THE MANNINGTREE WITCHES, by A.K. Blakemore

   

Historical Fiction -- 5 stars

In 1643, all is peaceful in Manningtree, England, a tiny coastal village nearly devoid of men who are all off fighting in another of the king's wars.  The overtly pious Matthew Hopkins takes over the local inn, and begins to listen to rumors about the women who are living independent of a man's guidance.  Rebecca West, a young woman lives alone with her mother and cares for an elderly matron whose cabin sits on the hill above the village. These three garner Mr. Hopkins' especial attention. And so the feeding frenzy begins. ----- This is definitely not just another witch trial novel.  Based on historical records, a self-published book written by the historically accurate Matthew Hopkins, and told in the voice of a girl named Rebecca West whose identity is plucked from the trial records, this is a novel that immerses you in the lives of those women caught up in the Puritanical effort to purge England of anyone not seen as sufficiently god-fearing.  It is a novel that grabs you and refuses to let go until you have smelled the resulting darkness. Written in language flavored with that of the post-Elizabethan period, Ms. Blakemore takes an interesting detour from the usual focus on the trials themselves passing them over with just a few pages.  Instead, she targets the actual investigations, physical examinations, and fomenting rumors, exposing a vindictiveness masquerading as holy ardor that brings a reality that resonates beyond the usual.