Widdershins is inspired by the Newcastle witch trials, where 16 people were hanged. Despite being the largest mass execution of witches on a single day in England, these trials are not widely known about. In August 1650, 15 women and one man were hanged as witches after a Scottish witchfinder found them guilty of consorting with the devil. This notorious man was hired by the Puritan authorities … authorities in response to a petition from the Newcastle townsfolk who wanted to be rid of their witches.
Widdershins is told through the eyes of Jane Chandler, a young woman accused of witchcraft, and John Sharpe, the witchfinder who condemns her to death. Jane Chandler is an apprentice healer. From childhood, she and her mother have used herbs to cure the sick. But Jane soon learns that her sheltered life in a small village is not safe from the troubles of the wider world. From his father’s beatings to his uncle’s raging sermons, John Sharpe is beset by bad fortune. Fighting through personal tragedy, he finds his purpose: to become a witchfinder and save innocents from the scourge of witchcraft.
The Historical Novel Society said of Widdershins: “Impeccably written, full of herbal lore and the clash of ignorance and prejudice against common sense, as well as the abounding beauty of nature, it made for a great read. There are plenty of books, both fact and fiction, available about the witch-trial era, but not only did I not know about such trials in Newcastle, I have not read a novel that so painstakingly and vividly evokes both the fear and joy of living at that time.”
Recommended for anyone who has enjoyed Stacey Halls’ The Familiars, Beth Underdown’s The Witchfinder’s Sister, AK Blakemore’s The Manningtree Witches, Elizabeth Lee’s Cunning Women, Louisa Morgan’s A Secret History of Witches, Jeanette Winterson’s The Daylight Gate, Madeline Miller’s Circe, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, or Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches.
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I absolutely love historical fiction! I have never really read many books about witch hunts. This book really caught my attention and I LOVED it!!! I am a huge fan of immersion reading so when I heard about this tour I was so excited! The narrator really brought this book to life! I felt like I was watching the story unfold. I kept trying to guess how John and Jane were connected. It took me pretty much most of the book to figure it out! Then, the ending!!!! I’m not going to tell but, holy moly! I didn’t expect that!!!! I cannot wait to read the next book, Sunwise!!!
John Sharpe’s life didn’t start well. His mother died in childbirth, and his father blamed him, an infant, for causing his mother’s heart to give out. After putting up with the abuse of his father, John finally finds himself under his uncle’s care, and learning about God and the Church. As John grows up, he finds himself engulfed in the need to do as “God” wishes.
Jane Chandler is dedicated to learning the same craft as her mother from a very young age – the art of the healer, learning the uses of herbs and how they can help to heal. As Jane grows into a young woman, she finds her eye drawn towards a young man in her village, and he is drawn towards her.
Widdershins is another word for anticlockwise, a direction seen as unlucky. A direction that witches may walk in, as they carry out their enchantments. It may seem strange, ridiculous even, to think that such a thing as walking in a specific direction would lead to your death, but in a time of superstition, where if a tale could be spun, someone could hang, such a thing would not be overlooked.
This book perfectly depicts the horrors faced by people in the 1600s, especially so those accused of witchcraft, or who are seen as being on the opposite side of the law. There are dark themes in this novel, and you need to be prepared, going into it, for the abuse that was so easily doled out to these so-called witches. I absolutely hated John, who becomes a witchfinder, and my hatred for him was increased by the first-person perspective – we see through his eyes the hatred and the pure evil, which just goes to show that sometimes those doing the accusing have more evil in them than those being accused.
I do wish that I had read the print version of this novel, rather than listening to the audiobook. While the narrator has done a fabulous job, I have never been one who likes being read to, and I know I could’ve read the book much quicker than it took to listen to the audiobook. Eventually, I sped up the playback, so I could get through it at what I deemed a reasonable pace, although I do not want to let this affect my rating – the story and the descriptions were utterly sublime, and no detail has been spared from the page.
This is a book that will draw you in and keep you entranced and desperate to find out what happens next.
*I received an audio copy of this novel from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration
Widdershins was a heartbreaking, fascinating & twisted read! The author did a great job taking a time in history & bringing it back to life for us! It didn’t take long for this book to grab hold of me! The story is told from 2 POV’s Jane & the witchfinder which I really liked. It was nice being able to hear from both sides almost like listening to good & evil in one! Jane is the main character and you won’t be able to stop the heartbreak you will feel for her! This really was a sad but great story! I cant wait to start Sunwise!