The Mercies
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-01 11:51:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kiran Millwood Hargrave
- ISBN：1529005132
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
After a storm has killed off all the island's men， two women in a 1600s Norwegian coastal village struggle to survive against both natural forces and the men who have been sent to rid the community of alleged witchcraft。
Finnmark， Norway， 1617。 Twenty-year-old Maren Bergensdatter 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 Northern town of Vardø must fend for themselves。
Three years later， a sinister figure arrives。 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 pushed together and 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 1620 witch trials， The Mercies is a feminist story of love， evil， and obsession， set at the edge of civilization。
Finnmark， Norway， 1617。 Twenty-year-old Maren Bergensdatter 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 Northern town of Vardø must fend for themselves。
Three years later， a sinister figure arrives。 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 pushed together and 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 1620 witch trials， The Mercies is a feminist story of love， evil， and obsession， set at the edge of civilization。
Reviews
Anna Abney Miller
，
3。5
Nadya Trifonova
，
DNF。 Всичко， което се случва изобщо， е казано в синопсиса за книгата。 Останалото е готвене， чистене， израждане на деца и странни семейни/съседски отношения。 Влачих я поне три месеца。。。 Отказвам да се отегчавам повече。 Звучеше интересно， но само звучеше。 Корицата е невероятна ❤
Jennifer Vandenberg
，
This book is so gorgeous。 Just read it。
stlucia
，
new favorite book :） emotional about it :））
Annabel
，
In The Mercies Hargrave writes about the small village on Vardo where an unexpected storm kills most of the men。 The story captures the two years after this horrible ordeal。 The book follows the life of two main characters: Ursa （a rich girl married to the local overseer） and Maren （a girl from Vardo）。 This book did not turn out to be about a bunch of wild women living alone on an island， which was a bit of a disappoint， but about the Christianization of the people of Norway。 Despite this disapp In The Mercies Hargrave writes about the small village on Vardo where an unexpected storm kills most of the men。 The story captures the two years after this horrible ordeal。 The book follows the life of two main characters: Ursa （a rich girl married to the local overseer） and Maren （a girl from Vardo）。 This book did not turn out to be about a bunch of wild women living alone on an island， which was a bit of a disappoint， but about the Christianization of the people of Norway。 Despite this disappointment， Hargrave perfectly captures the time of witch trials， social control， and racism towards the Samen。 The book is based on historical events， which I really enjoyed。Sadly， the book was a poor translation， and I feel like some of the sentences were not translated correctly。 This was especially annoying in the beginning of the book。 If I ever read something of Hargrave again， it will be in English。 。。。more
Carmen
，
Based on a period of history in 1600s northern Scandinavia， this book weaves a compelling story around the lives of a small town of mostly only women， their relationships with each other and the impact of an outsider with power who is sent by the king to rid the area of witches。
Joanna
，
From the first page， I was enthralled by the eerie quality of this book！ It feels like something my AP Literarure teacher would call gothic， but I actually enjoyed this one。 It was a new period in time and setting for me and I could not be more fascinated！ The plot was perfectly dreary， if that makes sense。 I loved being inside the relationship of Maren and Ursa， but also how they see the other characters。 Women’s history is never endingly interesting。 I loved it！
Caoimhe Creed
，
Brilliant book about a fascinating subject that I didn’t know anything about！ I love books with a strong sense of place， and the unusual setting of this book affected the tone so much。 Would recommend to anyone。
Alexandra
，
Real rating 4。5 stars
Benzilneurosurg
，
Well crafted horrendous part of history across the world。 Witch hunts still exist and this book through a good story tells why that is so。
Pam Mezaraups
，
