Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I'm from Derbyshire and the story of Eyam has always held a place in my heart - the fact that their sacrifice was to protect my local community makes me proud. So I was intrigued to hear that someone was writing a book set at the time of the plague in Eyam. In actual fact, the plague allows Burn to compare the villagers' fear of disease to their fear of women, and she discusses how the persecution of witches was really just an early method of misogyny or even homophobia, with a fairly diverse cast (or at least as diverse as you can get in 17th century rural Derbyshire!). Burn's writing is both eloquent and visceral, and the ending particularly is very well done.

This book has garnered lots of positive reviews, but I’m a bit conflicted by it. I generally enjoy historical fiction, and this is set in seventeenth century England, a favourite period, so I had high expectations of it.

It’s about Eyam, a village in Derbyshire, which chose to quarantine itself during the plague in 1665 so that infection did not spread to Sheffield. The villagers are heroes, and as we know the plague epidemic eventually came to an end. The story however, is more about Wulfric, the village apothecary and his daughter Mae. Mae wants to become a healer, but Wulfric won’t train her as he believes that all women are evil. The book is suffused by religious belief (the plague is a punishment sent by God).

I didn’t really warm to any of the characters, except perhaps the narrator, and she is problematic. (I won’t say why, it would be a spoiler).

However the timing of the book’s publication is a triumph – just when we’re getting back to normal life after a series of lockdowns, it reminds us just what a pandemic is like.

Definitely worth a read, but it may not be what you were expecting.
3.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Books for the proof.

The village of Eyam is a village I know from history lessons at school. Also known as "The Plague Village", it is in Derbyshire and pronounced "eem". It is nestled in the gorgeous Peak District National Park. The village is known as the Plague Village due to the Plague or Black Death that swept through Europe in 1665/66. If you are not aware of how the village tried to manage the plague in their village please have an internet search.

Eyam is such a village that is hearing of the plague that is starting to sweep through the country. Wulfric is the village apothecary and with the help of his daughter, they make the medicines to help those who are ailing. This is a time when it is a male dispensing cure is a respected profession, not so much if you are a female though. Wulfric's daughter Mae knows she has to be careful when she starts to prepare her own recipes, her father would never have such a thing happen under his roof.

This story is one of a daughter trying to do the very best she can, but her father will never praise her, look proudly at her. In fact, he is just downright awful to her, he has no respect for women and thinks they are all evil. Mae's mother is dead, and it is a close friend that keeps an eye out for Mae, something that makes Wulfric angry.

The story is set around the village of Eyam and the author has used actual events woven into her fictional story. The story wanders around Mae's home and surrounding area and also in London. It shows the different ways people are trying to void the plague and also how devastating its reach is.

This is a slower-paced story and one that I did find engaging. It also flits between different characters and times, this threw me initially. I don't always read headings and this was a bit of a downfall for me as not only are there several characters voices, they are also in slightly different years. Doping this means that the author adds nuggets of information from a few years previous to her current timeline.

This is a historical fiction story that does have mentions of real people and a brief mention after the story does go into more detail about this. There is also a good bibliography for further reading. I did enjoy this story as there is a mystery to it as well as the dynamics within Mae's family and the village. I would happily recommend this one.

Well written and interesting to learn more of Eyam, but slightly heavy going in parts. A good story and enjoyable read. The ghost-narrator was an interesting twist.

Recommend

This novel caught my eye as I have been interested in the village of Eyam since childhood and have been wanting to visit for just as long. The village and the true story of its remarkable sacrifice during a time of plague has no doubt been brought to mind for many during the current pandemic, too.

The novel focuses on a young woman named Mae and her burning desire to become an apothecary like her father, studying from his books at night at the risk of incurring his wrath. Her father is a highly religious, domineering man and there is an unsettling tension that runs throughout the book that has the reader questioning his motives towards Mae. Fortunately, Mae has the friendship of a number of villagers but, when the plague arrives in Eyam and the village decides to cut itself off, can she rely on their support to save her from her father and his religious fervour?

I really enjoyed this book. The author delicately blends the true story of Eyam with so many other real aspects of seventeenth century life; apothecaries, trades, and how women had precarious standing within a community, depending on their roles and status. There is also a subtle supernatural element; the story is told from the watchful viewpoint of Mae’s younger sister, Leah, who we learn in the first few pages died soon after their mother, several years before the book begins.

This is a real treat for historical fiction fans. Joanne Burn has taken a well-known time and place in history and carefully woven into it a gripping fictional tale of passion, courage, life and death.

