The first time I ordered this book from my library was last year. And when I finally got it and started reading…. well you know I wasn’t interested anymore, gave up and returned it. Then I heard Hannah Kent (the author) being interviewed on RN radio and re-ordered the book. This time it didn’t take that long to arrive as I got the large print (LP) edition. For some reason LP books aren’t that popular – weird because it is so nice to read big prints especially for an old blinding lady like me. Ha!

So the second time around reading this was fantastic! I really got into it. What a page turner! I learnt about Icelandic life and what it must have been like to be a ‘woman of no consequence’ in the 1800’s. Based on true events, it was about a woman name Agnes Magnusdottir who was found guilty of murder and this is a story of her days leading up to her trial.  She stayed with a farming family who at first were distrusting and wary of her but eventually ‘loved’ her at the end. It was quite moving and not at all ‘dark’ as people have described it to be. I really like the way it was written – sorry I can’t think of any big or fancy words to describe the story and the way it was written but it was GOOD. Highly recommended!

I have now ordered Kent’s new novel The Good People as a consequence. It’s popular so I may have to wait long for that one to arrive. She’s quite a good writer and at first I thought she was an old bird but she’s really quite young!