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The Manningtree Witches

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The Manningtree Witches

By: A. K. Blakemore
Narrated by: Sofia Zervudachi
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About this listen

England, 1643. Parliament is battling the King; the war between the Roundheads and the Cavaliers rages. Puritanical fervour has gripped the nation, and the hot terror of damnation burns black in every shadow.

In Manningtree, depleted of men since the wars began, the women are left to their own devices. At the margins of this diminished community are those who are barely tolerated by the affluent villagers - the old, the poor, the unmarried, the sharp-tongued. Rebecca West, daughter of the formidable Beldam West, fatherless and husbandless, chafes against the drudgery of her days, livened only by her infatuation with the clerk John Edes. But then newcomer Matthew Hopkins, a mysterious, pious figure dressed from head to toe in black, takes over The Thorn Inn and begins to ask questions about the women of the margins. When a child falls ill with a fever and starts to rave about covens and pacts, the questions take on a bladed edge.

The Manningtree Witches plunges its readers into the fever and menace of the English witch trials, where suspicion, mistrust and betrayal ran amok as the power of men went unchecked and the integrity of women went undefended. It is a visceral, thrilling book that announces a bold new talent.

©2021 A. K. Blakemore (P)2021 A. K. Blakemore Historical Fiction Magic Users Witchcraft

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All stars
Most relevant  
being from Essex I found the accents distracting and over the top. Essex residents in this era (particularly ones living in North Essex) would have a Norfolk type accent, far more country than the excessively cockney shrill that was occurring on this audiobook. That combined with the author's equally excessive verbosity made it sound like I was being read to by Russell Brand! The voice she chose to do for Matthew Hopkins was absurd as well. I limped through this book that felt far longer than it is and only because it was chosen for my book club.

accents were off-putting

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Loved it, perfect in every way. Brilliant story and excellent narration. so much talent on display. living in the area it created an even more atmospheric picture of the dread of the times.

Brilliant story and excellent narration

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I was nearly put off this book, by the comments of a couple of reviewers in the 'most helpful' section. They didn't like the accent that the book was read in.
I chose to ignore their opinions and I'm glad I did, I loved the accent that the narrator used. O.K. it's Estuary Essex, rather than Manningtree, 17th century English, but Call the Cops, who cares?
I thought That Sofia Zervudachi was portraying a class and position by her use of accent, rather than rigidly treating us to a History degree in colloquial accents in North Essex, in the 1600's. Nuff said (in an Essex accent)
That explanation over, this story is gripping, thrilling and at times unbearable. What makes it even more appalling is that, as we all know, it's based on fact.
The poor women that lived through this terrible time, under this wicked, social-climbing monster of a man, we can only feel sorry for and the hysteria of neighbour and friend pointing the finger, to save their own skin, we have witnessed time and again throughout history. It doesn't make you feel warm towards your fellow man, but it's a really good read and well worth your audible credit.

An Historical, Human Story, Well Told.

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I thought the whole story was captivating and the author really wrote working class women brilliantly. The reader was also fantastic and perfect for this book!

Brilliant writing brilliant reader

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I found the language too unfamiliar to enjoy initially. but once the story picked up I noticed it less, or became used to it. I thought the narrator was brilliant when speaking the female parts. However, I personally couldn't distinguish lots of the male characters as their voices were very similar, if not the same. Really enjoyed The Manning Tree witches having their voices heard, albeit fictional, it brought alive the voices of the past.

Takes a while to get into, but worth the wait

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I really enjoyed this semi historical novel. The author is a very skilled writer and there are memorable scenes including the description of seventeenth century Colchester and the hanging of the guilty at the end. The reader does a great job of bringing the story alive using different voices for the main characters with great skill and this makes the book easy to follow.

Excellent book read really well

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As a local I was interested to hear another perspective on the story of Matthew Hopkins and the women of Manningtree who were accused of witchcraft. That part of the book didn’t disappoint and it was interesting to hear another view point although fictional of these women. However, there were times when I nearly gave up on the book, firstly because of the narrators “Essex” accent, which sounded more like London or Cockney than Essex/Suffolk rural border, and at points grated on me. I’d rather it had just been read straight to be honest!
As mentioned by other readers, the author seems to have swallowed a thesaurus and added very complex words to describe things just for the sake of it. And some of the geography is a bit out - it’s a LONG way to Felixstowe from Manningtree, for example so it’s unlikely the characters would have seen the town across the estuary.
It’s worth a read but I think I would have preferred this one in paper form so that I didn’t have to listen to the accent which for me was the most grating part.

Worth a read for a different perspective

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Living near Manningtree I enjoyed being taken back in time when life was very different!

Description within the story was brilliantly written and the reader brought the characters to life.

Rebecca was a very unassuming lady and I hope she found love and trust?

Bewitched

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The novel fictionalises the witch hunting of Matthew Hopkins,. Its narrated by a Manningtree woman.

Baded on a sad part of history

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Very beautifully written and (as one might expect, given the subject matter) unrelentingly grim.
Read by a really talented actor who gives a compelling rendition (although I wish there’d been a producer who could spot that there were a few words she must have been unfamiliar with).

Grim, interesting, beautifully written

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