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Corrag

4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 · rating details · 646 ratings · 192 reviews

February 13, 1692. Thirty-eight members of the MacDonald clan are killed by soldiers who had previously enjoyed the clan's hospitality. Many more die from exposure. Forty miles south, the captivating Corrag is imprisoned for her involvement in the massacre. Accused of witchcraft and murder, she awaits her death. Lonesome, she tells her story to Charles Leslie, an Irish pro...more

Hardcover, 366 pages

Published November 15th 2010 by W. W. Norton & Company (first published January 1st 2010)

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Apr 22, 2013 Karen Charbonneau rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Spoiler alert, though I'm not certain my review has let any cats out of the bag.I enjoyed the author's lyrical writing and would give her craft five stars if that were the only subject of my review. In response to previous reviews, I understand why Corrag repeats imagery about her mother. Her mother's life and death centered her own view of the world. We do repeat ourselves regarding those incidents in our lives that stay with us - I thought it true to her character. But, I found the end of the...more

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Jan 29, 2011 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book has practically left me speechless, but I'll do my best: luminous, poetic, profound, lush, divinely crafted sentences that left me in awe, a heroine so lovely and courageous that she lingers on in my imagination. Simply the best book I've read in recent memory, and I have read some terrific books.

The novel is based on a real character and real events: the Glencoe massacre in the Scottish Highlands in the late 1600s. The novel's structure alternates between Corrag telling her story to a...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Janet rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: loosely-based-on-history

I listened to the audio version of this book and greatly enjoyed it. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times - Rosalyn Landor is simply the best book narrator ever!

Because this story was based on actual historical events, I found it even more fascinating because I learned about a piece of Scottish history that I hadn't heard of before (not that I know a lot about Scotland's history! But I do like learning about any historical event). Also, oddly enough, I can highly identify with bein...more I listened to the audio version of this book and greatly enjoyed it. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times - Rosalyn Landor is simply the best book narrator ever!

Because this story was based on actual historical events, I found it even more fascinating because I learned about a piece of Scottish history that I hadn't heard of before (not that I know a lot about Scotland's history! But I do like learning about any historical event). Also, oddly enough, I can highly identify with being branded a witch (long story! ;-)

The only downside to this story (for me) was the author's style of narrative. Little things bother me. I'm sure that most people wouldn't even notice this but I did and it drove me crazy! What I'm talking about is Corrag's repetitive narrative. I'm sure that there was a reason for it and it no doubt spoke to her character and personality, but it still bothered me. It annoyed me every time Corrag mentioned North and West. It got to the point where I was thinking, "Please don't say it again. I know which way she went. We all do (even the mare)!" But the North and West reference was kept up until the very last minutes of the story. And then there was the part where she ran to get help on the night of the anticipated massacre. She ran and ran and ran and ran and ran and ran and ran (well, you get the picture!). She ran mainly to help "him." Him. Him. Him. Oh gawd - enough already!!! Anyway... (btw people, I'm not being mean about the author or any such thing. This is just something that solely speaks to my weird idiosyncrasyes.

Aside from the above-mentioned silly little thing that seriously annoyed me, I greatly enjoyed the story. It was a really fascinating way to learn about a very unfortunate and horrific event in Scottish Highlander history. The characters of Corrag and Charles Leslie were both compelling people with very good stories to tell. You could sense their growing friendship and you grew along with them and became sympathetic to both of them. **SEMI-SPILER** You were glad that Charles Leslie did what he did in the end. Had she not ran ran ran North and West, North and West, North and West because of him him him, I may have given the book four stars! I know - I'm a horrible person!
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Aug 31, 2012 Booknblues rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Susan Fletcher's historical novel Corrag tells the story of the massacre of Glencoe in 1692 through the eyes of a Corrag, a young woman who is a survivor and accused of being a witch. She is being held in a prison pending her planned execution by fire and during this time she is interviewed by Jacobite Anglican Priest, Charles Leslie who iis a historical figure.

