Distillation involved heating a liquid to create a vapour in a container called an alembic or still, then cooling the vapour to produce another (scented or flavoured) liquid. The process was necessary to produce ‘waters’ and essential oils. An apothecary’s laboratory and a gentlewoman’s stillroom therefore boasted furnaces, stills (copper, pewter or glass), pans, skillets, funnels, sieves, gallipots, graters and vials. Distilling was a demanding process associated with skill and high status; distilled substances were regarded as ‘perfected’ and therefore highly sought after. Mae woont nog alleen met haar vader, de dorpsapotheker, in het Engelse stadje Eyam nadat haar moeder en zusje Leah allebei zijn gestorven. Mae's vader Wulfric is streng en weet niet dat zijn dochter stiekem bezoekjes brengt aan Isabel, de vroedvrouw van het dorp. Isabel was de beste vriendin van Mae's moeder en vertrouwt Wulfric helemaal niet. Isabel is door hem zelfs al eens als heks bestempeld. En dan dreigt de pest naar Eyam te komen...

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An interesting history of apothecary and witchcraft interspersed with family loyalty and friendship. I really enjoyed the relationship between Mae and Isabel - they had such a connection from the time of Mae’s birth and I loved how they supported eachother. The relationship between Mae and her father was more difficult to read about though - his thoughts on women generally, including his daughter, were harsh and controlling.

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To reveal more would spoil a many-layered and multi-threaded plot, which at first seems a bit random, but which slowly builds into a glorious picture of life in a small village, and the trials and tribulations of those who practiced medicine in the middle ages. We also take a trip to London, where the sights and smells of the plague-ridden city are drawn to perfection. The book also examines the nature of family, relationships, and religion. There's also a neat twist, in the shape of the narrator of the story.

The Hemlock Cure by Joanne Burn | Waterstones

Het draait rond Mae en Isabel, twee vrouwen met een interesse in geneeskunde en dan komt het woord heks dichtbij in de 17de eeuw. Maar we leren ook Isabel's man Johan zijn achtergrondverhaal kennen. Hij trekt naar Londen waar hij de gevolgen van de pestepidemie waarneemt. En dan heb je nog Rafe, die bij Isabel en Johan woont en waar Mae wel interesse in heeft. This wonderful book is based on true events that happened in 1666’s England during the plague where a whole village, Eyam, quarantined itself in an attempt to slow the number of deaths occurring from the plague, and let me tell you, after the last two years this book certainly makes for an interesting read!

But the story progressed really slowly and I felt my attention waning throughout. The other issue for me was the timehop that was sometimes a little confusing. As well as Eyam, we get to travel to the plague capital city of London. This brings the small and isolated village into stark contrast and it shows how the plague ravaged the streets, people’s lives and the entire country as a result. Those poor villagers, miles away, were never far from my mind.

The Hemlock Cure by Joanne Burn | Hachette UK

Mae lives alone with her father, the village pharmacist, in the English town of Eyam after her mother and sister Leah both died. Mae’s father Wulfric is strict and doesn’t know that his daughter is secretly visiting Isabel, the village midwife. Isabel was Mae’s mother’s best friend and does not trust Wulfric at all. She has even been branded a witch by him. And then the plague threatens to come to Eyam… When Mae makes a horrifying discovery, Isabel is the only person she can turn to. But helping Mae will place them both in unimaginable peril.Meanwhile another danger is on its way from London. One that threatens to engulf them all. . .Share this event Save this event: A VERY SIMPLE MIND: Derek Forbes in conversation with Joel McIver But, our focus is upon Mae, the apothecary's daughter and Isabel, the local midwife who is teaching our young protagonist her craft. But pious, controlling Wulfric doesn't want his daughter associating with the midwife let alone befriending her. Wulfric blames Isabel for the loss of his wife and all but deems her a witch. Over the course of the novel we learn that Mae and Isabel have more to fear than just the plague. Hidden in the Derbyshire Dales, in a hollow where the crags of the Dark Peak meet the hills of the White Peak, is the village of Eyam – an ancient place, settled in Anglo-Saxon times, known by some as ‘the plague village’. In the autumn of 1665, a delivery from London of clothing and cloth arrived at the tailor’s house in Eyam, bringing with it rat fleas and the bubonic plague they carried. Within a few days, the tailor’s journeyman, George Viccars, had fallen ill and died. As the disease spread steadily from house to house, the wealthier villagers were able to escape, having other homes to flee to. But tenant farmers, lead miners and labourers had nowhere else to go, and couldn’t afford to leave their livelihoods behind.