Abandoned by her husband in a place that's neither land nor sea, Alinor depends on her skills as a midwife, her knowledge of plants and herbs, and her resourcefulness to survive along with her two children. Inevitably in these troubled times of the English Civil War, rumours circulate about her among her neighbours: how she was responsible for her sister-in-law's death in childbirth; how she cast an impotency spell on her husband; how her children are faerie-born; how much she dreads deep water... Such talk intensifies when, seemingly overnight, she's able to purchase a boat, her son becomes part of the wealthiest household in the area, and her daughter is betrothed to the only son of a rich farmer. Surely, such good fortune can only come to a witch! Alinor does have secrets to hide — her own, and those of the Catholic priest whose life she saved.
I loved all the details of the humble, everyday existence, the ordinary tasks and the work that Alinor had to carry out to survive and to feed herself and her children. However, I rolled my eyes many times as her naivety and at the frankly stupid decisions she and other characters took, making their lives far more complicated by their own fault. I suppose I was the naive one for expecting people who had grown up in such circumstances to have more common sense and to be more realistic... I confess that I skimmed those sections that dealt with the politics of the time, and that I skipped the king's trial entirely. The "romance" aspect of this novel felt very contrived. As for the ending, it was frankly confusing. I'm giving this book three stars only because of all the interesting, well-researched domestic details.
I borrowed this e-book from the Bibliothèque et archives nationales du Québec.
rating: ***
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