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The Earth witch
Young Owen nearly loses his life when he unknowingly falls in love with the Earth Witch.
214 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1981
About the author
Louise Lawrence
40 books58 followersElizabeth Holden, better known by her pen name Louise Lawrence, is an English science fiction author, acclaimed during the 1970s and 1980s.
Lawrence was born in Leatherhead, Surrey, England, in 1943. She became fascinated with Wales at a young age, and has set many of her novels there. She left school early on to become an assistant librarian. She married and had the first of her three children in 1963. Her departure from the library, she recalls, gave her the potential to turn toward writing: "Deprived of book-filled surroundings, I was bound to write my own."
Lawrence was born in Leatherhead, Surrey, England, in 1943. She became fascinated with Wales at a young age, and has set many of her novels there. She left school early on to become an assistant librarian. She married and had the first of her three children in 1963. Her departure from the library, she recalls, gave her the potential to turn toward writing: "Deprived of book-filled surroundings, I was bound to write my own."
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 25, 2016
This struck me at first as having a very similar set up to Alan Garner's famous 'The Owl Service'. Rural Wales, a poor Welsh boy and a well off English girl and boy whose father now owns the land, instead of the original Welsh, in a valley where an old Welsh myth appears to be playing itself out. Except here we have a woman who transforms between beautiful young maiden and hideous old crone, and requires the sacrifice of a young man to maintain her fertility and that of the land.
Owen is the young Welshman who starts off open hearted and friendly, and helps the forbidding woman who has moved into an old cottage belonging to a deceased member of her family, an old crone whom no-one liked. Gradually, she thaws in her attitude towards him and he spends more and more time there, restoring her garden and doing up the house.
At first Owen, who was raised by his Aunt Glad and Uncle Ivor because he is illegitimate and her mother left when he was a baby, is looking for a mother figure, but the relationship develops beyond that as Bronwyn seems to grow younger and more beautiful. Soon they are scandalising the neighbourhood, this story being published in the early 1980s and set in a more conservative place than a big city in any case.
The relationship has an unhealthy undertone as Owen moves further away from everyone he previously held dear. He can't even eat the food prepared by normal people. And there are sour notes in the presence of a vicious dog kept by Bronwyn but mistreated by her, and an equally savage pig. Plus she gives him quite frequent lectures about how women are mistreated and done down by men, but with a mythical slant, as she identifies with the land and speaks of herself as if she has lived as the female characters of Welsh mythology, goddesses and other semi supernatural beings. Ultimately, as summer winds to an end and October sets in, she will require a sacrifice and even if Owen does not succumb, he will never be the same again, and elements of Bronwyn will be reborn in the English girl who is his friend and perhaps wants to be more.
One oddity in this book given its Welsh setting is the occasional jarring usage of American terms for things, e.g. closet and candy. Plus there are rather a lot of references to a 'math' book and 'math' homework in one section, whereas the British term is maths. So that tends to bump the British reader out of the story when it occurs. Otherwise, it is a dark story with a lot of atmosphere and evocative description of the Welsh landscape and seasons, and definitely the best of the six books by Louise Lawrence that I have read so far.
Owen is the young Welshman who starts off open hearted and friendly, and helps the forbidding woman who has moved into an old cottage belonging to a deceased member of her family, an old crone whom no-one liked. Gradually, she thaws in her attitude towards him and he spends more and more time there, restoring her garden and doing up the house.
At first Owen, who was raised by his Aunt Glad and Uncle Ivor because he is illegitimate and her mother left when he was a baby, is looking for a mother figure, but the relationship develops beyond that as Bronwyn seems to grow younger and more beautiful. Soon they are scandalising the neighbourhood, this story being published in the early 1980s and set in a more conservative place than a big city in any case.
The relationship has an unhealthy undertone as Owen moves further away from everyone he previously held dear. He can't even eat the food prepared by normal people. And there are sour notes in the presence of a vicious dog kept by Bronwyn but mistreated by her, and an equally savage pig. Plus she gives him quite frequent lectures about how women are mistreated and done down by men, but with a mythical slant, as she identifies with the land and speaks of herself as if she has lived as the female characters of Welsh mythology, goddesses and other semi supernatural beings. Ultimately, as summer winds to an end and October sets in, she will require a sacrifice and even if Owen does not succumb, he will never be the same again, and elements of Bronwyn will be reborn in the English girl who is his friend and perhaps wants to be more.
One oddity in this book given its Welsh setting is the occasional jarring usage of American terms for things, e.g. closet and candy. Plus there are rather a lot of references to a 'math' book and 'math' homework in one section, whereas the British term is maths. So that tends to bump the British reader out of the story when it occurs. Otherwise, it is a dark story with a lot of atmosphere and evocative description of the Welsh landscape and seasons, and definitely the best of the six books by Louise Lawrence that I have read so far.
January 7, 2016
I first read this book in elementary or junior high, checked out from my public library, and it stuck with me ever since then, but I could not for the life of me remember the name of the book. I spent literal years trying to track down this book with nothing to go on except googling "farmer falls in love with witch." As you can imagine, I had little success. I did remember that the title had the word "witch" in it, so one day last Fall, I sat down and went through GoodReads, searching for the word "witch" in title and scrolling through pages and pages of results, sometimes pausing to read reviews or synopsis to determine if a book was the one I searched for. Well, on page 19 of the search results, I found it! It was The Earth Witch by Louise Lawrence, and it appeared to be out of print. I immediately ordered an old, used copy off of Amazon.
The book was just as great as I remembered. It was mysterious, fey, poignant, scary, funny, witty, and set in Wales. It's essentially a retelling of Tam Lin, but using elements of Welsh mythology, which I love. The only complaint I have about the book is that it was too short (but I frequently feel that way about novels), and some of the slang sounded very dated and a little clunky. I also wonder if Lawrence's publisher or editor forced her to tailor the language to a younger audience, as it was marketed for young adults, because sometimes characters said things like "flipping heck" which sounded like it should have been "fucking hell" but was censored.
The book was just as great as I remembered. It was mysterious, fey, poignant, scary, funny, witty, and set in Wales. It's essentially a retelling of Tam Lin, but using elements of Welsh mythology, which I love. The only complaint I have about the book is that it was too short (but I frequently feel that way about novels), and some of the slang sounded very dated and a little clunky. I also wonder if Lawrence's publisher or editor forced her to tailor the language to a younger audience, as it was marketed for young adults, because sometimes characters said things like "flipping heck" which sounded like it should have been "fucking hell" but was censored.
April 25, 2014
I read this book a few years ago and recently went on a hunt to find it again. The story was densely layered in Welsh mythology. And although the action was limited, the slow realization of the witch's powers and intentions made for a compelling read. I'd recommend this book to fans to Susan Cooper, Madeline L'Engle, and the "I'm done with Harry Potter, now what?" crowd. The pacing reminded me in many ways of Lucy Boston. Overall, a solid read; I wish it was still in print.
July 13, 2025
My favourite book. Set in Wales, telling the most magical story of the power of the earth and women. Read as a teenager and still shocking when read again. Beautiful descriptive book.
May 17, 2016
For me this book was very unique. I found some chapters dragged and some I couldn't get enough of. For me it was a three star book till I reached the end. The last three pages were some of the most profound and beautiful writing I've had the pleasure of reading. "You had a choice. You let people in..live and love and risk the pain or grow old and feel nothing." Definitely a must read for lovers or Wicca, lore or, a dark and twisty tale.
November 30, 2020
The universal themes and how mythology weaves itself into real life has really bad staying power for me. It is one of my most memorable reads from my childhood. I have not read it since Middle Schhol and now I am Middle-Aged and looking for it. I think it is one of the top 5 books that has influenced my own writing in permanent ways.
May 26, 2023
"There was a presence in the valley. Some untamed spirit walked abroad, rustling her skirts with the morning. The birds sang her praises and Owen was filled with a strange excitement. He could feel her close to him, but the sun was in his eyes and she stayed hidden. She was the lapwing calling him...bewitched...bewitched. He took to the glistening lane up Mynydd Blaena and followed her."
At first, Bronwen Davis appeared to be a bitter, middle-aged woman, living reclusively with her vicious black dog in the rundown cottage up on Mynydd Blaena. But once Owen's conscience had made him lend her a habd with repairing the cottage and clearing her garden, Bronwen started to become younger and more beautiful to him. And he found himself so craving the wild food and water she gave him that he could eat nothing else.
Spring passed, and early summer saw Owen moving up the mountain to live with Bronwen Davis. No one could understand what had come over the boy they knew as decent and good-hearted: not Aunty Glad and Uncle Ifor, who had raised him, not Jonathan or Kate, who were his friends. But for Owen all that mattered was being with Bronwen, close to the burgeoning earth - until he learned what Bronwen wanted of him and just how deeply she was a part of nature, the cycle of life...and death.
In this potent novel about man's debt to the earth, Louise Lawrence evokes superbly the turn of seasons in the hills of Wales and the anguish of a boy swept up in the beauty and horror of mythical forces.
Wow! This was far more creepy than I expected. The Earth Witch is is a part of the cycle of life and death, with no thought for the feelings of one lonely boy. Owen's love for Bronwen Davis leaves him isolated, cutting him off from people who care for him & leaving him easy prey to her machinations. The pig is quite terrifying.
