lafee's review
5.0
This book is a compelling blend of the history of the Scottish witch trials and Allyson's own personal history as a 'blow in' from the US to Scotland. It was interesting to have places I'm familiar with, to the extent that I take them for granted, I think, painted in a new light through Allyson's eyes and through the lens of this very human history that is so often treated like a carnival sideshow. In recounting the histories of those accused of witchcraft, dehumanised by time and by those who would capitalise on their pain, Allyson has given these women back a voice, and I finished the book feeling like I knew them, and Allyson, a little better.
kizzia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
A creative non-fiction book detailing Allyson’s investigation of the women hunted and killed during the Scottish witch trials that occurred during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Allyson provides a perfect description of what she has written:
Ashes and Stones is a moving and personal journey, along rugged coasts and through remote villages and modern cities, in search of the traces of those accused of witchcraft in seventeenth-century Scotland.
– Allyson Shaw’s website
As someone who has taken the title of witch for myself this was alway a book I was going to read, as I am fully aware that none of those women would have chosen the title for themselves and this reclamation comes with a responsibility to acknowledge those who had the title and a terrible fate thrust upon them. Allyson does more than acknowledge them, she brings them back to life and offers them a living memorial built of words.
She writes with a fluid lucidity that at times belies the subject matter but often brings it into sharp contrast with the way the trials are currently represented in both popular culture and some of the modern histories that elide the truth into something palatable. This is not just a history but also a reanimation of these women who have no graves, and had little or no voice in their own time, and also a reimagining of the lives and deaths. Allyson makes it very clear when she is sharing historical record and when she is painting their portraits with words from conjecture and her deep understanding of the folklore and beliefs of the time. It is nothing short of magic, the best possible use of this sort of spell.
There were a few times where I felt almost battered by some of the points Allyson chose to repeat and reiterate but given the subject matter this also feels like a valid and brave choice. The women accused were subjected to brutal treatment that was meted out by men who themselves never had to answer for what they did as they were backed by the full force of the law, it’s not pleasant and it does bear repetition.
I also really enjoyed the way Allyson wove her own journey in creating the book into the text. It added a context and level of intimacy that felt both necessary and right. I sincerely recommend that anyone with even a passing interest in history, feminism or witchcraft read this book. I listened to it on audible and found Lucy Paterson to be an excellent and sympathetic narrator.
awaywiththefairies's review
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Rape
unevendays's review
challenging
informative
5.0
Ashes and Stones is a poetic and deeply personal exploration of Scotland's witchtrials, the stories of some of the women accused, and the memorials and significant places in the landscape where we might encounter them. The brutality of the stories is never shied away from and is handled with sensitivity, and the limits of what we can know are explored, when all the records are told by those who carried out the atrocities. Heartbreaking and urgent, Ashes and Stones links these historical events with the present day and shows they are still relevant.
blalloland's review
I really tried to enjoy this book, I simply think I was not the target audience for it.
Ashes & Stones recounts the lives of witches trialled in Scotland, giving details of the few historical accounts that are still with us while musing about how we decide to remember the past, and how it reflects on current socio-political affairs.
The premise was interesting enough, asking what it means to belong to a place, and where we can find our roots when we feel like we don’t belong anywhere.
I enjoyed how detailed the author was in her notes and descriptions of the places she visited, it definitely makes you re-think the places we live in and their secret histories. It would make a very interesting trip around Scotland, that’s for sure!
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!
kintara81's review
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
This was a good historical non-fiction for me as being from Scotland I knew of all the places which the author has mentioned and described. I found this book after watching Outlander and that is what drew me into reading it as it helped me understand the way that characters in the fictional story were treated in line with the history of the times.
I did find this a hard read at times and found myself having to google some of the things to get a visual representation of some of the items which were described and this would be the thing which I would have found the most useful would have been having pictures of some of the items to help my understanding of the subjects/items being described to develop the history.
I did find this a hard read at times and found myself having to google some of the things to get a visual representation of some of the items which were described and this would be the thing which I would have found the most useful would have been having pictures of some of the items to help my understanding of the subjects/items being described to develop the history.