Based on the harrowing true story of the 17th century persecution of women of a remote Norwegian fishing town, Anya Bergman’s book The Witches of Vardø is a masterpiece of research and extraordinary penmanship.

I listened to the Audio version of this book by Anya Bergman - it was wonderfully narrated and enjoyable with a huge range of character accents and pace. 10/10 for the narrator Sofia Engstrand

The book is narrated from different womens’ perspectives; and challenges the reader to be immersed in the middle of a period of time when a fear of witches was real, even if those accused were your neighbour, your wife, your mother.

By giving voices to the local women through meticulous research and vivid descriptions of the hardships endured through the bleak landscape to the horrors of accusations of witchcraft, Anya Bergman’s writing is powerful and engaging.

While the horrors of torture, persecution and executions are real, so is the solidarity and determination of the women of the time to stand up against their accusers, to remain steadfast mentally despite being broken physically.

This book also touches on Sami culture, and Norwegian folklore.

If you love historical fiction based on true events then this book delivers in abundance

'The Witches of Vardo' by Anya Bergman, I enjoyed this, but I feel it would have been better if I could read it and absorb the content rather than listen to it. There are a lot of characters which started to get quite confusing for me. 'The Witches of Vardo' tells the story of several women accused of witchcraft in Norway. There was a twist that I didn't see coming with a young girl accused of witchcraft, which turned out to be not enitely untrue, which I enjoyed. I really liked the imagery of the crows taking flight and of the cats climbing up and crawling the walls of the prison. Follows the story of a mother and daughter across different chapters, accused of witchcraft or involvement with the devil as they dance and sing or, commit adulterous acts. The torture scenes were quite graphic, however, I appreciated the breadth of research that went into this book. 'The Witches of Vardo' has certainly piqued my interest in learning about magic and Norway.

TW: violence, torture, death, sexism (I mean, obviously... it’s a book about witch trials!)
In ‘The witches of Vardo’ Anya Bergman tells us the story of a group of women affected by the witch trials that took place in Vardo, Norway, in 1662. She informs us, at the end of the book, that even if she changed the women’s names and altered their story for narration’s purposes, all the characters of this book are based on real people.
The three main ones are Anna Rhodius, who has been exiled to Vardo for being the king’s lover, and who is intent on helping capture some witches in exchange for her freedom; Ingeborg, whose mother Zigri has been accused of being a witch and sent to Vardo, and who decides to go rescue her; and Maren, a friend of Ingeborg’s, who decides to help her, and whose mother has already been accused and burnt at the stake.
I decided to listen to this audiobook after having loved ‘The Mercies’, but I’m sad to say I did not fall in love with this one. The setting is very fascinating and the main plot idea is good, but I found the story unnecessarily long and the characters not very well depicted. It also kind of bothered me that Ana Rhodius’ parts were in the first person whilst Ingeborg’s ones were in the third person. I did not manage to empathize much with any of the women (except maybe for Maren) and I found Ana particularly annoying (I did not manage to follow her thought process, she changes her mind out of the blue and without much explanation).
I can’t say I have completely disliked it either, though. I loved the narrator’s voice, very soothing and particularly adapted to the atmosphere. I appreciated the insertion in the book of some folk tales, which really helped to immerse myself in the era, and I loved learning about the Sami population, which I did not know at all. The author’s research on the trials, the costumes, and the population makes this an interesting reading, if not a compelling one.
I thank once again Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to this audiobook.

This book is spectacularly written and performed. It is not at all obvious and totally all consuming. Incredibly powerful and not an easy story to narrate. Excellent audiobook.

The Witches of Vardo by Anya Bergman Narrated by: Sofia Engstrand which is a Historical Fiction Masterpiece set in 1662 in Norway. This book focuses on many lives of women who were caught up in this dangerous time when even innocent dancing could lead to accusations of witchcraft. When Zigri, desperate and grieving after the loss of her husband and son, she embarks on an affair with the local merchant, it's not long before she is sent to the fortress at Vardø, to be tried and condemned as a witch.......WoW This book was So good I loved it.

I did find it hard to get into, but once I did I loved it and the narrator Sofia Engstrand was excellent..
This book isn't my usual read or listen too, But I am glad I had a chance to listen to the audiobook.

I'm so gutted that I could not get into this one! Everyone seems to be loving it but I just struggled and found myself not enjoying it as much as I had hoped.

It felt like it was dragging a bit for me so ended up dnf-ing.

