I must admit that I did not enjoy this novel because of the writing style which greatly disturbed my reading. The author uses the verb "says" for the dialogues so much and what seems like always that it renders the writing very clumsy and irritating. The storyline was interesting but I was not very taken by the plot.
I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

Many "witch" stories begin with first-hand accounts of how they had turned their neighbour's milk sour or consorted with the devil, however "The Wonderful Discovery of Elizabeth Sawyer" by Jonathan Vischer cuts straight to 7 days before she is hanged. Goodcole, Ordinary at Newgate is tasked with extracting her confession but instead Sawyer tells him 3 stories about her life. He becomes wrapped up in her case and investigates the facts. Based on a true story, this book is slow to gain my interest but I was involved in the plot and Goodcole's descent into madness (or bewitching?) by the end.

The Wonderful Discovery of Elizabeth Sawyer by Jonathan Vischer

The year is 1621: a time of paranoia following the English Reformation. In London’s Newgate prison, Elizabeth Sawyer, the mother of eleven children, lies shackled in her cell. Denounced as a witch by her woodland neighbours and condemned to death by the court, Elizabeth has one last chance to make her peace with this world. By way of confession, she tells the prison chaplain three stories about her life.
This type of storyline is right up my street and the fact it is somewhat based on a real character is a double tick from me.
What a terrible time to be a woman , . annoy someone and be accused of being a witch , fall out with a neighbour - your a witch . Cure an illness , or suffer with mental health , yes , you are a witch !
Not a long read but an enjoyable one .

i actually skim-read a part of this one, which is surprising seeing that it’s such a brief book. but it didn’t engage me at all - none of the characters seemed appealing to me and i just sort of stopped caring around the 50% mark.

note: the book isn’t featured on goodreads, so i couldn’t leave a review on the site.