The Witches of Vardo

Provided by The Reading Agency and Bonnier Books

Review 1
The Witches of Vardo is a fictional book about witches in the 17th century. The story is drawn on the records of the witch trials in the 17th century in Norway. People were afraid of witches and believed that they would cause harm as they were in league with Satan.
This book tells the story of three women and their fight for survival against the persecution of witchcraft.
It is an interesting book and well written.

Review 2

Impressed by the indomitable spirit of the accused witches in such adversity. Took me back in time and wanted to find out more.

An interesting theme and vey atmospheric.

A fascinating book, gripping and difficult to put down.

Review 3

A spellbinding read about two women accused of witchcraft in 17th century Norway. The persecution of women and how the witch trials are about attacks on femininity, science and female empowerment is explored in a compelling fashion. A good read.

Review 4

I loved the book and it finished it within hours as I couldn't put it down. It had a strong start and really strong ending!

It is about a young, desperate widow, Zigra, whom cannot feed her family and so begins an affair with a merchants wealthy son, when his wife catches them, she accuses the widow of witchcraft. This would be common for the era and she is taken to the 'witch hole' and awaits trial. She is then joined by other innocent women accused of witchcraft and their terrible fates.

It's an emotional and powerful story.

From the first sentence I was enraptured with the story, an intense look at the Norwegian witch trials is a timeless story of oppression, superstition and how gossip can spread like fire through a community.

The King may think he is all-powerful, but the three women in the story shall show the world an even greater power.

This story will boil your blood and infuriate. It’s one of the most powerful retellings of a witch trial which I still think about weeks later.

I knew nothing about these witch trials in Norway when I started the book and then became enthralled by the story. Ms Bergman's writing made the events seem very real and believable. The portraits of Anna and Marden are superb.

Although disturbing and graphic the concluding chapters were very satisfying and full of hope for the survivors. This story would make a great film.

This book evokes the atmosphere of the witch trials in Vardo, North Norway, around 1662/63, and also brings home the awful weather conditions that can be experienced there. The awful story of the cruel treatment of suspected witches is horribly well described. The author seems fascinated by colours, and spends time describing the colour of eyes, the sea, the sky, etc, again bringing the text out of the ordinary.
The main themes of the book are the fear of witches – usually ordinary women who have been accused by people with an axe to grind – and the dominant power of men over women at that time. A sub-theme is lesbianism, which becomes explicit at the end of the book.
My favourite character is Maren, who appears to be a witch, as she conjures up a storm to put out the fires that are about to burn the convicted witches, and she also appears to have power over animals, producing a plague of rats in the courtroom at the end of the trial. She is bold and fearless, and there is a strong suggestion that she pretends to be a witch to frighten the accusers, rather than actually being a witch – the reader is left to make their mind up on this one!
I was impressed by the evocative writing, and was made to almost believe that Maren was a witch. I could not really believe in the character of Anna, though the device of telling her story by writing secret – lemon juice – letters to the king was a good one. I was also impressed by the amount of research that had clearly gone into the book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good writing and has the ability to suspend disbelief for the duration of the book.

The Witches of Vardo, Anya Bergman
Bury Libraries 'Book Chat' online readers group.

Provided by The Reading Agency and Bonnier Books - thank you!

I particularly liked this book as it is based on historical events and, as many books do, it highlights the terrible inequalities and dreadful misogyny that have far too frequently been part of world history, and indeed currently still exist.
The story, based on the trial of witches on the Norwegian island of Vardo,is steeped in folklore and tradition, through the descriptions of life in the small fishing village, Ekkory and the journeys to the island of Vardo we get a real sense of 17th century Norway and the landscapes.
As events unfold we discover the absolute terror that women faced as they knew any event in nature and within their society could lead to them being accused of witchcraft and ultimately burnt to death at the stake, the injustice is papable. Once they had been accused and transported to Vardo they were imprisoned in a ‘witch hole’ and tortured until they confessed.
The events in the book are brutally harsh, but still we feel the love and sense of family that the characters share. Ingeborg is so angry and frustrated by her mother’s actions and yet still expresses her deep love for her and risks her life in an attempt to rescue her.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book despite it being a book I would not normally have chosen.

The Witches of Vardo

Bury Library book chat – online

Provided by The Reading Agency and Bonnier Books

Anya Berman has produced a thoroughly researched and well written historical fiction book based on true events in a remote part of Norway. The sense of time (1662) and place are well conveyed. I really felt the cold and isolation, and monochrome of the landscape in the descriptions. There are also some elements of magical realism (involving Maren), and folk lore tales incorporated in the story. I liked the alternating chapters told by Anna in the first person, giving background information and her viewpoint of her current situation; and Ingeborg’s perspective and story in the third person. After a slowish start for the first third of the book which sets the scene, these stories interlink, and the pace picks up. I did like Anna’s knowledge of herbs, which also gave her some power and added to the feel of the period.

The misogyny, patriarchal society and the downtrodden status of women is contrasted against the strength of the women characters. The Lutheran religion is also highly restrictive condemning dance, song and outspokenness of those accused. Equally the rights of Royality are accepted. The women are largely dependent on the men for their status and provisions. The incidences of rape are blamed on the females. All these issues are sadly relevant still in various degrees the world. The issue of accusations of witchcraft and prejudice, ignorance and cruelty (which was graphically described) did make me feel indignant.

I have tried not to include spoilers in my review, but I was satisfied that Lockhert and the Governor Orning had their comeuppance at the end. The fate of Kirsten was sad but predictable.

I liked the character of Zare the Sami boy and his deep bond with nature and his culture. He was a steadfast, brave and sympathetic so it was a pleasing that the end of the story was positive for him.

This is not a book I would have picked up without the book group, but I do recommend it to others. It will particularly appeal to readers interested in the history of witch trials.