Truly Corrag is the type of novel which I fall in love with. I appreciate the historical setting, the struggle for survival, and the gro...more Susan Fletcher's historical novel Corrag tells the story of the massacre of Glencoe in 1692 through the eyes of a Corrag, a young woman who is a survivor and accused of being a witch. She is being held in a prison pending her planned execution by fire and during this time she is interviewed by Jacobite Anglican Priest, Charles Leslie who iis a historical figure.

Truly Corrag is the type of novel which I fall in love with. I appreciate the historical setting, the struggle for survival, and the growth and changing relationships among characters.

The story shifts between Corrag's telling of her story to Charles Leslie and his letters to his wife which provide an analysis and give detail to his changing perspective.

Life was difficult for Corrag, 17th century England and Scotland were difficult times for a woman alone and one who was seen as different in anyway as Corrag was with her tiny body was. As Susan Fletcher details in her afterword to the book:

"The Witchcraft Act of 1735 put an end to the generations of fear and persecution. Over the previous three hundred years it is estimated that over 100,00 women --mostly knowledgeable, independent , old or outspoken women--stood trial, accused of witchcraft. Torture was widespread, as means for confession. Across Europe as many as 40,000 were put to death."

But the heart of Corrag is Corrag herself. She is a tiny, wee thing who has struggled to survive, she has an odd way of talking in a high pitched manner with her hands moving in front of her mouth and she admittedly prattles on and on. Yet despite her hard life she finds wonder in the world all around and vouches for the goodness of people. She says early in the novel:

"Lives mean far more than deaths ever do. It is what we remember --the life. Not how they died, but how warm and bright-eyed they were, and how they lived their lives."

It is really the readers' ability to deal with Corrag and her prattling which will make or break the novel for them. I loved the telling the rambling stream of consciousness story which was Corrag's own. I found it endearing and wanted to know more and more about her life.(less)

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Jun 11, 2012 Diane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Unusual, beautifully written novel about a massacre in Scotland in the late 17th century. The narrator, who is the only living witness to the massacre, has been accused of witchcraft and is awaiting execution. She meets an Irish Catholic leader, who is interested in her story, because he thinks it will help to undermine William of Orange, the new English king, whose soldiers carried out the massacre. The chapters alternate, with one chapter being the prisoner telling her story, and the next bein...more

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Jan 27, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, historical

Corrag, by Susan Fletcher, is the story of a young woman in Scotland in 1692 who is accused of witchcraft for her supposed involvement in a massacre. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, I really enjoyed it.

The style and plot are different from your typical historical fiction novel. Corrag, the main character, is imprisoned and telling her story to an Irish Reverend who wants to learn more about the massacre for political reasons. Corrag's first-person narrative is interwov...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Charlotte rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book whilst on holiday last year - can't believe I forgot to review it as soon as I came back.

Well Susan Fletcher did an outstanding job with this one.

I won't dive into a synopsis of the story but suffice to say that I felt totally at one with the main character, Corrag, and really had to stop myself from taking a sneeky peek to the end of the book to see if she burned for witchcraft or not. I was willing her not to.

Fletcher paints such rich and vivid descriptions of the Scottish...more

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May 02, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Susan Fletcher’s new book, Corrag, is historical fiction that does something I love: it takes an historical event and looks at it from a new angle, through the eyes of a new character. The story is based on the 1692 Massacre of Glencoe, where supporters of King William were responsible for the deaths of 78 members of the MacDonald clan, killed because of their delay in pledging allegiance to the new king. Corrag is an English witch who had lived among them, imprisoned in the aftermath of the mas...more Susan Fletcher’s new book, Corrag, is historical fiction that does something I love: it takes an historical event and looks at it from a new angle, through the eyes of a new character. The story is based on the 1692 Massacre of Glencoe, where supporters of King William were responsible for the deaths of 78 members of the MacDonald clan, killed because of their delay in pledging allegiance to the new king. Corrag is an English witch who had lived among them, imprisoned in the aftermath of the massacre, and sentenced to be burned alive at the stake.

