Judy's Review:

If you don’t LOVE this book, I’ll eat my (witch’s) hat.

It’s a compelling tale of three women across five centuries; a bubbling cauldron of magic, witchcraft (well, alleged witchcraft) and the secret, hidden power of the natural world.

2019: we find Kate fleeing London under the cover of darkness. She is escaping the torment of an abusive relationship and heads for the peace and solitude of an ancient tumbledown cottage – a sort of bothy, really - in Cumbria. Kate inherited Weyward Cottage from a great-aunt she can barely remember; today it is a deeply atmospheric place with tumbling ivy and a wonderfully overgrown garden.

Its very name holds a clue to its history. In medieval times, women accused of being witches had their own name for themselves - ‘Weyward’….

Richard's Review:

It’s not just the cottage’s name that points to the past.

Kate’s new home has secrets lurking in its very bones, hidden there since the witch-hunts of the 17th century. She doesn’t know it, but she is about to embark on an extraordinary journey – and we’re going with her.

We find ourselves in 1942 with Violet. Violet yearns for her long-dead mother, rumoured to have gone mad before she died. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W, and the word ‘weyward’, scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom...

We travel even further back to 1619, where we meet Altha. Altha is on trial for witchcraft, accused of killing a local man. She has a reputation for enjoying an uncanny connection with nature and animals – and in the witch-fearing 17th century, this makes her a threat.

A gripping story of fear, superstition, persecution – and fantastic female fortitude. We loved it.