She is lumped in with a group of women, particularly because of her mother, but never really pushes back against that grouping until someone tells her that she can. A lot of the action of the story happens to her it isn’t until the final section of the novel that she truly takes charge of her own fate. Rebecca is our narrator for most of the book but she isn’t a particularly interesting character. I’ve sat on this review a little because while I found The Manningtree Witches engaging and an overall interesting read, I don’t know if I can say that I enjoyed it. Most of the witch hunting stories I’ve come across have been set in the United States so I was curious to read about this aspect of English history and religion. I’m not a reader who is widely knowledgeable about this part of English history and I’m not a reader who is particularly interested in witch hunts or the historical stories that surround them. But when Matthew Hopkins arrives in Manningtree, Rebecca’s entire future changes.īased in historical fact, Matthew Hopkins really existed and was known as a Witch Hunter at this time period in England. The bright spot in Rebecca’s life are the lessons she takes with a local clerk, John Edes, a man she has become infatuated with but knows is too refined for a girl like her. Fatherless, living with her mother, few prospects for the future. In 1643 in the small English town of Manningtree, Rebecca West is a young woman of limited resources. I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book.
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