⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ A beautifully written novel, The Manningtree Witches was as good, if not better, than I hoped it would be. Set in the mid 1600s England, the first mention of witch finder made me think fleetingly of The Mercies, which I have also read. Both novels are about witches but are very different in style and content. Between these two exceptional novels I would prefer this as it is less brutal, felt of the time and more subtly cunning. The Manningtree Witches delivered a gritty, unvarnished feel for time and place, beautifully illustrating the acceptably submissive manners women were expected to employ. The language spoken in dialog was peerless. A great distinction between educated and those lacking in education could be picked up easily in the conversation. I loved it. I felt as if I was there in the day-to-day chores and later when our witches' lives went off course. Young Rebecca West, our main focus, lives a tedious life with her bluntly troublesome mother, working during the day and pining after the charming John Edes who is educating her. Not much excitement in her life until the whispers of witchcraft take hold and the village is tilted on its axis.
I followed along in Rebecca's shoes as the story progressed wholly captivated by the activity and the power shift that saw Matthew Hopkins, the very creepy witch finder, gain in authority over everyone. A great story that is not as violent as witch stories tend to be, I recommend this completely.
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