A bewitching book with compelling characters in Maren and Ursa。。。。and supporting characters equally as strong 。 The women of Finnmark， Norway need to step out and fish when a storm takes 40 of them men in a disastrous moment。 This independence （fishing， wearing pants） is duly noted and remarked upon。 And three years later when a new Commissioner comes to Finnmark hoping to make his mark life changes forever。 He is a witch hunter and he finds cause and jealous supporters。 Absalom is his name， a s A bewitching book with compelling characters in Maren and Ursa。。。。and supporting characters equally as strong 。 The women of Finnmark， Norway need to step out and fish when a storm takes 40 of them men in a disastrous moment。 This independence （fishing， wearing pants） is duly noted and remarked upon。 And three years later when a new Commissioner comes to Finnmark hoping to make his mark life changes forever。 He is a witch hunter and he finds cause and jealous supporters。 Absalom is his name， a strong fleshed out villain。 Couldn't put this book down。。。 fiction but with an historical narrative。 of sorts。 。。。more
Tamara Bukva
，
4。5/5
Mary
，
Romanzo basato su fatti realmente accaduti a Vardø， piccolo villaggio norvegese， nel 1600。Una violenta tempesta fece affondare diverse barche， uccidendo tutti i pescatori che si trovavano a bordo e costringendo le donne， mogli， figlie， madri， a dover prendere in mano la situazione pur di sopravvivere。Romanzo storico forte e che fa riflettere。 Molto bello l’inizio infatti avevo alte aspettative; ho pensato: “il libro che aspettavo da tanto” Poi la scena cambia con l’arrivo del sovrintendente e l Romanzo basato su fatti realmente accaduti a Vardø， piccolo villaggio norvegese， nel 1600。Una violenta tempesta fece affondare diverse barche， uccidendo tutti i pescatori che si trovavano a bordo e costringendo le donne， mogli， figlie， madri， a dover prendere in mano la situazione pur di sopravvivere。Romanzo storico forte e che fa riflettere。 Molto bello l’inizio infatti avevo alte aspettative; ho pensato: “il libro che aspettavo da tanto” Poi la scena cambia con l’arrivo del sovrintendente e la moglie Ursula， il romanzo si concentra su questi due personaggi che non mi sono piaciuti più di tanto。 Il tema che mi aveva affascinata all’inizio viene messo in secondo piano dall’autrice che si concentra maggiormente sulla storia d’amore tra Ursa e Maren。 Le parti più interessanti sono l’inizio e il processo e l’esecuzione delle streghe。 In questa storia sono le donne a far paura perché le streghe non si fanno sottomettere e questo non fa piacere agli uomini。 Gli uomini qui sono violenti， senza pietà tanto da far bruciare quelle donne vittime di una tempesta e vittime di un odio ingiustificato。 La storia risulta inoltre ripetitiva。 Solo verso la fine l’autrice sembra volerla accelerare per darle un senso ， per arrivare a una conclusione 。。。more
Vânia Moreira
，
Um romance ficcionado de um dos mais trágicos fenómenos que a Humanidade viveu: a caça às bruxas。 Inspirado nos julgamentos ocorridos em 1621 em Vardo， na Noruega， tem como premissa a história de duas amigas que vão enfrentar a dura realidade do que era ser mulher na Idade Moderna。 Ursula acompanha o marido， um fanático perseguidor de bruxas escocês que vai exercer a sua autoridade em Vardo， na Noruega。 Enquanto isso， trava amizade com Maren e ambas terão que escolher um lado。。。Achei uma históri Um romance ficcionado de um dos mais trágicos fenómenos que a Humanidade viveu: a caça às bruxas。 Inspirado nos julgamentos ocorridos em 1621 em Vardo， na Noruega， tem como premissa a história de duas amigas que vão enfrentar a dura realidade do que era ser mulher na Idade Moderna。 Ursula acompanha o marido， um fanático perseguidor de bruxas escocês que vai exercer a sua autoridade em Vardo， na Noruega。 Enquanto isso， trava amizade com Maren e ambas terão que escolher um lado。。。Achei uma história interessantíssima e bastante cativante。 Achei o final particularmente surpreendente！ Não estava à espera。 Gostei também que o livro traga uma nota histórica no final para podermos contextualizar o que estamos a ler。 。。。more
Era Papieru
，
Dawno nie miałam w ręce tak bezosobowej książki。 To， co się stało z mężczyznami， to co się dzieje z bohaterkami oraz to co je czeka w przyszłości - jak bardzo mnie to nie interesuje。。。
Fiona
，
Brutal and horrifying story of how and why small communities turn on each other and how the people who save you put themselves at risk to do so。
Veronica C
，
3。5 stelle。 Libro crudo ma bello， piuttosto lungo per la trama in se。 Molte descrizioni che aiutano ad immergersi nel contesto seicentesco della Norvegia del nord， ma forse un po’ troppo tirato rispetto alla narrazione e alle azioni。 Tutto questo si conclude con una fine piena di colpi di scena e cambiamenti da una pagina all’altra。 Complessivamente buon libro， a parer mio da sistemare la coerenza tra descrizioni e narrazione tra la prima parte del libro e la fine。
