Incredibly powerful and moving, this fictional look at the Norwegian witchcraft trials on the island of Vardo at the northern most point of Norway is created with a chilling intensity. In 1662 Anna is imprisoned by her King in the fortress, her only way out is to betray the local women by accusing them of witchcraft. These years saw the third of the Vardo witch trials, a time of horrific persecution. Author Anya Bergman highlights the plight faced by women when to even attempt to be independent or different ensured suspicious eyes followed their every move. She has created the most immensely satisfying sense of place, you can feel the wild nature of the landscape and can almost reach out and touch the featured wildlife. The Sami culture sings with colour and vibrancy in the freezing depths of the north. The children, Ingeborg and Maren, are oh-so relatable as they grieve for their lost innocence and fight for a form of justice. I was on tenterhooks throughout, dreading the outcome, yet unable to to stop being a part of this shocking yet beautifully eloquent tale. Witten with huge empathy, The Witches of Vardo provokes emotions as it observes the horrors inflicted on the women accused of witchcraft, I just had to choose it as LoveReading Star Book and a Liz Pick for its month of publication.
If you loved The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, which was based in the times of an earlier Vardo witch trial, then The Witches of Vardo will be the perfect book to put to the top of your to be read pile.
They will have justice. They will show their power. They will not burn. 'Three women's fight for survival in a time of madness' Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies
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.
'An intricately woven, timeless novel about prejudice, misogyny, freedom and the power and strength we can find within' - Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo
'A passionate indictment of the patriarchy ... a vibrant exaltation of the resilience of women ... Anya Bergman summons a historic witch trial with breathtakingdetail and immediacy' Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites
'Brilliant andpowerful. Haunting and beautifully written. A complex and gripping novel reclaiming and retelling the stories of the women accused of witchcraft in Norway. Hugely atmospheric. Read it!' - Liz Hyder, author of The Gifts
