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But not here, I found it so immersive, the gothic feels, dark tension, cleverly haunting reveals, and characters so vivid in my mind, it made for some breathtaking reading. Intertwined with that is a great mystery, and winding path to the truth of what actually happened to the characters, how great atrocities came to fruition. She arrives to a changed town, however, as her brother is now mixing with polite society and “scribing” for them – not to mention the highly secretive household he is keeping, led by the intimidating Mary Phillips. Worse still, the loss of Tim triggers memories of another boy, William Tremain, who died thirty years earlier in a fire at the Great House in Polneath, Cornwall. Like plot wise, it’s in a different world completely, but based on vibes and aesthetic and the emotion and power of the storytelling, I think they’re quite similar books in that way.
Beth Underdown - School of Arts, Languages and Cultures Beth Underdown - School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
She's going through the motions and trying to make sense of it all and hearing stories back from the war makes her want to know more of what exactly led to his death. In her spare time, Beth enjoys hiking and cake; her comfort reads are Wolf Hall and the ghost stories of MR James. The Salem joke in particular had me cackling away in my seat, and it is a particular joy to see an Essex story put on in an Essex venue. So when the publisher asked if I’d like a copy sent to me in the mail, I did not hesitate for one second. With Ivy as the narrator, the novel moves back and forth in time between 1918 and 1888, gradually shedding light on the mysteries surrounding both deaths.Gradually she puts things together; there’s a slow burn of horror, the sense of something huge she is powerless to stop. There is a family Bible to hand, with turned-down pages marking such passages, but this turns out to be a red herring as far as Matthew is concerned. In the mid-1600s, young Englishman Matthew Hopkins was responsible for condemning over one hundred women to death in his (self-appointed) role as Witchfinder General of Manningtree, Essex. Laced with a heavy sense of loss and sadness this book is a slow burn, the story itself quite emotionally harrowing which is exacerbated by the grief felt by Ivy, as well as the, often cloying, atmosphere that the author weaves around the characters. However, intriguing socio-religious theories are advanced as to why certain members of the upper classes pursued “witches” – mostly poor, vulnerable women – with such zeal.
The Witch Finder’s Sister by Beth Underdown review
The only negative I had with this book is that a lot of the character names were getting confused in my head and I did muddle who did what a couple of times. The Witchfinder’s Sister runs at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch until 30 October 2021, with a combination of socially distanced and full capacity performances. We were shown the fraying relationship between George Kemp in a relatively minor role as Mathew Hopkins and Lily Knight as his sister Alice.A beautiful yet deviant story about the truth of a devastating and unexpected death being pulled from the depths of despair, family loss and one woman’s struggle to accept what really happened within those walls.
The Key In The Lock by Beth Underdown | Goodreads The Key In The Lock by Beth Underdown | Goodreads
Mathew has changed since his sister’s years of absence, and under the shadow of the death of their mother, Alice discovers her brother’s dark new profession that has afforded him wealth, power and infamy across the towns and villages of Essex. It’s a very sad story, where lives are taken too early, acts of kindness go unappreciated until it’s almost too late and wicked deeds go unpunished for too long. Ivy, though not necessarily likeable or the most reliable of narrators, conveys how much the emotive events of 1888 have obsessed her and affected her life. The first half of The Witchfinder’s Sister was excellent and had me suitably hooked by the interval.But it also triggers memories of 30 years ago when another boy died in traumatic circumstances, and she's been left haunted by his death ever since. Now her son many years forward was killed in the war however, it’s not a straightforward telling of his death, her mind wanders to think if this is retribution for her lack of action or from someone’s blame. In the dead of night a fire sweeps through a Manor House claiming more than just timber and objects of every day life. The story is full of tragedy, a mystery of a child's death, the sadness of young lives lost during the great War. Almost as frightening is seeing women allying themselves with men like this; Mary is the anti-suffrage, Trump-supporting female who either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care about the damage she’s inflicting on her fellow women by enabling men in power.
The Witchfinder’s Sister, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch Review: The Witchfinder’s Sister, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch
It is quite a slow burn with revelations happening along the way which eventually reveal the truth of the events on that fateful night in 1888. Alice arrives back in Manningtree, Essex, widowed and pregnant; she has been forced to turn to her brother for support as her precarious life in London has come crashing down around her. Admittedly, details of the Hopkins family tree are slightly hazy, so this is where Beth Underdown comes in – her debut novel The Witchfinder’s Sister gives a voice to a possible sister of Matthew Hopkins, and interrogates the practice of witch-hunts in the 1640s.
For Ivy is sure there is more to what happened all those years ago: the fire at the great house, and the terrible events that came after. I thoroughly enjoyed this Maurier-esque mystery with its gothic vibes, its large cast of characters and its sense of (both) times and place. A haunting story of loss, tragedy and betrayal, I loved the intrigue running through both timelines. This is a very well written novel in a style in keeping with the times and gives excellent historical context, depicting the world of 1888 and the changing world of 1918/19.
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