Time and magic interplay in the life and experiences of Elizabeth Anne Hawksmith. With The Witch’s Daughter, Paula Brackston offers up her first novel — an unforgettable bestseller. Here, she explores themes that are both familiar and controversial, while drawing us in with all those untapped memories.
Elizabeth (Bess) is a witch, and she was initiated into the ways of the Hedge Witch by Gideon (who also initiated her mother). Still, she runs, as she refuses to give into Gideon’s demands.
Through history, Bess escapes the plague, death by hanging (her mother’s fate), the ravages of world war, and the infamous Whitechapel Ripper. Gideon stalks her through time, never allowing her to stay in one place for long. In a very real sense, it’s a dance with the Devil, as Gideon seeks to draw her further into his Faustian bargain.
It’s also something of a game of cat-and-mouse. After already sacrificing so much, what could bring about the end? What’s the final straw? The line in the sand?