Review: Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt


by Mary Sharratt


SYNOPSIS:  Daughters of the Witching Hill brings history to life in a vivid and wrenching account of a family sustained by love as they try to survive the hysteria of a witch-hunt. 

Bess Southerns, an impoverished widow living in Pendle Forest, is haunted by visions and gains a reputation as a cunning woman. Drawing on the Catholic folk magic of her youth, Bess heals the sick and foretells the future. As she ages, she instructs her granddaughter, Alizon, in her craft, as well as her best friend, who ultimately turns to dark magic. When a peddler suffers a stroke after exchanging harsh words with Alizon, a local magistrate, eager to make his name as a witch finder, plays neighbors and family members against one another until suspicion and paranoia reach frenzied heights. 

Sharratt interweaves well-researched historical details of the 1612 Pendle witch-hunt with a beautifully imagined story of strong women, family, and betrayal. Daughters of the Witching Hill is a powerful novel of intrigue and revelation.

Don't you love it when you start a book and immediately get sucked in just from the first few sentences? Well, that's what happened when I began to read Daughters of the Witching Hill. This book seriously had me from hello!

Mary Sharratt paints a vivid and moving story of the Pendle Witches (also known as the Lancashire Witches), a true story of a group of women and men condemned as witches and hung in Lancashire, England in 1612. DOTWH is told through the eyes of Mother Demdike (Bess Southerns) and her granddaughter Alizon. Sharratt's unique dialogue style is captivating and the character development multi-dimensional.

The reader will be entranced by these fierce, strong women who will do anything to protect their own. To me, the heart of the story of Daughters of the Witching Hill is one of human compassion, or at times the lack of it. The men and women hung at Lancashire will never have justice, but their story deserves to be told and in my opinion, Mary Sharratt gave them that final justice.


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11 comments:

  1. wow, I watched the trailer. This book is sounding better each time I read a review. I'm adding it to my wishlist.

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  2. Great review!! This book sound absolutely amazing. It is on my wish list and I can't wait to read it.

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  3. This definitely sounds like something I would enjoy. Thanks for the great review!

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  4. I can't wait to read this book. I don't think anyone accused of witchcraft ever received justice. It was a charge impossible to defend against or disprove.
    Thanks for another good review.

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  5. I have heard many good things about this book. I will have to keep it in mind.

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  6. Thank you so much for that lovely review, Amy!

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  7. Wow! Five crowns must mean something good. And yes, I do love books that suck me in for the beginning the most so this one is definitely going on my TBR.

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  8. I'm excited to read this one. You have a good track record of sending me toward great books! I have loved the books about the Salem witches that I have read, so hopefully I will enjoy this one too. Thanks Amy!

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  9. wow, this sounds excellent. Its always great when a book can suck the reader in.
    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

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  10. First off I have to be a cover snob and say that I really like the one for this book! I am glad you liked it, too, because that will mean I am getting it because of a recommendation and not because I really liked to cover. lol

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