

I truly enjoyed the perspectives of both Maren and Ursa and each chapter worked so well to highlight the differences between the two women but also that they’re the same in the ways that really count. The relationship that develops between the two is honestly some of the most sensitive and beautiful writing I’ve had the pleasure to read. Their relationship brings a necessary lightness and vibrancy to the novel, in the midst of all the fear and suspicion which is rife throughout the book. It’s a small beacon of hope in the novel which is devoid of much goodness.

I feel like the novel will draw a variety of strong emotions, the chief one being anger and disbelief at the actions of Absalom and other characters who will persecute anyone who doesn’t fit into their restrictive ideals of womanhood. I detested Absalom from the get go and he got progressively worse as the story went on, he’s so narrow minded and fanatical that he was easy to dislike and this makes his arc and end in the novel all the more satisfying. It was also interesting and sad to read as the women of Vardø turn on each other, over petty jealousies and disagreements and I feel like Hargrave really exposes and explores the darker side of human nature here.

I would also like to note that Hargrave touches upon the suppression of indigenous people within the novel and how their rich culture and traditions were being stamped out by European and British powers. In particular the novel features the indigenous Sámi people, who are native to northern Norway and Finland. We get to understand their plight through the character of Diina, Marens sister in law. Diina is a young Sámi woman who marries outside of her own, choosing to marry Erik (Marens brother) as they fall in love. While she is never fully accepted into the village because of her heritage, Diina never lets go of her beliefs and I really admired her conviction and bravery.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Mercies and how atmospheric and powerful it is. It says a lot about the position of women in a very dark period of history and the lessons we can learn from these characters who mirror the tragic reality, their strength, courage and determination leaps off the page and will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.

Review to be posted on blog: 27/01/2020

Atmospheric, beautiful and heart wrenching, The Mercies is based on a true tragic event in Norwegian history. After forty men are killed in a storm that wipes out a fishing fleet, Maren is forced with the other women of her island, to fend for herself. Years later Absalom arrives fresh from witch burnings in Scotland with his young wife Ursa, landing like natural disaster in a community of women who have by necessity become free thinking and adaptable in terms of what they can do. Millwood Hargreave’s prose is delicate and savage, exquisite and robust. It takes a literary bent but the story has plenty of substance. This is an unflinching look at friendship and love and fear. Highly recommend.

The Mercies is a book to get lost in. Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s descriptions transport you to another place and time - the wild northern region of Norway in the Seventeenth Century. Told through the eyes of two young women it is easy to identify with, I felt their fear, their grief and their love.
The hardship of life, and the horror of the witch hunts was so well portrayed, This is a book with tenderness at its core, but surrounded by the shocking terror of the times.
I highly recommend #TheMercies for its excellent writing, interesting subject matter and mostly its ability to touch the heart.
Thank you so much to the author, her publishers and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review such an amazing book.

I’ve never previously come across this author, but can see that she has a very dedicated fan base - and I can understand why. The setting for this book was refreshingly unusual (17th century very northern Norway!), whilst the theme was depressingly universal (oppression of women, sometimes by each other, and fear of anyone different from oneself.).

It’s quite difficult to find the language to review this book as positively as I’d like to because it made me feel outraged and angry in various different places - which I hope was very much the author’s intention! This is one of those books that stays with you after you’ve read it. I’ll certainly be seeking out more of her books. Thoroughly recommended.

I have just finished this book and I am both wanting to review it as soon as possible so that it's fresh, and also wanting to take a step back because it's really quite heavy.

I knew what the topic of the story was, but I admit, it was not an event that I had heard of. I very much wanted to google it and read more, but I have waited, and I am glad, as I feel knowing it may have clouded some of the story.

We are thrown into tragedy from the outset with the Christmas Eve storm that claims the lives of Maren's father and brother along with 38 other men from a small village.

We live through the winter with them, live through their grief, and eventually through their discovery of self and capability as they learn to live without the men in their lives.

We are soon introduced to Ursa, who is beautifully naïve, and woefully unprepared for marriage, and life outside of the city she has been raised in.

When she arrives, a friendship develops between she and Maren, and though the feelings develop, this is a side story, it is not the focus here.

This book is lovingly written, and it carries with it (I feel) many messages that we can learn from, but it is haunting and as we draw to the last 30% or so a hard read too.
Earlier this year I read 'Incantation' by Alice Hoffman, which is based around the Spanish Inquisition, and an equally hard read for a teen book, The Mercies had me feeling much the same way.
I feared for the women and girls in it, I wished that some of the men were braver, I felt horror and incredulity at the accusations being levelled against those being 'tried' and how seemingly sane and educated (in the case of the men) people can believe the words they speak when it is all so very ridiculous.

This is a story of the wickedness of humans in the name of the church and in the name of God and righteousness, and a story of how fear and ignorance, grief and anger, can fracture a community at a time when it should pull together, It is a testament to the weakness of men, and their fear of women who could survive on their own in the harshest of places.

It is easy to forget how free we are, how lucky we are, as women, to be raised in a time where we are educated, where we can do the same work as men and (mostly) not be told that it is not our place, to be able to wear what we want, to speak our minds and to forge our own paths without the fear of persecution, and yet so much of it still exists in the world. It is easy to be blind to the backwards steps we have taken and to believe that we don't need to keep pushing forward.

This is a bleak story, but in it we have glimmers of kindness, slithers of understanding, growing love, and hope that at least one young woman found her freedom, found her happiness, and these are the things we must fight for, the things we must hold onto.

I really can't recommend this book enough, even if you have no interest in history, in witches, in Norway, read it so that you can do better, so that you can be kind to each other instead of pointing fingers. We must learn from our past mistakes, and this is a story (just one of many) that we must never repeat.

Dark and enthralling, this is a fictional account of how a real community of bereaved women ( their menfolk were all drowned in a sudden storm) may have become caught up in accusing each other of witchcraft. There is a mix of cultures, an atmosphere of grief and suspicion, and some serious stirring by a Scottish witch hunter who has been drawn to this place by the Lensmann (Squire? Lord?)with a promise of witches to be punished and social advancement.
The two main female characters are beautifully written and pull you deep into the narrative- but the cast of additional characters are also extremely well drawn and believable. Well worth the read. I’m becoming a serious fan of Kiran Millwood Hargrove’s books!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This is an intriguing look at the witch trials that happened in Norway in the 1600s. Something I knew nothing about. Kiran has written a brilliantly woven tale of love, sisterhood and human nature and the world she's created is all encompassing.