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The witchfinder's sister : a novel / Beth Underdown.
"A debut literary historical thriller based on the witch hunts in 1640's England--the most intense in English history--in which Matthew Hopkins, the Witchfinder General, convicted more than a hundred women of witchcraft. In 1645, Alice Hopkins returns to her brother's house in disgrace, husbandless and pregnant. The brother she remembers is now a grown man and he's hunting witches: women who live on the margins of society--often childless widows, or women with deformities or feeble minds who are rejected by their communities. Viewed through the eyes of Alice, this is a woman's story of fear, friendship, love, betrayal, and redemption. What--or who--is Matthew really hunting? And to what dark place will his obsession lead them all?"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780399179143
- ISBN: 0399179143
- Physical Description: 312 pages : map ; 25 cm.
- Edition: First U.S. edition.
- Publisher: New York : Ballantine Books, [2017]
- Copyright: ©2017
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Hopkins, Matthew, -1647 > Fiction. Witch hunting > England > History > 17th century > Fiction. Women > England > History > 17th century > Fiction. Brothers and sisters > Fiction. Family secrets > Fiction. Great Britain > History > Charles I, 1625-1649 > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Historical fiction. Thrillers (Fiction) Biographical fiction. |
Available copies
- 2 of 2 copies available at Kenton County.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erlanger Branch | UNDER B (Text) | 33126021998665 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
| Independence Branch | UNDER B (Text) | 33126021998657 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
A tale inspired by the witch hunts of mid-17th-century England follows the experiences of Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkin's disgraced sisterâwho, upon returning, pregnant and unmarried, to her brother's homeâdiscovers how he is targeting the marginalized women of their community. - Baker & Taylor
Widowed and pregnant, Alice Hopkins returns to the small English town where she grew up to seek refuge with her brother, Matthew, and discovers that he is now a witch hunter targeting the marginalized women of their community. - Baker & Taylor
"A debut literary historical thriller based on the witch hunts in 1640s England--the most intense in English history--in which Matthew Hopkins, the Witchfinder General, convicted more than a hundred women of witchcraft. In 1645, Alice Hopkins returns to her brother's house in disgrace, husbandless and pregnant. The brother she remembers is now a grown man and he's hunting witches: women who live on the margins of society--often childless widows, or women with deformities or feeble minds who are rejected by their communities. Viewed through the eyes of Alice, this is a woman's story of fear, friendship, love, betrayal, and redemption. What--or who--is Matthew really hunting? And to what dark place will his obsession lead them all?"-- - Random House, Inc.
âThis is a novel for our times. . . . The Witchfinderâs Sister [lays] bare the visceral horror of what a witch hunt truly is.ââThe New York Times Book Review (Editorsâ Choice)
âVivid and terrifying.ââPaula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train and Into the Water
âConnects nicely with such dystopian classics as 1984 and The Handmaidâs Tale.ââBooklist
Essex, England, 1645. With a heavy heart, Alice Hopkins returns to the small town she grew up in. Widowed, with child, and without prospects, she is forced to find refuge at the house of her younger brother, Matthew. In the five years she has been gone, the boy she knew has become a man of influence and wealthâbut more has changed than merely his fortunes. Alice fears that even as the cruel burns of a childhood accident still mark his face, something terrible has scarred Matthewâs soul.
There is a new darkness in the town, tooâfrightened whispers are stirring in the streets, and Aliceâs blood runs cold with dread when she discovers that Matthew is a ruthless hunter of suspected witches. Torn between devotion to her brother and horror at what heâs become, Alice is desperate to interveneâand deathly afraid of the consequences. But as Matthewâs reign of terror spreads, Alice must choose between her safety and her soul.
Alone and surrounded by suspicious eyes, Alice seeks out the fuel firing her brotherâs brutal missionâand is drawn into the Hopkins familyâs past. There she finds secrets nested within secrets: and at their heart, the poisonous truth. Only by putting her own life and liberty in peril can she defeat this darkest of evilsâbefore more innocent women are forced to the gallows.
Inspired by the real-life story of notorious âWitchfinder Generalâ Matthew Hopkins, Beth Underdownâs thrilling debut novel blends spellbinding history with echoes of Margaret Atwoodâs The Handmaidâs Tale for a truly haunting reading experience.
Praise for The Witchfinderâs Sister
âEntertaining and thought-provokingâwith a valuable message for our own times.ââThe Washington Post
âHighly recommended.ââLibrary Journal (starred review)