The Darkest Shore

By: Karen Brooks

Narrated by: Willow Nash

Length: 16 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

The independent women of Scotland stand up to a witch hunt, male fury and the power of the Church in a battle for survival.

1703. The wild east coast of Scotland.

Returning to her home town of Pittenweem, fishwife and widow Sorcha McIntyre knows she faces both censure and mistrust. After all, this is a country where myth and legend are woven into the fabric of the everyday, a time when those who defy custom like Sorcha are called to account.

It is dangerous to be a clever woman who 'doesn't know her place' in Pittenweem - a town rife with superstition. So, when a young local falls victim to witchcraft, the Reverend Cowper and the townsfolk know who to blame. What follows for Sorcha and her friends is a terrifying battle, not only for their souls but for their lives, as they are pitted against the villagers' fear, a malevolent man and the might of the church.

©2021 Karen Brooks (P)2021 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"The characters are complex and compelling...a powerful novel, at times brutal, but always enthralling. The Darkest Shore is a major achievement for Karen Brooks." (Better Reading)

Amazing book

A very colorful recount of the horror of witch hunting in the 18th century.

Beautifully written and performed.

Wonderful listen!

There’s so much to say about this book! First it’s a must listen. I learned so much from the story of these extraordinary women. This story is a great way to show what happens when we make a choice to base our own beliefs on what someone else says, does or believes without using our own ability to think and learn. A whole town turns against these women based on one preachers ability to convince them all that these women are witches. It’s truly scary how fast things like this can happen. Always think for yourself. It could be you or someone you love judged unfairly by your peers! Highly recommend this one!

Wow! What a story!

I will be candid, there were parts of this story I had a hard time listening to. It was very graphic but necessary for the story. I am amazed that women have even survived as a species based on how women were treated up until the 20th century. This was well written, and the historical facts included made it extremely compelling.

Against all Odds

After enjoying listening to the Good Wife of Bath and a visit to Scotland, I dug into this Karen Brooks story about witchcraft accusations in old Scotland. The book did not disappoint. I love historical fiction so this was entertaining and educational. Its scary how people could rid themselves of enemies by accusing them of witchcraft and its horrible how powerful and corrupt some men of the church were in the past. This story weaves together these driving forces, along with the power of the mob when uneducated and whipped into a frenzy. The heroine is strong with hard fought battles in her past. She, along with her sisterhood of fishwives, fight against the power seeking, money grabbing patriarchy of their town. Some good men help them fight the good fight. The ending is sudden, so not as rewarding as I would have liked, but made me happy. The performance is fabulous except for the occasional insert of text by a different voice, which was very strange.

Well worth a listen

I really enjoyed this well researched story, it was moving and well worth the credit.

A Tribute to Bold Women

Deeply researched and hard to put down. Although the author concedes she takes liberties with the literal history - the context feels accurate not only to 18th century Scotland but also to modern humanity and 21st Century politics. People can be brave, generous and compassionate. We can also be villainous, narcissistic and controlling. Whether standing in judgment from a 18th Century pulpit in Scotland— or wearing the judicial robes of the 21st century— the urge to dominate and control women’s lives and livelihoods continues to be a historic struggle. Great read!

Eh, it was okay.

I had just listened to The Good Wife of Bath by the same author and thoroughly enjoyed that so I purchased this. it is supposedly based on a true story of the women of a small fishing village in Scotland in the early 1700s. According to the author's note at the end, however, she made significant changes, though, including a very "happily ever after" kind of ending. The story was filled with stock characters and was both repetitive and predictable. I was engaged in the beginning but by the end I just wanted to get through it. There were also multiple places in the recording when the narrator's voice suddenly went up several octaves so she sounded like a cartoon character on helium.