Once I started, I found it hard to put down. I seemed to hurtle my way through this novel, I couldn’t stop it reading for the most part of a day. The Familiars features prose that is full of imagery and poetic realism, but at the same time, it flows just beautifully. I was immediately struck by her writing style, which was refined and assured. From the greenery, winding forest plants, a necklace, a fox, a scroll and a woman’s silhouette, these little images symbolise key events of the novel. When I first set eyes on the cover of The Familiars, I have to say it was love at first book sight! This is a stunning cover piece, the little motifs that adorn the front all signify an important aspect of The Familiars. With touches of magic, a dash of mystery and an enigmatic lead, The Familiars will lure you in from the start to finish. Delicately embroidered within this historical recreation, is the story of a friendship between two women from contrasting backgrounds, in an age where women were simply seen as child rearing commodities. The Familiars is a historical re-imagining of the famous events surrounding the Pendle Witch Trials, which took place in 1612, under the reign of King James I. Time is running out, and both their lives are at stake. Soon the two women’s lives will become inextricably bound together as the legendary trial at Lancaster approaches, and Fleetwood’s stomach continues to grow. But is there more to Alice than meets the eye? Alice promises to help her give birth to a healthy baby, and to prove the physician wrong.Īs Alice is drawn into the witchcraft accusations that are sweeping the North-West, Fleetwood risks everything by trying to help her.
Then she crosses paths by chance with Alice Gray, a young midwife. When Fleetwood finds a letter she isn’t supposed to read from the doctor who delivered her third stillbirth, she is dealt the crushing blow that she will not survive another pregnancy. But as the mistress at Gawthorpe Hall, she still has no living child, and her husband Richard is anxious for an heir. Fleetwood Shuttleworth is 17 years old, married, and pregnant for the fourth time.
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