(PDF DOWNLOAD) Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

'Hannah Kent has a fine turn of phrase . . . that makes Agnes Magnusdottir, the central figure in her debut novel, both elusive and captivating . . . Kent is to be commended for being drawn to a story and a character rather than any narrow cultural agenda. Burial Rites is far removed from us in time and place and, ironically, this fact makes it an intimate experience. It draws close to the bones and sinews of human experience as it gives voice to a yearning for more than the law can provide.' Sydney Morning Herald 'The most talked about Australian debut novel in years. Burial Rites reimagines the life and death of Agnes Magnusdottir, the last woman to be executed in Iceland.' Australian 'Burial Rites, Kent's compelling fictionalised account of the end days of Agnes Magnusdottir . . . with its glimpse into icy frontier lands, the struggles of a farming peasantry, the looming shadow of an executioner's axe and a strong, if misunderstood, female character . . . uses extracts from the historical records to stitch together a credible account of a woman more victim than villain.' Age 'With language flickering, sparkling and flashing like the northern lights . . . A magical exercise in artful literary fiction' Kirkus starred review 'A gripping narrative of love and murder that inhabits a landscape and time frame as bleak and unforgiving as the crime and punishment that occurred there.' San Francisco Chronicle 'This amazing debut has literary prize written all over it . . . [and] all the hallmarks of a brooding Nordic noir' Marie Claire 'An accomplished gem, its prose as crisp and sparkling as its northern setting.' Geraldine Brooks, author of Year of Wonders 'Exceptionally powerful and original . . . Hannah Kent skilfully conjures up the daunting landscape of the country, in which individuals, dwarfed by their surroundings, must always struggle to survive.' BBC History Magazine 'Vividly descriptive . . . beautifully written, thoughtfully presented and utterly memorable.' Choice Magazine 'A deeply compelling debut; gripping yet lyrical.' Irish Examiner 'An outstandingly good debut . . . I found myself spellbound . . . Kent has done a great deal of research and transformed its results into a work of art.' Literary Review 'A darkly gothic romance, a love song to the bleak beauty of Iceland, and a moving eulogy to a woman who had the odds stacked against her.' Irish Examiner Hannah Kent's Burial Rites, a remarkably assured debut, takes a tale of crime and punishment in 1820s Iceland and through it opens a window, lit with harsh brilliance, on to an alien world. -- Boyd Tonkin, Books of the Year * Independent * 'A gripping tale.' New York Times 'A highly impressive debut . . . Despite the fact that we know Agnes's fate from the outset, the power of the writing makes her story utterly compelling, and Kent skilfully leads us to question the extent of Agnes's guilt throughout. In the process she paints a vivid, if bleak picture of the society.' Sunday Herald 'This is a truly powerful novel, beautifully written . . . Desolate but brilliant.' The Lady 'A haunting and immersive debut.' The List 'Compelling' Woman & Home It's hard to believe that Burial Rites . . . is a first novel. Based on the last case of capital punishment in Iceland, in 1830, it's meticulously researched, with the past so strongly evoked that one can almost smell it: a simple, moving story, told with confidence. -- Best Crime Books of the Year * Guardian * A remarkable, bleakly beautiful re-imagining of the last woman publicly executed in Iceland -- Best Books of 2013 * Sunday Times * In 19th-century Ireland, convicted killer Agnes Magnusdottir is sentenced to death for stabbing her lover, but still has the power to change lives. Kent brilliantly recreates a community surviving in an inhospitable climate, and conveys the ineluctable force of one woman's personality on those around her. -- Book of the Year * Financial Times *