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mrsbear's review against another edition
5.0
Based on a true story this book gives a look into the lives of so called witched in England. Elizabeth Southerns and her granddaughter Aliza Device are unforgettable and brave people who endured more than any person should. It is an ugly part of the past but one that needs never be forgotten. Highly Recommended.
monicadee88's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely prose with a colorful cast of characters, Daughters of the Witching Hill is not one I will soon forget. It's a heart-warming and then heartbreaking mostly-true tale of how far people will go to protect themselves and honor the ones they love. I had no prior knowledge of the 1612 trial of the Pendle witches, and Mary Sharratt brings vividly to light the injustices that the accused men and women suffered. It's a fascinating and horrifying event in history and Sharratt does an admirable job bringing readers into the minds and hearts of real people.
littleredwolves's review against another edition
4.0
A joy to read.
As the backdrop of this story centres around the 1612 Pendle witch hunt, it is less about the outcome and the stakes and more about the journey.
Whisked along elegantly through the years of these women, its easy to feel as thought you were reading the insights of a friend that had passed as short while ago.
As the backdrop of this story centres around the 1612 Pendle witch hunt, it is less about the outcome and the stakes and more about the journey.
Whisked along elegantly through the years of these women, its easy to feel as thought you were reading the insights of a friend that had passed as short while ago.
snowblu3's review against another edition
1.0
I think that by the time a person is 24% into a book, some sort of point to the story should be emerging. It just dragged on and on. I guess I also felt kind of let down because I didn't realize going in how very fictionalized it was going to be. I would be much more interested to read about the true story of what happened with these women. I do not for a second believe they had spirit familiars that helped them perform magic. I do believe they found ways to get by in hard times, using the options that were available to them. That's the story I'd like to read.
amycrea's review against another edition
5.0
Books about the witch hunts of years past are always interesting to me, but this one, taking place in Britain, had an added depth because of its ties with Catholicism. I didn't realize that Catholicism and "cunning ways" were so tied together back then. Fascinating.
jkkb332's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this, but boy is it bleak. I did not remember when I checked it out from the library that it was based on a true story. This book gives a face (multiple faces) to an important and sad time in history, but it is heavy start to finish.
The story follows several generations of "cunning women", starting with the matriarch who only realizes her gift out of desperation to feed her family. Her gift of blessing and healing keeps her family out of the deepest of poverty, but they still struggle continuously and enjoy very little prosperity over the course of her life. She teaches her daughter, granddaughter, best friend, and best friend's daughter her gift, and they all respond in various ways. Many storylines between the five of them, and between their other relations and acquaintances, end in betrayal and despair.
The biggest take-away for me is that life in the early 1600s was full of horror, anger, inequality, and oppression. This is especially true for the poor, but even people with wealth and status lived in fear and hatred of things they did not understand (other religions being a big one).
The story follows several generations of "cunning women", starting with the matriarch who only realizes her gift out of desperation to feed her family. Her gift of blessing and healing keeps her family out of the deepest of poverty, but they still struggle continuously and enjoy very little prosperity over the course of her life. She teaches her daughter, granddaughter, best friend, and best friend's daughter her gift, and they all respond in various ways. Many storylines between the five of them, and between their other relations and acquaintances, end in betrayal and despair.
The biggest take-away for me is that life in the early 1600s was full of horror, anger, inequality, and oppression. This is especially true for the poor, but even people with wealth and status lived in fear and hatred of things they did not understand (other religions being a big one).
ashkitty93's review against another edition
4.0
I don't remember when I bought this book; all I know is it's been on my shelf for years. I do recall picking it up to read once, but I couldn't get into it then and passed over it for something a bit easier. Given my fascination with the Salem witch trials and otherwise nonexistent knowledge of other witch trials, this book has always held a certain allure for me. Also, the cover is pretty. Sue me.
The voices of Bess Southerns and Alizon Device are perfectly captured in these pages, and even though it took me weeks to read I was never bored by the story. All of the major characters were real people, as noted in the afterword, and I highly doubt I've read a book that was so meticulously researched. These people literally jump off the pages to populate your imagination and it is not a stretch at all, frightening as it may be, to envision these things happening in 1600s England. A fantastic and highly recommended book.
