Named a best historical novel of the year by The New York Times Book Review and ?reminiscent of both The Scarlet Letter and Hamnet? (Jezebel), The Witching Tide is a powerful debut inspired by the true events behind a deadly witch hunt in 17th-century England. East Anglia, 1645. Martha Hallybread, a midwife, healer, and servant, has lived peacefully for more than four decades in her beloved seaside village of Cleftwater. Having lost her voice as a child, Martha has not spoken a word in years. One autumn morning, a sinister newcomer appears in town. A ?witchfinder,? Silas Makepeace has been blazing a trail of destruction along the coast, and his arrival in Cleftwater strikes fear into the heart of the community. Within a day, local women are being detained. Martha is enlisted to search the accused women for ?devil?s marks,? and finds herself a silent witness to the hunt. Martha is caught between suspicion and betrayal; between shielding herself or condemning the women of the village. In desperation, she revives a wax witching doll that belonged to her mother, in the hope that it will bring protection. But the doll?s true powers are unknowable, Martha harbors a terrible secret, and the gallows are looming? Set over the course of a few weeks that forever changed history, and for readers of Hilary Mantel and Margaret Atwood, The Witching Tide ?illuminates a dark historical period and cautions against its recreation? (Kirkus Reviews).
| Author: Margaret Meyer |
| Publisher: Simon and Schuster |
| Publication Date: Oct 01, 2024 |
| Number of Pages: 352 pages |
| Language: English |
| Binding: Paperback |
| ISBN-10: 1668011379 |
| ISBN-13: 9781668011379 |
