The Wise Woman

How it reads

The Wise Woman is historical fiction (historical witchcraft fiction, specifically), and its dominant mood is dark. It goes to difficult places and doesn't look away. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in a rural setting, in the historical past, told in the first person by a single narrator. Its central concerns are faith, power and politics and love. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending is bittersweet: it resolves, but at a price. At 640 pages it's a real commitment. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.