Reviews

Ashes and Stones: A Scottish Journey in Search of Witches and Witness by Allyson Shaw

dellademarinis's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

eviecurrie's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

sunflowerjess's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

An atmospheric, heart-wrenching, thought-provoking journey through Scotland. I was impressed and touched by how Allyson Shaw grapples with both personal and ancestral traumas; they were written about in a genuine, respectful, deep way. 

sarah_grey's review against another edition

I wanted more history and women and how it is different than the tourist signs, and less meandering thoughts about unrelated things. I wanted this book but more ruthlessly edited.

dulcimermaid's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

2.5

This book was a little light on the history and a little heavy on the memoir for my tastes. The writing is very academic without much of the historical substance, and I find it curious that the author criticises the commodification of the deaths of these women while participating in such with this book. In combination with the focus on the book's more memoir-oriented elements, it comes across a little gauche. I did enjoy several passages in this book, and the epilogue, however. 

jmc513's review against another edition

4.0

I picked up this book in an impulsive visit to a London bookstore, without much information, other than the promise of a historic account of the Scottish witch-hunts. Not knowing much about either Scottish history, or the history of witchcraft, I was guilty of the same witch-tourism the author denounces. Expecting something closer to a chronic about these stories, the book’s critique of the enduring violence against the victims of the hunts, humanising them through a very personal memoir, took me by surprise.


Despite the unexpected turn, I welcomed the perspective Shaw’s generous account provided, even though I disconnected from the form the narrative took. Reading Ashes and Stones gifted me knowledge and invited me to revise my own complicity in sustaining this violence. I was also shocked when holding this history agains the ongoing scapegoating against immigrants, and the continuing genocide perpetrated by the sons of the white men that persecuted these women, now directed at other people they deem inferior and want to eradicate.

hanjaks's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

2.25

This book should have ticked a lot of my boxes but I think being Scottish and having visited a few of the sites and even lived in the towns and cities mentioned (including a shoutout for my childhood hometown) I found the author’s writing style and descriptions of said places and locations prone to hyperbole which I found jarring when I was otherwise enjoying the more historic sections. 

ehtomb's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.0

An intense history of femicide in Scotland meets personal reflection. Shaw is well written and is very open about her research processes. Of the many modern books on witches I have read, there is often a conversation of personal connection and self reflection, and Shaw’s story is present throughout the book adding to the various stories of the women she writes about. While she does cover folklore and women as healers, she more focuses on the conversation of why men of power in this country/culture/time period would seek to kill women en mass. She has a great conversation about sexuality at the time and about disabilities, and why that would have put a target on some people. This is a thoughtful approach to a harrowing subject, and I think Shaw’s conversations about the modern idea of witches and how it has been commodified and turned into a consumer good is important. 

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.

zarco_j's review against another edition

5.0

I finished this at the end of last year but had to take time to collect my thoughts before reviewing.

This book is everything, it's part a history of Scottish Witch Trials and part a memoir. I found I couldn't put it down and on the rare occasion I did it haunted my thoughts (no pun intended).

I spend a lot of my time in Scotland and actually have visited some of the sites mentioned in the book, which made it even more personal to me.

The author shows that it isn't right to question what the alleged witches did but instead to question how and why this was allowed to happen. It's a dark stain on the worlds past and should never be forgotten.

Utterly compelling and one I will be purchasing a physical copy of and gifting to my friends.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.