Elizabeth Lee brings new life into the tale of star-crossed lovers, as kind and understanding Daniel falls in love with Sarah, daughter from a shunned family of gypsy heritage who live hand to mouth begging and providing cures and curses.
All the fates are against them; Daniel's father wants him to marry above his station; the farmhand Gabriel resents him and Sarah for the rebuttal of his advances; the new magistrate is on a mission to purify the parish..
As the odds stacked against them, I really got emotionally invested with these characters and the ups and downs of their relationship and struggle to be together.
The villagers are quick to think all the ills of their population are the fault of the cunning folk..
The modern day equivalent is how we are distracted by politicians and the press etc to immigrants and foreigners ("Look over there..") away from their own wrong-doing or problems at home / within government.

I can't really describe how I felt about this one. I found my cheering for Sarah the good witch but I felt she didn't have much emotion and I wanted to be more in her head. A good story however.

Cunning Women is really a mix of love story and devotion to family set during the 1620s when the fear of witchcraft was rife. The witchcraft element, rather than being explored fully, is used as a device to set Sarah, the young daughter of the cunning woman, as 'other' and to give her & Daniel something to overcome. The story is an enjoyable one, but not as dark as I had presumed it would be given the subject matter.

The tale is well crafted & you really feel for Sarah & her family. Annie, her little sister, was one of my favourite characters & I loved hating Gabriel, he made me really angry with his behaviour towards the Haworths. The first two thirds of the book set the scene, but had some slow and repetitive moments. The last third raced by as this was where all the action happened, with the book ending quickly after the climax of the drama.

If you're looking for a historical love story then this fits the bill, but if you're looking for a tale of witchcraft you might be disappointed.

Having been born and bred in Lancaster where the Lancashire Witch Trials took place, any book that mentions the Pendle witches always gets my attention.

In 1620's Lancashire, King James's 'Demonology' is being use to make formal accusations against the practice of witchcraft and his hatred of papists. In a small fishing community in Lancashire, the Hawthorns live in poverty after their main breadwinner is killed at sea. Shun by the god-fearing community Sarah, her Mother, her brother and little sister survive by begging, foraging what they can from the forest and by selling their salves and poultices.

Sarah meets Daniel, a local farmer and dreams of being married to him and escaping the life she is destined for staying with her Mother. As they both have witches marks on their skin and she can feel the darkness rising within. When a new magistrate arrives in the village hatred for the family intensifies, and neighbours turn on them and each other to save themselves.

Let me start by saying, I love the cover for this book, it is so beautiful. I believe this is the first book written by Elizabeth Lee and I am sure it won't be the last. I enjoyed the book, I just didn't love it. I found the pace to be quite slow and I would have liked a little more magic and description about the time period.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the advanced copy of this book for an honest review. Expected publication: April 22nd 2021

"When they treat us this way I become the very creature they fear me to be."

Forbidden love in a 1620s Lancashire fishing village, set amongst the moral panic of Puritanism and witch-hunts; Sarah Haworth and her family live in desolate poverty. A family of outcasts due to their witching ways, they are feared and hated by the same villagers who hypocritically turn to them for balms, salves, and occasional curses.

When Sarah meets Daniel, the gentle farmer's son, the pair quickly bond. However, Daniel wonders how much his feelings for her are genuine, or how much they are due to a bewitchment. Meanwhile, Sarah is dealing with the hold that her powers have over her, and how they can be unleashed by her fury. Fuelled by fear, the villagers soon turn on each other, with the Haworths a handy scapegoat for crimes that the harsh new magistrate seeks retribution for.

The clash of genres — low fantasy meets historical romance — made this an interesting read. The forbidden romance, the "wrong side of the tracks" romance, is such a well-worn trope but the witching element gave it a new life. Sarah and Daniel, although wildly different in most ways, share subtle similarities that made their push-pull relationship fascinating to read.

