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The Burnings

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What to expect

Inspired by an incredible true story, by a multi-awardwinning new star of historical fiction

1589. Scottish housemaid Geillis and Danish courtier Margareta lead opposite lives, but they both know one thing: when a man cries “witch”, no woman is safe.

Yet when the marriage of King James VI and Princess Anna of Denmark brings Geillis and Margareta together, everything they supposed about good, evil, men, and women, is cast in a strange and brilliant new light.

For the first time in history, could black magic – or rumours of it – be a very real tool for women’s political gain?

As the North Berwick witch trials whip Scotland – and her king – into a frenzy of paranoia, the clock is ticking. Can Margareta and Geillis keep each other safe? And once the burnings are over, in whose hands will power truly lie?

The Burnings is 2023’s most bewitching debut novel, by the winner of two Northern Writers Awards and the HWA Dorothy Dunnett Competition 2021.

Critics Review

  • ‘I was mesmerised by The Burnings and its heroines. I highly recommend this brilliant and compelling novel to all lovers of historical fiction.’ Laura Shepperson, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Heroines

    ‘A gothic gem. Tense, delicate writing. Lace woven with steel threads.’ Judges of the HWA Dorothy Dunnett Competition

    ‘The best new talent from the North of England . . . This year’s winners show that the next generation of creative talent has the potential to help us re-frame a post-pandemic world and better understand ourselves and our society.’ Katy Shaw, Partner in the Northern Writers’ Awards 2020

    ‘The Burnings is a beautifully written re-imagining of the North Berwick witch trials with clever and tantalising glimpses into the cross-over between witchcraft and lived experience in 16th-century Scotland.’ S.G. MacLean, author of The Bookseller of Inverness

    ‘This gripping, vividly evoked novel takes the reader to the dark heart of the sixteenth century witch hunts. Witchcraft, espionage and the deadly world of the royal court fuse into a compelling, unforgettable narrative. A stunning debut.’Tracy Borman, author of The King’s Witch

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