Tracie
，
Such a thoughtful story。 I enjoyed the historical tie-in， although the women grew rather righteous。 I look forward to more books from this author。
Kristin
，
Let me preface this by saying that this is actually a good book - it’s dark and atmospheric and brings you right into northern Norway and you feel all the gut wrenching horror of witch trials and men being suspicious of women’s agency。 It’s very well done。 Still， at the end， I wasn’t sure what I’d gained from this book， and I wasn’t sure I enjoyed reading it。
Ellie-May
，
4。5 stars rounded up。 A harrowing， beautifully written read。 Highly recommend。
Asta Ast
，
knyga įtraukianti ir įdomi。 Kadangi 17a vyko raganų medžioklė， tai labai įdomu skaityti nuo ko viskas gali prasidėti， nors tai ir romanas， bet paremtas tikrais įvykiais。 Nedaviu penkių žvaigždučių， nes man kažkaip ištemptas， norėjosi gal daugiau veiksmo， bet jei būtų antra dalis - skaityčiau
Chiara
，
DNF'd at 30% DNF'd at 30% 。。。more
Sue
，
Excellent read！
Sherry
，
4。25 This wasn’t quite what I expected but in the best way possible。 Very well written with characters that could nearly walk off the page and an atmosphere so well evoked I felt chilly while reading。 Well written characters are reading gold for me so this was a pleasure to read。 Well as pleasant as the bleak storyline would allow。 And bleak it is。 From atmosphere to topic this was a bleak read indeed。 I find myself drawn to books like this that tell about what we are like collectively and this 4。25 This wasn’t quite what I expected but in the best way possible。 Very well written with characters that could nearly walk off the page and an atmosphere so well evoked I felt chilly while reading。 Well written characters are reading gold for me so this was a pleasure to read。 Well as pleasant as the bleak storyline would allow。 And bleak it is。 From atmosphere to topic this was a bleak read indeed。 I find myself drawn to books like this that tell about what we are like collectively and this book does that brilliantly。 What I find disheartening is that we haven’t really changed all that much。 We still have a propensity to us and them thinking and a demand for conformity that now restricts itself （ mostly） with shame and derision。 The seed of the monstrosity of searching and burning witches， eradicating people who are other than us and all the pettiness that lies beneath that sentiment， is just a click of the mouse away。 Spend some time on the internet （ don’t really， it’s completely demoralizing） and it will be obvious how quickly it is possible to see how low some will go to be righteous and superior。 It’s not a pretty sight so I appreciate books that remind why I read and learn and endeavour to keep my mind open， so it quells the seed that lies within me too。 。。。more
Ayacchi
，
It's hard to rate it。 The first section was hard to read and not interesting enough to attract my attention。 But the final section was good。 So maybe it's 3。75 stars for me。My clubmate recommended this book last year but I didn't read it since it's labeled LGBT。 Witches is enough so I don't need any other distraction， or so I thought。 But when this was choosen as our group read， I can't turn around anymore。 The interesting part of the book is that it's based on true events。 On December 24， 1617 It's hard to rate it。 The first section was hard to read and not interesting enough to attract my attention。 But the final section was good。 So maybe it's 3。75 stars for me。My clubmate recommended this book last year but I didn't read it since it's labeled LGBT。 Witches is enough so I don't need any other distraction， or so I thought。 But when this was choosen as our group read， I can't turn around anymore。 The interesting part of the book is that it's based on true events。 On December 24， 1617 there was a strange storm which drowned 40 men of Vardo， leaving the women to survive by themselves。 And the two accussed witches were Mari and Kirsti， similar to our characters here。Kirsten is my favorite character here， and I do believe many of you do too。She's like a man among women， so initiative and reliable。 Unluckily， this 'show of power' envy her opposition。 "She is a good person， and she loves you。" I want to remember it。。And for the ending， though I pray for Diina's safety， I still don't understand completely what to become our MC。 And it made the last dramatic incident seemes plain。 I wish there'd be a revenge， setting trap to accuse the accuser， or such。 Then it'd be fair。 。。。more
Mary Ann
，
