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The Wheelwright's Daughter

By: Eleanor Porter
Narrated by: Katherine Press
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Publisher's summary

Can she save herself from a witch's fate?

Martha is a feisty and articulate young woman, the daughter of a wheelwright, living in a Herefordshire village in Elizabethan England. With no mother Martha's life is spent running her father's meagre household and helping out at the local school whilst longing to escape the confines and small-mindedness of a community driven by religious bigotry and poverty.

As she is able to read and is well-versed in herbal remedies she is suspected of being a witch. When a landslip occurs - opening up a huge chasm in the centre of the village - she is blamed for it and pursued remorselessly by the villagers.

**But can her own wits and the love of local stablehand Jacob save her from a witch's persecution and death...

A brilliant and accomplished novel that perfectly captures the febrile atmosphere of Elizabethan village life in an age when suspicion and superstition were rife. Perfect for fans of Tracy Chevalier.

©2020 Eleanor Porter (P)2020 Boldwood Books
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Critic reviews

"It's a gripping story and such accomplished writing. I really enjoyed every moment of working on it." (Yvonne Holland, editor of Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier)

What listeners say about The Wheelwright's Daughter

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Good writing

Despite the good writing, listening to this was not very enjoyable, because of the relentless misery. Ignorant, small-minded, vindictive, cruel & selfish humans will unfortunately never go out of style, and while this story of someone constantly suffering ever-escalating levels of unfairness/abuse at the hands of herd mentality & human idiocy is unfortunately all too realistic - it’s not very enlightening, and definitely not entertaining. Small point: how about backing off titles that define female characters by their father’s/husband’s professions?

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Fear makes fools of us all.

The time is 1570. A woman knows how to make healing herbs and is often called upon by her neighbors. Then a freak of nature that the village folks can not comprehend causes them to seek someone to blame. This is an old old story of women being accused of witchcraft. Ignorant folks, once friends, turn against an innocent girl.
I have read many tales such as this especially as I am descended from a woman accused in Salem so long ago. As I read and listen to these stories I become so enraged I want to reach out and throttle those who are twisting the story for their own power and gain.
This tale was well written however I had to listen to the epilogue a second time as the reader is left hanging. Luckily I discovered there is a sequel to be released in February 2021.
I will say I was a bit turned off by the narrator at the beginning. She speaks so slowly for Martha and not so for the other characters. I realized as the story unfolded her dramatization of Martha was on target for the emotions she was feeling throughout the book.

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1 person found this helpful