The book is set in 1692 Scotland, in the aftermath of the massacre of the McDonald clan, who were staunch Jacobites, and it is widely thought the massacre to be at the behest of the new King William of Orange, who usurped the rightful King James Stuart from his throne. Corrag is also a true Scottish "witch" and was indeed involved in the clan uprising. Charles Leslie was also a real Irish propagandist and is believed to be the anonymous voice behind the pamphlet that disclosed the facts about the massacre. This is the historical basis for the tale.
The novel is a fictionalized retelling of Corrag and the McDonald massacre---and for the vast majority I really enjoyed the book and the lyrical writing. Anyone who knows my reading tastes nows that I am sucker for English-Scottish history and epistolatary writing. But, I agree with other readers--the fictional romance element was not necessary and only served to bring the writing down a notch.
It is 2025, I live in the USA, so I found some delight in the following: William of Orange was from Denmark and usurped the Scottish throne from King James, much rebellion ensued. The Scottish populace refered to him as the "Orange Man". An actual Orange Man now believes himself to be the ruler of the USA--sad but so unfortunately true.
Reading Challenge:
25 in 2025
Once Around the Categories: Bewitching Reads