Really wanted to give this a better rating, but couldn't. Fletcher goes on and on and on....okay, the first time we read all about a bee and it's uniqueness is fine, but when everything is described in such minute detail that the book is well past the first 100 or so pages before we even start to get to the topic....! even thinking about it makes me write run-on sentences. May be me, but I found it tedious to get through; perhaps a judicious editing would have helped. Okay for those who don't mind detail upon detail; if I wasn't fascinated by the Scottish history I never could have finished it. I wouldn't have found this book without the recommendation of a young friend whose reading choices always interest me. I was unsure when I started reading whether this was going to be for me, but within a few chapters I was reading avidly. I found the author's descriptions of the natural world particularly beautiful; Corrag, the 'witch' of the title, has a very solitary life, and lives close to the landscape and creatures of wild Scotland. She sees beauty in the small and often ignored details of her world, and her knowledge of plants and their healing powers is for her simultaneously empowering and endangering. Although living apart from others, because she has had bad experiences of distrust of her knowledge, she has a strong desire to help and heal people.I won't give a precis of the story, as I'm sure other reviews will have done this. Simply to say that this book had particular resonance for me, as six months ago I walked half of the West Highland Way. This included walking across Rannoch Moor, luckily in good weather. It is still a wild and beautiful place, so I could empathise with Corrag's love of its wilderness. We then stayed overnight in a B & B in Glencoe. I had never been there before, and it was breathtaking. Many people say it has a menacing and terrifying atmosphere, but I found it breathtaking. We vowed to return to walk the mountains there. Reading this book has reinforced my intentions.
What do You think about Witch Light (2011)?
poetic book and a comprehension of nature's gift and inspiration through the age. good book!
—hayhay
