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Vardø è quel posto che vai a cercare su Wikipedia perché è così a nord che devi sapere se esiste davvero o fa parte di qualche posto mitico tipo l’Iperborea. Ebbene esiste e vanta di essere il comune natale di John Norum, il chitarrista degli Europe. Pensa un po’.

Purtroppo nel XVII secolo è stato anche teatro di una terribile caccia alle streghe, che portò alla morte di più di novanta persone, sia norvegesi sia sami, in prevalenza donne, ma anche uomini. E proprio dagli eventi che scatenarono quella caccia – una terribile tempesta in mare che uccise decine di uomini e un re desideroso di giocare al solerte emissario di dio – prende avvio il romanzo.

Nel complesso è stata una bella lettura e anche molto coinvolgente, a mano a mano che l’autrice mi faceva conoscere le abitanti di Vardø. Tuttavia ho avuto l’impressione che la storia venisse retta unicamente dalla reazione emotiva che suscita leggere di persone incolpate ingiustamente, torturate e infine bruciate sul rogo. Se poi ci aggiungiamo anche il terribile rapporto tra i generi all’interno dei matrimoni descritti, non è difficile parteggiare per le cosiddette streghe e odiare a morte i loro aguzzini, insieme alle loro accusatrici.

Alla fine, mi è sembrato un po’ pochino rispetto al potenziale della storia: mi è mancata la sostanza in un tema – quello della caccia alle streghe – ampiamente indagato e che ha bisogno di un maggior impegno letterario per arrivare davvero allǝ lettorǝ. ( )

On Christmas Eve 1617 a freak storm and rogue wave wipes out the entire working male population of Vardo, a small fishing village in a remote northern Norway (Finnmark). In order to avoid starvation, the women take on the work that the men traditionally did including fishing and caring for reindeer.
Meanwhile, King Christian of Norway in 1618 begins a pogrom to bring the country in line with his religious belief. His aim is to root out anything that could be conceived as witchcraft and the casting of spells. The Sami people were specific targets, but also women who did not conform to patriarchal traditions were suspected of being witches.

This book is historical fiction based on those facts. It was engaging and well written.
I found this in the ship library while on a Viking Great Lakes cruise. ( )

Norway, 17th century, historical fiction ( )

This is historical fiction set in the 1600s on a remote island in far northern Norway. In the opening scenes, 40 men, virtually all the adult males in the community, are drowned in a sudden storm while fishing. The remaining women draw the attention of the male political leadership. This is a time in Norway's history when Christianity is attempting to wipe out the local customs of the Sami people. As in so many places around the world, women are blamed for natural events and community discord as witches.

I really liked this, even though the story is familiar and has been told (in different regions of the world) many times. Nothing innovative, but a good story and decent characters (though pretty predictable). It was a good diversion. I consider this in the same category as reading a well-written mystery. Entertaining and engaging. ( )

This book tells the story of an island where most of the men are wiped out in a sudden storm. It is loosely based on true events. It is a tale with some really bright sparks of hope - the women rebuilding their community, Maren teaching Ursa to keep house, bravery and courage and keeping going when life is hard - and a tale of deep and painful darkness - the deaths of all the men, the witch trial, the final separation of Maren and Ursa. Absalom is a terrifying and convincing villain of the piece, made more so by his convincing motivations for what he does, and his convictions he is on the side of good. It is compelling and beautiful and captures the sense of the far north, with no trees and reindeer and light all day, and the characters are full of life and self. ( )