Based in the reign of James I, in a country obsessed with eradicating the last vestiges of Witchcraft and Catholicism. Not necessarily in that order. It is a fictionalised, supernatural account of the Pendle witch trials, Pendle being not too far from where I live. A short, good read that highlights the wretchedness of life for the common people back then, even William Shakespeare makes an appearance. I usually love Jeanette Winterson's work but found this disappointing. At the outset there were too many characters, most that were never well developed and I found it difficult to get into. The multiple characters didn't add to the story it confused it.The Daylight Gate felt piecemeal and thin - that the research had been done but then not fully developed. For example, the early mention of Shakespeare felt like the writer had discovered he was working during the time of the witch trials and then just couldn't let go of her darlings - his appearance felt token and novel, not part of the plot. All in all it was a bit too once over lightly for me - except for the occasional descriptions of graphic violence or sexual relationships; nobody writes lesbian relationships quite like Winterson. In the end I read to finish the book. Winterson is a great writer but just missed the mark here for me. I finished this morning and don't think this will be a book to remember, which is a great pity.
Do You like book De Schemerpoort (2012)?
Might be weird to say this, but, what a bad-ass ending.
—Abby
Interesting topic and well-written story.
—Christiane
