This is a harrowing and bleak novel surrounding the true events following a sudden storm which killed 40 men on Christmas Eve, 1617. Thematically interesting with exquisite prose, this book isn't for everyone, but its merits are undeniable.

The Positives: The prose is stunning. Kiran Millwood Hargrave has the ability to rip out your heart and stomp on the pieces with just a few words, and that is a true and wonderful gift. I loved the interplay between Ursa and Maren and thought that the narrative was fascinating. The sense of place here is fantastic - we can feel the cold, taste the salt and walk in the midnight sun on every page.

The Negatives: I found this pretty hard to get into and for me, the book doesn't really become compelling until the halfway point. Up until then, the plot is a little meandering and I felt that the first few chapters were almost unnecessary.

Overall, this is a really interesting look at what it means to be a woman in exceptional circumstances and the lengths that patriarchy will go to, in a bid to restore the status quo.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Picador and Kiran Millwood Hargreaves for my arc of The Mercies in exchange for an honest review. 

Synopsis: In a tiny village in Norway, a storm arrives. In it, all the men are killed, leaving the women to fend for themselves. It's the 1600s and religious persecution is all around, the threat of accusations of witchcraft a constant terror. Eighteen months after the storm a sinister figure arrives. Tasked with bringing the women in line Absalom Cornet has been summoned from Scotland to promote religion and ensure the women are not slipping into old ways of worship. But while Absalom sees only a place untouched by god, his young wife Ursa finds in the women, independence, acceptance and love. Based on the true events of the Vardo storm and the 1621 witch trials.

I like Kiran Millwood Hargreaves writing a lot and this was written in the same beautiful style but this one just wasn't for me. It's clear she has done a lot of research and it was interesting in that it's not a part of history I've heard of before (the Vardo storm not the witch trials), but this was extremely slow going for me. It never seemed to pick up its pace and for that I struggled with it. This doesn't mean it's not a good book I think a lot of people will enjoy it, I just tend to prefer books with a faster pace.

I'm not even sure where to start with this review. The Mercies was so incredible that I'm struggling to translate my thoughts on it into words. I've been recommending it to everyone I've spoken to since finishing.

The Mercies was beautifully written, dark and intense. It was one of those stories that becomes ingrained in your mind, and I found my thoughts lingering on the characters and Vardø whenever I put my kindle down. It was reminiscent of The Miniaturist - it gave me the same, unsettled feeling that the ending wouldn't be entirely happy - and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed The Miniaturist without hesitation.

Millwood Hargrave's language is lyrical and beautiful. This was the first novel I have read by her and I now can't wait to read her MG and YA stories. A Girl of Ink and Stars is on my course list for next year, but I checked it out of the library a few days after finishing The Mercies because I couldn't wait to start reading.

My favourite thing about the Mercies was the setting. Vardø is so well depicted that I could imagine every location, and almost feel as though I've been there. I enjoyed the contrast between the cool midnight sun of summer and the bitter, unending darkness of winter. And no matter the season, the setting came alive with scents and sounds.

I was endlessly intrigued by the division between the men and women's worlds, the gaping hole their deaths leave in the women of Vardø's lives, and the frustrating lack of opportunities available to women willing to do the work to fill those holes.

The Mercies was a great representation of society as a microcosm. It was interesting the way petty grievances morphed, became monstrous and deadly. Clear lines formed between the women very early in the story based on friendship groups, and these lines become trenches over the course of the novel, battle grounds over which the desire for control becomes a fight for survival.

Marin and Ursa were superb protagonists, who I could sympathise with and felt for immediately, making the events of the novel even more tense and heart wrenching.

The Mercies deserves to be huge this year, and I can't wait to see all of the success that's sure to come its way.

{review will go live on blog 5/2/20}

A chilling, dark book, that chimes with the all the ‘Scandi Noir’ popularity of recent years - except that this one is set in the 17th century ‘Finnmark’. It is beautifully written, an immersive story and clearly very well researched from an historical point of view. The strong women who are at the centre of the story are realistically characterised and the underlying themes of religious fanaticism and witchcraft are sensitively explored and horrifically resolved at times. The book is somewhat unrelentingly dark, but it kept drawing me back whenever I had a spare few minutes to read, and some of the scenes are still haunting, having finished reading a few days ago. I would love to give the book more than three stars, but a few (even slightly) lighter moments would have enhanced this superb writing no end.

