THE FAMILIARS A NOVEL “A beautiful tale of women, witchcraft and the fight against power.” –Jessie Burton, New York Times bestselling author of The Miniaturis “The Familiars is a must-read novel.” –Heather Morris, bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz IN 1612 IN LANCASTER, ENGLAND, THE HUNT FOR WITCHES IS RAMPANT… BUT IN A TIME OF SUSPICION AND ACCUSATION, TO BE A WOMAN IS … BUT IN A TIME OF SUSPICION AND ACCUSATION, TO BE A WOMAN IS THE GREATEST RISK OF ALL
1612 Pendle Hill
Young Fleetwood Shuttleworth is with child again. As the mistress of Gawthorpe Hall, she is anxious to provide her husband with an heir. But none of her previous pregnancies have come to term. Then she discovers a hidden letter from her physician that warns her husband that she will not survive another pregnancy.
Distraught over the frightening revelation, Fleetwood wanders the woods of Pendle Hill, where she meets a young local woman named Alice Gray. A midwife, Alice promises Fleetwood she can help her deliver a healthy baby. But soon Alice is drawn into the frenzied accusations of witchcraft sweeping the countryside. Even the woodland creatures, the “familiars,” are suspected of practicing the dark arts. Can Fleetwood trust that Alice is really who she says she is?
As the two women’s lives become intertwined, Fleetwood must risk everything to prove Alice’s innocence in order to save her own unborn child. The hunt for witches reaches fever pitch. Time is running out. The trials are about to begin. Both their lives are at stake. Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other.
Set against the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612, this rich and compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives and rights of seventeenth-century women, ultimately raising the question: Is witch-hunting really just women-hunting?
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“The Familiars” written by Stacey Halls is a story based on a true historical timeline and real life people, namely Fleetwood Shuttleworth born in 1595, who was a woman of gentry and mistress at Gawthorpe Hall. It is a work of fiction based on the premise of the Pendle witch trial in Lancaster 1612 and sadly highlights the plight of women disproportionately targeted as part of witch hunts during the time period set.
I’m generally not drawn to the 1600’s as a story setting but I do have to admit that the inclusion of witches and the infamous trial did spark my curiosity as I’ve always been intrigued by witchcraft. I did overall enjoy the story, if a little lightweight, and I would have possibly enjoyed reading some chapters from Alice’s point of view as she stood accused but generally the slow pace and atmospheric setting did provide a feeling of being transported to the setting of the story. The ordeals and suspicions that fell upon women who were probably no more than ‘wise women’ who used nature to help cure ails and treat pregnant ladies was very sad to read and the author covered these tragic events professionally.
With a truly gorgeously printed hardback cover to the book, this is worth every penny to adorn any bookshelf and I would happily recommend, it is slow but engaging, well written which leaves you asking ‘was she or wasn’t she?’ and I wish the author every success with this sure bestseller for 2019.
4 stars