Widdershins - Steadman, Helen

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Résumé :
Did all women have something of the witch about them? Jane Chandler is an apprentice healer. From childhood, she and her mother have used herbs to cure the sick. But Jane will soon learn that her sheltered life in a small village is not safe from the troubles of the wider world. From his father's beatings to his uncle's raging sermons, John Sharpe is beset by bad fortune. Fighting through personal tragedy, he finds his purpose: to become a witchfinder and save innocents from the scourge of witchcraft. Widdershins tells the story of the women who were persecuted and the men who condemned them. Based on the little-known Newcastle witch trials, where fifteen women and one man were hanged for witchcraft on a single day in August 1650....

Biographie:
Helen Steadman is a historical novelist. She recently completed her fifth book, Solstice, the final part of The Newcastle Witch Trials Trilogy. The trilogy was inspired by the witch hunt of 1650 where fifteen women and one man were hanged as witches. Despite the Newcastle witch trials being one of the largest mass executions of witches on a single day in England, they are not widely known about. Helen is particularly interested in revealing hidden histories and is a thorough researcher who goes to great lengths in pursuit of historical accuracy. To get under the skin of the cunning women in The Newcastle Witch Trials Trilogy, Helen trained in herbalism. The Running Wolf tells the tale of a group of master swordmakers who defected from Solingen, Germany and moved to Shotley Bridge, England in 1687. As well as carrying out in-depth archive research and visiting forges in Solingen to bring her story to life, Helen also undertook blacksmith training, which culminated in making her own sword....

Sommaire:
Helen Steadman's first novel, Widdershins and its sequel, Sunwise were inspired by the 1650 Newcastle witch trials. Her third novel, The Running Wolf is about a group of master swordmakers who defected from Germany to England in 1687. Helen's fourth novel, God of Fire, is a Greek myth retelling as seen through the eyes of Hephaestus, perhaps the least well known of all the Olympians. Helen is particularly interested in revealing hidden histories and she is a thorough researcher who goes to great lengths in pursuit of historical accuracy. To get under the skin of the cunning women in Widdershins and Sunwise, Helen trained in herbalism and learned how to identify, grow and harvest plants and then made herbal medicines from bark, seeds, flowers and berries.The Running Wolf is the story of a group of master swordmakers who left Solingen, Germany and moved to Shotley Bridge, England in 1687. As well as carrying out in-depth archive research and visiting forges in Solingen to bring her story to life, Helen also undertook blacksmith training, which culminated in making her own sword....