The Familiars: The dark, captivating Sunday Times bestseller and original break-out witch-lit novel

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An outstandingly captivating book which weaves its magic around the reader throughout * Beady jans Books * At the root of this story is a very strong friendship. Alice, who is Fleetwood’s nurse, becomes quite close to her. Although there are a lot of difficulties to their friendship which has to do with trusting each other and the outward influences of the situation they end up in, their friendship is key and strong. I loved seeing such a great female friendship at the heart of the story. It was interesting to observe the incredibly privileged life that Fleetwood lived, especially in comparison to Alice, but for all that privilege she was still a woman, no real rights, almost a kind of ornament to decorate their home, Gawthorpe Hall. She is pregnant for the fourth time, and if she doesn't manage to provide a living child she is essentially useless. I had a great deal of sympathy for her. I don't think I've ever been so invested in a pregnancy before, real or fictional. Our Book Of The Month for October is The Familiars by Stacey Halls. For our online Book Clubbers we have some questions around the book for you to get involved with. Either answer below or use as discussion points at your next Book Club. Happy Book Clubbing! The Familiars – The Blurb The story to me, is a tale of impressive women and disappointing men, not unlike most stories from history! I loved the unlikely friendship and connection between Fleetwood and Alice that transcended class barriers. I liked the character of Fleetwood and found her to be a really realistic character. She made naive, rash and often immature decisions which further reminds the reader that although she is the mistress of Gawthorpe Hall, she is still a young teenage girl. I enjoyed her character development, from a meek, baby-making machine to a woman determined to use her voice and privileged status to help her friend.

A stunningly beautiful, courageous read. . . deceptively powerful, moving and provocative, Stacey Halls writs with an eloquent pen. Opening a window into a vivid feast of a read, as a debut novel The Familiars stands out from the crowd * Love Reading * The fervour of witch hunting was sweeping across this corner of England and when Alice is accused, Fleetwood makes desperate attempts to save her. The Alchemist, an old man with a tortoise familiar named Edan. The two live high up on the Peaks of Kailasa. The Alchemist has used Edan's time powers to complete many potions and consequently has been alive for a very long time. I was quite excited to read The Familiars because the more I heard about it, the more it sounded like my kind of book. And it was a good read in the end, which made me so happy! This book is a perfect example why people should have an extensive knowledge about historical period they are writing about. Otherwise you will read about ladies in XVII century being surprised by the fact that a peasant cannot write, peasants forgetting themselves and yelling at the noble ladies, expectant mothers thinking about how they will gain a lifelong friend when their child is born (and forgetting about infant mortality rate), not going into the confinement 6 weeks before due date but riding a horse till the last moment, husband storming in to hold wife's hand during labor etc. You could easily see that author did not spent too much time on a research.Fleetwood Shuttleworth is once more with child, hoping this time she will be able to give her husband, Richard, the heir he is so desirous of. But, when she stumbles across a letter, written to her husband from a physician, warning him that if Fleetwood should once more find herself in childbed, she would not survive.

I can’t say enough nice things about this one. Right now, historical fiction is one my very favorite genres, and then add in these unmistakable Gothic elements- a genre that is hands down my favorite of any genre, then how can I go wrong? THE FAMILIARS is such a Powerful, Heart Breaking and Enthralling read, it Pulled me in and Got Under My Skin! The novel shines a light on the glaring misogyny of the times, the exalted status of the midwife and the magic that fills the gaps that scientific knowledge hasn’t yet reached. Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism project, is the author of a powerful young adult debut The Burning, which draws parallels between social media-shaming and historical witch hunts. The Familiars was shortlisted for the British Book Awards’ Debut Book of the Year and won the Betty Trask Award. It is currently in development for TV.When I found out about the house, my first question was why would they do it? And my second was, did it go to plan?" Fleetwood although only seventeen has been through some hard times. Not only is it illegal to get married at the age she did these days, but you just couldn’t comprehend a young girl of seventeen having been married for four years and not only being pregnant four times but losing three of her children before birth too. I found her character although a little weak minded at times, yet she was intriguing and I enjoyed watching her evolve as the plot progressed.

There is none of the harrowing detail of the trial itself, none of the historical violence or threat of violence so prevalent in Sarah Moss's wonderful Ghost Wall, for example, or Martina Devlin's The House Where it Happened, an evocative reimagining of the Armagh witch trials. In an era when women were randomly accused of being witches without any proof, it’s a terrifying period of history. It also adds weight to the book, that the Pendle Witch Trial actually took place!

What a fascinating time period for this intriguing historical fiction tale. Rife with political and theological goings on, 1612 was a hotbed of science and superstition. Work on the translation of The King James Bible began in 1604 and was completed by 1611. Not to mention a treatise, ‘Daemonologie,’ published in 1597, on the study of demonology and uses of witchcraft and magic, authored by King James himself. His stature gave added authority to attempts to weed out witches and sorcerers and he would become known as a most notorious witch hunter.