Many thanks to the publishers, Little Brown and Sphere, and to NetGalley for the advance copy on which this review is based.

A fascinating tale of witchcraft and suspicion. Well written with carefully drawn characters. Heavy going in some places but good overall.

Excellent historical novel set in the time of plague (how fitting!) With believable characters, richly described and plausible. A look into love survival in the seventeenth century when 'fitting in' was all-important, and for those who didn't, it could be a dangerous landscape to navigate. Complete with herbology and a woman's fear of being branded a witch in a time of superstition.

"The Hemlock Cure" by Joanne Burn is just brilliant. I really enjoyed the story, the characters and the way the story unfolded. It can be a bit grim writing about the plague, in particular about Eyam, the village that shut itself off from the outside world to prevent the plague spreading to the surrounding areas. However the characters were really engaging and Joanne Burn brought the village and its inhabitants to life.

This was a great historical fiction, it’s a little out of my comfort zone but I enjoyed reading it. I did find some parts a tad heavy but this isn’t my usual genre so that’s on my part. Would recommend for fans of historical fiction.

Based on the book description, this should have been right up my alley. Unfortunately, it fell incredibly short of my expectations.

For a character-driven story such as this one, it's vitally important the reader connects to the characters; finds something engaging about them, and that was sorely lacking in this case. I didn't particularly care what became of them. On top of that, it didn't seem like anything much was happening and the things that did occur ended up being awfully predictable so by the halfway mark, I was already feeling rather frustrated. There's a storyline that adds zero value and I'm still trying to figure out what the point was of having Leah narrate the story.

The Hemlock Cure just failed to grab me, the pacing was completely off and I struggled to finish it. It didn't have the atmospheric vibe I was looking for, nor the engaging characters and I'm afraid to say that at the end of it all it's just not memorable.

I was really looking forward to reading The Hemlock Cure, I've been enjoying histfic tremendously, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I won't say it's a bad book, and it's certainly not badly written either, but it just never grabbed me. I failed to connect with any of the characters, I was never invested in their story and for a book such as this, more character-driven than plot-driven, that's a vital connection that I just didn't have. I would say it felt a little predictable and it was much less atmospheric than I'd hoped it would be but I can't stress enough that there is nothing "wrong" with this book, I just didn't gel with it and for me it missed that certain je-sais-quoi that I can't quite put my finger on but that I clearly needed.

When I read the description of this book I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy.
In the end I don't think the book was actually to my taste. Although not a bad book, it just didn't peak my interest and therefore i found it very easy to put down, but difficult to then pick up again.

The village of Eyam chooses to cut itself off from the world in order to contain the plague that has arrived there from London in 1665. But there's something more menacing than the plague threatening the life of Mae, 14-year-old daughter of apothecary Wulfric, a man obsessed with witchcraft. Somehow she must escape his malign influence before he destroys her life.
With its air of mysticism, magic and menace, this was such a gripping story right from the start. Meticulously researched, it captures the atmosphere of a 17th century village reeling under grief and fear, its inhabitants gripped by religious conviction, and trying to do the right thing for themselves and the wider community.
Mae's story is beautifully told through the eyes of her late sister, who offers the reader insight into Wulfric's twisted mind, heightening our alertness to the very real dangers that Mae faces. Further clues as to how far he will go are contained in his diary, which the reader is allowed to glimpse.
Despite the patriarchal society they live in, the women in the story all come into their own - Isabel, the local midwife and Mae's champion, is a particularly engaging character, facing her own family challenges, but ready to do battle for her late friend Florence's only surviving daughter.
The prose is rich and beautiful and I particularly liked the fantastic descriptions of the healing arts employed at that time, from herbal draughts to bezoar stones.
This was a very different take on the usual story of Eyam as a collective of brave martyrs, but it evoked the times superbly to give us a haunting and atmospheric historical read.

When the plague hits their village, Mae's father, the apothecary becomes more powerful. Mae tries to be helpful, but despite her keen intellect, she is limited by her gender.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows several residents from an English village, during the Great Plague.
We get to follow Wulfric, Mae's father, and the village apothecary. He is a pious man, and believes only sinners will get ill; but still becomes an influential figure to the village; the only one who can slow the plague.

Isabel is the village midwife. She has known Mae since she was born; and after her mother dies, and her father ignores her; Isabel steps in to be a parental figure. She knows that Mae is smart and encourages her learning herblore and healing.

Johan is Isabel's husband, and has to travel to London when his ward's missing mother has been discovered. He risks going to the capital, to support his close friend.

