The Manningtree Witches
Author: A. K. Blakemore
Published by: Granta books
Pages: 295
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★★
Published by: Granta books
Pages: 295
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★★
England, 1643. Parliament is battling the King; the war between the Roundheads and the Cavaliers rages. Puritanical fervour has gripped the nation, and the hot terror of damnation burns black in every shadow.
In Manningtree, depleted of men since the wars began, the women are left to their own devices. At the margins of this diminished community are those who barely tolerated by the affluent villagers – the old, the poor, the unmarried, the sharp-tongued. Rebecca West, daughter of the formidable Bedlam West, fatherless and husbandless, chafes against the drudgery of her days, livened only by her infatuation with the clerk, John Edes. But then the newcomer Matthew Hopkins takes over the Thorn Inn and begins to ask questions about the women of the margins. When a child falls ill with a fever and starts to rave about covens and pacts, the questions take on a bladed edge.
The Manningtree Witches plunges its readers into the fever and menace of the English witch trials, where suspicion, mistrust and betrayal ran amok as the power of men went unchecked and the integrity of women went undefended.
In Manningtree, depleted of men since the wars began, the women are left to their own devices. At the margins of this diminished community are those who barely tolerated by the affluent villagers – the old, the poor, the unmarried, the sharp-tongued. Rebecca West, daughter of the formidable Bedlam West, fatherless and husbandless, chafes against the drudgery of her days, livened only by her infatuation with the clerk, John Edes. But then the newcomer Matthew Hopkins takes over the Thorn Inn and begins to ask questions about the women of the margins. When a child falls ill with a fever and starts to rave about covens and pacts, the questions take on a bladed edge.
The Manningtree Witches plunges its readers into the fever and menace of the English witch trials, where suspicion, mistrust and betrayal ran amok as the power of men went unchecked and the integrity of women went undefended.
My thoughts:
A big thank you to Granta books for providing me with a gifted copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I took part in an online group read along of The Manningtree Witches, which was hosted by Tandem Collective.
The Manningtree Witches is AK Blakemore’s first novel. It is a richly textured fictional account of the Essex Witch trials, in which she vividly brings the persecuted women to life.
The novel, which relies on historical characters and records, focuses on the first victims of the massive witch hunts that took place in Essex during the English Civil War and claimed up to 300 lives.
The story begins in Manningtree during the English Civil War, precisely in the period 1645-1647, and from the very start we get glimpses of the effects of war, such hunger and poverty, particularly on widowed or defenseless women.
It is here that we meet the young Rebecca, amid the early convulsions of the war. Her mother, known as the Beldam West, is a fearless widow with a fondness for drink and confrontation. Rebecca must share her mother’s mean lodgings and is generally regarded with suspicion and distaste. At church she and her mother must take the back pew, but from there she can survey the townswomen who elsewhere disparage her. She is sharp-witted, has a keen eye and seems to be a good judge of character. “I am useful,” she says of herself. “I have taught myself to watch and listen.”
When a stranger, named Matthew Hopkins, arrives in town on unstated business, his fine garments and apparent knowledge draw general admiration. But Rebecca takes his measure more carefully. As the story develops, the author creates a grimly fascinating depiction of Hopkins and his intentions. He calls himself the Witch-Finder and begins his search for sinfulness in Manningtree, bringing with him an atmosphere of menace and suspicion.
The persecutors in this tale are given close scrutiny, but the book ultimately belongs to the persecuted.
The Puritan influence in the area is strong and Rebecca West’s unmarried status is cause for exclusion and rumour. Along with other women living at the fringes of her community, she falls prey to wild accusations. The persecuted women are fiercely alive and, on these pages in all their ordinary glory, those women are at last allowed to live.
It’s clear that A.K. Blakemore has carefully researched and poetically retold the story that led to these unjust murders, a handful of many, that happened during the East Anglian witch trials, led by Hopkins. Blakemore is a poet. The prose is sensitive to its time, wonderfully dark, immersive, rich and mesmerising. In many chapters the sensation of threat and menace was palpable.
The Manningtree Witches ventures into dark places, for sure, but it is such a powerful story told with wit and rich detail, I found it almost impossible to tear myself away, reading late into the night, chapter after chapter.
I loved that although the book was dark and foul-smelling, the end felt light and fairly optimistic, unlike what the characters had experienced throughout the book. Overall, this novel makes for a wonderful reading experience. A highly recommended read - dark, tense, captivating and informative.
Overall reaction:
A big thank you to Granta books for providing me with a gifted copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I took part in an online group read along of The Manningtree Witches, which was hosted by Tandem Collective.
The Manningtree Witches is AK Blakemore’s first novel. It is a richly textured fictional account of the Essex Witch trials, in which she vividly brings the persecuted women to life.
The novel, which relies on historical characters and records, focuses on the first victims of the massive witch hunts that took place in Essex during the English Civil War and claimed up to 300 lives.
The story begins in Manningtree during the English Civil War, precisely in the period 1645-1647, and from the very start we get glimpses of the effects of war, such hunger and poverty, particularly on widowed or defenseless women.
It is here that we meet the young Rebecca, amid the early convulsions of the war. Her mother, known as the Beldam West, is a fearless widow with a fondness for drink and confrontation. Rebecca must share her mother’s mean lodgings and is generally regarded with suspicion and distaste. At church she and her mother must take the back pew, but from there she can survey the townswomen who elsewhere disparage her. She is sharp-witted, has a keen eye and seems to be a good judge of character. “I am useful,” she says of herself. “I have taught myself to watch and listen.”
When a stranger, named Matthew Hopkins, arrives in town on unstated business, his fine garments and apparent knowledge draw general admiration. But Rebecca takes his measure more carefully. As the story develops, the author creates a grimly fascinating depiction of Hopkins and his intentions. He calls himself the Witch-Finder and begins his search for sinfulness in Manningtree, bringing with him an atmosphere of menace and suspicion.
The persecutors in this tale are given close scrutiny, but the book ultimately belongs to the persecuted.
The Puritan influence in the area is strong and Rebecca West’s unmarried status is cause for exclusion and rumour. Along with other women living at the fringes of her community, she falls prey to wild accusations. The persecuted women are fiercely alive and, on these pages in all their ordinary glory, those women are at last allowed to live.
It’s clear that A.K. Blakemore has carefully researched and poetically retold the story that led to these unjust murders, a handful of many, that happened during the East Anglian witch trials, led by Hopkins. Blakemore is a poet. The prose is sensitive to its time, wonderfully dark, immersive, rich and mesmerising. In many chapters the sensation of threat and menace was palpable.
The Manningtree Witches ventures into dark places, for sure, but it is such a powerful story told with wit and rich detail, I found it almost impossible to tear myself away, reading late into the night, chapter after chapter.
I loved that although the book was dark and foul-smelling, the end felt light and fairly optimistic, unlike what the characters had experienced throughout the book. Overall, this novel makes for a wonderful reading experience. A highly recommended read - dark, tense, captivating and informative.
Overall reaction: