(image from goodreads)
Witch Child
by
Celia Rees
I have always been drawn to books that told the stories of witch trials. In this one, you see how it easy for a woman to be blamed (or framed), merely because someone else didn't like her. It makes me wonder how many women (and some men as well) lost their lives due to ignorance, jealousy and altogether unholy behaviour by people pretending to be pious.
This story is supposedly based on a collection of papers, in the form of a journal, made by a young woman named Mary Newbury. Termed 'The Mary Papers', it gives an interesting account of life for the first few settlers in New England. Reading this book made me want to find out more about the woman who was more intelligent than most of her clan, and almost paid for it with her life. Unfortunately, information about her seems to be lacking - If you do have any info about this remarkable woman, I would be grateful if you could pass it on.
One of my favourite quotes from the book:
"To be a midwife, to be a healer, brings danger. If everything goes well, then all are grateful, but when things go wrong, as they do often enough, well, that is a different matter."
How difficult it must have been knowing that the very same people whom you helped in their time of need could turn on you, sometimes for no reason at all.
This story is supposedly based on a collection of papers, in the form of a journal, made by a young woman named Mary Newbury. Termed 'The Mary Papers', it gives an interesting account of life for the first few settlers in New England. Reading this book made me want to find out more about the woman who was more intelligent than most of her clan, and almost paid for it with her life. Unfortunately, information about her seems to be lacking - If you do have any info about this remarkable woman, I would be grateful if you could pass it on.
One of my favourite quotes from the book:
"To be a midwife, to be a healer, brings danger. If everything goes well, then all are grateful, but when things go wrong, as they do often enough, well, that is a different matter."
How difficult it must have been knowing that the very same people whom you helped in their time of need could turn on you, sometimes for no reason at all.
On a side note, isn't that image haunting?
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