"A tale of two women, left vulnerable by the ever present and invisible threat of both the plague and the Witch trials in the 1600s."
A tale of two women, left vulnerable by the ever present and invisible threat of both the plague and the Witch trials in the 1600s. ‘The Blighted Road’ by Anna McCormac is a historical novel that uses the true events of the 17th century with additional embellishments to full effect to tell the story of Orla, a young midwife accused of witchcraft and Abigail, an orphan of the plague. A story of two strong women who endure and survive against the odds, I think that this story would be enjoyed by fans of historical fiction. I have to say reading a story of the plague in the 17th Century felt rather uncanny considering our own more recent plague times and I wondered as I read whether inspiration from the clergy death counts shared by Abigail’s mother early in the story were inspired by our own bulletins or a mildly terrifying repeating of history. With attempts to use language you’d associate with the time (although I did think “‘Twas” meant “it was” not “I was” as it is sometimes used) the backdrop to Abigail and Orla’s story is well constructed, I felt the tension and the horror at the graveyard, the dread experienced as superstition reigned in Essex and the companionship as the two main characters meet and bond. Without spoilers, the story ends on a subtly foreboding note and I would be interested in reading the next book in the series to see what happens to Abigail next.
Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading Ambassador
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
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