A review by contemporarymeepsie
The Hemlock Cure by Joanne Burn
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This novel is set during the 1665 to 1666 plague of Eyam. It follows Mae, Eyam's apothecary's daughter, with an incredible gift that gives her great insight in to making herbal remedies. But with how pious her father is, her gift is more like a curse. Plus her close attachment to the towns midwife, Isabel, puts her in jepody when her rage fueled father finds out. So she must keep secrets, but she's not the only one.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found Mae a very interesting and loveable character. Whilst the book is told in first person, Mae is not in fact the narrator, which I found to be an interesting twist on the norm. I also loved that it was set during the plague and quarantine of the Derbyshire village of Eyam but that did not play a major part in the plot of the book. It was simply the setting in which events took place, and as such certain things happened with consequences the characters we followed had to deal with. I enjoyed the interplay between real life people and fictional characters. Overall I had a really good time with this book. It was a little slow to start but once it got going I was hooked and wanted to read as much as possible until the very end.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found Mae a very interesting and loveable character. Whilst the book is told in first person, Mae is not in fact the narrator, which I found to be an interesting twist on the norm. I also loved that it was set during the plague and quarantine of the Derbyshire village of Eyam but that did not play a major part in the plot of the book. It was simply the setting in which events took place, and as such certain things happened with consequences the characters we followed had to deal with. I enjoyed the interplay between real life people and fictional characters. Overall I had a really good time with this book. It was a little slow to start but once it got going I was hooked and wanted to read as much as possible until the very end.