Mrs. Patience Gideon is een heks, maar dat mag niet bekend worden want heksen werden in die tijd vervolgd. Gelukkig heeft Patience een logee, Selke, die zich een paar dagen bij haar schuilhoudt. Als een jonge vrouw met een afgehakte hand bij haar aan de deur komt heeft Selke een manier om haar te helpen. Selke kan van een soort klei doorweven met het bloed van de gewonde vrouw een nieuwe hand vormen die zich hecht aan haar gewonde arm en als een echte hand functioneert en er ook zo uitziet.
Flora Brautigan is de verwende vrouw van Karol, een van de rijke mannen van het dorp waar Patience, samen met haar geadopteerde dochter Gilly, woont. Later blijkt dat Flora en haar schoonzusje Ina vorm-verwisselaars zijn. Later wordt Flora betrapt als ze net van vorm verandert en een heksenjacht volgt waar bij ook Patience wordt opgepakt. Dankzij een geraffineerd spel en de hulp van Selke weet zij echter vrij te komen en wraak te nemen op de mannen die haar gevangen hielden.

Aardig verhaal binnen de Sourdough en de Bitterwood series. Een lekker tussendoortje. ( )

This is a quick but sad, suspenseful and wonderful read. I'm glad I read it. ( )

I've been a big fan of Angela Slatter ever since reading [b:Sourdough and Other Stories|8981691|Sourdough and Other Stories|Angela Slatter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1351946334s/8981691.jpg|13858812] for the lyrical and gorgeous writing.

Magic, shapeshifting, and truly magical worldbuilding surrounds these short stories and the others from the other collections.

I cannot stress enough how much I love her writing. Evocative, triple-layered line-item goodies, wry, loving, hateful, despairing, vengeful, and deep.

Every character is real in the way only the very best writers can make them. There's no bashing of sexes. It's all equal mixes of all the best and worst that humanity has to offer in every single character even though the main focus is on witches and witch-hunters.

There's no real way to describe how good these are except by experience. They're haunting and on the same level, at least to me, with Cat Valente's writing.

So deeply layered, simple in execution, and vast in implication. :) Total recommendation. ( )

Beautifully earthy, extremely likable characters, super satisfying plot resolution - Of Sorrow and Such is a beaut! One of my favourite reads this year. Just magic! Really disappointed that I can't find Angela Slatter's older short story collections anywhere. :( ( )

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this novella by a new to me author, Angela Slatter. What I got was a beautiful if dark tale with a feminist heart. I most certainly need to read more by Angela Slatter.

Mistress Gideon is a witch, and her life in Edda’s Meadow is tenuous at best in a world where witches are regularly killed. When a local and foolish shapeshifter gets herself caught, Gideon finds herself unwittingly involved. And as the authorities are roused to the existence of the supernatural in Edda’s Meadow, Gideon’s life gets more and more dangerous.

Of Sorrow and Such was darker than I had predicted, although the title and summary really should have clued me in to the tone of the story. When have witch hunts ever been anything but dark? The situation spirals inward towards calamity and violence that could not have been avoided. This may be novella and thus a quick read, but it packs one heck of a punch. Expect an intense, atmospheric read.

Gideon herself straddles the line between heroine and anti-heroine. She’s not afraid to get her hands dirty, and she admits that it has led her towards some actions she regrets. I loved her character. She’s an older woman who’s learned some wisdom over the course of her life, and she’s trying to both make amends for her past and create a new future for herself and the women around her.

“Females are seldom remembered once they’ve gone beneath the earth; indeed, many go unremarked while they’re still upon it.”

Mistress Gideon is a rare thing – an independent women living in a patriarchal society. Her very existence could be considered a threat by the authorities, and when you add in witchcraft, what do you get? A woman with power living outside male authority? It’s no wonder her life is precipitous. I loved how Of Sorrow and Such focuses on women, centering their voices and experiences under a patriarchal society that resembles an all to real part of history. These women and the relationships between them are at the core of Of Sorrow and Such, which is more than anything a tale of resistance.

If you pick up Of Sorrow and Such you will find a beautifully written story, one unfortunately relevant to the times we live in.

Originally posted in The Illustrated Page. ( )