Mae's story is actually narrated by Leah - Mae's deceased older sister.
In hindsight, I thought it helped add her understanding of what really happens. But I mostly found it awkward, confusing and unnecessary.

I liked the historical accuracy and the in-depth knowledge of herblore and healing at the time, which the story expressed with some passion.
It also focusses on the tensions that have been created by the plague. The distrust, and the sense of hopelessness. Not sure if or how you should help your neighbours.
People are looking for answers. It's also a time with great political and religious unrest; not to mention what they consider the real threat of witches.
It's so easy for characters like Wulfric to be on their pedestal, praised for their work; and never looking too close at his own sins.

Unfortunately, I found this book very boring. Nothing happens in the plot, and because of ghost-Leah's narration, all of the characters are held at a distance, and I never felt connected to any of them; and they could not carry the story through the many lulls.

I also wish some of the storylines were cut - especially Johan's. It added nothing to the book, except page length. It didn't offer any world-building, any interesting plotline, or character development.

This was 2.5 out of 5 for me.

I was quickly invested in the characters and wanted to see them overcome their difficulties
The historical detail is beautifully wound into the narration and is believable and accurate
We all know so much more about pandemics having lived through covid 19 and I think this book will hold true for a lot of our own 21st century experiences.

I knew the story of Eyam through Year of Wonders, which I enjoyed a lot more than this one. Although beautifully written and well researched, I found it rather slow and even dull in places. I think there was too much of the author's research in the book and I didn't feel I needed to know every tiny detail.

In 1665 in the village of Eyam young Mae is learning everything she can from her fathers apothecary books. Her father, Wulfric, knows nothing about this as he would be furious. Isabel Frith the village midwife is helping Mae but they need to be careful, some would consider it witchcraft. It’s acceptable for a man to work with herbs to help people but women are looked on with suspicion and fear.
When Mae discovers a devastating secret she has no one but Isabel to turn to, but in a time when men rule with a rod of iron, what can two women do to ensure their safety.
Set in a time of suspicion and superstition, with the threat of the Plague hanging over it, this is a dark, intriguing and surprising story of love, family and the endurance of the human spirit.

I love the fact that this is based on real history. I really appreciated the authors’ notes at the end.
I know that the main characters are fictional but I could imagine them living and breathing.

I found this book a bit hard to get into initially, but as the story went on it really got interesting. Strong characters as would have been back in the 15th century, helped the story unfold. There's a lot of mistrust and suspicion within the local apocothecary, Wulfric's family, and witches and sorcery are fearful subjects. Isabel, the village midwife has her suspicions about Wulfric himself and his behaviour, and his daughter Mae has confided her personal problems so naturally they have become close. The story itself is a bit of a shocker and will definitely be worth a read!.
#Netgalley , #littlebrownbookgroup, #joanne.burn

Hemlock is not normally thought of as a curative, however, in its eponymous role here it does rid a village of a certain portion of its evil content. The historical village is Eyam, in Yorkshire, a small, dark world filled with suspicion and mistrust, where the local apothecary sees evil and trickery all around him. He often turns to a vengeful God and the Malleus Maleficarum to ease his self-righteous piety. A widower with one surviving daughter, Mae, he is in constant rivalry with the local midwife, Isabel, who he deems to be a witch who infringes on his livelihood with her potions. Likewise, Isabel believes him to be a murderer.
With both her mother and sister dead, young Mae alone faces Father’s wrath and violent outbursts. Her ability to detect colour in scents could be fatal to disclose, but she yearns to create a new remedy for the deadly scourge which has been visited upon her neighbours. After prying into Father’s covert diary entries, Mae knows she must escape his evil grasp. When her chance finally comes, however, she falters and returns home with a new, riskier plan in mind, enlisting Isabel’s help and calling upon the long-time friendship with Mae’s deceased mother.
Based on the historical facts of a village which sacrificed itself during the plague of 1665-1666, to stop the transmission of infection, the story tells of the locals who were asked by the vicar to isolate their community for the sake of the common good. This selfless act is remarkable, more so because fully one third of the inhabitants succumbed before the plague relented. Recommended to readers who enjoy a tangled tale of magic and vengeance.

As someone who is fascinated by the plague and the village of Eyam I was really looking forward to this one.

Unfortunately it was a DNF.

I read about 25% but it didn’t grip me and I found it painfully slow and rather dull. It’s also quite confusing as to who’s speaking and who everyone is. I’m really disappointed because the research was there, but I feel the author focused too much on sharing their knowledge, rather than weaving a compelling story.

A brilliant idea, but poorly executed.