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This book is for you if you're into...
- Historical fiction rooted in real witch trials and 1600s England
- Stories where female friendship defies suspicion and social barriers
- Tension-filled narratives questioning the line between witch hunting and women hunting
From Little Stack
This magnificent debut is one of my favourite books of all time. Based around the true events of the Pendle Witch Trials, it tells the story of Fleetwood Shuttleworth, a young woman trapped in her marriage.
Fleetwood is pregnant for the fourth time but all of her previous pregnancies have ended in loss and she discovers a letter from her doctor to her husband warning that she will not survive this pregnancy. But then Fleetwood crosses paths with Alice Gray, a young midwife who promises that she can prove the physician wrong and deliver not only a healthy baby, but help Fleetwood survive.
The two women forge an unlikely friendship that transcends social barriers. Soon, they find their friendship and loyalty tested as they are accused of witchcraft and held accountable at the legendary witch trials.
In 1612 Lancaster, England, the hunt for witches has reached a fever pitch. But in a time of suspicion and accusation, to be a woman may be the greatest risk of all.
Fleetwood Shuttleworth, the mistress of Pendle Hill's Gawthorpe Hall, is with child. Anxious to produce an heir, she is distraught to find a letter from her physician that warns her husband she will not survive this pregnancy. Devastated, Fleetwood wanders the estate grounds, where she catches a young woman poaching. Alice Gray claims she is a local midwife and promises to help Fleetwood deliver a healthy baby.
But a witch-obsessed frenzy sweeps the countryside. Even woodland creatures or "familiars" are thought to be dark companions of the unholy. And Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft. Time is running out. The witch trials are about to begin. With both their lives at stake, Fleetwood must prove Alice's innocence. Only they know the truth.
Set against the real Pendle witch trials, this compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives of seventeenth-century women. Ultimately it raises the question: Was witch hunting really just women hunting?
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