There are questions left throughout to keep the reader guessing. Some are answered explicitly, some more implied by the historical setting. I'm always a big fan of stories set in small towns where seeds of distrust and suspicion have been sown, and this story is full of that trope. The fear and isolation that the villagers cast upon the Haworth family is mirrored in the growing fear that they have for each other, and a growing willingness to throw each other under the bus to save themselves.

I found some of the paragraph structuring to be slightly disjointed. This may be due to the format of the ebook, but on several occasions I began a new paragraph and was taken out of the story slightly by the realisation that a passage of time had passed since the previous one, with no clear indication of that happening.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Set in Lancashire at the height of the fear of witches we meet a family who believe they are cunning women. The mother makes her living from providing curses if people want to hurt neighbours but also provides medicines to cure illnessess.Her two daughters have to go begging for food or work as does her son who has a very violent streak and will fight, curse people and steal.
Law abiding villagers are frightened of the family but Daniel a local boy tries to protect them as he loves Sarah the eldest daughter. Sadly nothing ends well for the family and Daniel with the help of the local priest manages to get the girls and their mother a new life far away from the village.
This is an engaging story that shows how superstition and fear of the different keeps people frightened for their whole lives.

The cunning woman is a witch ( herbalist/healer ) Set in Lancashire in a forgotten , abandoned village in the 1620s . She is a widow after her seafaring husband did not come home feared dead. Her children John , now the man of the house, teenage daughter Sarah and Annie her younger child.
The story is mainly about Sarah and a lad Daniel from the occupied village nearby.
John steals and slaughters a lamb to feed his starving family it is witnessed by Daniel who's father owns the lamb. Their relationship grows when Sarah sees how Daniel has an affinity to animals , especially horses.
I really like books of this genre and Elizabeth Lee captures the time and tensions perfectly , I can feel the fear of the Haworth family going about there daily business for survival. A great read

This sounded so interesting. But sadly it was just underwhelming. It did nothing for me.
Definitely wasn't what I expected. I expected a heavy witchcraft with a forbidden relationship. Instead it was just the relationship. That I didnt really care about.
The characters were flat and forgettable.
The pacing was too slow and I havent retained anything.
This just sadly didn't work for me. I can see why others may like this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for allowing me early access to this title in exchange for my honest and unedited review.
Cunning women follows Sarah, the daughter of a ‘cunning woman’. Set in 1620, Sarah and her family live on the outskirts of a village where they are both feared and sought out for their cures and curses.
I did enjoy this book, but I found it quite slow in parts. The most endearing character was actually Sarah’s younger sister; I found it quite hard to relate to the main characters.
If you’re a fan of historical fiction/witchcraft I think you will enjoy this, but it just wasn’t for me.

Set during the 1620s in Lancashire, this book the story of Sarah Hayworth, eldest daughter to the local Cunning Woman, who is called upon by the villagers for healing balms and potions. Yet the family are outcasts, shunned for their poverty, their home in an old abandoned hamlet and their supposed links with the Devil. Sarah believes herself Devil-marked, with no choice but to follow in her mother’s footsteps, until she stumbles upon Daniel, son of the only farm owner in the village. Together the young couple plan to create a life for themselves, a better life, until a new magistrate arrives in the village, intent on stomping out all witchcraft...

Cunning Women is essentially a love story, set against the superstitions of the day, as Sarah and Daniel work to overcome the obstacles against them. Their connection happens quickly, but it works within the story as Daniel is concerned that he has been bewitched, and struggles against this. Their relationship is heartwarming, and I think it’s hard not to root for them to make it to the end. The book alternates between their POVs, in first person for Sarah, and third for Daniel, so readers can see their personal conflicts. I really liked Sarah, as she battles between creating a new life for herself and the magic she believes herself to possess. Her love for her family, particularly her little sister, determines what she does and what she wants, and I loved that even though they have little, their family refuses to be broken apart.

I thought this book started a little slow, as it established the characters and village life in this period. It takes a long time for the threat of witchcraft accusations and danger to Sarah and her family to appear, even after the new magistrate appears. And I think that is because the book assumes readers have knowledge of the period, and of the Pendle Witch Trials, which took place slightly earlier than this novel is set. If the horrors of this period were more explicit I think it would have helped to heighten the tension for the reader. That being said the pace does pick up, as does the danger, towards a heartbreaking conclusion.

