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Her Kind
1324, Kilkennie
A woman seeks refuge for herself and her daughter in the household of a childhood friend.
The friend, Alice Kytler, gives her former companion a new name, Petronelle, a job as a servant, and warns her to hide their old connection.
Before long Petronelle comes to understand that in the city pride, greed and envy are as dangerous as the wolves that prowl the savage countryside. And she realizes that Alice's household is no place of safety.
Once again, Petronelle decides to flee. But this time she confronts forces greater than she could ever have imagined and she finds herself fighting for more than her freedom ...
A woman seeks refuge for herself and her daughter in the household of a childhood friend.
The friend, Alice Kytler, gives her former companion a new name, Petronelle, a job as a servant, and warns her to hide their old connection.
Before long Petronelle comes to understand that in the city pride, greed and envy are as dangerous as the wolves that prowl the savage countryside. And she realizes that Alice's household is no place of safety.
Once again, Petronelle decides to flee. But this time she confronts forces greater than she could ever have imagined and she finds herself fighting for more than her freedom ...
308 pages, Paperback
First published April 4, 2019
About the author
Niamh Boyce
6 books85 followersNiamh Boyce was the 2012 Hennessy XO New Irish Writer of the Year, her debut novel The Herbalist won Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards 2013, and was long listed for an IMPAC Award. Her short stories have been anthologized in The Long Gaze Back and The Hennessy Anthology.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
May 26, 2019
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Penguin Ireland.
It's 1324 and Bébinn and Líadan arrive in Kilkennie (Kilkenny) seeking refuge from the wilds of Ireland with an old friend of Bébinn. Moneylender Alice takes in the mother and daughter as her new servants, and gives them new names - Petronella and Basilia - to protect them from Gaelic-haters in the town. But the pair soon find that they may also be in danger in Alice's house as the town bishop is jealous of the moneylender's wealth and status and is intent on destroying her. Which all leads to the real events of the Kilkennie Witch Trial..
This historical novel tells the tale of a real event - the Kilkenny Witch Trail - which I know absolutely nothing about, and am ashamed to admit to, and I really enjoyed learning more about this time in Ireland and how the Irish were taught of. I don't actually think I've read enough set so far back in Irish history and this has really prompted me to seek out more.
There's a fantastic dynamic in this book between all the women in the story - most of whom live in the same house. Alice and Petronella share a childhood together but there's a lot of secrets there that could tear them apart forever and Alice takes too close an interest in Basilia, therefore isolating her mother. The writing and the richness of the history and the town, reminded me a bit of The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton and I think this book would appeal to fans of Burton's writing, and also that of Hannah Kent.
This is a fantastic tale about the women behind the witch trials and who they may have been - as Niamh Boyce says at the end of the story - the men have already had their say in history, and this is the story of the silenced women which I LOVED. This was a character-focused book and contained a range of strong women with different personalities and motives, and the wicked man who was jealous of a woman stronger and more influenced than him. Which is a tale as old as time really.
I urge people to pick up this book - it might not be one for everyone but it's full of fantastic female characters and tells a fascinating story.
It's 1324 and Bébinn and Líadan arrive in Kilkennie (Kilkenny) seeking refuge from the wilds of Ireland with an old friend of Bébinn. Moneylender Alice takes in the mother and daughter as her new servants, and gives them new names - Petronella and Basilia - to protect them from Gaelic-haters in the town. But the pair soon find that they may also be in danger in Alice's house as the town bishop is jealous of the moneylender's wealth and status and is intent on destroying her. Which all leads to the real events of the Kilkennie Witch Trial..
This historical novel tells the tale of a real event - the Kilkenny Witch Trail - which I know absolutely nothing about, and am ashamed to admit to, and I really enjoyed learning more about this time in Ireland and how the Irish were taught of. I don't actually think I've read enough set so far back in Irish history and this has really prompted me to seek out more.
