I finally got round to reading two books I was given as late Christmas presents a few months back – Burial Rites by Hannah Kent and The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton – two extremely talented young female writers writing about two strong female protagonists. I’d seen both in bookshops but probably wouldn’t have got round to reading them, so they were excellent present choices. They are two really interesting books that transported me first to Iceland in the mid 1800s and then to Amsterdam in the late 1600s.

Burial Rites centres on Agnes Magnúsdóttir who has been sentenced to death for murder. The book starts as the peaceful rural life of the district officer Jón Jónsson, his wife and two daughters, is shattered when officials arrive to say that the family have been chosen to have Agnes to stay with them on their farm whilst she awaits execution. The family are horrified and Agnes arrives as the feared and very much unwanted guest.

As time passes, however, she strikes up a friendship with one of the daughters and a peaceful way of life ensues, as she quietly becomes part of the family’s daily life. Meanwhile she is visited regularly by a young cleric who is appointed as her spiritual guardian and hears her side of the story of what happened in the run-up to the murders. By the time the day arrives for Agnes to be killed, those around her are no longer in a hurry to get rid of her and to have her get what they are no longer sure she deserves. It’s a fascinating read, and, extraordinarily, is based on a true story.

Meanwhile, The Miniaturist begins with the young Nella Oortman arriving for the first time at her marital home in Amsterdam, having left her childhood home in the rural Netherlands behind her to begin what she hopes will be an exciting and romantic married life in the big city.

But all is not what it seems. Her husband is not there to greet her, shows no interest in consummating the marriage and finally refuses Nella’s clumsy advances. Instead he buys her a miniature version of their home, a creepy gesture that horrifies Nella. The life-sized house is already ruled by her husband’s sister and is an unhappy one. The miniature version of it now taunts her further, as mysterious figures are sent anonymously to furnish it. Trying to reach out once more to her husband ends in disaster as she uncovers his secret, and things begin to spiral downwards for them all from there, until the awful climax is reached.

Neither Agnes nor Nella are classic heroines, which is what makes both of these books so unusual and interesting. Definitely recommended reading if you’re looking for something different from your historical fiction.