It's my turn on the BlogTour The Good Wife by Eleanor Porter.
Eleanor Porter has lectured at Universities in England and Hong Kong and her poetry and short fiction has been published in magazines. The Wheelwright’s Daughter was her first novel. Sign up to receive Eleanor's newsletter
Where will her loyalty lead her? Once accused of witchcraft Martha Spicer is now free from the shadow of the gallows and lives a safe and happy life with her husband, Jacob. But when Jacob heads north to accompany his master, he warns Martha to keep her healing gifts a secret, to keep herself safe, to be a good wife.
Martha loves Jacob but without him there to protect her, she soon comes under the suspicious eye of the wicked Steward Boult, who’s heard of her talent and forces her to attend to him. If she refuses, he promises to destroy the good life she has built for herself with Jacob.
Desperate and alone, Martha faces a terrible decision: stay and be beholden to Boult or journey north to find Jacob who is reported to have been killed.. The road ahead is filled with danger, but also the promise of a brighter future. And where her gifts once threatened to be her downfall, might they now be the very thing that sets Martha free...?
The brilliant follow-up to Eleanor Porter's first novel of love, betrayal, superstition and fear in Elizabethan England. A story of female courage, ingenuity and determination , this is perfect for fans of Tracy Chevalier.
Review
Every day Martha Spicer lives her life as if walking on a balancing beam. In general people tend to believe where there is smoke there is also potentially a fire, so being acquitted of being a witch means she is free, but everyone still thinks she is one step away from another witch trial.
It also makes her vulnerable to people who want to manipulate and use her. One hint of accusation makes her compliant and constantly fearful. The fact she is without the protection from her absent husband puts her in even more peril.
The story is about Martha finding a path through the forest of suspicion and in doing so discovering how strong she really is.
The author combines the elements of paranoia, suspicion and betrayal within the historical context of the accusations, with the heartache and pain of a romantic endeavour. It is a story that never strays into either part of the storyline too much and instead maintains a steadfast balance between the two.
A little healing, which can be perceived as witchcraft, and the story of a woman growing in strength as she tries to break the cycle of oppression and fear she finds herself in.
Buy The Good Wife at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Boldwood Books pub date 16 Feb. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. Hive. Waterstones.
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