There's a fantastic dynamic in this book between all the women in the story - most of whom live in the same house. Alice and Petronella share a childhood together but there's a lot of secrets there that could tear them apart forever and Alice takes too close an interest in Basilia, therefore isolating her mother. The writing and the richness of the history and the town, reminded me a bit of The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton and I think this book would appeal to fans of Burton's writing, and also that of Hannah Kent.
This is a fantastic tale about the women behind the witch trials and who they may have been - as Niamh Boyce says at the end of the story - the men have already had their say in history, and this is the story of the silenced women which I LOVED. This was a character-focused book and contained a range of strong women with different personalities and motives, and the wicked man who was jealous of a woman stronger and more influenced than him. Which is a tale as old as time really.
I urge people to pick up this book - it might not be one for everyone but it's full of fantastic female characters and tells a fascinating story.
March 28, 2021
Disappointing. I was looking forward to this because it got some really strong reviews, it's a woman-centered work of historical fiction which explores the notorious fourteenth-century Kyteler Witch Trial, and it's set in a part of the country I know well. (I've even been in the pub which is supposedly at least in part the former Kyteler house; it's tourist-trappy, but sure what isn't in the centre of Kilkenny?) All calculated to appeal to me!
But Niamh Boyce's prose never rose above the serviceable for me, however much it tried for lyricism, and even though Boyce compresses the time scale of events, the pacing is slow and there's no real sense of tension—even allowing for the fact that I came into this book knowing how it would all end. There's little authentic sense of time and place. Boyce clearly read up on the kinds of foods that would have been served and the names of civic officials in medieval Kilkenny and so on, but this still felt like the literary equivalent of a period film where you catch sight of a zip in the back of a supposedly medieval bliaut. The trappings might look right at first glance, but the fundamental mentalities are all wrong.
This is particularly true in the case of the characterisations, which lack much by way of subtlety and which emerge out of a reading of the Middle Ages which is as clichéd and wrong (if in a more sympathetic way) as the one it thinks it's correcting. Her Kind would, I think, have been a stronger, a more interesting, and frankly a scarier read if Boyce had for instance resisted the urge to write Richard Ledrede as a sweaty, sex-obsessed pantomime villain. Of course, this is a work of fiction and it has no obligation to be accurate or authentic—but part of Niamh Boyce's marketing pitch for this book is that it's "letting the women speak." If that's the case, you've got to try your best to truly listen for what their voices might have been.
(There's also something ironic in Boyce saying that historians have taken Ledrede's words at face value and not tried to listen to women when her acknowledgements at the end of the novel make no mention of Maeve Callan's The Templars, the Witch, and the Wild Irish: Vengeance and Heresy in Medieval Ireland, a history book written by a woman which, well... doesn't take Ledrede's words at face value.)
But Niamh Boyce's prose never rose above the serviceable for me, however much it tried for lyricism, and even though Boyce compresses the time scale of events, the pacing is slow and there's no real sense of tension—even allowing for the fact that I came into this book knowing how it would all end. There's little authentic sense of time and place. Boyce clearly read up on the kinds of foods that would have been served and the names of civic officials in medieval Kilkenny and so on, but this still felt like the literary equivalent of a period film where you catch sight of a zip in the back of a supposedly medieval bliaut. The trappings might look right at first glance, but the fundamental mentalities are all wrong.
This is particularly true in the case of the characterisations, which lack much by way of subtlety and which emerge out of a reading of the Middle Ages which is as clichéd and wrong (if in a more sympathetic way) as the one it thinks it's correcting. Her Kind would, I think, have been a stronger, a more interesting, and frankly a scarier read if Boyce had for instance resisted the urge to write Richard Ledrede as a sweaty, sex-obsessed pantomime villain. Of course, this is a work of fiction and it has no obligation to be accurate or authentic—but part of Niamh Boyce's marketing pitch for this book is that it's "letting the women speak." If that's the case, you've got to try your best to truly listen for what their voices might have been.
