Readers’ Favorite

Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers’ Favorite

In the riveting historical novel, The Making of a Witch by Judy Molland, Alice Molland begins questioning God and her way of life when her mentor and friend is convicted of being a witch and hanged. After her father is killed by Cromwell’s soldiers, twelve-year-old Alice is sent to her aunt’s house. She is already learning the uses of herbs and their healing properties. Alice’s cousins introduce her to lunar rituals. There in the oak grove, Alice feels a sense of belonging and an alignment with her personal values for the first time in her life and embraces the rites. Upon returning home, Alice falls in love with a wealthy merchant’s son, and against her mother’s advice, she becomes involved with him. When she becomes pregnant, he denies knowing her and accuses her of being a common whore and a witch in league with the devil. Because of the danger of being hanged as a witch, Alice returns to her aunt’s home. What will become of Alice and her child?

Based on historical records and events, The Making of a Witch by Judy Molland is a profound and poignant story. Set in England in the mid-seventeenth-century, the book accurately describes the risks and challenges women healers had to endure during that era. Women who worked with herbs were eyed with suspicion and walked a fine line, especially those who came from communities with pagan roots. The malice and superstition women faced in that century are realistically portrayed. This well-written story with its compelling plot and authentic storyworld thoroughly captivated me from the first to the last page. I recommend it to all readers who love looking back through time into our shadowed history.