The Hemlock Cure: "A beautifully written story of the women of Eyam" Jennifer Saint, author of ARIADNE

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I liked the historical accuracy and the in-depth knowledge of herblore and healing at the time, which the story expressed with some passion. When the plague hits their village, Mae's father, the apothecary becomes more powerful. Mae tries to be helpful, but despite her keen intellect, she is limited by her gender.

The Hemlock Cure | Book by Joanne Burn | Official Publisher

Share this event Save this event: We Are Wakefield First Friday Networking 3rd November - Wakefield Trinity Mae, Wulfric's youngest daughter, dreads her father's rage if he discovers what she keeps from him. Like her feelings for Rafe, Isabel's ward, or that she studies from Wulfric's forbidden books at night. Most of the secondary characters are based on actual people who lived there at the time, but for artistic licence the author has based the main storyline around fictitious characters. Mae, the apothecary's youngest daughter, dreads her father's rage if he discovers what she keeps from him: her feelings for Rafe, Isabel's ward, or the fact that she studies from her father's books at night.This book will hook you in and not let you go until you are done. It's dark and suspenseful and eery; the atmosphere created in this book is like none other. The book is paced in a beautiful way with the story unravelling so satisfyingly. There was not a moment while reading that I was bored. The characters are mysterious and intriguing. This author did an excellent job of keeping the reader interested. The way the POV of Mae was written was also very unique. I loved the use of diary entries and past memories to help slowly unwind the story. I could not have predicted where the story would go in the end, and finally finding out what the title meant was extremely gratifying. What really captivated me about this was the fact that it's all told from the perspective of Leah, Mae's older, and long dead, sister. I cannot stress enough how well this was done. Leah's character, despite not being able to directly interact with any of the other characters, is so well thought out. She is flawed and sometimes really unlikeable, but altogether human.

The Hemlock Cure How a 17th century herbalist’s home inspired The Hemlock Cure

I particularly liked that despite the patriarchal society they lived in, the women in the story all come into their own - Isabel, the local midwife and Mae's champion, is an especially engaging character, facing her own family challenges, but ready to do battle for her late friends only surviving daughter. Hidden in the Derbyshire Dales, in a hollow where the crags of the Dark Peak meet the hills of the White Peak, is the village of Eyam – an ancient place, settled in Anglo-Saxon times, known by some as ‘the plague village’. In a wholly original take on the Eyam story, Joanne Burn's elegant prose, rich in authentic detail, results in a rewarding and timely read." - Sarah Burton I’d like to thank NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for approving me for an ARC of this book. I read this with my fellow Tsundoku Squad member, Wendy. As lovers of historical fiction we were very intrigued by this one and couldn’t wait to buddy read it together. What I discovered, during my research, is that it wasn’t only male herbalists and apothecaries, midwives and ‘cunning women’ who made medicines in 17 th century England. In fact, women at all levels of society in the early modern period, whether rich or poor, were involved in creating herbal remedies of one kind or another for the health and wellbeing of their families and communities. Large houses often had a ‘stillroom’ – a place set apart from the smoky kitchen, where confectionery, preserves, cosmetics and medicines were prepared. It was the woman of the house who oversaw the work of the stillroom, meaning that many gentlewomen worked with herbs too.I have to say, this book really surpassed expectations. Set in Eyam, Derbyshire, in 1666, the story revolves around the village that decided to quarantine itself after fleas carrying bubonic plague were brought in on a bale of cloth from London. This is true - the village really did seal itself off for over a year, with 260 dying out of a population of 7 or 800 in that time. I really liked that the book was based around this historical event. A lot of the minor characters were people who really lived and died in that time which also appealed to my little inner history geek! And of course, the theme of self-isolation speaks to us all during these Covid times. Baseado em factos reais, a história que nos é contada em “A Cura da Cicuta” é passada na vila de Eyam, entre 1665 e 1666 (período em que Inglaterra se debatia com a peste negra). Também Eyam passará por um período de quarentena com o objetivo de minimizar as consequências da peste.