Sorry!!

"Who do you think the witches are? The witches are the outcasts, those who are different, spat at, defiled, and abused."

Anya Bergman weaves together history, folklore, and fiction to tell the story of women and girls caught up in Norway's witch hunts.

I listened to the audiobook of this title, powerfully narrated by Sofia Engstrand. The feelings of loss, fear, hysteria, rage and love are so strong and the description is so convincing that I felt like I was going to step out of my door into a snow storm.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy.

Many thanks to Bonnier UK and Anya Bergman for the advanced audio copy of The Witches of Vardo via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.

The Witches of Vardo is an extremely powerful and emotional book. And listening to it narrated by someone who pronounces everything so beautifully made the entire experience of the book even more immersive and powerful.

Although, at times, I found the pace and general storyline to be a bit slow, this was all forgotten and forgiven with the next plot point that happened.

Steeped in actual history, Bergman has managed to communicate the harrowing events of 1662-63 in an such a vivid, powerful way. Her story is fiction but based in fact and it is beautiful, sad and amazing. I loved the addition of the folk tales, they really added to the historical feeling of the book.

Sofia Engstrand was an amazing narrator and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her. I would have enjoyed reading the text, but I absolutely loved listening to her reading it to me with all the correct pronunciations.

*Please be aware there are a lot of trigger warnings for this book – see below*

Moods: adventurous, challenging, dark, emotional, informative, inspiring, reflective, sad, tense
Pace: medium
Character development: medium
Plot or character driven: 50/50
Diversity: high

Trigger warnings: Abusive relationship, Amputation, Animal abuse/death, Blood/Gore, Child abuse, Death, Death of a family member, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical or mental abuse, Poisoning, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual abuse/assault/harassment, Suicide by a minor, Torture

Rating
Story: 5/5
Audio: 5/5

This review will be featured on my blog at www.mymentalshelf.com in future

This book is terrifying.

While many stories of witchcraft show cruelty, Bergman depicts the trap of the witch hunts and how impossible it was for women accused of witchcraft to avoid their fates. I also love her reimagining of the many ways in which women can find themselves trapped. From teenagers who are desperate to claim power to matrons who want theirs back to (my personal favourite character) crones who will not betray other women, the characters in this book are dazzlingly complex and real. It left me delightfully anxious and heartbroken for the cruelty that women in this time period had to endure.

The historian in me just can’t resist a witch craze story and I have to say of those I’ve read this is the best.

The audio of this one immersed me in, I particularly loved the way that these women and their stories were brought to life from the pages of their trial records. The narrator did a fantastic job of capturing their conviction and emotions. The narrative of these women was powerful and beautifully captured - the themes in story of empowerment and oppression were wonderfully explored.

The history references and sense of period was excellently done - I really appreciated the chronology and thought it was well embedded in a way that those with little knowledge of witch trails and the 17th century would engage with it seamlessly. I think the hysteria and superstition of the time was perfectly captured in the plot and narration.

Overall this was an atmospheric and haunting listen that perfectly captured the sentiments of the time. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my audio copy.

This book is not unlike another book (The Mercies) I've read about this far northern Norway witch trials from history but it had its own story to tell through a set of unique characters. The writing was atmospheric and sweeping but I also found it slow in periods and difficult to keep traction with.

The characters did draw me in, some were unwitting participants and observers to the runaway allegations and trials that ensued and that was something I really felt, the injustice of it all. Patriachal rule and individual and powerful men were what set some heinous actions in motion. There were few men to like in this story, thankfully some women were fantastic advocates for other women.

There was a powerful cresendo to this story, female powerment and some sadness. Overall an interesting read and listen.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.

"I will not lie upon myself, nor denounce another woman."

A brilliant book, fantastically narrated. I was completely gripped until the very end - I thought I'd reached the climax of the book, only for there to be shock after jaw-dropping shock!

In historical fiction The Witches of Vardø we enter an isolated community in Norway, 1662. It is a dangerous time to be a woman, with accusations of witchcraft all around...

The Witches of Vardø is very cleverly written. I loved how the narrative was structured; told through a brilliant combination of Ingeborg's third person narrative, Anna's letters written to the King, and blended with a few folktales. It kept the story riveting, and allowed us to see the wider historical context of the Danish court and Finmark.

The audiobook is superbly done. Engstrand fully embodies the characters, wonderfully bringing them to life. I cannot imagine a more passionate or nuanced Anna Rhodius.

