The last few chapters were from after Martha and Jennet survived being hanged, but we never know why they were saved—the roads were supposed to be flooded with the judge out of town, so him showing up last minute is odd already, but what evidence did he have to convince him neither were witches? We never find out. Of course, we do know this history bears repeating, lest we forget what was shamefully done to innocent women. There are benefits to exploring the unfair accusations and the horrific results of an unjust witch hunt. But if it’s going to be redone, it needs to actually be interesting and take on something new beyond a mute character who never truly feels mute. Meyer is a formidable storyteller; her sharp descriptive powers offer readers an immersive experience... The Witching Tide is the remarkable story of the women who survived cruel, unjust imprisonment and went on to reclaim their rightful place in a community forever diminished by the hanging of so many innocent women. It is also a forceful interrogation of what happens when pious paranoia, stoked by ignorance, engulfs men already drunk on their own power.” — Shelf Awareness, starred review

THE WITCHING TIDE | Kirkus Reviews

There were rumours around town that women were killing their husbands with imps was it an old wives tale or was the witches involved? stars for a job well done! In my opinion, all the characters got their fair share of voices and the plot was very interesting!

However, a stranger comes to town. His name is Master Makepeace and he is on the hunt for any woman who may be a witch. He wants to rid the town of any evil that he deems is detrimental to the area. Martha is mute and uses a sort of sign language to communicate with her loved ones. This proves a disaster in this kind of situation where everyone is on edge and scared for their lives. Anything seems to be suggestive of being a witch and Martha is in Makepeace's sights. I could feel their emotions as I read this book. Some of them weren't pleasant but mostly scary and fearful.

The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer: A harrowing and

The Witching Tide is one of now many books depicting witch hunts and trials, and yet I always find something that individualizes the story and makes it different to the rest. As usual with this type of historical novel, fact and fiction are blended, and for every witch hunt novel I read, I discover new methods of torture and new prejudices against women. MyHome.ie (Opens in new window) • Top 1000 • The Gloss (Opens in new window) • Recruit Ireland (Opens in new window) • Irish Times Training (Opens in new window) One Autumn morning, the peaceful atmosphere of Cleftwater is shattered by a sinister arrival and Martha becomes a silent witness to a witch-hunt. As a trusted member of the community, she is enlisted to search the bodies of the accused women. But whilst Martha wants to help her friends, she also harbours a dark secret that could cost her own freedom. In desperation, she revives a wax witching doll that she inherited from her mother, in the hope that it will bring protection. But the doll's true powers are unknowable, the tide is turning, and time is running out . . . Certainly, in the world today, we’re seeing polarities of views, and we can draw other similarities with the witch hunts, Margaret says. 'The interest in witch trials and the paradigm of the witch has been gathering momentum over the past few years,' she says. Indeed, her book has been placed in the genre of ‘witch lit’. But this category is much more than sinister figures dancing around a cauldron, she says. 'There’s a desire to understand what went on in those witch trials, why women were singled out in the way they were.Meyer composed a deeply moving novel that may be set against witch trials, but the themes of misogyny, internalized misogyny, male privilege, religious zealotry, bigotry, ableism, and more are all interwoven in an even, seamless pattern that starts off as simply ominous until all common sense, human compassion, or even a sense of human decency has been bled out of Martha’s village of Cleftwater. Then, and only then, when the village has hit its lowest low, can the tide begin to change. By this time, Cleftwater is left with a collective trauma. Immersive… The author offers a stirring depiction of the selfishness, revenge, and fear behind the accusations. This evocative narrative is sure to pique readers’ curiosity about the witch trials.” — Publishers Weekly

The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer - Books - Hachette The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer - Books - Hachette

The Witching Tide is one of those rare novels that pulled me in and wouldn't let go. With diamond-cut prose, Meyer makes 17th century witch hunts feel vivid, new, and highly relevant to the current moment. The chaos, the twisted logic made me wonder if it was possible these historical events actually happened; the essential truths of human nature as seen in these characters made me worry they could happen again.” —Mary Beth Keane, author of The Half Moon Immersive... The author offers a stirring depiction of the selfishness, revenge, and fear behind the accusations. This evocative narrative is sure to pique readers’ curiosity about the witch trials.” — Publishers Weekly CM: I thought it was a clever tool. The poppet seemed to reveal both the ridiculousness of the witch trials – the manipulation of meaning; but also the enduring appeal of possible (and private) magic. What kind of research did you do on the history of the poppet? Gone Prissy. Taken Prissy. They had wrenched her from here so roughly, from her hearth and her home, Prissy’s hard-won places. Everywhere there were reminders. Proving bread dough in a bowl in the hearth embers. Gold hairs, glinting from the floor rushes. One morning, the peaceful atmosphere is violently shattered and Martha becomes a silent witness to a witch hunt. As a trusted member of the community, she is enlisted to search the bodies of the accused women. But whilst Martha wants to help her friends, she also harbours a dark secret.

Stylish and raw … seizes the reader ’ s sympathy and does not let go .”— Anne Enright, Booker Prize – winning author of The Gathering Ah, I loved this book so much. There’s something about the events of this time that both fascinate and repulse me. I love to read about the day-to-day life of this time; it appeals to me and is one of things I love most about historical fiction. The addition of the East Anglian witch hunt gives a haunting look at the murders that occurred puts a tarnish on the time and reflects the fault in human nature for what it was. The ignorance and fear that could be evoked in the simplest of things – a birth mark, a misspoken word, or a bitter vendetta – each leading to something horrific, that of being labeled a witch. A death sentence in these times. Despite what the synopsis claims, there are no hints of Margaret Atwood here. Yes, the story is devastating, but how could it not be? This does not mean it does anything beyond the superficial. For a historical lesson, this could be a win, but as a novel, it will not be memorable for me. Kate Stephenson, the newly-appointed senior publisher at Hachette Aotearoa NZ, will publish simultaneously in New Zealand. North American rights have sold to Nan Graham and Kara Watson at Scribner US. The book has sold in five translation territories.