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A review by lucyp747d4
Cunning Women by Elizabeth Lee
4.0
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Cornerstone/ Penguin Random House UK for approving me for an audio ARC of this book.
I’m making more of an effort to read historical fiction and trying to dabble in the darker side of history. When I saw the synopsis of this one I was intrigued and wanted to dive straight in. The narration by Taj Atwal is done superbly, she captured all the passion and emotion, behind Sarah’s story in particular, and it made the listen all the more enjoyable.
To begin with I found the story a little slow to get going. I liked the short chapters, as this made it really easy to pick up and put down throughout the day but I felt there was a lot of groundwork laid and quite a few characters introduced that I sometimes got mixed up. It also took me a little while to get used to some of the old language that was used.
I’m pleased to say though that the story soon picked up and it was a lot easier to follow. I found the cures and curses fascinating and loved learning more about the early witchcraft. I thought this part was realistic and it was easy to see why the Haworth family were feared. It was brilliant to have the story told from both sides of the village, I often found myself siding with Sarah’s family though, as to me they just seemed like normal people who were trying to survive. Surely if you had mouths to feed you’d do anything to feed them? What made me laugh most about the villagers was how they were happy to take the curses and cures in private but out on the street they treated the Haworth’s like dirt. The villagers really showed their true colours in the final scenes.
I had a lot of admiration for Sarah, she was kind, thoughtful and desperate to have a better life for her and her family. Despite the reputation her family had she strove to change the village’s view of them but she wasn’t a pushover. I loved the relationship she had with Annie and the motherly role she took on. I often felt that Daniel never felt he was good enough and was quite happy to be Gabriel’s shadow. Daniel lacked self esteem but he had a heart of gold which would explain why he was so well matched to Sarah. He was quite naïve in his plan but he definitely didn’t lack courage. Gabriel was the most cunning of them all and his actions were despicable. I found myself squirming at his remarks and overall manor, he took bad boy to a whole new level.
Poor Daniel and Sarah were doomed from the minute they set eyes on each other. They strove to surpass anyone’s expectations and were determined to not let their roles in society keep them apart. I found myself rooting for them even though I knew they were star crossed. Their final decision was a true moment of undeniable love. What hit me the most was the relationship between Sarah and her family. Her loyalty to them and how she tried to protect them was beautiful. The final scenes packed a punch that really hit me in the gut and my heart broke for Sarah, her family and Daniel.
This was a beautiful tale full of hope, desire and ambition. I’m so excited to see what Elizabeth Lee writes next!
I’m making more of an effort to read historical fiction and trying to dabble in the darker side of history. When I saw the synopsis of this one I was intrigued and wanted to dive straight in. The narration by Taj Atwal is done superbly, she captured all the passion and emotion, behind Sarah’s story in particular, and it made the listen all the more enjoyable.
To begin with I found the story a little slow to get going. I liked the short chapters, as this made it really easy to pick up and put down throughout the day but I felt there was a lot of groundwork laid and quite a few characters introduced that I sometimes got mixed up. It also took me a little while to get used to some of the old language that was used.
I’m pleased to say though that the story soon picked up and it was a lot easier to follow. I found the cures and curses fascinating and loved learning more about the early witchcraft. I thought this part was realistic and it was easy to see why the Haworth family were feared. It was brilliant to have the story told from both sides of the village, I often found myself siding with Sarah’s family though, as to me they just seemed like normal people who were trying to survive. Surely if you had mouths to feed you’d do anything to feed them? What made me laugh most about the villagers was how they were happy to take the curses and cures in private but out on the street they treated the Haworth’s like dirt. The villagers really showed their true colours in the final scenes.
I had a lot of admiration for Sarah, she was kind, thoughtful and desperate to have a better life for her and her family. Despite the reputation her family had she strove to change the village’s view of them but she wasn’t a pushover. I loved the relationship she had with Annie and the motherly role she took on. I often felt that Daniel never felt he was good enough and was quite happy to be Gabriel’s shadow. Daniel lacked self esteem but he had a heart of gold which would explain why he was so well matched to Sarah. He was quite naïve in his plan but he definitely didn’t lack courage. Gabriel was the most cunning of them all and his actions were despicable. I found myself squirming at his remarks and overall manor, he took bad boy to a whole new level.
Poor Daniel and Sarah were doomed from the minute they set eyes on each other. They strove to surpass anyone’s expectations and were determined to not let their roles in society keep them apart. I found myself rooting for them even though I knew they were star crossed. Their final decision was a true moment of undeniable love. What hit me the most was the relationship between Sarah and her family. Her loyalty to them and how she tried to protect them was beautiful. The final scenes packed a punch that really hit me in the gut and my heart broke for Sarah, her family and Daniel.
This was a beautiful tale full of hope, desire and ambition. I’m so excited to see what Elizabeth Lee writes next!