(There's also something ironic in Boyce saying that historians have taken Ledrede's words at face value and not tried to listen to women when her acknowledgements at the end of the novel make no mention of Maeve Callan's The Templars, the Witch, and the Wild Irish: Vengeance and Heresy in Medieval Ireland, a history book written by a woman which, well... doesn't take Ledrede's words at face value.)
December 17, 2020
Do you like time travel to another era? Then Niamh Boyce’s novel HER KIND is just the right book for you. Based on the real life character of Petronella de Meath, the first woman executed for witchcraft in Ireland, the book vividly evokes life in 14th century Kilkenny. I particularly enjoyed the author’s interpretation of a woman’s role in the medieval age, which for noblewoman and moneylender Alice is vastly different than for her Gaelic born maidservant Petronelle. Seeing that the woman’s role in early history is rarely found in the archives, it’s always a special treat to find a historical novel with strong female characters, and HER KIND certainly fits that description. Both immersive and interesting, HER KIND would make a treat for any historical fiction lover.
3.5 STARS
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
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3.5 STARS
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
*blog* *facebook* *instagram*
June 16, 2019
Her Kind was a beautifully written literary delight, an imagined tale of some very real events, as such it was riveting and hugely immersive.
I had no previous knowledge of the Kilkenny Witch Trial so this was a blind read for me but Niamh Boyce captures such a sense of the place and time, setting the reader firmly in the moment and examining the life and struggles of some very intriguing women. Descriptively speaking this is a wonderful read and emotionally speaking it is hugely resonant…an echo of time gone by.
There is a striking sense of menace running through the centre of the story, a story encompassing family, love, loss and madness. It is one that will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
Melancholy yet wonderful. Highly Recommended.
I had no previous knowledge of the Kilkenny Witch Trial so this was a blind read for me but Niamh Boyce captures such a sense of the place and time, setting the reader firmly in the moment and examining the life and struggles of some very intriguing women. Descriptively speaking this is a wonderful read and emotionally speaking it is hugely resonant…an echo of time gone by.
There is a striking sense of menace running through the centre of the story, a story encompassing family, love, loss and madness. It is one that will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
Melancholy yet wonderful. Highly Recommended.
May 6, 2024
1324 Ireland … long before Salem, Massachusetts, Petronelle de Midia was one of the first reported cases of a woman being burned at the stake as a witch. Chapters in alternating voices of Petronelle, her daughter Basilia and Alice Kytler, an inn-owner, money-lender and bad-ass businesswoman who’s power made her a threat to Church. It was Bishop Ledrede who first accused Alice of witchcraft, but it was her maid Petronelle who was ultimately executed. Powerful men silencing women, hmm, how much has changed?
A well researched, detailed look back at the politics, faith, sights, sounds, smells and tastes in the city then known as Kilkennie.
4 stars bumped up to 5 … having just revisited Kilkenny, the castle, the cathedral, Kytler’s Inn and more, it was an especially immersive reading experience. Thanks Carolyn, for the extra special gift of this book. xo
A well researched, detailed look back at the politics, faith, sights, sounds, smells and tastes in the city then known as Kilkennie.
4 stars bumped up to 5 … having just revisited Kilkenny, the castle, the cathedral, Kytler’s Inn and more, it was an especially immersive reading experience. Thanks Carolyn, for the extra special gift of this book. xo
March 29, 2019
I was provided with a digital ARC of this book by NetGalley and the publishing houses, Penguin Books (UK) and Penguin Ireland, in exchange for an honest review.
I was really happy I had to chance to read "Her Kind". I'm a big historical fiction fan (and nerd), and I am also fascinated by everything regarding witches in history, such as witch trials and folklore. So I was really curious to dive into this novel.
"Her Kind" is inspired by a true story, the witch trial in Kilkenny (Ireland) in 1324. I love the Medieval age, and I was happy to see that the author had really developed the darkness and the uncertainty of that particular time. I do not know much about Irish history in the Medieval period, and I have to admit that this book lacks of a bit of context. I had to search on the Internet a lot of the basic facts that I had to know before reading this book. I think that, without the aforementioned facts I wouldn't have been able to understand completely the main story, and I think this is not good in a historical novel.
