#BlogTour The Good Wife by Eleanor Porter

 

It's my turn on the BlogTour The Good Wife by Eleanor Porter.

About the Author

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

Follow @elporterauthor on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Amazon, Buy The Good Wife

About the book

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.

#BlogTour The Wheelwright's Daughter by Eleanor Porter

Today it's an absolute pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Wheelwright's Daughter by Eleanor Porter.

About the Author
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 is her first novel.

Follow @elporterauthor on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, Buy The Wheelwright's Daughter

About the book
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...

Review
I'm going to say this right from the get  go - the title of the book may imply a certain kind of read, but it is in fact so much more.

Yes it tells the story of a convoluted romance in Elizabethan times, however it also speaks of scaremongering and profiteering in times of great unrest. Of a young woman who battles daily with the fact that being different makes her a target. Her knowledge, talents for healing, the fact she can read and write does nothing to dispel thoughtless and often dangerous rumours.

It's historical fiction, an intricately drawn picture of distorted fear and victims of group hysteria.

I really enjoyed the way Porter used the village people and their fears almost like a scythe swinging from one side to the next. Sometimes catching the crop and sometimes not. Martha doesn't comprehend the danger of gossip and the times she lives in, which when combined with her affinity to use herbs and her refusal to put up with the gossip and slurs -  makes her a prime target. The herd needs someone to blame when nature makes itself known and death comes calling.

Kudos to Porter for the ending. It's the kind you read, then read again. It's almost cruel to leave the reader with such uncertainty and yet simultaneously with complete certainty too.

This may be the author's debut novel, but by George it certainly shouldn't be her last. Porter is a writer and a storyteller, and not everyone is both.

Buy The Wheelwright's Daughter at Amazon UK on Kindle  Paperback and Audiobook or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Boldwood Books; pub date 21 April 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Boldwood Books.