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A review by mary_lake
The Familiars by Stacey Halls
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Really fantastic book. I picked it up because I'd already read The Foundling and Mrs England and loved them but, having exhausted the witch trials during my history class a few years ago, I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy it.
I was completely wrong.
This book has an utterly compelling narrative, intertwining together the lives of Fleetwood, mistress of the manor, and Alice, a poor girl who lives in the village a little way away. Both women were fascinating characters and I enjoyed reading them.The mystery surrounding whether or not Alice was a witch and what exactly the other Pendle Witches were doing was crafted really well and I thought it a good ending that many questions were left unanswered or only hinted it.
I knew of the Pendle Witches but my school had focused on the Matthew Hopkins period, during the English Civil War, so I really had no idea about this particular witch trial until reading this book. I was surprised to find out halfway through, by Google, that all the characters were real historical figures from 1612, all either involved in the witch trial or living near it when it happened. Of course, this story weaved from this figures is made up and there's no evidence the real Fleetwood and Alice knew it each other, but knowing the characters were based on real people, made this already fascinating story even more so.
Having read The Foundling and Mrs England now as well, I've noticed Halls has a habit of placing two very different, well developed female characters together (often where one is in a position of power over the other) in a historical setting and having that relationship, with its shifting dynamics, guide the story. There are also very strong themes of motherhood and the mother/mother figure's relationship to their children, as well as feminism and what it meant to be a woman at that time in history. All of this I love and I think Halls' portrays these themes and characters excellently.
I'm so glad I picked this book up in the end; I absolutely devoured it and anxiously await Halls' next novel!
I was completely wrong.
This book has an utterly compelling narrative, intertwining together the lives of Fleetwood, mistress of the manor, and Alice, a poor girl who lives in the village a little way away. Both women were fascinating characters and I enjoyed reading them.
I knew of the Pendle Witches but my school had focused on the Matthew Hopkins period, during the English Civil War, so I really had no idea about this particular witch trial until reading this book. I was surprised to find out halfway through, by Google, that all the characters were real historical figures from 1612, all either involved in the witch trial or living near it when it happened. Of course, this story weaved from this figures is made up and there's no evidence the real Fleetwood and Alice knew it each other, but knowing the characters were based on real people, made this already fascinating story even more so.
Having read The Foundling and Mrs England now as well, I've noticed Halls has a habit of placing two very different, well developed female characters together (often where one is in a position of power over the other) in a historical setting and having that relationship, with its shifting dynamics, guide the story. There are also very strong themes of motherhood and the mother/mother figure's relationship to their children, as well as feminism and what it meant to be a woman at that time in history. All of this I love and I think Halls' portrays these themes and characters excellently.
I'm so glad I picked this book up in the end; I absolutely devoured it and anxiously await Halls' next novel!
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy