In my opinion, books should give you a means of an escape, when you pick one up you should feel as if you are transported to a different perspective in order to see the world from a refreshed point of view, The Familiars by Stacey Halls was no exception. Set in 1612, it gives you a viewpoint of what it was like to be a young, upper class, pregnant woman in the 17th century. At first I wasn't as excited to read this book honestly as I prefer more modern, contemporary pieces however, I found that a lot of the main themes that came to a head were more than applicable to life in the 21st century. For example, misogyny, social class and hierarchy, the power of female friendship and, most importantly, the power of a strong woman.
The book is about an expectant mother that has had a fair amount of disappointment in the way of childbearing, having gone through three miscarriages previously. She stumbles upon an impoverished, young girl in the forest who declares that she will keep both mother and baby alive. Unfortunately, this occurs at the same time as the witch trials in Yorkshire and the young midwife is suspected to be involved in witchcraft and arrested. Without her mystical remedies and treatments, Fleetwood fears that herself and her child will not survive, therefore she needs to take matters into her own hands, even if it means sacrificing her reputation in place of this strong platonic bond that has been formed.
I found this book to be most inspiring as the main character, Fleetwood Shuttleworth (what a name), really grows as a character throughout the book, realising her worth and contradicting her almost assumed role as a domesticated, submissive wife and expectant mother in the 17th century. At the start of the novel she finds herself worshipping her husband for the position and wealth he has given her, almost surrendering to the inevitability of becoming a voiceless female inferior to her male counterpart. With the help of a new female friend that promises to assist in delivering her child safely, her character shifts throughout the writing, becoming more fortuitous and defiant in the face of societal expectations. It is also a great book in terms of suspense as there are many parts in it that had a horror vibe about them but the rich description is just incomparable and I found myself turning page after page just desperately wanting to find out the outcome and whether these two women could manage to save each other in the end.
I would definitely recommend this book even if you aren't a fan of period drama types of books as it is such an inspiring story about friendship and feminism (and also a little bit of magic) that we are still learning in our society today. I would rate it a strong 7/10.
:)) xxx