The voices of Bess Southerns and Alizon Device are perfectly captured in these pages, and even though it took me weeks to read I was never bored by the story. All of the major characters were real people, as noted in the afterword, and I highly doubt I've read a book that was so meticulously researched. These people literally jump off the pages to populate your imagination and it is not a stretch at all, frightening as it may be, to envision these things happening in 1600s England. A fantastic and highly recommended book.
liedora's review against another edition
4.0
Many people know of the hysteria and events surrounding the Salem Witch Trials, but for those readers in England this novel predates those trials by 80 years and takes place in Pendle Lancashire. Until reading this, although I was aware of witch trials taking place in my homeland, I was not aware of how differently they were conducted to those in the Colonies.
This novel is told in the voices of the two main protagonists, both actual historical figures which adds weight and substance to them as the reader follows their story to its conclusion. As always when actual people are placed in fictional works some liberties are taken with them, but this in no way takes away from the book, in my opinion it just adds an extra dimension to what is in the pages. Through the eyes of the two women we can enter the world of the poor in the early 1600’s. As the reader journeys through their world with them, they are able to experience all the happiness and heart break that came into their lives. Regardless of the poverty and hardship of the period, these are two strong women characters that, despite their lack of formal education, resonate with intelligence and compassion.
More than anything this excellently written book could be seen as a lesson in dominion. Catholicism is been forcibly replaced by the Protestant faith, but rather than have the enlightening effect intended it makes society become more superstitious and paranoid as their lives are now filled with contestant threats of damnation without the solace offered by the Catholic faith of that time. Because of the extensive research the Author has so obviously done, not only on the witch trials but the ‘pulse’ of society at that time makes this an engaging retelling of the poor of the Pendle region, if not of the whole country.
I would highly recommend this novel to anyone with an interest in the subject matter, or who loves to read historical fiction. I would definitely read more by this Author.
Originally posted on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/08/18/review-daughters-of-the-witching-hill-mary-sharratt/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
This novel is told in the voices of the two main protagonists, both actual historical figures which adds weight and substance to them as the reader follows their story to its conclusion. As always when actual people are placed in fictional works some liberties are taken with them, but this in no way takes away from the book, in my opinion it just adds an extra dimension to what is in the pages. Through the eyes of the two women we can enter the world of the poor in the early 1600’s. As the reader journeys through their world with them, they are able to experience all the happiness and heart break that came into their lives. Regardless of the poverty and hardship of the period, these are two strong women characters that, despite their lack of formal education, resonate with intelligence and compassion.
More than anything this excellently written book could be seen as a lesson in dominion. Catholicism is been forcibly replaced by the Protestant faith, but rather than have the enlightening effect intended it makes society become more superstitious and paranoid as their lives are now filled with contestant threats of damnation without the solace offered by the Catholic faith of that time. Because of the extensive research the Author has so obviously done, not only on the witch trials but the ‘pulse’ of society at that time makes this an engaging retelling of the poor of the Pendle region, if not of the whole country.
I would highly recommend this novel to anyone with an interest in the subject matter, or who loves to read historical fiction. I would definitely read more by this Author.
Originally posted on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/08/18/review-daughters-of-the-witching-hill-mary-sharratt/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
mysticalmanuscripts's review against another edition
2.0
A fictionalized retelling of the Pendle of The Witch Trials of 1612, inspired by true events. Sharratt’s Pendle is a town where Grandmother Bess and Granddaughter Alizon live below the poverty line. Locals suspect them of bad things happening to them because they are poor and vulnerable. To feed their small family, Bess provides healing, herbal remedies, and fortune-telling. Her craft is also being taught to Alizon and her neighbor Anne. The situation worsens as a magistrate manipulates Alizon into admitting to witchcraft.
Towards the end of the book, I wasn’t sure what I felt.
It explores the interesting idea of a thin line between religion and superstition, but does not provide a real conflict between the two. The book's treatment of accused women's witchcraft cannot captivate.
The author never explains the familiars. They seemed unnecessary to the plot. I found this story to be very relational, and I enjoyed the emphasis on friendship, family, and loyalty. Also, the author handles the arrests and trials of the suspected witches. She presents an accurate portrayal of the legal system in that era in her text.
The bad news is that it wasn’t the right choice for me.
Towards the end of the book, I wasn’t sure what I felt.
It explores the interesting idea of a thin line between religion and superstition, but does not provide a real conflict between the two. The book's treatment of accused women's witchcraft cannot captivate.
The author never explains the familiars. They seemed unnecessary to the plot. I found this story to be very relational, and I enjoyed the emphasis on friendship, family, and loyalty. Also, the author handles the arrests and trials of the suspected witches. She presents an accurate portrayal of the legal system in that era in her text.
The bad news is that it wasn’t the right choice for me.