There are a number of things I loved about this book. Corrag herself is a fascinating character. She has lived in a way that modern people cannot even imagine. As a girl, she is forced to flee her home and she lives, quite literally, off the land. She eats roots and berries, she sleeps under trees, her only companion a stolen horse. She eventually takes up residence in a remote valley in a lean-to she built herself from branches and cow dung. She drinks warm milk right from the cow’s teat. Corrag accepts her lot and never acts as though she expected anything more. It was a constant surprise to me that someone could live so simply, in a way that most of us would find horribly deprived, and yet be so content.

The other main character is Charles Leslie, a Jacobite minister, traveling incognito and looking for dirt on King William. He learns of Corrag’s imprisonment and hopes she will be able to provide him with the evidence he needs. He visits her in the tollbooth where she is being held, ostensibly to bring her comfort, but mostly to pump her for information.

I love the way the story is told. Corrag’s tale makes up the main narrative (and she warns you up front that she tends to talk a lot). At the end of each chapter, Charles writes a letter to his wife back in Ireland. The contrast between Corrag’s stories and the way Charles views her in the beginning is so dramatic! He goes in expecting a wild, godless, savage and to some extent, that’s what he gets. She is completely outside his experience. He takes her dirty appearance as an indication of the condition of her soul. Did he not notice that she is being held in a dungeon, with little food and no access to soap and a bathtub?

Corrag’s stories about her life, the wilderness she lives in, her connection to the world around her — they are almost poetic. I loved reading them and found myself completely caught up. I was angry — really angry — with Charles Leslie for seeing her through his narrow, pious eyes. But as the stories continue, and he gets a little scolding from his wife, he, too, begins to fall under her spell.

The MacDonalds were good people and they did not deserve the fate that befell them. They took in their murderers, offered them their hospitality, and in return they were slaughtered, their wives and children left to die of exposure in the February frost, watching as their homes burned. But Highlanders are hearty people and enough of them survived to tell the tale, not that it made any difference to King William. There is an interesting history that surrounds their story and I thoroughly enjoyed this fresh look at it.

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Mar 04, 2011 Bondama rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is such an overlooked jewel of a book.

It's set in the late 17th century, just after James the II has "escaped" to France, and William of Orange (who spoke no English) graciously agreed to be the King of England. Well..... he WAS a Protestant!!!

The historians among you will recognize this "Bloodless Glorious Revolution." But this book is such a small story, concerning a child sized woman, born a bastard to a "cunning woman" whom most would call witch. Her mother comes to her one night, havi...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Genevieve rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've read some of the other reviews and must say that I agree with many of the criticisms - it is a bit too drawn out maybe, with a lot of repetition. Corrag is a little Pollyanna-ish, the priest's letters not entirely convincing. There are some hyper-unrealistic parts - especially when it finally gets to the massacre. I don't know if the ending was the best one to have chosen or not.

That all said... I didn't care, because I felt the strengths more than made up for those flaws. The language was...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Jennifer (JC-S) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Jennifer (JC-S) by: fionnabhair@bigpond.com

Shelves: librarybooks

‘Lives mean far more than deaths ever do.’

Early in the morning of 13 February 1692, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution and the Jacobite uprising of 1689 led by John Graham of Claverhouse (‘Bonnie Dundee’), an infamous massacre took place in the Valley of Glencoe, in the Scottish highlands. The Massacre of Glencoe, or in Scottish Gaelic, 'Mort Ghlinne Comhann' (murder of Glen Coe) can still rouse passion today. The massacre began simultaneously in three settlements along the glen—Inverco...more ‘Lives mean far more than deaths ever do.’

Early in the morning of 13 February 1692, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution and the Jacobite uprising of 1689 led by John Graham of Claverhouse (‘Bonnie Dundee’), an infamous massacre took place in the Valley of Glencoe, in the Scottish highlands. The Massacre of Glencoe, or in Scottish Gaelic, 'Mort Ghlinne Comhann' (murder of Glen Coe) can still rouse passion today. The massacre began simultaneously in three settlements along the glen—Invercoe, Inverrigan, and Achnacon—although the killing took place across the glen as fleeing MacDonalds were pursued. Thirty-eight MacDonalds of Glencoe were killed - by guests who had accepted their hospitality ( two companies of the Earl of Argyll’s Regiment of Foot), on the grounds that the MacDonalds had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the new monarchs, William and Mary. Another forty women and children died of exposure after their homes were burned.

