Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Hemlock Cure

By: Joanne Burn
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

It is 1665 and the women of Eyam keep many secrets.

Isabel Frith, the village midwife, walks a dangerous line with her herbs and remedies. There are men in the village who speak of witchcraft, and Isabel has a past to hide. So she tells nobody her fears about Wulfric, the pious, reclusive apothecary.

Mae, Wulfric's youngest daughter, dreads her father's rage if he discovers what she keeps from him. Like her feelings for Rafe, Isabel's ward, or that she studies from Wulfric's forbidden books at night.

But others have secrets too. Secrets darker than any of them could have imagined.

When Mae makes a horrifying discovery, Isabel is the only person she can turn to. But helping Mae will place them both in unspeakable peril.

And meanwhile another danger is on its way from London. One that threatens to engulf them all . . .

Based on the real history of an English village during the Great Plague, The Hemlock Cure is an utterly beguiling tale of fear and ambition, betrayal, self-sacrifice and the unbreakable bond between two women.

©2021 Joanne Burn (P)2021 Hachette Audio UK
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Embroidered Book cover art
The Midwife cover art
All the Murmuring Bones cover art
Cunning Women cover art
The Darkest Shore cover art
The Path of Thorns cover art
The Good Wife of Bath cover art
The Good Wife cover art
The House of Lost Wives cover art
The Witch's Tree cover art
A Cloud of Outrageous Blue cover art
The Prophet's Wife cover art
The Year of Ancient Ghosts cover art
The Chocolate Maker's Wife cover art
The Altarpiece cover art
Widdershins cover art

Critic reviews

"Vivid and poetic." (Jennifer Saint)

"Exquisitely written." (Sonia Velton)

"Heart-wrenching." (Rebecca F. John)

What listeners say about The Hemlock Cure

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    95
  • 4 Stars
    55
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    114
  • 4 Stars
    36
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    84
  • 4 Stars
    47
  • 3 Stars
    23
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great listen

Really enjoyed this book. It’s the first book where I’ve actually felt like I was there. It was narrated nicely and the story was good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating and well-performed!

I know of Eyam quite well because I have an aunt who lives nearby, so I am very familiar with the story of it shutting itself off from the rest of the world during The Plague. This was historically interesting in itself, but the quite common views of the time that witchcraft abounded amongst the female population. The fact that Florence and May are both synaesthetic - which must have been impossible to grasp as a fact and not magic - adds another element to the story. Obviously, witches, to a hard-nose puritan! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought it was very well performed and characterised.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mesmerising

One of the best books I have ever read/listened to. Rich in imagery and characters and cleverly narrated by an onlooker which adds a greater magic to the overall plot. The author has obviously done a lot of research into the subject matter. Superb narration. Mesmerising and hauntingly memorable. I highly recommend it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Beautifully written

A beautifully written book and with lovely narration. Complete immersion in the period. A great way to experience our history.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good story, well read

Nice herbal detail and strong and interesting characters. Would recommend to lovers of history. Lovely voice.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Extraordinarily Good

An absolutely spellbinding story. Poetic, dark, and steeped in historical accuracy. exquisite writing, and a faultless narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great listen

An intriguing and engaging story, masterfully narrated by the wonderful Kristin Atherton. Her performance of many voices all distinctly different and believable.
I would definitely recommend this audible book .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow!

This was not what I was expecting at all and it took a short while to get into it. However i ended up being totally enthralled. Brilliant book and wonderful narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent writing of a proper story 😊

I loved listening to this story, so beautifully read by Kristin Atherton. It was a tough life in the 1600’s and Joanne Burn creates a very real picture of it, whilst still telling a very believable story!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Atmospheric and female perspective on history

I liked the way the story was woven around historical events. The perspective of the women and their skills is fascinating and tragic all at once. If you are interested in herbalism and the relationship between early medicine and superstition you will enjoy this story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!