Cunning Women is everything I love about historical fiction.
I’m on a bit of a 17th century bender at the moment, and witches seem to crop up frequently. Basically, if you were female, didn’t have a man about the place (preferably one you were married to) and knew things other than washing, cleaning and popping out babies, you risked being accused of witchcraft. Add to that a birthmark, and/ or an opinion or two, AND not going to church regularly, then you might as well start picking your own stake out.

Sarah and her mother, brother and little sister, all live in a hamlet abandoned after all the inhabitants died of plague, known as the Plague Village. They have no money and little income after the death of Sarah’s father, and what money they do have comes from selling potions, small spells and begging. They’re outcasts, and there’s an atmosphere of dank, dark poverty in where they live and what they wear. They are avoided by pretty much everyone in the village - it seems to be a really lonely existence.

Then comes a spark of hope when Sarah meets the local farmer’s son, Daniel. He lives a very different life: one of open spaces, plenty of food, light and comfort. He’s treated poorly by his father and a farm hand, but he’s never hungry, and his living conditions are so much better than those of the Haworth family.

This is a story that feels so raw and real. You just know that it’s not going to be a happy ending. How can it? Don’t get me wrong - I rather like endings that are unresolved or just plain unpleasant (weird, I know) but the youth of these protagonists had me hoping throughout for a better life for them.

Ahh, the 17th century - great to read about, but I’ve never been so glad to have been born in the 1970’s!

This is a really enjoyable, heartfelt historical fiction novel, and I’m so pleased that I got the chance to read it. Many thanks to Windmill Books for providing me with an e-arc through NetGalley.

This has been a good year for books about witches! Set shortly after the Pendle Witch trials, this strong debut is rather brilliant. The characters are well-fleshed out, and I love learning about history, especially about things related to witches, and this did not disappoint. Definitely recommend!

Cunning Women is the story of Sarah, a girl from a line of Cunning Women and her fight to have a normal life. She wants to be with the man she loves, wants to fit in to the community but when there’s danger everywhere for women like her, it’s not as easy to fit in.

I enjoyed this story. The descriptions of both people and environment meant I felt like I was there experiencing it. There were moments of happiness, sadness and disbelief and I just couldn’t tell how the story would end.

Great story and worthy of the 4 stars.

The Haworth family are outsiders, living on the outskirts of their village and selling salves and tinctures to get by. However, this is in the wake of the slaughter of witches at Pendle and the outskirts of life are a dangerous place to be. Shunned and avoided by the God-fearing community in the village, Sarah Haworth meets lonely farmer’s son Daniel and begins to see the possibility of a better future with him. But can their bond stand up to the judgement and distrust of a community terrified of sorcery and sin?

Cunning Women is a historical witch-hunt story with a twist – the Haworth women really are witches, marked by the devil. Known as ‘cunning women’ rather than witches, they manage to survive without direct persecution but are still shunned by the local community. Beyond that, this is basically a love story. It’s slow-paced and took a while to really get going, but it’s well written and engaging nonetheless.

I struggled a little to really connect with Sarah or her family. They were mostly quite frustrating because it seemed like they could have survived quite well if they’d only listened to Sarah and done as she told them instead of insisting on cursing those who wronged them, etc. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I’ve enjoyed some of the other witch-trial books I’ve read and I wasn’t entirely convinced by Sarah and Daniel’s romance, but I ended up emotionally invested enough to be quite upset by the ending.

I was quite excited about this book, I grew up not far from Pendle Hill and was expecting to read a story based on witchcraft and the history surrounding the Pendle witches. I found the book slow, and it didn't grab my imagination - it was well written but for me, less of a historical novel and more a love story between a young girl from a family that doesn't fit in because they're "cunning" and versed in the ways of witchcraft and a young man who is an outsider and misunderstood in his own family because he's gentle and caring. I know many people will like it but it wasn't for me.

Cunning Women is the powerful reckoning of a young woman with her wildness, a heartbreaking tale of young love and a shattering story of the intolerance that reigned during the long shadow of the Pendle Witch Trials, when those who did not conform found persecution at every door.

Really enjoyed this book. Very well written, great storyline and brilliant characters. Kept me reading and interested all the way through. Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for the privilege to read this book for my honest opinion

With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This is an assured, confident, mature and well constructed novel with an excellent storyline. The setting is a small fishing village in Lancashire in the first half of the seventeenth century, in the aftermath of the Pendleton Witch trials. Poverty reigns, but the villagers scrape a living from fishing and lead outwardly respectable lives though many are not averse to resorting to cunning women for cures, potions and curses. When misfortune strikes however, often in the form of a husband’s death at sea, there is no structure to take care of the wives and children who are left destitute.