I found the book opened with some catchy sequences, and the ending was interesting enough, but I felt it took ages for anything much to happen and the story recalled too many other novels built around witchcraft and the female protagonist. I have read all of this author's kids and YA novels and I thought her interpretation of the Dracula's bride story had much more going for it than this.

The Mercies is based on true events and is shocking in revealing the tragedy of a small isolated Scandinavian community in 1617 and the fanatic power when given to self-serving individuals with an agenda. Those that have read Hannah Kent's Burial Rites will be familiar with the stark and brutal lifestyle those living in the harshest northern conditions have to endure.

When the entire male population are killed in a sudden storm whilst fishing, the women of the island of Vardo have to collect the bodes from the shore and store them while the ground is frozen. They also have to start fishing themselves or they will starve. Following this tragedy, King Christian IV sends a Scotsman skilled in witch hunting to the community. There are old practices and charms that the Sami use to protect and comfort that are seen as devilry. The Scotsman takes his newly wedded wife to the remote spot and sets about purging the population.

Despite the dependency on the male population at the beginning of the novel, the overwhelming message is an attack on patriarchy and toxic masculinity. Absolom, the witch finder, obviously has a hatred of women, shown initially by his physical domination of his wife, Ursa, and then by the revelation of his torture and burning of suspected witches. The real "Absolom" was a serial killer sanctioned by the state who went on to kill seventy-seven women (oh and fourteen men for balance), going further than the King ever wanted in his purge. What other explanation to his motivation could there be?

As in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, hysteria and accusations fly based on jealousy, grudges and self-preservation, leading to a terrible fate for some of the women. Amidst all this dark, there is an ember of love and happiness that manages to glow, but will it survive?

Thank you to Kiran Millwood Hargrave for bringing to life and highlighting this shocking injustice, which as she says in the historical note, although four hundred years distant still has much to recognise in society today.

You think it mercy, what has happened here?’ ‘To think otherwise is a sin.’

Such a tragic tale of love lost and found. Beautifully written, evocative and brutal setting, the claustrophobia and tension of an isolated fishing village captured in grim detail.

Fascinating story set primarily in an isolated community north of the arctic circle, following the death of all the menfolk in a freak storm. As well as exploring the community’s response to the tragedy, the role of the Kirk and other religious comfort, and the support - and conflict - that the surviving women can offer each other. Added to this is a new commissioner and his wife - he full of religious fervour and a desire to seek out witches, and she newly married and learning to cope in a cold, barren and unfamiliar environment.
There is an inevitably to the tragedy that will unfold, but it’s not a tragic book - it’s full of life and the small touches that make and break a friendship, a family or a community.
The setting feels real and convincing, with sufficient historical detail to tell the tale without overwhelming. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book.

The tiny Norwegian community of Vardø is devastated when most of its men are killed at sea in one night. The women have to come together to survive. But this is the 17th century, and independent women are viewed with suspicion and distaste, particularly by new commissioner Absalom Cornet. Based on real events, The Mercies is a gripping, thought-provoking read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Panmacmillan for a free ARC of this book.

I haven't read any of Kiran Millwood Hargrave's books before this one. The book premise pulled me right in, even if the cover didn't, as the imagery fails to show the brilliance of the narrative.

Apparently, the author has written previously in YA and children's literature. All I can say is that I'm delighted she has now produced an adult book. This is a fantastic read. The author has obviously done her research well and transplanted this into spectacularly gripping fiction. I will be looking out for more books from this writer.

As the description shows, this story is set in 1617 and centres around a small island off Norway. The conditions are bleak, and to survive, everyone must pull together. Unfortunately, after tragedy strikes in the form of a deadly storm, zealous witch-hunters break into the new-found and fragile solidarity of the survivors--mostly women--and bring yet more pain and destruction in their determination to dominate. Set amdist this dramatic time and place are two women who discover an unlikely love for one another. This only adds to the tensions and need for secrecy. Another even more deadly storm brews--this one on the earth rather than from the heavens, but no less menacing for its man-made ferocity.