In this novel, through two main characters – one an historical figure, the other a semi legendary one - the story of the massacre is told.

Charles Leslie, an Irish Jacobite, wrote one of the few detailed contemporary accounts of the massacre ‘A Letter From a Gentleman In Scotland’. In the novel, he is gathering evidence about the massacre and travels to Inveraray where Corrag is imprisoned. Corrag is apparently a witness to the massacre and has also been condemned to death by burning as witch.

While Leslie is initially disgusted by Corrag and her squalid cell, he agrees to a bargain with Corrag. Corrag will tell him what she knows if he will first listen to her story from the beginning. The majority of the novel is taken up by Corrag’s story of how she fled to north to Scotland, and eventually to Glencoe, after her mother, an herbalist, was condemned as a witch. Once in Glencoe, Corrag becomes involved in the lives of Clan MacDonald and is called on as a healer. Corrag’s narrative is interspersed with Leslie’s commentary in the form of letters to his wife.

As Corrag tells her story, Leslie becomes more sympathetic towards her and more respectful of her. Her joy in the natural world is an important part of this story and by the time the telling of the massacre occurs, Corrag’s life is as important as the events of Glencoe.

I loved this novel: it is full, it is complete and Corrag’s voice deserves all of the words it uses. It is work of literary historical fiction: as remarkable for its language as it is for its story.

‘Who we were is not who we are, these days.’

Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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Apr 17, 2013 Meg rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wonder and weep. Epic tale of the infinite beauty of nature,cruelty of intolerance, and redemption of love. Corrag's yarn weaves a tableau that vividly depicts the harsh grandeur of the Highlands of Scotland. The Glencoe I visited was a misty, haunted place. Fletcher brings it so vividly to life, one can smell the peat and feel the wind. I haven't wept so much or felt so close to nature while reading since "Cold Mountain". Both novels give such loving and intricate care to place.

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Nov 27, 2010 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story of accused witch Corrag, the only witness to the killing of the McDonald clan in Scotland in late 17th century Britain, slowly unravels through poetic prose. Corrag has one visitor in her bleak, damp cell, Charles Leslie, a Catholic loyalist traveling under disguise meets with Corrag to try to mete out information that could possibly implicate the Protestant king William in the murders. At the beginning, Leslie approaches Corrag in a skeptical and fearful manner, but through her detail...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Her Royal Orangeness rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, best-of-2012, 5-stars, author-fletcher, authors-i-heart

Scotland, late 1600s. Corrag’s mother, like her mother before her, has been accused of witchcraft and sentenced to die. Corrag flees into the wilderness, eventually arriving in Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands. Here, among the MacDonald Clan, she finds sanctuary. No pointing fingers, no accusations of ‘witch.’ Her talent for herbal healing is accepted and utilized; her unusually solitary lifestyle and love of nature does not cause suspicion.

Yet even as Corrag finds peace, Britain is erupting w...more Scotland, late 1600s. Corrag’s mother, like her mother before her, has been accused of witchcraft and sentenced to die. Corrag flees into the wilderness, eventually arriving in Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands. Here, among the MacDonald Clan, she finds sanctuary. No pointing fingers, no accusations of ‘witch.’ Her talent for herbal healing is accepted and utilized; her unusually solitary lifestyle and love of nature does not cause suspicion.

Yet even as Corrag finds peace, Britain is erupting with political upheaval. William of Orange, a Dutchman, has usurped the throne, and King James has fled to France. Loyalties are fiercely divided - some accept the new ruler, others battle to see King James restored as leader.

The MacDonald Clan are Jacobites, supporters of King James. Eventually, though, they are forced to sign an oath swearing allegiance to William. They do so, but miss the signing deadline by six days. And for this, they are savagely murdered by William’s armies. Corrag is aware of the impending massacre, and tries to warn the Clan to flee. A few listen, most do not. And when the soldiers become aware of Corrag’s treasonous act, they accuse her of witchcraft and condemn her to burn.