Mystical, suspenseful, environmental & feminist; well-written, atmospheric & surprising.
At first, Bronwen Davis appeared to be a bitter, middle-aged woman, living reclusively with her vicious black dog in the rundown cottage up on Mynydd Blaena. But once Owen's conscience had made him lend her a habd with repairing the cottage and clearing her garden, Bronwen started to become younger and more beautiful to him. And he found himself so craving the wild food and water she gave him that he could eat nothing else.
Spring passed, and early summer saw Owen moving up the mountain to live with Bronwen Davis. No one could understand what had come over the boy they knew as decent and good-hearted: not Aunty Glad and Uncle Ifor, who had raised him, not Jonathan or Kate, who were his friends. But for Owen all that mattered was being with Bronwen, close to the burgeoning earth - until he learned what Bronwen wanted of him and just how deeply she was a part of nature, the cycle of life...and death.
In this potent novel about man's debt to the earth, Louise Lawrence evokes superbly the turn of seasons in the hills of Wales and the anguish of a boy swept up in the beauty and horror of mythical forces.
Wow! This was far more creepy than I expected. The Earth Witch is is a part of the cycle of life and death, with no thought for the feelings of one lonely boy. Owen's love for Bronwen Davis leaves him isolated, cutting him off from people who care for him & leaving him easy prey to her machinations. The pig is quite terrifying.
Mystical, suspenseful, environmental & feminist; well-written, atmospheric & surprising.
October 24, 2024
4.5 rounding up. I like a lot of reviewers read this book as a young teenager. I probably got this book at a scholastic book order. I see it was printed in 1986. I loved the cover art. And have kept the book which is now out of print.
So for over 35 years what I remember is that the Bronwen poisons Owen with mushrooms and very non chalantly is like oh yes, I have poisoned you. But I couldn't remember the ending so I did rush through reading a bit cause I wanted to know what happened.
I am glad I kept this book, as a Landscape Architect I loved the descriptions of the plants throughout the seasons. I liked the premise and quite frankly there were some very scary scenes. I want to send this book to Netflix because it was so easy to visualize everything. I think this would male an excellent horror film. I wish I could write a screen play of what I imagined in my head.
The ending was disturbing. I need to go back and reread as I am not quite sure what the hello Kate ending means exactly. But implies creepy. Kind of like the cliffhanger ending of pet Cemetery that I liked so much.
I took a half a star off for the annoying dialog that sounded like Master yoda a lot. I guess it was supposed to be a welsh manner of speaking but I really could only hear it in a Yoda voice. Also did not like Owen calling Kate girlie.
Again would love to see this book developed...if wasn't ya could definitely have some great love scenes. "She was not his mother." Maybe some fan fiction.
Couple of questions. His uncle seemed to know what was going on and almost seemed ok with it? Like this sacrifice is what the land needed? Also not sure why Bronwen left in Sept for a job? Why break up with him then come back and kill him. Also why was she in the pig?
So for over 35 years what I remember is that the Bronwen poisons Owen with mushrooms and very non chalantly is like oh yes, I have poisoned you. But I couldn't remember the ending so I did rush through reading a bit cause I wanted to know what happened.
I am glad I kept this book, as a Landscape Architect I loved the descriptions of the plants throughout the seasons. I liked the premise and quite frankly there were some very scary scenes. I want to send this book to Netflix because it was so easy to visualize everything. I think this would male an excellent horror film. I wish I could write a screen play of what I imagined in my head.
The ending was disturbing. I need to go back and reread as I am not quite sure what the hello Kate ending means exactly. But implies creepy. Kind of like the cliffhanger ending of pet Cemetery that I liked so much.
I took a half a star off for the annoying dialog that sounded like Master yoda a lot. I guess it was supposed to be a welsh manner of speaking but I really could only hear it in a Yoda voice. Also did not like Owen calling Kate girlie.
Again would love to see this book developed...if wasn't ya could definitely have some great love scenes. "She was not his mother." Maybe some fan fiction.
Couple of questions. His uncle seemed to know what was going on and almost seemed ok with it? Like this sacrifice is what the land needed? Also not sure why Bronwen left in Sept for a job? Why break up with him then come back and kill him. Also why was she in the pig?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2018
Wow! A fascinating retelling of Welsh legend.
October 6, 2025
I don’t think I’ll recover.
August 18, 2008
This is a terrific book about Wales and mythology.
September 21, 2011
Very cool young adult fiction. Read it long ago - kept it!
May 16, 2014
My favourite book. Set in Wales, telling the most magical story of the power of the earth and women. Read as a teenager and still shocking when read again. Beautiful descriptive book.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews