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Ashes and Stones: A Scottish Journey in Search of Witches and Witness (Paperback)
Allyson Shaw (author)Published: 31/08/2023
A vital and spellbinding work on the importance of remembering past injustices, Ashes and Stones evokes the notorious Scottish witch trials and the memorials created to commemorate the women who lost their lives due to misogyny and superstition.
Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month for September 2023
A moving and personal journey, along rugged coasts and through remote villages and cities, in search of the traces of those accused of witchcraft in seventeenth-century Scotland.
In Ashes and Stones we visit modern memorials and standing stones, and roam among forests and hedge mazes, folklore and political fantasies. From fairy hills to forgotten caves, we explore a spellbound landscape.
Allyson Shaw untangles the myth of witchcraft and gives voice to those erased by it. Her elegant and lucid prose weaves together threads of history and feminist reclamation to create a vibrant memorial. This is the untold story of the witches' monuments of Scotland and the women's lives they mark. Ashes and Stones is a trove of folklore linking the lives of contemporary women to the horrors of the past, a record of resilience and a call to choose and remember our ancestors.
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781529395495
Number of pages: 304
Weight: 220 g
Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 22 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Allyson Shaw has built a monument in words to the thousands persecuted as witches in Scotland. A fascinating and necessary book.' - Peter Ross
'In Ashes and Stone Shaw has written a compelling and intimate pilgrimage across Scotland as she visits the sites of notorious witch trials to connect with and comment on the memorials left there to the murdered people who perished through greed, misogyny, and superstition . . . The book is a fascinating exploration of the search for personal identity, the ever-present dangers of religious and political extremism, and how we examine and process the murderous injustices from our past.' - Helen Callaghan
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“Gorgeous Writing with Impeccably Researched Historical Account!”
I really loved this book - it is partially a cry for justice; partially a well-researched historical analysis (on various levels - personal, communal, national) and in general a beautifully written story, blending... More
“Dark and compelling”
Allyson Shaw writes words as an enduring memory of the horror of the Witch hunts that took place in Scotland in the 17th and 18th centuries especially. Taking great care to research the stories of the accused,... More
“A touching and beautifully written journey across Scotland and time to find those persecuted for Witchcraft”
I am utterly obsessed with the history of witchcraft and learning about what we as a country, a United Kingdom, and as a civilisation have done in the past to those who were suspected of witchcraft. It's a huge... More
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