The story centres on one such family, the Haworths. After the father of the family is drowned in a storm his wife, son and two daughters survive by retreating to a makeshift hovel in the ruins of a plague hamlet in the hills above the village, the women peddling their cunning craft and sometimes their bodies, and the son resorting to stealing when nobody will give him honest work, to glean barely enough food to survive. What little kindness there is in their lives comes through the village pastor and the local farmer’s gentle son Daniel - both of them men who view themselves as flawed.

As Sarah, the 17-year-old wild beauty of the family, starts to come into her powers - as a witch, or merely a woman? - a seemingly impossible love blossoms between her and Daniel. But when the new magistrates arrives in the village to investigate tales of curses and closet Papists, the fragile balance between the villagers and the cunning ones rapidly starts to fall apart.

The narrative pulls the reader in and holds them in thrall. Knowing what we all do about the witchhunts of the period, the threat of that horror is always there in the background, and the author wisely leaves it there, a dark shadow. The focus is on the depiction of a harsh everyday reality in a time of ignorance and fear, and on building the main characters. Sarah is half-wild, fiercely protective of her family, torn between what she believes is her destiny as a witch and the tantalising promise of a life as a wife and mother, accepted by society, that she dares to hope for when Daniel returns her feelings. Her brother John is regarded as a devil, but he is merely a desperate boy nobody will give a chance to. And Daniel, a sensitive child and now man, has been taught to believe he is weak by a small world that does not have room for difference.

The resolution was not what I expected, and is believable and realistic and very powerful. This is a good story well told, and very much to be commended and recommended.

This book is fantastic. It really captures the paranoia and suspicion that surrounded women living in England in the period. It really brought to mins the Pendle Witch Trial. The discrimination that the Haworth family suffered is heartbreaking and the characters are well developed. Gabriel is the perfect villian and the really brings to life how men in this period felt threatened by powerful women, and threatened men are terribly dangerous creatures. This book was likened to Sarah Perry's The Essex Serpent but in my opinion this is far superior.

This is an outstanding read, and highly recommended.

Set in the early 1600s in northern England, the novel catches the reader at the point in history where witch trials were becoming a part of life. Anyone slightly off from the norm, those not attending church regularly, those communing with nature - all under suspicion and isolated from their communities.

Sarah's family faces such persecution - forced to live in poverty in the dilapidated cottages of the plague-dead, her mother struggles to feed her children with only the money she brings in from salves, tonics, and treatments that the villagers secretly seek. Her mother and Sarah are the "cunning women" of the title, also able to employ curses.

The story concentrates on Sarah, and also Daniel - a farmer's son who is intrigued by Sarah. Is their growing love genuine, or a cunning enchantment? In trying to work this out, Daniel risks all...

Beautifully written characters, vivid scenery, and with passion at the heart of its narrative, this is a great read.

This was a very strong historical fiction novel that really pulls you into the story. The characters were very well written. My only criticism is that I feel like I have read a lot of similar stories before, so didn't find it very original

Sarah lives in an abandoned Lancashire plague village in the 1620s. She and her family are tolerated only for their knowledge of healing herbs. Suspicions of witchcraft cling to them. When Sarah meets and falls in love with a boy from a nearby village things begin to take a sinister and disturbing turn. Cunning Woman will keep you thinking about the twists and turns long after you have put the book down.

I loved this book for its power and ability to make me feel the fear of being hunted and not knowing whether the next page will be the unravelling of Sarah's life and the unveiling of her witch mark. The tension of the time leaps of the page, making it an emotional and immersive read. This novel shows both sides of the mania of the 17th century where witchcraft is feared and punished but the slightest error or perceived difference can be a woman's downfall. No one is safe.
This novel has a hauntingly beautiful love story at its heart and provokes vivid imagery and is one that will stay with me forever.

Sarah Haworth lives with her mother, brother and sister in the old plague hamlet. A few kindly folk call them cunning, for their knowledge of the land and its natural remedies. But there are those near who call them by another name: witches. They who banished them from the community and look on them now with only fear and fury.

Sarah knows the future that awaits her. No coin, no food and sharp words thrown at her like knives to cut and condemn. Sarah is torn between hoping for a normal life, and letting her true nature reign. But she also has to protect her little sister, sweet young Annie, whose innocence is stripped away a little more each day. Then Sarah comes across a boy in the woods, who tames a horse, not with whips and fists, but kindly words, and she is drawn to him, his light.

Daniel is the son of a farmer. He is quiet, always the quietest one in the room. Then he meets Sarah and he does not see a witch, he sees a wild girl with a storm in her eyes. And suddenly he is brave, courageous, with fire in his bones. It’s a fire for Sarah. And no one will put it out.