Themes of female oppression, female empowerment, grief and loss were beautifully and heart-breakingly explored. I liked seeing so many women and their different responses and choices. I deeply admired the conviction of Widow Krog, and both loved and hated Maren's belief in the strength of their community and the bonds of women. Something deeply feared by the men in power, who, at their mildest, oppressed and controlled them. After our Q & A with author Anya Bergman, I can only greater admire the historical research that went into these characters and their lives. My starting Witches of Vardø quote was actually spoken in a real-life Vardø witch trial!

I really enjoyed the introduction to the Saami people and their beliefs and spirits. Zare was one of my favourite characters, and I felt seeing his and his culture's different view of women was important.

Go and read The Witches of Vardø now!

Thank-you to NetGalley and Bonnier UK Audio for a free eARC in return for an honest review.

This book made me angry and uncomfortable in the BEST way. It's all the best bits of Alix E Harrow's The Once and Future Witches and Stacey Hall's The Familiars. There were some cosy pastoral bits, and some historical-fiction exposition bits, and relationships and then a whole heap of injustice and misogyny and frustration because it's JUST NOT FAIR. I liked that none of the protagonists were completely likeable: I was frustrated at each of them in turn, despite being squarely in their corners. The twists at the end were deeply satisfying. Often I feel like epilogues are thrown in to tie up loose ends or lazy writing, but I actually really appreciated this one.

Also, Sofia Engstrand does a glorious job of reading the audiobook. It makes me unnecessarily happy how authentically-Scandi her pronunciation of names is.

Also also, the section on fact vs fiction and the realities of the witch trials was a welcome addition.

Very much enjoyed this, and look forward to more from Anya Bergman.

I had high hopes for this book however, I felt it fell a little flat. The scenes were set very well but I didn’t think there wasn’t a lot happening for a great part of the book.

Norway, 1662, is a dangerous place to be a woman. When winter is relentless, food is scarce and fishermen don’t return from voyages, villagers begin to turn on one another. Someone must be to blame and who else but a witch should want to bring such misfortune upon them all? So when Ingeborg’s mother is accused she pledges to save her, and sets out on a quest with her unusual friend Maren to set her free.
Meanwhile Anna Rhodius, a physician’s wife, has also been sent been sent to Vardø in disgrace. Anna makes a deal with the Governor to secure confessions in exchange for her own pardon. But will she be able to live with herself after condemning others to save herself? And is she really willing to sell her soul?

My second five star read of the year, The Witches of Vardø is an enthralling and harrowing tale that’s based on a true story. The abuse that the women of this novel face is horrific, but as Bergman explains in the afterword the reality was actually worse. Though I read a fair amount about with hunts during my studies and beyond I’ve not come across anything about Scandinavian witch trials, so as well being an excellent read I learned something new too.

The characters really come to life on the pages, and I loved both Ingeborg and Maren. Faced with of such adversity I know I wouldn’t have been as brave as either of them, but you can’t fail to be inspired by their strength. Although it’s set in the 17th century it’s still timely, as men the world over continue to control and abuse women over 350 years later. It’s for this exact reason that we need empowering stories such as this to inspire women to fight back.

I switched between the physical book and the audio version but really enjoyed both. The narrator is excellent and really added to the tension, helping me to imagine the scenes perfectly.

Though it was infuriating in parts I really loved this book, and have already picked up more copies to gift as it’s a story that everyone should read. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy along with the amazing letter from the author, and this will be staying firmly on my shelf ready for my daughters (and son!) to pick up when they’re ready.

Thank you to Manilla Press, Bonnier Books and Anya Bergman for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Historical fiction at its best. This was such a captivating tale which drew so many emotions from me, anger, despair, hope, my mind was all over the place. I loved this story and my words really can't do it justice. It's full of the most visual and emotional description of such strong and amazing women, whose treatment is shocking due to others fear and hate. I recommend this book wholeheartedly and feel it's set the bar high

Overall rating: 4.15

Trigger warnings: bullying, exploitation, grooming, misogyny, explicit rape (chapter 36), torture, violence

I’ll start this review by praising Sogia Engstrand for the amazing work she did in giving voice to all the characters of this novel and putting it in the context of the historical setup.

