Join BookBrowse today and get access to free books, our twice monthly digital magazine, and more.

Read advance reader review of Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt, page 3 of 3

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

Daughters of the Witching Hill

A Novel

by Mary Sharratt

Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt X
Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt

  • Critics' Opinion:

    Readers' Opinion:

  • First Published:
    Apr 2010, 352 pages

    Paperback:
    Jan 2011, 352 pages

    Genres

  • Rate this book


Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse First Impression Reviewers Buy This Book

About this Book

Reviews


Page 3 of 3
There are currently 18 member reviews
for Daughters of the Witching Hill
Order Reviews by:
  • Stephanie W. (Hudson, OH)
    Exciting and informative
    Daughters of the Witching Hill is a fascinating look at an actual witch trial in England. Real facts from trial transcripts and histories are mixed with imagined thoughts and conversations of the main characters. Even the spirits that visit the "witches" seem realistic and believable. I would recommend it for book clubs as there is much to discuss. The author draws the reader in right from the beginning and keeps your interest until the unavoidable and tragic ending.
  • Leann A. (Springfield, IL)
    Daughters of the Witching Hill
    Told from the point of view of two of the most notorious of the “Pendle Hill Witches", Mother Demdike and her granddaughter, Alizon, this is a compelling, well written story of magic, superstition and the danger of being a woman of power in the time of King James. Every time I picked this book up I was immediately transported to Pendle Forest and completely absorbed in the story of these women.
  • Linda S. (Oceanside, NY)
    Disappointing
    Daughters of the Witching Hill is a fictionalized account of the so called “Witches of Pendle Forest”, who were found guilty of witchcraft in England in the early 1600’s. The main focus of the story is Elizabeth Southerns, a cunning woman, who had been helping the people of the area for some 50 years by using herbs and charms to cure ills in exchange for food for her family. Both her daughter and granddaughter have the same talent for curing, but choose not to pursue their talent, and the family’s eventual downfall forms the crux of this story.

    I usually enjoy stories of this type, but I found that at times this book went on and on describing walks to and from various homes of the townspeople. The bleakness of the lives these people led was often hard to read about, that isn’t a criticism of the writing, it’s just a statement that the book was often depressing. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters, with the exception of Alizon Device, the granddaughter; to me she was the most fully realized character in the book. It was hard to follow time frames, years seemed to go by with the turn of a page. After all the time spent setting up the story, the eventual imprisonment and trial seemed very rushed. Although it’s clear that a lot of research went into this I never ‘felt’ the story.
  • Laura A. (Jeremiah, Kentucky)
    Nothing Exciting
    "Daughters of the Witching Hill" should have been more interesting than it was. The premise was interesting - an actual witch hunt and trial of a family in the 1580's- but it was very dull and the characters just did not come to life for me.
  • Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

Beyond the Book

Read-Alikes

Support BookBrowse

Join our inner reading circle, go ad-free and get way more!

Find out more

The Familiar

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Clear
    Clear
    by Carys Davies
    John Ferguson is a principled man. But when, in 1843, those principles drive him to break from the ...
  • Book Jacket: Change
    Change
    by Edouard Louis
    Édouard Louis's 2014 debut novel, The End of Eddy—an instant literary success, published ...
  • Book Jacket: Big Time
    Big Time
    by Ben H. Winters
    Big Time, the latest offering from prolific novelist and screenwriter Ben H. Winters, is as ...
  • Book Jacket: Becoming Madam Secretary
    Becoming Madam Secretary
    by Stephanie Dray
    Our First Impressions reviewers enjoyed reading about Frances Perkins, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
Half a Cup of Sand and Sky
by Nadine Bjursten
A poignant portrayal of a woman's quest for love and belonging amid political turmoil.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The Stone Home
    by Crystal Hana Kim

    A moving family drama and coming-of-age story revealing a dark corner of South Korean history.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    The House on Biscayne Bay
    by Chanel Cleeton

    As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.

    Read the Reviews
Win This Book
Win The Funeral Cryer

The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu

Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.

Enter

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

M as A H

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.