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The Familiars

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The Familiars

By: Stacey Halls
Narrated by: Katy Sobey
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About this listen

 To save her child, she will trust a stranger. To protect a secret, she must risk her life...

Fleetwood Shuttleworth is 17 years old, married, and pregnant for the fourth time. But as the mistress at Gawthorpe Hall, she still has no living child, and her husband Richard is anxious for an heir. When Fleetwood finds a letter she isn't supposed to read from the doctor who delivered her third stillbirth, she is dealt the crushing blow that she will not survive another pregnancy.

Then she crosses paths by chance with Alice Gray, a young midwife. Alice promises to help her give birth to a healthy baby, and to prove the physician wrong.

As Alice is drawn into the witchcraft accusations that are sweeping the North-West, Fleetwood risks everything by trying to help her. But is there more to Alice than meets the eye?

Soon the two women's lives will become inextricably bound together as the legendary trial at Lancaster approaches, and Fleetwood's stomach continues to grow. Time is running out, and both their lives are at stake.

Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other.

Stacey Halls is the Winner of the Women's Prize Futures Award for her novel Mrs England.

'Assured and alluring, this beautiful tale of women and witchcraft and the fight against power was a delight from start to finish' Jessie Burton, bestselling author of THE MINIATURIST©2019 Stacey Halls (P)2019 Bonnier Books UK Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Pregnancy
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If you love this genre - you will love this book. Taking real people and events and filling in the blanks with a beautifully written story.

Well narrated with perfect timing and accent.

Historical fiction at its finest

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I really enjoyed this story. well written and beautifully performed. I would reccomend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

excellent!

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Fascinating tale cleverly woven around real events - the trial and execution of the Pendle witches.

Original and engaging

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How different our world is from the 1600’s. I found this book to be so interesting and astonishing how women are so different during their pregnancies.
Thank you for letting me listen to this book, it was well written with detail to describing. The reader had a memorising voice, with the sweet accent that draws you in.
To learn that it was based on a true story made it even more the better!

Captivating

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This story transported me to the 1600s and I felt totally engaged in Fleetwood's life. As a descendant of a woman who was tried for witchcraft, the tragedy and hopelessness of their cases was particularly poignant. The narration was brilliant and will certainly look for more audiobooks read by her.

Compelling

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This is a fantastic novel which uses the Pendle witch trials as a background for the story. If you enjoy historical works then this is for you. And the narrator, Kate Sobey, always does a story justice. Binge listened in one day!!

Compelling story

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really did enjoy this book like the way it was read as well very interested will listen to more of this author

love in the way you've mixed truth with fairy tale

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Compelling storyline, authentic characters, read by an engaging and professional performer. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys fictionalised accounts of history…

First new novel I’ve enjoyed in years

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A nice easy listen. it certainly transported me into the era. Not as much whimsy as I expected but very well written and read.

lovely

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I live the story arc and how the true events of the time are woven into the fictional story.

loved it.

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