by Anya Bergman
SYNOPSIS
They will have justice. They will show their power. They will not burn.
Norway, 1662. A dangerous time to be a woman, when even dancing can lead to accusations of witchcraft. After recently widowed Zigri's affair with the local merchant is discovered, she is sent to the fortress at Vardø to be tried as a witch.
Zigri's daughter Ingeborg sets off into the wilderness to try to bring her mother back home. Accompanying her on this quest is Maren - herself the daughter of a witch - whose wild nature and unconquerable spirit gives Ingeborg the courage to venture into the unknown, and to risk all she has to save her family.
Also captive in the fortress is Anna Rhodius, once the King of Denmark's mistress, who has been sent in disgrace to the island of Vardø. What will she do - and who will she betray - to return to her privileged life at court?
These Witches of Vardø are stronger than even the King. In an age weighted against them, they refuse to be victims. They will have their justice. All they need do is show their power.
REVIEW
The Witches of Vardø tells the story of four women who become unwittingly involved in a witch-hunt in Norway in the late 1600s. Anna has been banished to Vardø by the King, a man she had known and trusted for years. Anna is forced to make a bargain with the Governor on the island to save herself, but this bargain will put the lives of other women accused of unrealistic crimes (perceived at the time as witchcraft) at risk.
Ingeborg has lost both her fisherman father and brother at sea. Starving and alone in bringing up her remaining two daughters, Ingeborg's mother, Zigri, is initially forced to become involved with Heinrich Brasche in order to avoid paying back debts to his family she can in no way afford. As she begins to fall for Heinrich, his wife becomes aware of the affair and accuses her of witchcraft.
After Zigri is sent to Vardø to face trial, Ingeborg and Maren (the daughter of another woman who died after being accused of witchcraft) attempt to travel to Vardø to save her, but can these women face up to the men who have cast them out as accomplices to the devil?
I knew from the moment that I saw the title of this book that I was going to love it. It combines two of my favourite things - books about witchcraft and books set in Scandinavia - and it lived up to all of my expectations!
I adored the traditional Norwegian folk tales that were woven seamlessly into the story, and the explorations into the culture of the Sámi people were so fascinating. The fact that simply wanting a different type of nomadic lifestyle meant that you would be seen as outsiders (which translated into witchcraft), and led to these people putting their own lives and the lives of their families at risk is heartbreaking.
I know that 'witch' books are very popular at the moment, but this is so much more than a book about witches. It's a novel about women taking back control, it's a story about traditions and folklore, about the unrealistic expectations forced upon women, and about breaking free from men in positions of authority. Reading about these topics in the context of the witch trials is why the story is so successful. I loved every second of it and am heading straight off to research more about the real Vardø witch trials which inspired the book - I think I'm a little obsessed!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anya Bergman became interested in the witch trials of Vardø and the vivid folk tales of the north while living in Norway. Travelling to the Steilneset memorial, in which Louise Bourgeois and Peter Zumthor commemorated those persecuted as witches, she became fascinated by their stories. Now resident in Ireland, she is currently undertaking a PhD by Published Works at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland where she also lectures as well as tutoring for Jericho Writers. She is working on her next novel, which unites the fates of two very different women against the tumultuous backdrop of the French Revolution.
Thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers - @Tr4cyF3nt0n, Anya Bergman - @anyabergmanwriter and Manilla Press - @manilla_press for the opportunity to read and review.
Publisher: Manilla Press
ISBN: 978-1786581914
Pages: 400pp
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