The Witch's Trinity - Hardcover

Mailman, Erika

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0307351521 ISBN 13: 9780307351524

Publisher: Crown Pub, 2007

Synopsis

The year is 1507, and a friar has arrived in Tierkinddorf, a remote German village nestled deeply in the woods. The village has been suffering a famine, and the villagers are desperately hungry. The friar's arrival is a miracle, and when he claims he can restore the town to prosperity, the men and women gathered to hear him rejoice. The friar has a book called the Malleus Maleficarum - "The Witch's Hammer" - a guide to gaining confessions of witchcraft. The friar promises he will identify the guilty woman who has brought God's anger upon the town; she will be burned, and bounty will be restored. Tierkinddorf is filled with hope. Neighbors wonder aloud who has cursed them and how quickly can she be found? They begin sharing secrets with the friar.
Gude Muller, an elderly woman, has stark and frightening visions - recently she has seen things that defy explanation. None in the village know this, and Gude herself worries that perhaps her mind has begun to wander - certainly she has outlived all but one of her peers in Tierkinddorf. Yet of one thing she is absolutely certain: She has become an object of scorn and a burden to her son's wife. In these desperate times her daughter-in-law would prefer one less hungry mouth at the family table. As the friar turns his eye on each member of the tiny community, Gude dreads what her daughter-in-law might say to win his favor.
Then one terrible night Gude follows an unearthly voice and the scent of charred meat into the snow-filled woods. Come morning, she no longer knows if the horror she witnessed was real or imagined. She only knows that if the friar hears of it, she may be damned in this life as well as the next.

About this title

Review:

"A well-constructed novel and a gripping, well-told story of faith and truth."
--Khaled Hosseini, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Kite Runner

"Evocative and engrossing...a frightening tale of both the weakness and strength of the human soul. I was gripped immediately by the story; it reminded me of Year of Wonders and I read it in nearly one sitting."
--Robert Alexander, national bestselling author of The Kitchen Boy and Rasputin's Daughter

"Powerful and thought-provoking, The Witch's Trinity questions the nature of truth while bringing to vivid life the power men's fear has over women's lives. Haunting and unforgettable."
--India Edghill, author of Wisdom's Daughter

"Surprising and engrossing, The Witch's Trinity draws you in and then keeps you gripped till the very last page.
--Martin Davies, The Conjurer's Bird

"A linguistic enchantress has arrived among us, gifted in transmogrifying the mundanities of historical fiction into tableaux of indelible terror and abiding beauty."
--James Morrow, author of The Last Witchfinder

"The Witch's Trinity is one of those mind-bending histories that make you wonder how many women in the 16th century hid in fear of being condemned for their healing powers. Erika Mailman superbly re-creates the terror of the women who lost, and the hope of those who managed to survive, the most egregious war of the sexes."
--Holly Payne, author of The Virgin's Knot

"A Gothic horror story-starvation, superstition and persecution, if you believe in witches-this is a disturbing and compelling read."
--Tobsha Learner, author of The Witch of Cologne

"Beautifully written, nary a word out of place...deeply satisfying."
--San Francisco Chronicle

"Plunges readers into the storm of ignorance, superstition, and religious frenzy that incited mass hysteria...a disturbing story told with clarity and precision, an old story that has resonance today."
--Boston Globe

From the Hardcover edition.

Book Description:

A gripping tale of betrayal and persecution set in the witch trials in sixteenth century Germany

About this edition

• Publisher: Crown Pub
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0307351521
• ISBN 13: 9780307351524
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 278