A review by thebooktrail88
The Hemlock Cure by Joanne Burn

4.0

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This peaked my interest as it is inspired by the true story of the so-called ‘plague village’ of Eyam in Derbyshire. Eyam has a very interesting claim to fame. It is the village a the centre of the plague out break in 1665. The villagers of Eyam decided to cordon off the village, allowing no one in and no one out in order to try and keep the plague contained. This is a story of the plague of 1665 but it sadly felt very relevant. Today’s COVID pandemic will make this novel all the more poignant.

I liked the way the book was written from the POV of a woman. Mae, lives with her father, the village apothecary. She works with him and really wants him to accept her as his assistant but these are strange and dangerous times for women. Especially difficult times for those who know how to mix potions and medicines. She does study this however with the local midwife and wise woman. However, their knowledge of herbs and the more natural remedies is going to bring trouble to their doors.

As well as Eyam, we get to travel to the plague capital city of London. This brings the small and isolated village into stark contrast and it shows how the plague ravaged the streets, people’s lives and the entire country as a result. Those poor villagers, miles away, were never far from my mind.

The writing weaved in and around the puzzles and problems of the day and the pacing didn’t always flow as well as I would like. Mae as a main character was fascinating. The novel contained themes of medicines, witchery goings on and a great deal of darkness. How fascinating to find out about how an entire village tried to protect themselves from the unknown. Although the timing and POV jumped about a bit, by the end of the novel, when the entire story reveals itself, you’ll be pleased you read this book slowly and immersed yourself in a very fine historical fiction experience.

See the locations in this novel here: Enter The Hemlock Cure - the plague village