The story follows Agnes after she’s sentenced to death and is awaiting the sentence being carried out. She recounts her life story, and her involvement in a murder, to a young priest and to the woman she’s billeted with.

As well as being very invested in Agnes’s story, I enjoyed learning about how people lived in 19th Century Iceland. The descriptions of their homesteads and culture were fascinating. 

This is a very slow, melancholy read with a bleak setting and a tragic ending.  I thought the historical details were interesting, but I never became very invested in the story.   While it's not a long book, it took me a long time to read because other books I was reading were far more engaging and less somber.  I've owned a paperback copy of this for years, but will probably put it in a box to donate or sell as I don't see myself ever rereading it.

In the author's note at the end, Kent says some other books written about the Illugastaðir murders "hold a common view of Agnes as 'an inhumane witch stirring up murder'.  This novel has been written to supply a more ambiguous portrayal of this woman."  Unfortunately, I think by making Agnes an ambiguous and mysterious character, Kent inadvertently made her a bit flat and uninteresting. 

The multiple points-of-view and tense in the first chapter made for a rough start to the novel.  Agnes' perspective is in 1st person, present tense.  Tóti's perspective is in 3rd person limited, past-tense.  And the Jónsdóttir family is introduced in what I think is supposed to be 3rd person omniscient, but came across more like 3rd person limited with head-hopping between each member of the family.  Luckily, after the first chapter, Kent mostly sticks to the perspective of one family member, Margrét, in 3rd person limited, past tense, like Tóti. 

Other than those POV issues, the writing was decent, so I might try another of Kent's books in the future.  Especially considering that Burial Rites was Kent's debut novel, so presumably her writing will have improved with later books.

If you're looking for another literary novel about a woman murderess in the 19th century I recommend Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, which I remember liking a lot more than this.

 Burial Rites is the interesting, incredibly atmospheric story of a condemned murderer in early 1800's Iceland who is sent to live with the family of a local official to await the day of her execution. (There being no jails in rural Iceland at the time.) We progressively learn her life story and the story of the murder she is said to have committed through her conversations with others, her internal thoughts, and various documents related to her trial.

But the true story of this book is that of all the women in it; Agnes the murderess, yes, but also Margret, the local official's wife; their two daughters; Agnes' mother; and many others. It's the story of how women survived, or too often didn't, in an oppressively patriarchal society, in a brutal climate, living a primitive life in a primitive time and place. It's the story of women finding small joys in a small life and claiming victory simply by waking up each day.

This is a short novel, full of lovely turns of phrase and vivid descriptions of weather just below the Arctic Circle that will send you running for your warmest blankets. I highly recommend it, especially during the darkest days of winter. 

An amazing, evocative read, a reflection of life and duty of a poor orphan woman, a brilliant result of years of investigation into the true story of Agnes, the last person to be hanged in Iceland in the nineteenth century.
I had not liked the second book of the author as much, it was very depressive and albeit her amazingly vivid and rich writing it did not move me, but this one, even though it’s pretty depressing also, it’s so much more.
Agnes’s story stays with you, the way her strength, intelligence, hard work, tender heart and frailty was responsible for the love and spite she evoked in others, and what regrettably also led her to her doom. But, it is during the last months of her life, where the story focus, we see those qualities of hers leading Agnes to find true friendship and understanding.
It is still a work of fiction but it’s not hard to imagine being not so different since the author presents us with true documents narrating at least part of it.
I reiterate how amazing the writing is, how transportive, beautiful and evocative, how i felt as living in Iceland, the cold, the hardship, the smell, the comfort, close quarters and confinement of the badstofa.
This book is truly a masterpiece, not only of the craft but of the story. Choosing to focus on the history of Iceland’s last hanging because it was of a woman, when throughout history those are the stories most forgotten is commendable. 
It is not action packed and it might be considered slow going although I felt so compelled by the characters I did not want to stop, and thus I hope you feel the same as I’m recommending this one to everyone!