Erika Mailman

This was a very quick read for me, it felt like a novella really. It takes place in the village of Tierkinddorf, Germany in 1507, their second year without a harvest. The narrative is written from the perspective of Güde, an elderly grandmother who lives with her son Jost, his wife Irmeltrud, and their children Matern and Alke. Güde is kind, and often reminisces on when food was plentiful and of her deceased husband Hensel. But Irmeltrude considers Güde a burden. One night, Güde wanders into the forest where she encounters a coven of frightful witches and the Old One himself. Upon returning, she finds that the starving villagers are resorting to any means necessary to conjure a blessing...

The pros are that it is fast-paced, doesn't hold back on the graphic yet historically accurate details and no anachronistic stereotypes. Güde is brave at times, but she's vulnerable. Her mind wanders, she speaks simply. Most accused witches were not strong or clever. They were the outliers of society. It was refreshing to have an older lead character as well. And, as correctly portrayed in the book, most accusers of women were other women. Who else would have a bitter agenda than those you spoke to and were with daily?

The cons were that the ending was muddled. There was plenty of build up for Güde and her family, but despite their crucial role at the end, you hardly know her neighbors. I didn't feel the betrayal from them or the horror of the final execution.The author should've written just one more chapter to fill in these gaps and I would've given this 4/5. But still otherwise a fine read.… (plus d'informations)

They should edited this book one more time. It was good but I think had potential to be more.

Perhaps, it was the author's intent to keep some distance between the story and the reader. I wasn't feeling the cold or the hunger. The smell of burning flesh didn't reach me (maybe that's a good thing). I mixed up characters a lot. Wait, who is that?

I liked Gude, the main character, who sadly slept on a patch of hay in her house and was enduring the harshness of the evil daughter-in-law. Gude was losing her mind and left the reader grasping for the truth.

I'm starting to wonder if this is more than just a story of witch trials. It's about an old woman trying to maintain her dignity and it was her self-respect going through trials.… (plus d'informations)

I read the entire 400 pages in less than 24 hours because once I started this intriguing tale I could not stop! Told primarily from two points of view: in 1892, Bridget, the Irish maid who has the bad luck to work for the Bordens of Fall River, and in 2016, Brooke, the pseudonym of a young woman on the run from menacing intruders who may have killed her mother and want the same fate for her. How the two women's lives intersect across time is part of what makes the tale so interesting. I also enjoyed the intimate look at the lives of women in 19th century Massachusetts: the constraints placed upon them by customs, corsets, and family. Erika Mailman conveys this life with rich language and telling detail, describing the Bordens' home as "pinched and cramped and dire". She creates great suspense with text like this: "He felt very cold suddenly, as if someone had poured well water all over his hot skin. the room seemed very small, hardly enough to contain her silvered rage. He was afraid to look away first. He saw that she was capable of madness." Whether you think you know the Lizzie Borden story or not, if you gravitate to historical fiction or novels that create atmosphere and suspense, you will enjoy The Murderer's Maid.… (plus d'informations)