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Corrag

by Susan Fletcher
Norton. Nov. 2010. c.384p. ISBN 9780393080001. $24.95. F
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In 1692, British soldiers massacred members of the MacDonald clan after having enjoyed the clan's hospitality in its Scottish stronghold of Glencoe. This brutal episode in British history is related to Irish pamphleteer Charles Leslie by Corrag, an accused witch and healer who tried to save members of the clan. British author Fletcher (Eve Green; Oystercatchers) allows Corrag to tell her story in exquisite poetic detail. As she awaits execution, Corrag tells Leslie about her life as the daughter and granddaughter of women executed for witchcraft. Her descriptions of the natural beauty of the Highlands are hypnotic, whether she is describing a stag on a hill or spiders entangled in her hair. And while members of the MacDonald clan are not heroes—given their marauding ways—they are not villains either, only men trying to survive.
VERDICT This engrossing historical novel is essential for lovers of Scottish history. With its strong female protagonist, Fletcher's latest work casts a spell that will linger over readers long after they have finished the book. Corrag's story and that of the brutality suffered by women throughout the British Isles need to be retold in each generation.
Reviewed by Andrea Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS , Sep 15, 2010
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