Daughters of the Witching Hill

by Mary Sharratt

Daughters of theWitching 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.

• ISBN10: 0547069677
• ISBN13: 9780547069678
• Publish Date: 7 April 2010 (first published 1 January 2010)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 28 June 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Houghton Mifflin
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 333
• Language: English

Reviews

[mysticalmanuscripts]

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.

You can see all my reviews here

[Artemis]

I did not finish around 130 pages. I had a hard time getting into the story. The writing was really difficult to get through, and did form any interest in the main character.

[elysium]

3.5 stars

The book is told through the eyes of two persons: Bess (first half) and Alizon (second half). While I liked it told from first person narrative but the characters didn’t come alive to me. You can see that the autohor has done her research but it also slows done the book with going on , and on, and on about their daily lives. I’ve never heard of the Pendle witches before and I’d like to hear more about the actual trials.

I don’t know much about that time period and it was interesting to read about common people of that time but I also think that it slowed down the book a little particularly in the beginning.