This novel is about the
life of an English merchant class woman called Alyce Bradley between
August 1586 and December 1589. It mentions the events of the
perceived attempt of Mary Queen of Scots to seize the English throne
from Elizabeth the First in 1587, the attempted invasion by the
Spanish Armada of Philip the Second in the Summer of 1588, and how
these events impacted on the lives of ordinary people. The story is set in the areas of Norwich in Norfolk, Ashthorpe in
Northamptonshire and London.
The novel discusses
contemporary issues such as the dangers of childbirth, arranged
marriages, the hypocrisy of marital fidelity between genders,
religion, witchcraft, clothing, housing, medicine, domestic
arrangements, commerce, law and order, the legal system and
corruption.
The book ends with an
historical note which gives a description of witchcraft and how it
was treated in law around that time. In this note the author also
gives an explanation and reasons as to why she developed the book as
she did, where she stuck to historical accuracy and why sometimes she let artistic licence take over.
The text is consistent
and adequate to carry the plot evenly through to the end, and there
is some “page-turning” when the plot gets quite exciting and
dangerous. I particularly liked the way the author conjured up in my
mind images of dark halls lit by candles, sunshine streaming through
lead glass and Elizabethan women in long dresses, lace and silk
swooshing down long corridors.
