"This emotional story of persecution, survival, and acceptance storms its way with evocative power into one of the last untamed areas of Yorkshire in 1649.
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Fiercely intense and stimulating, this historical novel stamped its place and time onto the pages and into my heart with its old magic and powerful descriptive detailing. In 1649 Caragh and her family flee Ireland for Yorkshire, when her parents are murdered she leaves her home and travels the land while the last wolf of England also fights for survival. Focusing on discrimination and greed it conjures a dark time, one where the fear of anything that can’t be tamed ensures aggression and hate. I first came across Michael Stewart’s writing with Ill Will, a beautiful, disturbing, and provocative tale about the missing years of Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. Again he writes with the most dramatic yet haunting pen, all-consuming, beautifully atmospheric, and utterly convincing, I love how he can create an unforgettable story. The ancient magic that swirls through this tale feels authentic and as though you can reach out and touch it. Coupled with the striking sense of place, the enchantment sings with iron strength. The coven of women, the men as they hunt, the fear, the gripping tension, all synchronised to create a heightened level of anticipation and suspense. Chosen as a Liz Pick of the Month and LoveReading Star Book, Black Wood Women is the most moving, and ferociously compelling tale. Highly recommended.
We know the truths men have forgotten...Yorkshire. 1649. Caragh has hidden her true name and her Irish identity, and since her family fled Ireland in secret they have been proud to own land of their own in England. But one morning, Caragh's father tells her that they must leave their beloved home as it is no longer safe for them to stay. That morning, Caragh hears shots fired. When she returns to the cottage, she finds her family murdered by Lemuel Lane, a wealthy Protestant who has taken it upon himself to rid the area of anyone with Catholic sympathies.Caragh flees east, and comes to a forest, a coven of women, finding acceptance at last, little knowing that persecution stalks them, and their days in the forest are numbered.Meanwhile, the last wolf in England hunts for prey. She is tired, hungry and alone - missing her pack and her mate, and anxious about the litter of pups she carries.
'Visceral, twisting, propulsive - Black Wood Women begs to be devoured' Stacey Halls
Author
About Michael Stewart
Michael Stewart is a multi-award winning writer, born and brought up in Salford, who moved to Yorkshire in 1995 and is now based in Bradford. He has written several full length stage plays, one of which, Karry Owky, was joint winner of the King's Cross Award for New Writing. His debut novel, King Crow, was published in January 2011. It won the Guardian's Not-the-Booker Award and has been selected as a recommended read for World Book Night. He works as a is senior lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Huddersfield, where he is the director of the Huddersfield Literature Festival.
