The Manningtree Witches

Name: The Manningtree Witches
Brand: Dreamscape Media
Availability: InStock
Author: A. K. Blakemore
ISBN: 9781666533057

Author: A. K. Blakemore

Narrator: Sofia Zervudachi

Unabridged: 12 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Published: 09/23/2021

Categories: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Occult & Supernatural, Fantasy

Synopsis

England, 1643. Puritanical fervor has gripped the nation. And in Manningtree, a town depleted of men since the wars began, the hot terror of damnation burns in the hearts of women left to their own devices. Rebecca West, fatherless and husbandless, chafes against the drudgery of her days, livened only occasionally by her infatuation with the handsome young clerk John Edes. But then a newcomer, who identifies himself as the Witchfinder General, arrives. A mysterious, pious figure dressed from head to toe in black, Matthew Hopkins takes over the Thorn Inn and begins to ask questions about what the women on the margins of this diminished community are up to. Dangerous rumors of covens, pacts, and bodily wants have begun to hang over women like Rebecca—and the future is as frightening as it is thrilling. Brimming with contemporary energy and resonance, The Manningtree Witches plunges its listeners into the fever and menace of the English witch trials, where suspicion, mistrust, and betrayal run amok as a nation's arrogant male institutions start to realize that the very people they've suppressed for so long may be about to rise up and claim their freedom.

About A. K. Blakemore

A.K. Blakemore is the author of two collections of poetry: Humbert Summer and Fondue. She has also translated the work of Sichuanese poet Yu Yoyo. Her poetry and prose writing have been widely published and anthologized, appearing in the London Review of Books, Poetry, The Poetry Review, and The White Review, among other publications. The Manningtree Witches is is her debut novel. She lives in London, England.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer on February 21, 2024

Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel award having already been winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize (its inclusion on the longlist drawing me to this book) Winter lays down hard frosts, vitrifying the roads and the rooftops, enforcing seclusion and imposing fasts. Pigs freeze to death in their pen......more

Goodreads review by Naomi on March 22, 2021

I loved the concept, the characters were so detailed and put together and the history of the novel felt well researched. The afterword was really eye opening. HOWEVER, this was really difficult to read for me, I wanted to love it but just couldn’t get going most days with it. The poetic language was......more

Goodreads review by Jasmine on August 10, 2021

The Manningtree Witches brings to life the history of a small English town set in the mid-seventeen century where there is the sudden upheaval of witch trials. In this small community that is mostly populated by women due to men joining war, Rebecca West finds herself and the women around her accuse......more

Goodreads review by Katie on May 25, 2022

I really enjoyed this - a powerful, clever story with a very strong ending.......more

Goodreads review by Ivana - Diary of Difference on March 09, 2022

Wishlist | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Ko-fi I had the amazing opportunity to participate in another instagram readalong – this time reading the Manningtree Witches by A.K. Blakemore with some amazing bookstagrammers. We even had a wonderful Q&A chat with the author once we finished the......more