I found the world building, scene setting, plot, pacing, and character development excellent. This was a book I could not put down. Usually, I shy away from historical fiction because it's just not my thing ... The Mercies, however, managed to grab me by the neck and didn't let go until I'd finished every last word. In short, I loved this book. If you want tension, suspense, a hint of a thriller, and strong female characters, then this is the book for you. Don't worry about the genre. Seriously, go read this book. I give it a solid five stars and want to see more adult fiction from Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave is without doubt one of the finest writers to emerge in the last decade. Having read all her previous works I admit I had high hopes for her first adult novel - and my did she deliver. Her lyricism, the themes, the characters, settings, emotions... There is no praise high enough for her work. What an achievement.

I found this book a bit slow to start with but after the first chapter, I really got into it. A dark and despairing account of a fishing community in the 1600's, that is left vulnerable when almost all of the menfolk who are out fishing, die one night during a violent storm. The women live a very frugal and hard existence, made worse by the absence of the men, and the fear and threats to their community. The women struggle to stay strong but ultimately the belief that they had witches living amongst them, and that it could have been the witches who caused the storm that killed all their men, sets woman against woman.

The relationship between two of the main characters, Ursu and Maren is both strong, and also very fragile at the same time. They take a lot of comfort from each other, which they need for different reasons.

A well written, but not necessarily easy to read at times, book !

So well written and well researched this is such a sad story set around 1620. The Norwegian settlement loses almost all their men in a freak storm at sea. The number of residents are so few that it is a devastating loss for the village as well as for individuals.
It is hard to cope with the disaster that has occurred and the women have to take on everything. Then senior figures are appointed to look after the community with dreadful effects.
The main characters are struggling to cope when witchcraft raises its head and a forbidden relationship develops.
The dreadful living conditions in the dark and cold are so well described that I was completely drawn into this world where hardship is an accepted way of life - it is better not to hope for a happy ending!!

"The Mercies" is Kiran Millwood Hargrave's first adult novel; before I'd even finished the first chapter, I had already downloaded or ordered everything else she's ever written. Even before there is any plot to get into, even before I was invested in any of the characters, I was absolutely hooked by the startlingly beautiful prose - so exquisite it veers on poetry at times (perhaps unsurprising since the author is also an accomplished poet). 
The story is set in Norway in the 1600's, in a tiny and remote settlement which is populated only by women and children after all the men are lost in a storm. The women must learn to fend for themselves - among them one of our two main characters, Maren, who lost her brother and father in the storm, and is left with her difficult mother and a prickly sister-in-law. 

Eighteen months later, the arrival of Absalom Cornet and his young wife, Ursa - our other protagonist - unsettles the villagers. Absalom has been sent to take control of the women and ensure their godliness, to prevent them from lapsing into old customs rather than turning to God. What Ursa sees is a village of women who are finding ways to survive, and she finds her first real friend in Maren; what Absalom sees is a settlement edging towards evil. And when one of the women alleges that there is witchcraft among them, that the storm that killed their men may have been summoned, Absalom will do whatever it takes to cleans the village. 

While the prose is delicate and a thing of rare beauty, it is also unflinching - this isn't an airy fairy book full of pretty words, but rather one of grit and suffering and survival. There were passages towards the end that were both stunning and difficult to read, and the author never shies away from the grim reality of the women of the Vardo, even as the language stuns with poetic precision. I was rooting for both Maren and Ursa, and loved watching their friendship develop; I have also long been fascinated with historical witch trials, so I loved that the novel was based on a true story (although it makes it harder to read in some ways - the women are not names in a textbook, but are made real, and breathing). 

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish, and will be frenziedly gifting it as soon as it's available. I think it's safe to say that after this, I would read Kiran Millwood Hargrave's shopping list. A stunning and complex novel that brings history to life and simultaneously wrecks and renews the reader. An astonishing book. 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This a good fictionalised account of the witch trial events on Vardo in the seventeenth century in Northern Norway. It is narrated by two characters - one the wife of the man brought from Scotland to hunt out the witches and the other the sister-in-law of a Sami woman at risk of being accused of witchcraft. It charts their emotions as they move from survival in a harsh environment, to the fear of the unknown when witchcraft is brought to their attention and finally to the sudden realisation of the great peril for those involved.