Shackled in chains in a prison cell, Corrag tells her story to Charles Leslie, an Irish minister and Jacobite. Charles is investigating the Glencoe Massacre in hopes that the truth of the event will convince James to fight for his throne. At first, he sees Corrag as what she has been accused of - a witch. But as her story unfolds, Charles begins to see her as the MacDonald clan did - a woman who looks at the world through different eyes, who is self-sacrificing and brave, and who wants only to be accepted and loved. And as Charles’ heart is changed, so is Corrag’s destiny.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! With huge love! It’s such an amazing story, all based on historical events and people. The Independent described it as “a poetic intense narrative” and it is, to the nth degree. It’s just lovely, so rich and lyrical. And Corrag may well be one of my favorite protagonists, ever. She’s just amazing, and so well depicted in this book.

Also, I truly appreciated how the author portrayed the witch-hunts that took place in Europe during this time. These women were not witches, but were looked on with suspicion and hatred because they, in some way, did not conform to society. In the afterward, the author wrote, “The last execution of a so-called witch in Britain was in 1727. The Witchcraft Act of 1735 put an end to the generations of fear and persecution. Over the previous three hundred years it is estimated that over 100,000 women - mostly knowledgeable, independent, outspoken women - stood trial, accused of witchcraft.”

This is my favorite passage from Witch Light, which summarizes the essential theme of the story. Corrag: “I think how we live our lives is our own doing, and we cannot fully hope on dreams and stars. But dreams and stars can guide us, perhaps. And the heart’s voice is a strong one. Always is. Listen to it, is my advice. Your heart’s voice is your true voice. It is easy to ignore it, for sometimes it says things we’d rather it did not - and it is so hard to risk the things we have. But what life are we living, if we don’t live by our hearts? Not a true one. And the person living is not the true you.”(less)

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Jan 27, 2010 Boof rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-and-review-copies, british-authors, historical, read-in-2010, comfort-reading, my-current-top-10, my-most-amazing-books, uk

Rarely does a book bewitch (pardon the pun) and mesmorise me quite so much as this one. It is truly one of the most beautiful and lyrical books I have ever read.

The story is narrated by Corrag, a 16 year old girl who is awaiting being burned at the stake for being a witch in 17th century Scotland. Corrag is visited in jail by Charles Leslie, an Irish Jacobite who wants to prove that the recent massacre in Glencoe was the work of the soldiers under William of Orange. Corrag is English and has run...more Rarely does a book bewitch (pardon the pun) and mesmorise me quite so much as this one. It is truly one of the most beautiful and lyrical books I have ever read.

The story is narrated by Corrag, a 16 year old girl who is awaiting being burned at the stake for being a witch in 17th century Scotland. Corrag is visited in jail by Charles Leslie, an Irish Jacobite who wants to prove that the recent massacre in Glencoe was the work of the soldiers under William of Orange. Corrag is English and has run away “north and west” at the command of her mother who is about to be hung for also being a witch. Corrag takes the old and beaten horse of a cruel neighbour, a grey mare who becomes her best and only friend, and spends the next year living off the land and making her way north-west where she arrives in Glencoe. At first the clan is wary of her, but over time they welcome her into the fold although she still lives in her self-made little hut on the moor.

What is magical about this book is Corrage’s voice. She lives, breathes and dreams nature and the land around her. Every tiny thing is spoken of with such love and passion and she notices everything – a dew drop on a leaf, the changing colours of the rocks through the day, the silver sand as the grey mare gallops over beaches in the moonlight. The way she narrates is lyrical and equistite and the world she inhabits makes you feel like you can breathe again. Despite her life so far and her hardships, she has such a capacity for love and kindness for eveyone she meets.

Through her visits from Charles Leslie, Corrag tells her life story from her birth through to the night her friends were slain in a Scottish valley during a blizzard. Each person is wary of the other at the beginning – Leslie returns daily as he is waiting for details on who was behind the massacre (believing it to be the new King) and Corrag is determined that her life will not be forgotten. After several weeks they find a strange comfort in each other and a friendship is born. Corrag has found companionship in her final days and Leslie learns to see whe world through fresh eyes.

