Another multi-generational tour de force from Louisa Morgan, whose famous witch clan is ever increasing in popularity. I expect that at least one feature film may be in this series' future! This offering is a prequel to her "A Secret History of Witches," which I couldn't put down. This novel tells the story of the Great Witch of Brittany, the first Ursule, whose namesake features prominently in the first novel. In this one, little Nannette, the last of six granddaughters of the first Ursule Orchiere, and is raised by her, when her mother dies in childbirth, only makes a brief appearance, but plays a more prominent role in the initial book. It is her story which begins "A Secret History of Witches," but there is substantial family history yet to be explored.
This story focuses on the lifetime of a single figure rather than multiple women over multiple lifetimes. We first meet thirteen-year-old Ursule and her mother Agnes in the mid-eighteenth century, where Agnes is a sham fortune teller traveling with her gypsy caravan. It appears as though the natural talent found among earlier Orchiere women has been dormant for many generations, until it unexpectedly manifests in young Ursule, who then begins to assist her mother in telling actual fortunes, which brings her fame and some fortune.
It is not to last, however, as the witch hunters of France descend upon her Romani clan and abduct her mother, to be tried, and burned. Ursule miraculously, using powers she has only begun to understand, rescues her mother, but they have to flee, leaving everything they own behind, including the famous scrying stone and the generations-old grimoire. They find a place as dairy workers far from their native people, but Agnes is so traumatized that she never speaks again. This event becomes renowned throughout the land, giving birth to legend, which re-materializes in later decades when Ursule finally returns to her people.
The story follows Ursule and her family, with the ultimate lesson that power often exacts a terrible price, often in lost love, sorrow and even death. The power to heal also wields the power to harm, in harmony with the balance of nature. For example, devoid of a daughter to continue the line, Ursule falls in love with a traveling blind minstrel, with whom she eventually has a single daughter, in her 30s, but when he miraculously regains his sight with Ursule's aid, he scorns her humble appearance and abandons her and her baby.
Ursule and her mother thus continue to live on the farm as dairy maids for nearly fifty years, enduring many trials, tribulations and hardships, including a harsh, barren mistress, who co-opts Ursule's daughter, never having had children of her own. The small family experiences a few joys, however, such as the birth of Ursule's long-awaited daughter, but the vicissitudes of fortune are sometimes cruel, and triumph turns to tragedy as she bears six daughters, dying in childbirth from complications with the last one - all of whom are abandoned by their father who resents that he was denied a son, leaving Ursule to raise them all.
As in the last review of "A Secret History," this book likewise reflects an admirable amount of research regarding pre-Christian pagan and Druid beliefs, incorporating a surprising amount of realism which makes for a very rich and evocative narrative. It's also definitely a story of female empowerment, which was often the purpose of witchcraft in the first place, which celebrated the sacred feminine and the power of creation and renewal. It also highlights the long struggle between often-competing Christian and pre-Christian religious practices and traditions, and the frequent and sometimes fatal conflict between them. It was wonderful to get the back story of some of the other book's most beloved characters, however, and I hope that there are more offerings to come.
This story focuses on the lifetime of a single figure rather than multiple women over multiple lifetimes. We first meet thirteen-year-old Ursule and her mother Agnes in the mid-eighteenth century, where Agnes is a sham fortune teller traveling with her gypsy caravan. It appears as though the natural talent found among earlier Orchiere women has been dormant for many generations, until it unexpectedly manifests in young Ursule, who then begins to assist her mother in telling actual fortunes, which brings her fame and some fortune.
It is not to last, however, as the witch hunters of France descend upon her Romani clan and abduct her mother, to be tried, and burned. Ursule miraculously, using powers she has only begun to understand, rescues her mother, but they have to flee, leaving everything they own behind, including the famous scrying stone and the generations-old grimoire. They find a place as dairy workers far from their native people, but Agnes is so traumatized that she never speaks again. This event becomes renowned throughout the land, giving birth to legend, which re-materializes in later decades when Ursule finally returns to her people.
The story follows Ursule and her family, with the ultimate lesson that power often exacts a terrible price, often in lost love, sorrow and even death. The power to heal also wields the power to harm, in harmony with the balance of nature. For example, devoid of a daughter to continue the line, Ursule falls in love with a traveling blind minstrel, with whom she eventually has a single daughter, in her 30s, but when he miraculously regains his sight with Ursule's aid, he scorns her humble appearance and abandons her and her baby.
Ursule and her mother thus continue to live on the farm as dairy maids for nearly fifty years, enduring many trials, tribulations and hardships, including a harsh, barren mistress, who co-opts Ursule's daughter, never having had children of her own. The small family experiences a few joys, however, such as the birth of Ursule's long-awaited daughter, but the vicissitudes of fortune are sometimes cruel, and triumph turns to tragedy as she bears six daughters, dying in childbirth from complications with the last one - all of whom are abandoned by their father who resents that he was denied a son, leaving Ursule to raise them all.
As in the last review of "A Secret History," this book likewise reflects an admirable amount of research regarding pre-Christian pagan and Druid beliefs, incorporating a surprising amount of realism which makes for a very rich and evocative narrative. It's also definitely a story of female empowerment, which was often the purpose of witchcraft in the first place, which celebrated the sacred feminine and the power of creation and renewal. It also highlights the long struggle between often-competing Christian and pre-Christian religious practices and traditions, and the frequent and sometimes fatal conflict between them. It was wonderful to get the back story of some of the other book's most beloved characters, however, and I hope that there are more offerings to come.