This beautifully written novel is set in Vardo， a 17th century Norwegian fishing village。 It is a time when the intersection of native cultures， Christianity， and ignorance results in terrifying consequences。 A sudden winter storm took the lives of all the men of the village。 The women find strength in each other as they struggle to survive in the harsh， unforgiving land。 Soon they face a challenge the women are powerless to meet， surfacing prejudices that threaten the fragile community in terri This beautifully written novel is set in Vardo， a 17th century Norwegian fishing village。 It is a time when the intersection of native cultures， Christianity， and ignorance results in terrifying consequences。 A sudden winter storm took the lives of all the men of the village。 The women find strength in each other as they struggle to survive in the harsh， unforgiving land。 Soon they face a challenge the women are powerless to meet， surfacing prejudices that threaten the fragile community in terrifying ways。 The story is compelling。 The writing is visceral and gripping， beautifully descriptive， precise and purposeful。 The women of Vardo who are portrayed in this emotional and evocative story cannot be forgotten。 。。。more
Keaton McNamara
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am。。。。 so sad。。。。。
Valeria
，
Dalla trama mi aspettavo un altro tipo di storia。 2 stelle perché ha iniziato ad essere interessante e coinvolgente solo dopo la metà。2 storie di due donne diverse che si uniscono in una sola ed è lì che inizia ad essere più gradevole。La scrittura è buona e scorrevole。 Peccato per la lentezza iniziale che ha smorzato un po la mia voglia di continuare
Solange
，
J’aime lire des romans historiques mais il m’arrive assez rarement de sortir de la période 1915-1945。 Pour changer ça， j’ai eu l’occasion， via Netgalley， de lire ce roman qui m’a transporté au XVIIe siècle en Norvège et je ne regrette pas puisque j’ai beaucoup aimé cette lecture ！ C’est une histoire tragique que nous raconte l’autrice。 Maren， l’héroïne du roman， perd son frère， son père et celui qu’elle allait épouser。 Cet événement va bouleverser la vie de son village。 A travers cette histoire， J’aime lire des romans historiques mais il m’arrive assez rarement de sortir de la période 1915-1945。 Pour changer ça， j’ai eu l’occasion， via Netgalley， de lire ce roman qui m’a transporté au XVIIe siècle en Norvège et je ne regrette pas puisque j’ai beaucoup aimé cette lecture ！ C’est une histoire tragique que nous raconte l’autrice。 Maren， l’héroïne du roman， perd son frère， son père et celui qu’elle allait épouser。 Cet événement va bouleverser la vie de son village。 A travers cette histoire， l’autrice raconte la chasse aux sorcières qui a eu lieu à cette période sur l’île de Vardø。 Elle montre comment les hommes utilisent la jalousie de certaines femmes à leur avantage。 Sous couvert de la religion， ils tuent des femmes qu’ils considèrent comme hérétiques。 Il n’y a alors aucun retour en arrière possible， tout le village est pris dans cette spirale de délation。 Le sujet m’a donc vraiment plu， et à côté de ça， j’ai beaucoup aimé les personnages de Maren et Ursa。 Elles sont complètement différentes mais vont se trouver et j’ai beaucoup aimé le lien qui se tisse entre elles。 Mon seul bémol est la fin que j’ai trouvée un peu trop précipitée。 。。。more
Deana Birch
，
While the ending of this was rather abrupt， I can't take points off for that because I'm guilty of doing the same in a few of my books。 What I loved so much about this story was the tragedy of the persecution that felt incredibly relevant to current times and how men are so desperate to hold on to power。 Everytime I picked this up to read， I looked forward to seeing what happened。 And even though it is long and the pacing is slow， the author manages with great success to hold onto that thread th While the ending of this was rather abrupt， I can't take points off for that because I'm guilty of doing the same in a few of my books。 What I loved so much about this story was the tragedy of the persecution that felt incredibly relevant to current times and how men are so desperate to hold on to power。 Everytime I picked this up to read， I looked forward to seeing what happened。 And even though it is long and the pacing is slow， the author manages with great success to hold onto that thread that draws the reader in and keeps us attached to the story and its characters。 Best book of the year for me so far。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Mercies
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Mercies&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Mercies&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0