Can a man be maimed by witchcraft?
Can a severed head speak?
Based on the most notorious of English witch-trial, this is a tale of magic, superstition, conscience and ruthless murder.
It is set in a time when politics and religion were closely intertwined; when, following the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, every Catholic conspirator fled to a wild and untamed place far from the reach of London law.
This is Lancashire. This is Pendle.
This is witch country.
Above is the bumph from the back of the book, tells you enough to catch your attention, but doesn't give away much of the plot. It's by Jeanette Winterson, what else do you need to know, it's bound to be good.
Jeanette Winterson breathes more magic into this slim volume about the machinations going on behind the arrests of the women accused of witchcraft from Pendle in 1612. Much more magic than I have encountered in any other books based on the Lancashire Witches.
I also love the way she portrays Thomas Potts, as a jumped up jobsworth who sees witchcraft and popery everywhere he looks.
Another well crafted book from the pen of Jeanette Winterson
Labels: Jeanette Winterson, literary fiction
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