I enjoyed how the book built up the tension and sense of foreboding from the early description of the storm, through the subsequent journey and arrival of the Scot sent to hunt for witches. The bleakness of Vardo was almost gothic in style and was a good backdrop to the bleakness of the events that occurred there.

The Mercies is a beautifully constructed novels but also, in parallel, it holds the distinction of being one of the most brutal, too. This story of the women of Vardo, a remote Norwegian fishing village set in the 1600s, is a real test of fortitude. After a freak storm kills all 40 able-bodied adult men, the women must fend for themselves. It goes pretty well for them until trouble raises its ugly head in the form of newly arrived commissioner, Absalom Cornet, who begins his hunt for witches. In this instance 'witches' seems to mean any capable woman who does not fit within the social constructs as set out by the Christian leaders of the time. This time period must be a painful one in Norway's history as this was only the start of many innocent women losing their lives in horrific ways.

In the Mercies we follow Maren Magnusdatter a young woman who was engaged to marry one of the men who died in the storm. She also lost her father and brother leaving her to manage her elderly, cantankerous mother, her Sami sister-in-law and her young nephew, Erik. Things change dramatically in Vardo with the arrival of commissioner Cornet and his new wife, Ursa. Ursa has her own story to tell and is relieved to make friends with Maren as both navigate the treacherous waters of the village.

I could not read this lyrical book fast enough. The sense of time and place kept me transfixed as the story unfolded. I felt pride for the women as they found their way without the help of men and felt horror as they were tortured for their free will and ability to get on with traditional male tasks. The blooming friendship between Ursa and Maren was a balm during the difficult time but led them down a path they could not foresee. My heart was in my throat as I read the last quarter of the novel. Thoroughly shocking but captivating all the same. A brilliant book!

Maren and Ursa are from very different backgrounds, but they are women in a world run by men. Their friendship is the only bright light, and even that might not be enough to save them.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Maren has grown up Vardø, a small community where the men go out to sea fishing, whilst the women tend the home.
A sudden and ferocious storm kills almost all of their men in a single day.
After the grieving period is done, the aide sent from other parts of Norway are not enough and they are wasting away from hunger. The women dare to take on the role of going out onto the sea and catching their own fish.
Over time, their independence grows, they find that they do not need men to rule them, they only need each other.
In time, this heresy is noticed by the wrong men, who come seeking to stamp out witchcraft, and any sign of women acting out of turn.

Ursa is the daughter of a merchant who has fallen on hard times. She does her duty, marrying Absalom Cornet, a man with an important appointment by the King of Norway. Except his duty will drag her away from her sister and everything she knows, to the middle of nowhere.
Having been brought up a young lady, her basic skills are non-existent, and she is completely reliant on Maren helping her run her home.

This was a beautifully-written historical novel, following Maren and Ursa, and their lives in Vardø, which has always been a tough place to live. The consequences of the storm are about to bring a whole load of new difficulties.
As some women find independence, others lean more heavily on their faith, believing God will provide. Dangerous factions arise in the small community. A divide that Absalom Cornet, and other ambitious people, are only too keen to use.

The relationship between Maren and Ursa is so sweet. It is at the core of everything, but the depth of their feelings is only expressed near the end.
First and foremost, they are friends, providing support for each other at every turn.

This is based on real event in Norway's history, and this story feels very alive and believable throughout. There is so much about the oppression of women that still resonates today.

I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more of the author's work.

This is a very well written, quite bleak book. I did find it quite slow to start, but well worth sticking with

Beautifully written account of real historical events - unfortunately it is clear from the beginning what will happen and that there can not be a happy ending for these extraordinary women. The characterisations and scenery are stunningly done, but it is a dark tale, full of sadness and despair and might not float everyone’s boat at this time of the year.

The subject of this book - essentially a witch hunt - reminded me too much of accounts I have read of other true life events. These accusations never turn out well for the women involved and this was no exception. It is a dark and despairing tale and I was in no mood for this at the moment so skimmed much of it.