The Mercies

By: Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Narrated by: Jessie Buckley

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

After the men in an Arctic Norwegian town are wiped out, the women must survive a sinister threat in this "perfectly told" 1600s parable of "a world gone mad" (Adriana Trigiani).

Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Magnusdatter stands on the craggy coast, watching the sea break into a sudden and reckless storm. Forty fishermen, including her brother and father, are drowned and left broken on the rocks below. With the menfolk wiped out, the women of the tiny Arctic town of Vardø must fend for themselves.

Three years later, a stranger arrives on their shore. Absalom Cornet comes from Scotland, where he burned witches in the northern isles. He brings with him his young Norwegian wife, Ursa, who is both heady with her husband's authority and terrified by it. In Vardø, and in Maren, Ursa sees something she has never seen before: independent women. But Absalom sees only a place untouched by God, and flooded with a mighty evil.

As Maren and Ursa are drawn to one another in ways that surprise them both, the island begins to close in on them, with Absalom's iron rule threatening Vardø's very existence. Inspired by the real events of the Vardø storm and the 1621 witch trials, The Mercies is a story of love, evil, and obsession, set at the edge of civilization.

One of the Best Books of the Year - USA Today, Good Housekeeping

©2020 Kiran Millwood Hargrave (P)2020 Little, Brown & Company

Critic reviews

"The Mercies is an exceptional work of historical fiction with a dramatic setting and perceptive insight into the rippling effects of extremism, as seen through the eyes of a carefully crafted cast of characters." (Bookpage)

"Kiran Millwood Hargrave's wonderful The Mercies is a mesmerizing, heart-wrenching novel which had me desperate for the women of Vardo to win through. A perfect book club choice." (AJ Pearce, author of Dear Mrs. Bird)

"The Mercies is both harrowing and beautiful. This is a book to be savored and read time and again." (Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl)

One of the Best

I listened straight through over two days. It was so interesting to hear about life in Norway in the 1600s and how society reacted when tragedy strikes a small community. I will listen again.

Well done but not for everyone...

Atmospheric.
Well written.
Perfect narration.

The author paints a realistic portrayal of life in 17th century northern Norway at a time when "witch trials" were held throughout christendom.

This book won't be for everyone. The pace is slow, only picking up speed near the end as tension builds and finally a climax is reached with a dramatic ending.

Powerful and chilling

First off I loved the narrator. Her voice was soft, raw, addicting, and I could listen to her all day. Beautiful voice for the story. Even the way she said certain words made me love her.

As for the book it was great. It was dark, perfectly paced to give you time to really feel the story, and historically accurate from what I understand to be true. It felt real. I could imagine the characters and their homes and the land. I wanted to know more about the people and their way of life from so long ago. Some people said this book was too slow but I absolutely loved that about it. It was slow in a way that kept me hooked like it was meant to be something you don’t rush. Very well written.

So Well Done

This book is so well done and just so disturbing and heartbreaking. Another group of people, predominantly women and indigenous, dominated by men who wished to glorify themselves and their religion. It’s an age old story… and brought fresh by this author’s telling. Very painful. And so emotionally wrenching and well written. And the narrator is beyond amazing and just perfect for this book. Well done all!

Beautifully written and told

A hauntingly beautiful story of human behavior in the tides of social change, encompassing a full spectrum of emotion from doubt to love, hatred to joy. A must for those interested in the downfalls of patriarchy, Christianity, and binary thinking.

Gripping

Couldn’t stop listening. A fabulous book. Well recorded. Highly recommended especially for history buffs and those interested in the voices often unheard.

Compelling side characters overshadow protagonists

Describing this cold, peculiar place and time, the author transports me to the setting. Narrating the inner lives of our two main characters, the author jars me with discomfort. They are both so bland and impassive, even internally, that I am incredulous when the author foists sexual passion upon them. Romantic passion stemming from loneliness, sure. But the only sexual frisson in this book is between the first protagonist and her friend/mentor, whom the author sets up as a symbol. This is a shame, because the mentor is the most compelling and complex character in the book. She - - the most interesting and yet natural character to evolve in that isolated time and place - - SHE is the reason for reading this book. Not the two main characters.

Gripping

I was completely absorbed by this book. The author gave more emphasis to the historical fiction aspect; the surprise romance was icing on the cake and made it much more gripping. Held me from beginning to end and I want more from this author

Gripping

I loved this book so much. The combination of Hargrave's writing and Buckley's narration is a powerful one. I'm honestly a bit speechless; I cannot recommend this book enough.

Gorgeous!

This is a beautifully written story. I felt so immersed in the world and didn’t want to leave it. Narrator does excellent accents!