Corrag

Corrag, the titular character of Susan Fletcher's work, has been haunted by the word "witch" her entire life. The moniker has often been accompanied by scowling glances and thrown stones. It is the word that took her mother from her and sent Corrag fleeing to Scotland from the English town where she was born. Small but hardy, young Corrag survived and made a life for herself among the MacDonald clan but when politics, oaths, and kingship debates bring a bloody massacre to Glencoe, the word witch places Corrag behind bars sentenced to death.

It is in her jail cell that the story of her past unfolds, told to Charles Leslie an Irish propaganda writer who seeks Corrag's testimony about the 1692 massacre. Her narrative spills out in a stream of consciousness flashback that is interspersed with Leslie's reflections on her words told in letters to his wife in Ireland. This alternative method of storytelling may be off-putting to some readers, but I found it to be a clever and unique way of slowly revealing the personalities and stories of both Corrag and Leslie.

Susan Fletcher did a great job with this work. The setting of Scotland in 1692 was wonderfully detailed and the facts blended beautifully with fiction. There was plenty of foreshadowing but the pacing of the story was still well done. I loved the characters and especially appreciated how the relationship between Corrag and Leslie changed over time even though there was never any direct dialog between them. Filled with action, emotion, politics, and history, Corrag is a remarkable work of historical fiction that fans of the genre will not want to miss.

A copy of this book was provided through Library Thing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for a review.  This review represents my honest and unbiased opinions.  Corrag is on sale November 15.

4 Response to "Corrag"

  1. Danielle Zappavigna says:
    November 10, 2010 at 11:03 PM

    Yep, this sounds like one for me, just added it to the list - cheers!

  2. Anonymous Says:
    November 11, 2010 at 6:34 PM

    This sounds great! I love anything historical about Scotland. I'll look it up.

  3. lisa :) says:
    November 12, 2010 at 10:58 AM

    Let me know what you think if/when you do read it! Lots of other reviewers really objected to the first person narrative style, but I really enjoyed it!

  4. iubookgirl says:
    November 29, 2010 at 12:32 PM

    Hmm, I'm not sure I'll enjoy the writing style, but the subject is interesting. After hearing how much you liked it, I think I'll give it a try.

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