I honestly just loved this book. It has now become a firm favourite and I am sorry it has ended. I have never read any of Susan Fletchers other two books but I will now be seeking them out.

Highly, highly recommended!
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Jan 28, 2011 Jean Moynahan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I almost gave up on this a few times for several reasons (repetitious albeit lyrical prose; little to no action; the alternating chapters of Corrag's voice and Charles's letters, which seemed often to stall any momentum in the narrative). About halfway through, however, I grew to really appreciate what Fletcher had done with Corrag's narrative voice. Once she established Corrag as a kind of unspoiled, pure-hearted "noble savage," the poetry of her observations of the natural world became an idio...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Chris rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scotland, kindle, historical-fiction-1700-1900

The writing in the book is wonderful. Fletcher does have a lyrical voice.

But.

Actually, BUT

(and I never thought I would say this about a book that is 386 pages)

the book is too blasted long.

I swear, after I got about halfway in, I just wanted the Glencoe masscare to start (then I felt guilty).

Corrag is arrigned as a witch and tells her tale to an Irishman. The descriptions are lovely, but there is way too much padding in the novel. I found myself more interested about Lesile than about Corrag bec...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this up to have a light read while lying on the beach..but was pleasantly enthralled by the tale of a young girl labelled a witch, who gets embroiled in the Glencoe massacre. the story unfolds as she recounts it to a Jacobite who is secretly seeking information on the massacre. It's clever device as we get to hear both voices and how the telling of the story changes them both.

The 'witch' label means that Corrag lives alone and loves the wide open spaces..she has a 'love of places', abd...more

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Jun 10, 2012 MyBookAffair rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have just finished reading 'Corrag' by Susan Fletcher and I can honestly say that I have never read a book like it. Previously published under the title of 'Witch Light', it is a story about a young woman who has witnessed a massacre in the Scottish highlands and to silence her, the authorities have accused her of being a witch. She tells her life-story to a visiting Irish political activist, Charles Leslie, who is secretly gathering evidence against newly crowned King William of Orange, the p...more

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Mar 30, 2013 McKerley & Schippers rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In search for background information on major Scottish historical events, my eye fell on "Witch Light" a fictional account on the Glencoe murders.

But how fictional is fiction? I always wonder what draws a person to write a certain book about a certain subject and I know for sure that our Bloodlines series is based on actual personal fact wrapped in fiction.

With some historical novels I simply have to believe the author is either channeling the spirit of the storyteller or has been in that life a...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Zach Risso rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I picked up Corrag at a Borders going-out-of-business sale on a whim, and I am certainly glad I did!

Never having read anything by Susan Fletcher before, I did not know what a treat I was in for when I started reading Corrag. The word I think best describes her writing style is "lyrical." This book is like reading poetry-turned-prose.

The only reason I have not given this book five stars is because of the sections depicted as letters from Charles Leslie, a Jacobite minister, to his wife. On the...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Jacqui rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book it was well written with good characters it had previously been printed as 'Corrag' named after the main character a young girl who is in prison. She is visited by Charles Leslie a Jacobite from Ireland who is trying to gather evidence that the 1962 Massacre of Glencoe was under the order of King William. He visits Corrag as she was a witness to the event.

the book is made up of Corrags memories and Charles letters to his wife back in Ireland. Over the period of seven days Cha...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Baxter Trautman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