What this book does really well is show the treatment of women during the early seventeenth century. Impoverished women, without a male influence, were accused of witchcraft, just as Sarah and her family are. For this they are isolated, verbally and physically abused, and yet called upon for help. A young girl is sexually assaulted, and it is she that is shunned and blamed for being wanton. A baby born out of wedlock means ruin for the woman. The author uses her characters to criticise these injustices and the inequality found in status, even within the workers themselves. The author has also created a 17th Century village rich in detail. Whether that be the farming practices, the village May Day traditions or their clothes. Readers learn a lot about how working people lived in this period, helped by some interesting, and sometimes unlikeable side, characters.
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Overall I enjoyed this book, I think it just needed a little more historical context within it. I would definitely read more books by this author.
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Thank you to NetGalley, Windmill Books and Elizabeth Lee for this ARC.

A wonderful historical fiction story full of witches, fear, love and family - this is just brilliant. It’s such a dark and gripping story of prejudice and intolerance and my heart broke for Sarah time and time again. Her internal battles were as emotional as those to keep her family safe in an ever increasing hostile village. I loved how she was able to open up a little to those who trusted her and show love.

This has a certain charm and is written in a simple way that suits the simplicity of the times. It is a stark description of dark and ignorant times where people really didn't understand so much and therefore attacked anyone different or strange. It is essentially a love story with historical background.

It started slow and I found it difficult to get into the story. Unfortunately, I have read a couple of similar books during lockdown and I probably have book fatigue so a book needs to stand out. I'm sure a lot of people will however enjoy it.

This book was beautifully written and utterly charming in its own way. However, it simply wasn't for me, and I found it difficult to engage with despite wanting to. I wish it and the author well, and am sure it will find a large audice that simply doesn't have me in it.

Cunning Women is fundamentally a love story, set in seventeenth century coastal Lancashire. Sarah, the teenage daughter of the local poverty-stricken cunning woman, and Daniel, the wealthy farmer's son, fall in love. Will their love survive and be accepted by the community, given their financial disparity and local prejudice against witchcraft? Will the new magistrate succeed in his attempts to purge the village of supernatural sin following the Pendle witch trials?

Recommended for fans of historical fiction, particularly romance.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

Set in Lancashire during the 1620’s when the fear of witchcraft was at its height, Cunning Women focuses on a developing relationship between a daughter of a ‘cunning woman’ and a local farmers son.

Sarah’s mother practises ‘witchcraft’ in terms of using nature to provide cures and curses and Sarah is aware of a mark that identifies her as having these gifts too. Although most of the local community have sought her mothers help in the past for illness and ailment, they fear their abilities especially when a new magistrate arrives and is very damning to any suspected witchcraft. The whole family are treated as outcasts so when Sarah meets the local farmers son, Daniel, she is surprised to find a spark between them.

This book is beautifully written, I especially like the Lancashire tongue that the dialogue is written in. The storyline is enjoyable and the relationship between Sarah and Daniel was one I was willing to work out against the odds. It did miss a wow factor for me and the ending was a little disappointing but overall this is a lovely, easy, enjoyable read which I would recommend.

This books was so slow to start. Once it got going it was more of a love story rather than a witchy story, which I wasn’t really wanting. Well written though. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an egalley

Cunning Women is the story of Sarah Haworth, a young girl living in poverty with her family in 1620's Lancashire. Sarah's mother is a cunning woman, who uses her knowledge of plants and herbs to make tinctures and ointments to help local people with various ailments. But she is also feared by some who believe that this makes her a witch, in league with the Devil with the power to place curses on families, cattle and crops.

Sarah believes that she carries the Devil's Mark and that she will have no choice but to follow her mother's footsteps, until she begins to have feelings for Daniel, the local farmer's son which opens up the possibility of a better, new way of life for her.

