The Familiars

By: Stacey Halls

Narrated by: Katy Sobey

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

To save her child, she will trust a stranger. To protect a secret, she must risk her life...

Fleetwood Shuttleworth is 17 years old, married, and pregnant for the fourth time. But as the mistress at Gawthorpe Hall, she still has no living child, and her husband Richard is anxious for an heir. When Fleetwood finds a letter she isn't supposed to read from the doctor who delivered her third stillbirth, she is dealt the crushing blow that she will not survive another pregnancy.

Then she crosses paths by chance with Alice Gray, a young midwife. Alice promises to help her give birth to a healthy baby, and to prove the physician wrong.

As Alice is drawn into the witchcraft accusations that are sweeping the North-West, Fleetwood risks everything by trying to help her. But is there more to Alice than meets the eye?

Soon the two women's lives will become inextricably bound together as the legendary trial at Lancaster approaches, and Fleetwood's stomach continues to grow. Time is running out, and both their lives are at stake.

Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other.

Stacey Halls is the Winner of the Women's Prize Futures Award for her novel Mrs England.

'Assured and alluring, this beautiful tale of women and witchcraft and the fight against power was a delight from start to finish' Jessie Burton, bestselling author of THE MINIATURIST

©2019 Stacey Halls (P)2019 Bonnier Books UK

An enjoyable read based around true events.

I had heard of the Pendle witches and this book is a mixture of fact and fiction. The life of women, both rich and poor is highlighted in this story with a brave heroine and 'wise women', some perfectly innocent, others more sinister.

Gave up after 3 hours

I had to return this title, something I rarely do, but I just couldn’t find the motivation to keep listening the day after listening to the first 3 hours (1/3 of the book).
It was just not a very captivating story or person gallery, though it was interesting to read a story set in that period of time..

Just no

First off - the title of the book is irrelevant to the story. If you’re wanting to read a book about witches’ familiars look elsewhere. She could as well have named it Broomstick. The author spends 99% of the book explaining how much the main character is being belittled and humiliated by her closest family. Then at the very end, the author tries to make amends for those at fault, forcing a cringey conclusion. The ending sees the author slash and cancel all values and uniqueness that made the main character the heroine of the story. The beginning/setup is interesting, I’ll give it that much but the middle bit is boring and repetitive. Lots of characters are introduced, most of whom do nothing. Lots of details are introduced, most of which are irrelevant and confused. Do we care that the heroine got up one morning all itchy, but then took a bath and felt better? Do we really? Then there’s the ending, which makes 6th grade essays seem like the crowning achievements of literature in comparison. I feel bad for the narrator who was pretty good.