
The Mercies
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Narrated by:
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Jessie Buckley
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 & CompanyListeners also enjoyed...




















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)
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One of the Best
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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.
Well done but not for everyone...
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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.
Powerful and chilling
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So Well Done
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Beautifully written and told
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Gripping
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Loved this!
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Compelling side characters overshadow protagonists
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Gripping
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Gripping
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