Book Review - Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt

Synopsis:  Set in Lancashire, England, during the infamous witch trials of 1612, Daughters of the Witching Hill reveals the true story of Bess Southerns, aka Old Demdike, cunning woman, healer and the most notorious of the Pendle Witches, and of Alizon Device, her granddaughter, struggling to come to terms with her family’s troubling legacy. Though the name of the Pendle Witches lives on, few know the hard-hitting details of the witch-hunt which tore apart a community. Set in an era of religious intolerance, political strife, suspicion and social inequality, this haunting story of strong women and family love and betrayal is more relevant than ever.

First Line:  "See us gathered here, three women stood at Richard Baldwin's gate."

Random Quote:  "Her eyes hardened as they followed the crow winging away in the direction Robert had fled.  The bird could only be Fancy, I thought:  Anne's familiar rushing off to do her grisly bidding."

Review:  This had a slow start for me and I actually thought about giving it up, but I'm so glad I didn't because once I got far enough into it the book opened itself up to me like a flower and revealed its stark beauty, sadness, and pain.

Pendle Hill - Image via Wikipedia

I didn't know anything about this particular set of witch hunts, but I'm familiar with the time period (and grateful I don't live in it).  I've read a lot of books recently where the tension between the old faith (Catholicism) and the new one (Protestantism) has played a key role - it's amazing the things people will burn or hang each other over.

What makes this book unique is the beautiful realization of its characters.  Sharratt has written women who feel authentic and real in the ways they live their lives - and these are hard lives.  I think more than anything I've read in the past this book brought home to me how difficult the lives of these people were, how tenuous their hold on their existence, and how thin the line between life and death.  There is nothing remotely romantic about the fight for survival here - life is all begging and hard work, rags on your feet and going to bed hungry and hoping not to bury all of your children.  Is it any wonder these people turned to cunning craft to lighten their loads, cure their ills, make their lives brighter?

Reading Challenges:  Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2010, Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge 2010, 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge