Cunning Women was a great read! I was looking forward to this historical fiction novel set in the 1620s during the witch trials. I liked the way in which Lee writes and even though I think the romance in the story was a little bit weak, I was rooting for Sarah and Daniel from the very beginning!

I quite enjoyed ‘Cunning Women’ by Elizabeth Lee. I like reading about the history of these women who were feared and often hunted during the 17th century. Unfortunately I didn’t feel I learnt anything new

I found this book a bit slow to get in to and lacking in areas. I’m not one for giving up on a book however so did power through, where it definitely got better as the story went on. But I am very thankful for NetGalley and Elizabeth Lee for letting me read this book 😁

Evoking the rural mindset of superstition and hardship, this story speaks of the fear and prejudice of a community reliant on charms and natural healing which tip over into accusations of witchcraft and papist allegiance. It is a time when a widow and her children fall into near destitution, and get by on their wits and the kindness of some of their neighbours. The language is powerful and evocative, love and hate abound, and a seemingly impossible love is born. 
The story is gripping and convincingly told from different perspectives.

This is a cut above the usual ‘Witch Lit ’ genre. It benefits from not trying to focus on a real family that existed in the 17th C, but adapts the common experiences of being out of step with religious purity, scrabbling to survive on what you can beg or steal and of being a lone woman in an unforgiving world.
The setting is described with great atmosphere and all the characters finely drawn. Even the ‘bad’ ones have the odd redeeming feature and the ‘good’ ones their weaknesses and flaws.
Sarah lives in a tumbledown cottage with her brother, little sister and Mam. I particularly liked the ambiguity of the familiars. Is Mam’s  hare truly visible to her, guiding her and advising on which family to help or harm? Is Sarah’s dog a gift from the Devil upon her coming of age or a natural growing anger at the way they are treated? It can be read both ways.
At the heart of the book is a love story and I must admit I didn’t expect the ending. Both Daniel, the empathic farmhand, and Sarah grow in so many ways throughout the book and I was rooting for them. 
Interesting exploration of the role of women in that society, as well as the role of the Church in village life (Parson Marsh trying his best to smooth the way for his flock despite needing considerable pharmaceutical assistance himself).
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend to fans of Karen Maitland and other historical authors, as well as those who enjoy a touch of folk horror with their social history.

In Lancashire, 1620 the talk of the cunning and of witchcraft is rife amongst the folk of the town. 

Sarah and her family have suffered since the death of her father and have had to resort to begging and making cures with plants, flowers and herbs to sell to the locals to heal them of their ailments. Sarah believes she will never find love as she bears the mark, a mark that the other towns folk knows is the mark of evil. 

When she sees Daniel, the farmers son training a horse she is in awe of his abilities to gain its trust and make it do as he wills it. When they speak there is an instant connection and all she never thought she’d have suddenly seems a possibility, a love that even through differences could actually work, or could it? 

I really enjoyed the story. I could really hear the Lancashire accent in my head when reading it and see the characters vividly in the clothing described. It was quite a poignant story and I feel it could well have happened back in the era the book is set. Would love to see if there is a book to follow on Sarah’s story after this one.

This is a proper story - told from beginning to end, no flashbacks or dual timelines. The characters are perfectly drawn; the good, bad, cowardly and superstitious. The menace grows from the beginning and you know that there is going to be a reckoning sooner or later. I have read a lot of fantasy (e.g. Jack Vance, Tolkien), and this has the plot elements of the best of them. Superb, gripping, terrifying and emotional.

Whilst the story itself was enjoyable enough,I never found myself reaching for this book.
There were some darker bits,with talk of witchcraft,and potions.
The star of the book for me ,was Daniel,and how he grew with each page that turned.
A good slice of historical fiction.

Thankyou to NetGalley for another brilliant book. With beautifully drawn characters - Sarah in rags, with wild hair and eyes, her brother, John, the Devil-boy, little Annie with her tangled locks and clenched fists, and their mother, beaten but unbeaten by a life of hardship and pain - this glorious novel draws the reader in immediately and does not release them until the final word.

There's also Daniel, the farmer's boy, entranced by Sarah, soft at heart but proving himself steely where it matters. There's Bett, the maid, kind, brusque and down-to-earth and the dreadful Gabriel, farm labourer and tormentor of creatures, great and small.

This is a love story but with so much more to it. In 1620, women living without men, in poverty, but with herb knowledge, are undoubtedly witches. They must be avoided, except when their potions are needed to help and heal. With a lax magistrate, the Haworth family go largely unaccosted but when the new Magistrate Wright appears on the scene, times of trouble are only a step away.

I was gripped by this tale of love across a divide, possibly doomed but hopeful of good resolution. Full of passion and sadness, heartbreak and joy, this is one to relish.

Cunning women is a short novel based on Sarah, the cunning woman's daughter and her life where she meets a timid farmer boy and struggles with her new master whilst living on the outskirts of a God-fearing community. 
This was a very slow book with a short and cute romance for which I honestly demand justice. I shed a few tears on what could have been of Sarah's life. I don't understand why Daniel could not go away with Sarah even if he promised himself to Molly? They hadn't married yet and if he loved Sarah, it simply does not make sense. This is why I demand justice. Other than the confusing ending to the lovestory, the plot line was weak which corresponded badly with the slow pace.
This book is ideal if you enjoy star-crossed romance and witches.

Opening in seventeenth century, Cunning Woman is a story that blends early modern suspicion and religious beliefs and witchcraft. We come face to face with a cunning family, both rejected and (hypocritically) courted under cover for their charms and knowledge. Sarah, the eldest daughter and future cunning woman, finds herself drawn to Daniel — but a world of suspicion and fear, can they find happiness?

Although not a heavy tome, I did find this story slow and difficult at the start. Parts of the early chapters were messy and anachronistic. I had to reread certain passages twice or more, 

However, as the story develops, one finds the character of Sarah interesting but I cannot say I was ever invested. It is far from a bad debut — and I’m grateful to NetGalley and the Publisher — but it did not grab me. .

As a fan of historical fiction, I find it refreshing to read a book from this period that is from the point of view of the peasant rather than a royal courtier. It reminded me of Philippa Gregory’s Tidelands, dealing in issues faced by women in those times; suspicion of midwives and herbalists, and the vulnerability of unmarried/widowed women.  I enjoyed Lee’s allusions to depression, bipolar and birthmarks (sounds random, but apparently a ‘reliable’ sign of a witch) and it was fascinating to draw parallels with how these are understood and viewed in our time.  The language used was vernacular enough to gently suggest rural Lancashire without distracting or making a laborious read.
I found it easy to identify with the main characters and yearn for their love story to have a happy ending.  I enjoyed the developing collision of the side-characters’ actions upon the lives of the couple, proving that nothing in society happens in a vacuum.  I loved the fact that the main character appeared to battle internally with what she learns from a superstitious culture, and what she interpreted logically from observing the world around her,  I did however, find this logical, questioning aspect of the character at odds with her “possessed by a familiar” side, and somehow wished the character had resisted the ‘inheritance’ of occult powers.   I happily raced through the book and look forward to a possible sequel, or any future work by Elizabeth Lee.  
Many thanks to Netgalley and Windmill for the preview copy.

I was not sure what to make of this book at first. It begins quite slow and I was not overly keen on the authors writing style. However, after continuing on I found that I cared about the main character and her relationships with her family and others in her life. Having said that some of the characters actions were a little annoying considering the consequences they faced and it felt like they should have and would have made smarter choices at times. I still enjoyed the story for what it was though. The ending was unexpected though thankfully not as unpleasant as it could have been and it leaves you with a sense of hope for Sarah and her family after everything they have been through. 

The writing style continued to bother me a little. there was a handful of passages I had to reread as the way sentences are broken up makes it difficult to follow the story easily sometimes but as I was reading an ARC I suspect there might be some further editing to go through yet.

To finish off, I would probably recommend this book to anyone looking for a short-ish standalone story that has some challenging moments throughout but has you routing for the main characters and leaves you with a sense of hope at the end.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Typically, I’m not a huge reader of historical fiction. I tend towards more high fantasy, with worlds that are clearly different from our own. Despite this, I was really excited to read this one as the time period of the 1600s (in which this book was set) has always intrigued me. The superstition, fear and darkness that surround this era has always seemed like another world entirely in comparison to modern day. The way that Elizabeth Lee explored this reality was done excellently. Despite the focus being on witches (or cunning women), Lee managed to make everything seem so raw and realistic that I almost forgot that these cunning women didn’t exist. The take on witchcraft was unlike any I had read before and I actually really appreciated the fact that it wasn’t fully explained as an air of dark mystery was still retained around the whole thing. 
I adored the characters – their values, their growth and the influence they had on each other. Sarah’s inner strength and the fierce protectiveness she had over her family came across on every page and witnessing Daniel’s growth throughout the book was beautiful and inspiring to read. Overall, really think this is what placed him as my favourite character.
If I had to pick one word to describe the book in its entirety, it would be bittersweet. It made my heart ache in parts but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. 
The only reason I couldn’t make it a five-star read is that I think there could have been more development/ a build-up for Sarah and Daniel’s relationship. Although I loved them both, I wasn’t 100% invested in them as a couple.
I would highly recommend fans of historical fiction and those who like a witchy read to pick this one up when it’s released in April 21!

Cunning Women is a gorgeously immersive dual narrative tale about witchcraft, religion, romance.  It touches on themes of what it means to be a family and societal acceptance/norms in the 1620s that feel very modern.  It follows Sarah and Daniel as they try to build the life they want within strict social rules and judgements. 

Lee's use of language is beautiful throughout, and the historic information is so well researched that it seamlessly fits into the writing so that it's not jarring to the reader. The characters, particularly Sarah and Daniel, resist simplification - Lee has done well in making them multidimensional and waver on their values at times. I found the plot very engrossing and the themes tie themselves up so nicely at the ending.  

My only qualm was with the dual narrative itself. Though I thought it lent and interesting perspective, I didn't understand why the narrative tense changed between Sarah and Daniel's chapters.  

Overall, I highly recommend this lush book!

I love historical fiction and even though 16th century isn't an era i'm familiar with I was eager to read this book, but I didn't really enjoy the story.  I'm thinking it is better aimed at a YA market with the 'love at first sight' of the main characters and the witchy magic that is peppered through the story. Though maybe other parts not to YA. 
The middle of the story with the change of clothes and face wash just didn't appeal to me and I lost interest around there.
I wanted to love it, but I came away in need of a tonic for disappointment. 
Grab this book is your a fan of love at first sight.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read and review.

A well written tale of a village witch who now probably would be called a herbalist or faith healer. She is struggling to find a way to feed her family until her daughter Sarah meets Daniel, the son of a local farmer. A story of love, ignorance,  violence and heartbreak. I found this book absolutely stunning and was engaged with the plot and the characters straight away. I would love to read a further tale of the characters, even though the ending was pretty final.

Set in 16th century Lancashire, Cunning Women is a tale of witchcraft, love and prejudice. 
We follow the story of Sarah, who like her mother is a witch. Her family has been kept on the outskirts of the village as outcasts due to their skills in what is seen as sorcery. However, when Sarah meets Daniel, a farmer's son from the village, she begins to see a better future take shape until the arrival of a new magistrate brings a dark cloud over her and her family. 

I had high hopes for this book but it really fell short. 
I was so excited to read from this novels setting of rural Lancashire and experience this period in history but this is one of the main features I felt was lacking. With little description of the surroundings I felt it very hard to picture the location that this story took place. There was never a feeling of atmosphere to give you that feeling of really stepping into this tine period that you should feel when reading a historical fiction. 

My other major issue with this book was the plot in general. The romance within this novel which is the main driving force of the story was very weak. I have a very strong dislike for "insta love" wihtin books and this was a text book example of it. After only one meeting these characters were ready to marry each other and declare undying love. It left me just unable to feel invested in there supposed love when it was so unrealistically portrayed, so without feeling invested I never felt very emotionally connected to the characters and cared for their predicaments. 

There was also a ridiculously unrealistic part of this book where the main characters basically goes undercover by just wearing nicer clothes and somehow that means she becomes unrecognisable to everyone who knew her before which was just so silly I lost all commitment to the narrative.

Overall this was just a major disappointment. The blurb for this book holds a lot of promise but what is actually within this books pages is a bland story with forgettable characters and a very lack lustre plot.

Not my cup of tea, I'm afraid, as I would have liked more historical content and less romance. However, Cunning Women is rather well written, easy to read, and the theme of witchcraft makes it interesting and intriguing enough, so I'm sure it will find its readers.

Cunning Women is a wholly believable tale of a "witch" family living just outside a fishing village in 17th century Lancashire. In the shadow of the Pendle witch trials, Sarah and her family survive from day to day by begging and providing a range of traditional remedies to those in need. The ever present threat of deeper powers instills fear in the villagers, which is both vital to the family's livelihood and has the potential to boil over at any time and threaten their survival. 

Sarah and Daniel, the two main characters, are beautifully drawn, flawed and filled with self-doubt, but both possessed of an inner strength and powerful sense of justice. Their love - for this is essentially a romance - drives the story forward. 

Stripped of the witchcraft elements, the outlines of the story are simple and familiar - forbidden love, can it survive, can they succeed?

But this is more than made up for by the sensitivity with which witchcraft is woven into the tale. The conditions that create and sustain such beliefs and practices, the various social, spiritual and legal responses of the community, and the dilemmas and internal tensions faced by the family itself, are all shown in powerful detail. And yet this is done entirely through the narrative, with an admirable lightness of touch. There is no heavy exposition here.

Moreover, this is historical fiction, not fantasy, and is so much the better for it. Witchcraft in actual, real-world settings is interesting enough, and worthy of more novellistic portrayals. In contrast we surely have more than enough vampire/Potter/horror/fantasy fiction to keep us all going til the end of time. 

In Cunning Women, Elizabeth Lee has given us a better exploration of witchcraft in a real-world setting than anything I have ever come across. I loved it.