Try free for 30 days

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Burnings cover art

The Burnings

By: Naomi Kelsey
Narrated by: Rhianna McGreevy
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $30.38

Buy Now for $30.38

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

Nothing scares men like witchcraft . . .

1589. Scottish housemaid Geillis and Danish courtier Margareta lead opposite lives, but they both know one thing: when a man cries “witch”, no woman is safe.

Yet when the marriage of King James VI and Princess Anna of Denmark brings Geillis and Margareta together, everything they supposed about good, evil, men, and women, is cast in a strange and brilliant new light.

For the first time in history, could black magic – or rumours of it – be a very real tool for women’s political gain?

As the North Berwick witch trials whip Scotland – and her king – into a frenzy of paranoia, the clock is ticking. Can Margareta and Geillis keep each other safe? And once the burnings are over, in whose hands will power truly lie?

Inspired by the incredible true story that set 16th-century Scotland and Denmark alight, The Burnings is 2023’s most bewitching debut novel, by a multi-awardwinning new star of historical fiction.

©2023 Naomi Kelsey (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

‘A gothic gem. Tense, delicate writing. Lace woven with steel threads.’ Judges of the HWA Dorothy Dunnett Competition

‘The best new talent from the North of England . . . This year’s winners show that the next generation of creative talent has the potential to help us re-frame a post-pandemic world and better understand ourselves and our society.’ Katy Shaw, Partner in the Northern Writers’ Awards 2020

The Burnings is a beautifully written re-imagining of the North Berwick witch trials with clever and tantalising glimpses into the cross-over between witchcraft and lived experience in 16th-century Scotland.’ S.G. MacLean

More from the same

Narrator

What listeners say about The Burnings

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.