England. 1690. A woman of the land, a healer, tells her daughter, “Go! North-west. Before the men come!” On a stolen mare the child flees to the Scottish Highlands, a lawless, wild land of rogues and reivers, where maybe Corrag, a “witch” won’t be noticed. For a time she is not. Until the day soldiers come in coats red like blood against the snow. Chained in a cell, near the end of winter, she waits for the spring thaw, where she will meet death by burning. As the dreaded drip-drip of melting sn...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Louise Hastings rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of those books which will stay with me a long time. The beautiful poetic prose took my breath away and I was wrapped up in the story from beginning to end. The book is unusually written; there's no dialogue to speak off, just the protagonist, Corrag (the witch) narrating her story to the priest whose reaction and thoughts we see in his letters to his wife. It works well and the descriptions of the wild lanscape of Scotland are just wonderful. As a lover of nature, this book spoke to...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very interesting story of the 1692 massacre of the MacDonald clan by English soldiers who had been housed and hosted by them for the previous 10 days. The story is told by Corrag "the witch" to Charles Leslie- an Irishman who was no fan of the Protestant King William. After the massacre Leslie published a pamphlet that showed there had been a cover-up , and in fact the massacre had been ordered by King William, Sir John Dalrymple of Stair, the Secretary of State and others. However it was years...more

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Dec 03, 2011 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is difficult to imagine anyone emerging from a life filled with the worst kinds of prejudice, hatred and self-righteous judgment with any humanity or generosity of spirit, but Corrag has more of both of these than many who have never experienced poor treatment can claim. This strong-hearted but gentle soul earns the trust of the wild beast and the dedicated warrior alike, simply by caring only for what really matters - being kind to all living things and (in spite of her promise to her mother...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Jgrace rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, historical-fiction

Corrag – Susan Fletcher (also titled The Highland Witch and Witch Light)
Audio performance by Rosalyn Landor
3.5 stars (round down to three)

In 1692, the Irish Jacobite, Charles Leslie, travels to Inverary to interview Corrag, a convicted witch. She is possibly the only living witness to the infamous Glencoe Massacre. Leslie is looking for proof that King William ordered the slaughter. He is even willing to endure the company of an evil witch to advance his cause. The story is told in two voices....more

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Jun 22, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historic, 2012

I've always been drawn to stories about witches, maybe because I'm certain that I would have been burnt as one if I were around in those days. But this book completely blew me away with its poignant plot and gorgeous, vivid description. It is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read.

WARNING: This review contains mild spoilers!! (Nothing drastic, just a few quotes and plot tidbits. But if you prefer to know nothing of a book's contents when picking it up and want to read this then...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Laurie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My sister-in-law gave me this book as it's one of her favorite. It's one of mine now, too. The plot revolves around the witch hunts of England and the Scottish Highlands. This is Corrag's story of how she (and her mother) were victims of the hateful and superstitious society in which they lived. She recants her tale while locked in a prison cell. Flashback to Corrag's childhood, filled with shimmering, poignant memories, eventual separation from her mother, hiding in forests with her loyal and b...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Karen Speerstra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was captivated by Corrag,a young herbalist, and her tenacity and flair for storytelling. (Well, Susan Fletcher's)
Having read much about how women have been tortured over the age for their knowledge of healing, it was no surprise our young heroine finds herself in a whole lot of trouble. But the story of the how the English (with the help of the Campbells) massacred entire MacDonald families (Protestants against the Catholics once again)paints a vivid picture of Scotland's Highlands in the late...more

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Historical Fiction

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Cultural > Scotland

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Paranormal > Witches

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Romance

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Literary Fiction

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Womens

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Witchcraft

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European Literature > British Literature

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About Susan Fletcher

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Susan Fletcher is the author of Eve Green, which won the Whitbread Award for First Novel, Oystercatchers, and Corrag. She lives in the United Kingdom.

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Quotes from Un bûcher sous la neige

“I've heard fate talked of. It's not a word I use. I think we make our own choices. I think how we live our lives is our own doing, and we cannot fully hope on dreams and stars. But dreams and stars can guide us, perhaps. And the heart's voice is a strong one. Always is.

Your heart's voice is your true voice. It is easy to ignore it, for sometimes it says what we'd rather it did not - and it is so hard to risk the things we have. But what life are we living, if we don't live by our hearts? Not a true one. And the person living it is not the true you.” — 26 people liked it

“Your heart's voice is your true voice. It is easy to ignore it, for sometimes it says what we'd rather it did not - and it is so hard to risk the things we have. But what life are we living, if we don't live by our hearts? Not a true one. And the person living it is not the true you.” — 8 people liked it

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Corrag

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