Daughters of the Witching Hill

By: Mary Sharratt

Narrated by: Terry Donnelly

In Daughters of the Witching Hill, Mary Sharratt brings history to life in a vivid and wrenching novel of strong women, family and betrayal inspired by the 1612 Pendle witch trials.

Bess Southerns, an impoverished widow, lives with her children in a crumbling old tower in Pendle Forest. Drawing on Catholic ritual, medicinal herbs, and guidance from her spirit-friend Tibb, Bess heals the sick and foretells the future in exchange for food and drink. As she ages, she instructs her best friend, Anne, and her granddaughter, Alizon, in her craft. Anne ultimately turns to dark magic, while Alizon struggles to accept the power she has inherited and dreams of a simpler life. But when a peddler suffers a stroke after exchanging harsh words with Alizon, a local magistrate tricks her into accusing her family and neighbors of witchcraft. Suspicion and paranoia reach frenzied heights as friends and loved ones turn on one another and the novel draws to an inevitable conclusion.

©2010 Mary Sharratt (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

I loved this so much! Adding it to my favorites

I listened to this with the group, Witches vs. Patriarchy. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! I did not expect to be so affected by it but as i was finishing it up this morning, i could've cried. My heart wept for all these people accused of dealing with the devil. I'm in the southern U.S. so I'm not (yet) familiar with the history of this witch trial. The story is that of the Pendle Witches. It is so beautifully written. The characters are flushed out people, not just names on a paper. They are good people, just trying to survive any way they can. Times are hard, there's famine, devastating rains and cold, cold winters. It was wonderful reading about Mother Demdike and her cunning. She's a blesser. By doing her blessings, she is able to feed & provide clothes for her family. It all goes wrong one evening when granddaughter Alison speaks out of anger to a peddler. He falls down and "half his body dies." Being an outsider, he cries witch and the charges are brought against Alison and her family. This is based on an actual historical witch hunt, you know there is no happy ending. By the time you get there, you love these people so the ending really hurts. I really loved this book and I's so glad i finally listened to it. It was read by Terry Donnelly and she did such an outstanding job. I loved the 13.5 hours i spent listening to her telling me this tale.

So very sad...

I have to admit it was a bit slow, but methodical. It's almost like the author intended each page to linger in order for the reader to take in every little detail, and how I love the little details. The story is very sad, so if you are not into the realities of the injustices of the distant past, this book is not for you. But, I truly enjoyed it.

Awesome

Definitely do yourself a favour and use immersion reading, if you have. The voice made this excellently well written book come alive.

Thought-provoking

If you could sum up Daughters of the Witching Hill in three words, what would they be?

Compelling, enriching and satisfying.

What did you like best about this story?

It was a great look into how dangerous it was to be a woman who dared to have a voice and the terror of a witch hunt.

Which character – as performed by Terry Donnelly – was your favorite?

Bess Southerns

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The end was suspenseful

Fascinating

An absolutely wonderful and touching story! Daughters of the Witching Hill brought tears to my eyes...Terry Donnelly is great as always - she is one of my favorite narrators. It was fascinating for me to understand this piece of 17th century's English history and culture. I am amazed how these poor unfortunates were able make a living using divination, begging and fear. Not a good living, but a temporary reprieve from hunger and cruelty of the surrounding world. Robbed of comforting catholic rituals and left with no protection against the powerful, women of the Pendle Hill had to fill the void in their souls and bellies by something - so called witchcraft. Said and uplifting at the same time, "Daughters of the Witching Hill" is well worth your time.

Thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book

The book sweeps you in to the story quickly and the reader brings each person to life. I looked forward each day to picking up where I left off!

Made me cry!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

most definitely. it was very tedious and focused too much on mundane details and things. I get the impression that the author needed to fill up time to make her book a cute,witchy number of hours/minutes. I feel like a lot of mine was not well spent listening to boring non essentials. this is a book for someone with little to do.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

instead,i would like to mention that the story is very realistic,except for perhaps the long,drawn out time frames of events. I would have put a lot more action into it,which is also more real.

Have you listened to any of Terry Donnelly’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no, ive never heard Ms.Donnelly perform and therefore was pleasantly surprised. she put a lot into it...her accent and acting and or skills really jump and bring an otherwise boring book to life. I love her,shes got a fan.yes

Do you think Daughters of the Witching Hill needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

yes,could be nice,entertaining,and lucrative. I suggest two,one from the point of view of original main subject working from another realm,right where we left off. this is an original,unique point of reference that is actually very realistic in witch families,but has not been written about much. plus.ive fallen in love with Grand and want to hear from her...BE BLESSED

Any additional comments?

the familiars in the story are good and somewhat realistic,but I would like to hear more about them especially the black bitch...

What an interesting book!

If you could sum up Daughters of the Witching Hill in three words, what would they be?

Unlucky!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Alizon , I think because she wants so bad to be a good person.

Any additional comments?

I would love to see this be a movie but the movie writer are to dull to understand the concept.

Exceptionally good

This is utterly engrossing, beautifully written and the characterization is so finely detailed I feel like I know each of these characters personally. Even the characters who may or may not "exist" in the "real world" of the narrative are completely filled out and alive. I especially appreciated that unlike many "witch trial" stories, Sharratt never fixates voyeuristically on the grisly details of torture, etc, but keeps us firmly situated in empathy with the characters' thoughts instead of their pain. This is my second read by Sharratt and I'm officially a major fan--I'll be seeking out everything she's written from now on.

The narrator of the audiobook is also wonderful, capturing the unique "voice" of the two narrators and making the text sparkle. The accent is spot-on and adds so much to the feel of the story.

All in all, I expected to really love this book since I really enjoyed Sharratt's "Ecstasy," but I ended up falling head over heels in love with these women and these words. Highly, highly recommended.

Interesting but a Bit Slow

I love historical fiction. This is not one of the best ones, but is interesting. It is a sad story and kind of meanders along. A lot of the life details of these women are important to what happens in the end, but at points I was a little bored with the story. The narration took some getting used to because of a strong accent in the first part. Once you get to the second part it's much easier to understand. It's not one of my favorites but I'm glad I read it. It wasn't one where I couldn't wait to get back to it, but I did look up some of the real story online after I finished it and it made me think about how people treat each other and decisions we make in life.