But Daniel and Sarah’s love is a fragile thing. They are worlds apart. And the local folk, fury and fear inside them, will never let them know peace.

The relationship between Daniel and Sarah is very powerful, I found it heartbreaking, haunting, beautiful and moving all at once. I also loved the bond between siblings, Sarah and little Annie. It touched me deeply. Packed full of emotion, and with a twist at the end that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, this is a truly wonderful book. I couldn’t read fast enough.

The author has conjured a glorious, delicious tale of love, loyalty and family. The prose is perfection, authentically and effortlessly portraying a community stewing in suspicion and accusation. I adored the author’s musical voice, and her rich characters, who held me fast to the pages. You can see how much research has been poured into this book: the language, customs, culture of this era, the Pendle Witch Trials, which casts a dense shadow over the Haworth family. The author has painted a rich and masterful portrait of a very dark time.

I loved Cunning Women. It is SO SO beautifully written, with an emotional acuity which is just breath-taking. Raw, moving, tender. It is phenomenal. One of the best historical fiction books I’ve read.

Set in 1620’s Lancashire, Sarah Howarth, her mother, brother John & sister Annie live on the outskirts of a village in a small hamlet of houses abandoned when the plague struck years ago. Known as cunning folk the family are outcasts until people from the village need a potion to cure an ill or a curse put on someone.
Sarah doesn’t want to become like her mother and dreams of another life. When she meets Farmer's son Daniel, she hopes her dreams may come true but in a time when anyone different is a cause for suspicion they must be careful or the prejudice of others will tear them apart.
A new magistrate with a reputation for hunting and punishing “witches” means the family are in more danger than ever.
Although I would have liked a bit more of the witchcraft aspect I was totally captivated by the love story between Sarah and Daniel. The characters and the setting are so well described you can almost see them.

3/5 stars.
I quite enjoyed this one. I didn't think it was anything overly special but it was a quite and enjoyable read. I would recommend it in store for people interested in this genre.

I enjoyed the story as a whole, I liked the notion that Sarah wanted something different in life than the hand she was dealt and did try to make that happen.
I felt the language used in speaking parts to be appropriate to both the time and the region, it added further authenticity to the story.
I found it a little slow at first, I did have to push myself to read it but I was able to get through it.

“Observe your womenfolk for wantonness above their usual failing, watch for the meeting of covens without a man to give spiritual strength. You must keep an attentive eye for secret knowledge of herbuse, the mark of the Devil upon the skin, for these are the signs of Wickedness”

Set in Lancashire, England during the 1620’s, Cunning Women is a debut historical fiction novel of love, loss, superstition and fate from Elizabeth Lee.

Sarah Haworth remembers a time before her father was swallowed by the sea, when her mother was looked upon kindly by her neighbours, and sought out for her healing tinctures and potions, but now, each morning, Sarah wakes and frantically searches her younger sister’s body for a sign that the devil has marked her as a witch during the night, as she and her mother are marked by the red stains on their skin. Sarah’s greatest wish is that Annie be spared her own inevitable fate, and one day escape their tiny, derelict home on Plague hill to lead a normal life, like the villagers below who shun them.

During the reign of King James, a cunning woman, one with knowledge of cures and medicines, as well as charms and curses, was condemned as a witch, though in small villages, they were still often secretly called upon for aid. Lee sets her story amongst this climate of fear and superstition, in which Ruth Haworth, left destitute and vulnerable by her husband’s death, attempts to eke out a living for herself and her three children.

When she was twelve, Sarah learnt from her mother that she too is a cunning woman and as such an ordinary life as a wife and a mother is not hers to have. It’s a destiny Sarah does not want, actively rejecting her mother’s lessons, focusing on the wellbeing of Annie, the sister gifted to them by the woods. Sarah is a sympathetic character, barely fourteen her life is one of deprivation and humiliation, yet she clings tightly to a slender thread of hope that things can change.

Lee introduces romance into the story when Sarah encounters the local farmers son. Daniel is inexplicably drawn to Sarah despite the Haworth’s reputation, and the grudge held against her family by his father. I think Lee develops the relationship quite well within the demands of the story. As love blooms between the couple, Sarah begins to imagine that a new life is with her grasp, until tragedy threatens to rip it away.

It takes a little while for the narrative to gain momentum, but suspense is woven into several threads, and when one snaps it increases the tension among the others. There were a few elements in the plot that I didn’t expect, and the ending was somewhat of a surprise too.

I’ve read a few books set in this period with similar themes recently, and I think this story compares well. Cunning Women is a bewitching and atmospheric tale.

