A mysterious, pious figure dressed from head to toe in black, he takes over the Thorn Inn and begins to ask questions about what the women on the margins of this diminished community are up to. But then a newcomer, Matthew Hopkins, arrives. Rebecca West, fatherless and husbandless, chafes against the drudgery of her days, livened only occasionally by her infatuation with the handsome young clerk John Edes. And in Manningtree, a town depleted of men since the wars began, the hot terror of damnation burns in the hearts of women left to their own devices. Puritanical fervor has gripped the nation. To be added to the waiting list, please call our box office on 01603 531800, or email stating how many tickets you would like.Wolf Hall meets The Favourite in this beguiling debut novel that brilliantly brings to life the residents of a small English town in the grip of the seventeenth-century witch trials and the young woman tasked with saving them all from themselves.Įngland, 1643. Her poetry and prose writing has been widely published and anthologised, appearing in the T he London Review of Books, Poetry, Poetry Review and The White Review, among others. She has also translated the work of Sichuanese poet Yu Yoyo ( My Tenantless Body, Poetry Translation Centre, 2019). Blakemore is the author of two full-length collections of poetry: Humbert Summer (Eyewear, 2015) and Fondue (Offord Road Books, 2018), which was awarded the 2019 Ledbury Forte Prize for Best Second Collection.
But when Matthew Hopkins arrives, asking bladed questions and casting damning accusations, mistrust and unease seep into the lives of the women.Ĭaught between betrayal and persecution, what must Rebecca West do to survive?Ī.K. In Manningtree, depleted of men since the Civil War began, the women are left to their own devices and Rebecca West chafes against the drudgery of her days. Puritanical fervour has gripped the nation.
Mention the NCW Book Club and you can purchase The Manningtree Witches with a 20% discount.Įngland, 1643. Blakemore’s ‘riveting, unsettling’ debut novel The Manningtree Witches winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize 2021, Waterstones Fiction Book of the Month (November 2021) and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2021.Īt this informal session you’ll meet like-minded readers and discuss the themes, characters and structure of this powerful work of historical fiction.
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