The Hemlock Cure: "A beautifully written story of the women of Eyam" Jennifer Saint, author of ARIADNE

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The book should appeal to fans of Michelle Paver and Stacey Halls, and readers of A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan. I can’t imagine living in a time where plagues and viruses like this were perceived and treated, along with the ridiculous suspicion that any woman that’s good at what she does is a witch.

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Dee's early work of skrying was discovered in manuscript during the years of this novel, but only came to academic light in 1672, after the close of The Hemlock Cure.The darkest threats, we learn, come not from illness or contagion, but from cruelties encompassed by those closest to us. There were many years (my twenties, mainly, when I was a mother of young children) when I hardly wrote at all. Thank you so much to Millie at Little Brown Book Group for sending me a proof in exchange for my honest review. While much happens within these pages it’s a tense and slow burn with deep rooted history between the characters motivating their actions.

Medicinal Use of Forest Trees and Shrubs by Indigenous People

A lot of the minor characters were people who really lived and died in that time which also appealed to my little inner history geek! Large houses often had a ‘stillroom’ – a place set apart from the smoky kitchen, where confectionery, preserves, cosmetics and medicines were prepared.What occurred is an astonishing story of community sacrifice, and forms the backdrop for my fictional novel, The Hemlock Cure. Leah's character, despite not being able to directly interact with any of the other characters, is so well thought out. I was unfamiliar with the story of Eyam prior to reading; plague era fiction isn't usually my go-to but I was drawn in by a pretty cover, and you know what?

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While this didn’t grab my attention and was a bit of a slog to read, I really enjoyed learning about the different plants and poisons and their effects on the body. She works with him and really wants him to accept her as his assistant but these are strange and dangerous times for women.Isabel has to tread such a careful path between practicing midwifery and avoiding attention and this is done so well. This also delved into a character, Johan, and as he is outside of Eyam when the lockdown starts, he must decide whether to go back to Isabel or chance it outside. But pious, controlling Wulfric doesn't want his daughter associating with the midwife let alone befriending her. Once I began reading about the 17th century world of medicine and poisons, how could I resist taking the reader to this fascinating place?