Cunning Women is the debut novel frpm Elizabeth Lee. Set in 1620, after the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612, Sarah, her mother, brother John and young sister Annie are living on the outskirts of a Lancashire village, in a hamlet deserted after the plague. Shunned by the villagers who treat them with suspicion by day, but a night they come for their potions and healing balms. Sarah and her family live a solitary, away from others, a path chosen for Sarah and her mother by a mark on their body, as have their ancestors. However, when Sarah sees Daniel, the son of the local farmer, taming a horse, she is drawn as he doesn’t turn and run, he treats her with kindness and sees her for the young women she is. As sparks of romance spark between Sarah and Daniel, a new Magistrate comes to the village puttung Sarah and her family in danger.

Cunning Women is as beautiful to read as the cover suggests. What I loved most about this book was the origional and fresh voice of Sarah, who narrates her chapters in the first person narrative. She is only in her mid teens but has experienced so much of the harshness of life already. Hunger and fear are everyday visitors to her and her family, with her mother relying on he rhealing powers and charms and brother Jack, who can’t get work because of who he is. Sarah has a huge heart, is very loving and caring especilly where her young sister Annie is concerned. She will do anything to protect Annie, from the cruelty of the villagers, but most importantly from being marked by an unknown entity that leads to a life of serving ‘him’, to spin curses and have a familiar. Sarah is not quite ready to meet her fate, she has hopes and dreams that other girls of her age have, love romance and dancing, not a lonely life, always looking over her shoulder and being feared. Sarah is drawn to Daniel, he is gentle, kind and doesn’t fear her, sees her for the young woman she really is and the woman she could be. This is her chance at a normal life, of marraige and children, food on the table and being able to help her family. Following Sarah grow, and love was a wonderful part of this book, but the path of true love never did run smooth, and for Daniel and Sarah their way is thwarted by wicked Gabriel, looking for revenge and the over zealous magistrate.

Elizabeth Lee really captures the atmosphere of this time; even eight years after the Pendle Witch Trials, there is still suspicion of those that people do not understand. Two points that really fascinated me were the fact that those who treated Sarah and her family with disdain during the day, would go to her mother at night when they needed help, be it for a medical reason, for a protecton spell or to end an unwanted pregnancy. The second was the fact that their one protector and friend was Parson Walsh, a man of the church, someone you would have thought would denounce them. The prose is rich and descriptive, capturing the fear and oppresive feeling of the village, people willing to believe what those in power tell them to, drawn in to a web of ideologies that preach hate towards those who are different and don’t conform to the expected way of life of the villiage. There is a real darkness to this book, and some shocking scenes that at times are harrowing to read but add to the versimilitude of this book and its period sitting.

Cunning Women is a book that will stay with me for some time. Elizabeth Lee captures the essence of this period, where there is still a fear of the unknown and misunderstood, and where communities close ranks on those they see as outsiders. Sarah’s voice is unique and lured me into the story, a young woman struggling with who she wanted to be, whether to follow her chosen path or try to break away and try to lead a normal life. With dark and yet beautiful prose, underpinned with tension, this really is a bewitching debut read.

TL;DR recommendation:
🤷‍♀️ Unsure/depends
Slow-burner that didn’t keep my attention

Anyone who knows me will be aware of how my mind works – you need to keep it entertained or I’ll wander off and get distracted no matter the punchline. This book is an AWESOME story but my attention? Wandered off into the damn hills. Here’s what you’re in for:

✨ People who possess witchy-like powers during the time of the Pendle witch trials
✨ Shitty neighbours hell-bent on accusing anyone of being in bed with the devil
✨ One doomed relationship (my poor heart)

Sarah’s mum is a witch which means she’s most likely one, too. And that means society is going to banish you to the outskirts and hound you at every given opportunity. This is a story about their daily hell. Reduced to sending the kids out begging every day, the rest of the Haworth family is left punting out their salves and potions to anyone with an ailment they’d rather not share with others. Under the cloak of healing warts and hives, Sarah battles with her dark side and tries everything to keep it hidden from the world. Not content with the one job of keeping half her personality under wraps, Sarah only goes and falls in love with Daniel; the farmer’s son and eligible bachelor number 1.

To add mayhem to an already chaotic world, a new magistrate saunters into town and he’s here to make his mark. You guessed it. Everything goes tits up, tensions run extremely high, accusations get thrown which ultimately leads to a disastrous end.

Right, so what did I love about this? A few things. Firstly, it’s about witches and that automatically gets my attention. Secondly, it’s a really well done story and one I honestly didn’t see coming.

The bits I didn’t like? It’s a slow-burner and it just didn’t keep my attention for long enough. I hate skim reading with a passion but here I was doing it.

If you like historical witch fiction and can handle a bit of a slower story, absolutely grab this.