Then a new magistrate arrives in the village, intent on keeping the King's Peace regardless of the cost to the local people, his actions fuelling fear and superstition.

The main plot of this book is not really the witchcraft element, it focuses more on the love story between Sarah and Daniel and the huge obstacles and prejudice that they must overcome if they are to be together as man and wife. The allegations about Sarah's family are one thing, but there is also a gaping chasm with regards to their class between them.

Through other female characters, Phyllis and Molly in particular, Elizabeth Lee also examines the other social strictures placed on women at the time. Phyllis is a 14 year old girl, a victim of rape, blamed and shamed by the magistrate for bringing it on herself. Molly gets pregnant out of wedlock and is on the brink of ruin if she can't legitimise her child.

This is really a book about power, who has it, who doesn't and why. While the cunning women are feared and thought to possess great powers, including to be able to call on the Devil when need be, nobody seems to stop and ask the question why Sarah's family would chose to live in a filthy hovel, dressed in rags, constantly begging and stealing to eat, if they really had that kind of power.

I liked the book, there were some interesting themes, but the book description might be letting it down a little as the witchcraft element wasn't really a main theme for me. I know a little of the history and the background of the area, re the Pendle Witch Trials, the fear of witches held by King James I (the reigning monarch of the time) which led to him writing his Daemonology, this book presupposes that readers already have that knowledge and doesn't perhaps use that background to build enough tension or instil real fear into the reader that Sarah and her family might be persecuted as witches.

A menacing, mesmerising read. Fallen on hard times after their fisherman father drowned at sea, the Haworth family live in a tumbledown cottage on the outskirts of a village, ostracised by their neighbours who distrust Ruth Haworth, her son John and daughters Sarah and Annie. They believe the family are witches - no surprise, when Ruth herself frequently consults her invisible familiar, a hare called Dew Springer, and Sarah is convinced her birthmark is the mark of the devil, who is just waiting to claim her. It's this feeling of mysterious menace always waiting around the corner that makes this story utterly engrossing! As it's set in 1620, the whole family live in constant, real danger of being arrested and tried for witchcraft, and Sarah begs her mother to stick to providing the villagers with herbs and healing, and keep hidden the other tools of the cunning woman - enchantments, curses and spells!
Then Sarah catches the eye of farmer's son, Daniel, a gentle, compassionate boy who faces his own daily challenges in the rough and tumble world in which he lives, remorselessly belittled and tease. The two fall in love and hatch plans for their future - but is Daniel really Sarah's salvation from the life she believes she is destined to lead in the service of Satan? Can she every really steer her own fate?
A slow-burning but thoroughly mesmerising read, this story brims with menace and chill as we expect the worst for the Haworth family. But the narrative is balanced beautifully by the love story between Daniel and Sarah, who bring out the best in each other.
It's not just the characters that draw you in. Seventeenth century country life is described with great authenticity in the descriptions of ordinary folks' homes, work and daily life, including May Day fetes and hiring fairs. It's fascinating to read what Sarah must wear as a milkmaid, or to imagine yourself in housekeeper Bett's tidy little two room cottage, or indeed in the tumbledown houses abandoned by plague victims in which little Annie plays.
The story takes you through every human emotion. Fear and hatred, courage and kindness, love and hate leap from the pages, but no character is completely black or white - with the possible exception of Magistrate Wright, who is determined to root out witches and Papists and bring them to justice. Daniel's father is harsh but loving, Sarah's mother is sinister, but broken, farmhand Gabriel is a bully, but strangely vulnerable to love. How will they all fare as events in the village reach a tragic climax which threatens Daniel and Sarah's future together?
For characters, plot and atmosphere, this is one of the best stories about the seventeenth century witch hunts I've ever read.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

a family of cunning women...and a son, the women have a way with them that causes the villagers to hate them but who also need them in times of trouble... from a simple love potion to curses

they are healers and some other call them witches, all they want is to work and eat like everyone else but times are changing and the wrath of the villagers is getting meaner

and when the new magistrate comes trouble isnt far behind

interesting story though very slow in the beginning though i am glad i kept with it for the ending