Wednesday, January 27, 2016

D is for Daughter of Pendle

Paula reviews 'Daughter of Pendle' by Rowan Scot-Ryder

This story is set in the early 17th century in Lancashire in the north west of England. Anyone who has grown up in this area (like me) knows the story of the ‘Pendle Witches’, a group of women who were found guilty of witchcraft and hanged.

Pendle Hill is a long, low hill about 1,800 feet high which dominates the landscape of the eastern part of the county. In the 17th century, it was covered with more forests than today, and was surrounded by small villages, some with less than a dozen cottages. The area was said to be wild and lawless, and superstition was rife. Anyone who was ‘different’ was open to suspicion, including those who mixed potions of herbal remedies for the poor families who had no recourse to any other medical help.

In addition, King James I, convinced that he was being plotted against by witches, enacted a law imposing the death penalty on any practitioners of witchcraft or the ‘magical arts’. Of course, the local justices of the peace were only too anxious to obey the king’s demands and, hopefully, to earn promotion by doing so.

As Rowan says in her introduction to the story, history is written by the accusers, and not the accused i.e. in this case, the official record of the trial. Rowan, however, looks at the ‘other’ side of the story, mainly through the eyes of eleven-year-old Jennet Devize. When her family was accused of witchcraft, Jennet stood up in the crowded court room at Lancaster Assizes, and denounced them all. History has portrayed her as a vindictive child from an abusive family – but is there another explanation?

Blurb:
Jennet Devize is the last of the Demdike clan, and a true daughter of Pendle.
Known for centuries as the child of witches, she spoke against her whole family at the Lancaster Assizes in 1612, condemning them to death. What was the truth behind her betrayal? What happened after the trials?
Could she build a life and be loved, become a mother and a healer, or would the accusation of witchcraft follow her forever?

This story was a fascinating glimpse of Jennet’s family and the events leading up to the trial, as well as the aftermath for Jennet during the next 25 years, based both on fact and also on Rowan’s vivid, but very believable, imagination. I felt I got to know the characters well, and I was transported back to the days when belief in witchcraft was very strong. And, believe me, the last line of dialogue will bring goosebumps to every reader who has heard or read anything about 17th century accusations of witchcraft .

19 comments:

  1. Now I need to know what the last line of dialogue is!
    Great review!

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    1. I'm saying nothing! You'll have to read it! :-)

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  2. As you probably know I'm not into historical novels but this has certainly caught my interest.

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    1. I'm not usually into historicals either (despite or maybe because I'm an historian) - but this is very different from the pirates, rakes, and dukes that abound in many so-called historicals! It's based on fact and has been well researched. Definitely worth reading, Margaret!

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  3. Well you've definitely teased us with that hint about the last line of dialogue, haven't you now?! :)

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    1. It was the line that made my blood run cold, which maybe shows how immersed I became in the story!

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  4. I love historicals and I'm fascinated by how women were unjustly accused of witchcraft. Looking forward to reading this one!

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    1. Hope you enjoy it, Jen! I think it shows the injustice of the accusations of witchcraft here in 17th century England, and it's far more believable than the 'official' records dating from this time.

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    2. I have no idea if this is accurate or not, but I remember learning that there were many actual things that caused women to hallucinate, etc., including consuming the rye seed.

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    3. Not heard of that, but the so-called 'witches' here were usually what we might now call eccentrics - women who lived on their own with half a dozen cats, or who dispensed herbal remedies, or even those suffering from what we now recognise as Alzheimer's or another form of dementia.

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    4. Agree but it was the age they lived in. Superstition was rife. In the Middle Ages, suspected witches were thrown into a local lake attached to a large boulder. If they sank and drowned, they were innocent; if they didn't they were guilty. Catch 22!

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    5. Oh I know. And today, I'm not sure there's that much of a difference in some of the women's issues. Except for the boulder thing. :)

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  5. I definitely enjoyed a look at the "other side of the coin" as shared by Rowan in this book. We so often only see one side of an issue and take it as truth when there is usually part of the story we don't know. Just think of all of us who talk to ourselves, our pets, and are a bit eccentric at times. We would all be counted as witches were the superstitions still in control.

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    1. Good point, Rebecca! I'm sure everyone would think I was an old witch! LOL!

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    1. It really is, Vicki, and you don't have to know the 'historical' story already to enjoy Rowan's interpretation of the events.

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  7. I thoroughly recommend this book. As Paula states the last line gave me goosebumps

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    1. I think everyone who has read it gets a jolt at the end!

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