“The Witches of Vardø” by Anya Bergmann takes place in the 1660s and is a reflection of the culture and society at the time. Told from multiple points of view, the novel is a heavy adaptation of the Vardø witch trials, when tens of women were judged and sentence for felonies of the time, such as dancing, speaking ones mind, showing interest towards science, all while hiding incompetence, nature’s development and a deeply rotted culture of abuse! The strong language used in chapter 36 was not something I was expecting to find in the novel. I advise anyone who is not comfortable with listening / reading about explicit rape to skip the passages as it can cause emotional damage.

Each of the characters telling their story or having their story told display strong character traits. There are points in the story where the reader / listener’s feelings can go from one end of the emotional range to another, and then back again, which for me, makes the novel all the more attractive to read.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Bonnier UK Audio, Manilla Press, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.

If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads! #WitchesOfVardo #NetGalley #LifeLongLearning

In a Nutshell: This was a mixed bag for me. The concept was great but the execution didn’t do the story much favour. Might work for those looking for an interesting plot without much bothering about character development or writing.

Story Synopsis:
1662. Anna Rhodius, ex-mistress of the King of Denmark, has been banished to Vardø for some unknown reason. She is convinced that the only way out of the godforsaken island is to provide information to the local Governor about suspected witches, whom he is determined to remove.
Ingeborg’s mother Zigri has been arrested for being a witch. Along with her younger sister and the strange Maren (herself the daughter of a “witch”), Ingeborg sets out to rescue her mother from a deadly end.
How the tracks of the two women intersect and what happens to them forms the rest of the plot.
The book is written in the third person perspective of Ingeborg, and the first person perspective of Anna (addressed in second person to the King of Denmark.)

Where the book worked for me:
💐 There are some amazing folklore tales interspersed in between sections. I loved all of these.
💐 Through the Sami characters, the story reveals not just the Sami culture and beliefs, but also the issues faced by indigenous tribes due to the external rulers. This was the best part of the book.
💐 Some of the revelations about witch-hunts are impactful. (These would have worked even better for me had I not already read so many books about witch-hunts. Time for a break from this genre, methinks!)
💐 The story highlights the systemic misogyny and patriarchal mindset of that era. The blind belief in religion and royalty also comes out clearly.
💐 There is a section at the end called ‘Of Fact and Fiction’, which details out some of the persecution against women on accusations of witchcraft, and also contains a glossary.

Where the book could have worked better for me:
🌵 Many of the dialogues and scenes felt like they would work far better on screen than on page. The spoken lines and the character responses were overly dramatic. They felt fake rather than emotional.
🌵 Except for the Sami boy Zare, none of the characters felt likeable or acted sensibly. Some of the characters change their minds randomly just to change the direction of the plot.
🌵 I didn’t like Anna’s second person narration. Her arc was interesting, but as her whole track was addressed to the King, there were many revelations that didn’t make sense. Like, why would she tell the King how many children he had?! It was so silly! Her first person should have been kept as an indirect narration to the readers, thus providing a valid reason for the extensive flashbacks.
🌵 There is hardly anything happening for a great part of the story. A whole lot of energy goes in setting the scenes but there is hardly any action. It was too slow even on audio.
🌵 Maran’s track seems to have some “witchy” elements but these are neither explained nor explored well. They felt like a forced attempt to imbue magical realism into the plot.

The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 16.5 hrs, is narrated by Sofia Engstrand. She does a nice job voicing the characters distinctly. Her accent also works wonderfully in pronouncing the local names, thus adding a touch of authenticity to the recording.

I thought I would like this novel far more than I actually did. The topic is close to my heart, as is the genre. But the languid flow, the OTT writing, and the capricious characters ended up making this an average read for me. That said, it’s a debut work, and most of the problems above can be bettered with time and experience. So I wont dismiss this author just yet.

Most readers have loved this, so it is quite possible that you might too. Do check out other reviews and take a more informed decision.

2.5 stars, rounding up for the audio version.

My thanks to Bonnier UK Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “The Witches of Vardø”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

Took me a while to get into this, but I'm so glad I persevered. A really gripping read, hugely evocative, and very original. Definitely worth a try!

I have been immersed in Norway in my latest audiobook, The Witches of Vardo, where women were accused of witchcraft and I have loved it. The author has presented an account of part fiction and part truth mixed in with some Norwegian fables and the result is superlative. Anya, the author, explains how women were killed on the island of Vardo, Norway after being accused of witchcraft and the accusations and horrors they faced. Narrated sympathetically by Sofia Engstrand I raced through this audiobook not able to stop listening. This is an incredible and valuable history lesson. Thank you to Bonnier Uk Audio and Net galley for my copy.