The Familiars - which witch is which?

The Familiars, by Stacy Halls is set in and around Pendle, Lancashire in the early 17th Century and is based on real people, some of whom were caught up in the infamous Pendle Witch Trial of 1612. Our main protagonist is Fleetwood Shuttleworth, the mistress of Gawthorpe Hall, who is 17 years old, happily married and pregnant ... for the fourth time! Despite suffering terrible morning sickness, she hopes that it will be fourth time lucky and that she'll finally produce an heir for her husband, Richard. But when she finds a letter addressed to him from their doctor saying that his wife will not survive another pregnancy, she is crushed - not only by the news, but also as to why Richard hasn't said anything to her about it. But when she has a chance meeting with Alice Gray, a young midwife who promises to help Fleetwood give birth to a healthy baby, she takes her on. At first, Alice prescribes various herbs and tonics, and Fleetwood's health improves, but then Alice is accused of witchcraft (like a lot of "wise" women at that time) and Fleetwood sets out to try to help her, no matter the cost to herself and her baby. I really liked Fleetwood, what a great character - full of determination and heart, and willing to challenge the status quo at a time where women had very little say in what happened to them during their whole lives. Full of vivid characters and imagery, plus a good dose of historical details, this is a well rounded story where you can learn something about the past without really trying. Engaging plot and dialogue, this is an excellent read. I can highly recommend it, despite some of the more grisly and disturbing aspects - welcome to the 17th Century folks! This is definitely an author I will be seeking out again.

My STAR rating: FIVE

Length: 448 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.

Bitter Orange - lies upon lies

Bitter Orange, by Clare Fuller, follows the musings and reminiscences of Frances Jellico who is near death. Visited by a man who calls himself the vicar, she harks back to the summer of 1969 when Frances, then aged 39, gets a job surveying the garden architecture of a large country house (Lyntons). Up to that point, she had been looking after her recently deceased mother, and Frances takes the job on a whim,  ready to experience the world. Upon arrival, she discovers that there are two others also working at the house - Cara and Peter, an exotic couple with a tortuous past. Frances soon becomes infatuated with them both, and cannot resist spying on them through a hole in the floor in her bedroom. They seem to become firm friends, but all is not as it seems and tall tales are told over long, lavish dinners drinking wine from the long abandoned cellars of Lyntons. When they also discover a stash of furniture and household items, they take to borrowing them ... or even selling them. The jobs they should be doing take second place to what has become a bohemian lifestyle and Frances falls deeply in love with Peter ... but where might that leave Cara? And as time goes on, she cannot be sure that anything they have told her is actually true. Told in a series of flashbacks, this is a story with many ebbs and flows and one that heads deeper and deeper into tragedy. Whilst I had sympathy for the naive Frances, I found it difficult to like Cara and Peter and I just wanted Frances to get out of the situation before it was too late. The volatility of the couple was just too much drama for me and I would have left them to it. I certainly didn't fall for them, but found them rather self absorbed and irritating most of the time. I did like the descriptions of the house and gardens and would have liked more of that, as well as the relationship between Frances and the local vicar ... if only she'd listened to him! There were also hints of a ghostly presence at times, which felt a bit out of place and totally unnecessary. So, a bit of a mixed bag, and I mostly enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I don't think it's a book that will stay with me for very long.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 268 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.98

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, MP3CD, ebook.

Headlong - art history mixed with farce

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, Headlong, by Michael Frayn is an art history farce. Martin Clay is asked to assess a few paintings owned by Tony Churt, his buffoonish neighbour, during which, he catches a glimpse of another painting that he believes could be a lost masterpiece by Peter Breugel the Elder. Martin is convinced that if he could "discover" this painting and bring it to the attention of the art world, it would make his reputation (as well as a lot of money!). But in order to do that, he needs to get the painting away from Tony. And so he begins to plot ... first to find out whether the painting is what he believes it to be, and if it is, how to extricate it from the current owner without them twigging. Tony sets out to purchase it in a very convoluted and not exactly moral manner which, potentially, could bankrupt him - something his wife is not exactly keen to do considering they have only just had their first child. We follow Martin on his exploits, going down many a rabbit hole of research about the painting, and getting sucked into the unhappy marriage of Mr and Mrs Churt. It's not long before everything starts to spiral out of control and there seems to be no way back. This is an entertaining book - partly because of the humour and partly because of the history lesson - I learned a lot about Peter Breugel and how paintings can disappear and reappear through the centuries because of politics, war and luck. Martin Clay is a likeable, yet irritating character, and I wanted to give him a good shake and shout WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Especially when the relationship between himself and the wife of his "target" became something other than professional! I felt most strongly for Martin's long suffering wife who had to put up with the wanton recklessness of her husband, although, to be fair, it may well have been the symptoms of a breakdown. She managed to support him and maintain a calmness that I'm not sure many in real life could have managed. If you like a bit of silliness mixed with art, then this is the book for you.

My STAR rating: 4 STARS.

Length: 395 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print, audio CD, ebook.