I think it is impossible to write a review of The Familiars that will even come close to doing it justice. Even whilst I was reading it, I kept stopping to take a breath and gather my thoughts, often pronouncing out loud 'this is brilliant'. The Familiars sweeps the board of positive adjectives; think of one and you could use it to describe this book: exceptional, outstanding, epic, awesome, fantastic, exquisite and brilliant to name but a few.
To make this story even more exceptional, is the fact that the characters in the book were real people. Stacey Halls brings them back to life with her beautiful and expressive writing and now they are immortalised in print. Although the story itself is a work of fiction, I like to think that this is the true story of Fleetwood Shuttleworth and her midwife, Alice Gray; two women who saved each other's lives.
I've always been intrigued by stories of witches and witchfinders. These clever, caring women who were natural healers still helped people even when they were at risk of being branded a witch. Whether for fame or fortune, they were hunted and rounded up, unfairly tried and hung. With witchfinders scouring the length and breadth of the country, no town was left unscathed and The Familiars is set in 17th century Lancashire around the time of the Pendle witch trials, one of the most famous witch trials in England.
Aged 17 and already having suffered three miscarriages, Fleetwood Shuttleworth finds herself pregnant again. Already frightened for the life of her unborn child, she finds a letter from her doctor to her husband which claims that she will not survive another pregnancy. Determined to give her husband an heir, she enlists the help of a woman she finds in the woods, Alice Gray, to be her midwife. With the help of Alice's herbs and tinctures, Fleetwood's unborn child grows stronger each day but then Fleetwood is dealt a crushing blow when Alice is arrested with the Pendle witches. Only Alice can save Fleetwood's life in childbirth and only Fleetwood can save Alice from the gallows.
Oh my word! The Familiars is most definitely my book of the year, if not the decade. What an outstanding novel and what an exceptional debut! It's so good that I bought a beautiful hardback copy after reading my advance review copy. Stacey Halls is a natural storyteller; her writing is effusive, seductive and descriptive, breathing life into her historical fiction novel and making the characters almost pop from the page. Stacey Halls is not only an author to watch, she's an author you MUST READ!!! I've already got a copy of her next novel (The Foundling) on pre-order, although I'm not sure how she can eclipse the utter perfection of The Familiars.
To make this story even more exceptional, is the fact that the characters in the book were real people. Stacey Halls brings them back to life with her beautiful and expressive writing and now they are immortalised in print. Although the story itself is a work of fiction, I like to think that this is the true story of Fleetwood Shuttleworth and her midwife, Alice Gray; two women who saved each other's lives.
I've always been intrigued by stories of witches and witchfinders. These clever, caring women who were natural healers still helped people even when they were at risk of being branded a witch. Whether for fame or fortune, they were hunted and rounded up, unfairly tried and hung. With witchfinders scouring the length and breadth of the country, no town was left unscathed and The Familiars is set in 17th century Lancashire around the time of the Pendle witch trials, one of the most famous witch trials in England.
Aged 17 and already having suffered three miscarriages, Fleetwood Shuttleworth finds herself pregnant again. Already frightened for the life of her unborn child, she finds a letter from her doctor to her husband which claims that she will not survive another pregnancy. Determined to give her husband an heir, she enlists the help of a woman she finds in the woods, Alice Gray, to be her midwife. With the help of Alice's herbs and tinctures, Fleetwood's unborn child grows stronger each day but then Fleetwood is dealt a crushing blow when Alice is arrested with the Pendle witches. Only Alice can save Fleetwood's life in childbirth and only Fleetwood can save Alice from the gallows.
Oh my word! The Familiars is most definitely my book of the year, if not the decade. What an outstanding novel and what an exceptional debut! It's so good that I bought a beautiful hardback copy after reading my advance review copy. Stacey Halls is a natural storyteller; her writing is effusive, seductive and descriptive, breathing life into her historical fiction novel and making the characters almost pop from the page. Stacey Halls is not only an author to watch, she's an author you MUST READ!!! I've already got a copy of her next novel (The Foundling) on pre-order, although I'm not sure how she can eclipse the utter perfection of The Familiars.