The character, though, were really well developed, even though I had some trouble in empathizing with some of them. My favourite was definitely Basilia. She was just so determined and kind, and well-driven. Petronelle on the other hand had a little bit of a sketchy side in my opinion.
I loved the part where the author described Petronelle and Alice's youth and I would have really liked to know more about Otto, because he seemed like a really interesting character.
The atmosphere of the entire book was gloomy, and dark, and I think it really well represents the typical Irish weather and general landscape.
In conclusion I would really recommend this book, even though maybe sometimes lacked of a bit of something. Nevertheless, it was really entertaining and I surely learned a lot.
I was really happy I had to chance to read "Her Kind". I'm a big historical fiction fan (and nerd), and I am also fascinated by everything regarding witches in history, such as witch trials and folklore. So I was really curious to dive into this novel.
"Her Kind" is inspired by a true story, the witch trial in Kilkenny (Ireland) in 1324. I love the Medieval age, and I was happy to see that the author had really developed the darkness and the uncertainty of that particular time. I do not know much about Irish history in the Medieval period, and I have to admit that this book lacks of a bit of context. I had to search on the Internet a lot of the basic facts that I had to know before reading this book. I think that, without the aforementioned facts I wouldn't have been able to understand completely the main story, and I think this is not good in a historical novel.
The character, though, were really well developed, even though I had some trouble in empathizing with some of them. My favourite was definitely Basilia. She was just so determined and kind, and well-driven. Petronelle on the other hand had a little bit of a sketchy side in my opinion.
I loved the part where the author described Petronelle and Alice's youth and I would have really liked to know more about Otto, because he seemed like a really interesting character.
The atmosphere of the entire book was gloomy, and dark, and I think it really well represents the typical Irish weather and general landscape.
In conclusion I would really recommend this book, even though maybe sometimes lacked of a bit of something. Nevertheless, it was really entertaining and I surely learned a lot.
April 17, 2019
I have visited Kilkenny and have seen the tiny mediaeval streets where Alice Kytler and her servant Petronelle walked and carried out their business.
This novel has so many things to recommend it... meticulous research, very lightly borne, beautiful writing and a fabulous story of which very little is known, allowing the author free rein to explore a very credible origin story for Petronelle de Midia, the first woman in Ireland, and one of the first in Europe to be burned as a witch.
From the Papal court of Avignon, to the details of mediaeval luxury dining, this book delivers something worthwhile on every page.
This novel has so many things to recommend it... meticulous research, very lightly borne, beautiful writing and a fabulous story of which very little is known, allowing the author free rein to explore a very credible origin story for Petronelle de Midia, the first woman in Ireland, and one of the first in Europe to be burned as a witch.
From the Papal court of Avignon, to the details of mediaeval luxury dining, this book delivers something worthwhile on every page.
April 28, 2019
I've been looking forward to reading this book for a long time and I wasn't disappointed. Oddly enough I always thought it was Alice Kyteler who was executed, and so did many others, considering the number of pub quizzes where the question arose. (By the way that is the spelling on the pub, Kyteler's Inn).
The characters were well drawn, particularly Alice. The voice of Petronella was earthy, and at times raunchy, although I did think this was not sustained. However that might have been me and the circumstances where I was reading it; on a ferry crossing the Irish Sea in the aftermath of Storm Hannah is not exactly conducive to allowing yourself to be drawn into a novel. The language put me in mind of Tracy Chevalier, The Lady and the Unicorn for example.
I did have one reservation about the depiction of Jack, where the nuns threw him out when no more money was coming. Although it was quite in keeping with the treatment of children in mother and baby homes in Ireland in the last century, do we have any reason to believe this was characteristic of 14th century Ireland? As I understand it, a deadening tyranny arose in Ireland after the famine, where church and society worked hand in glove to punish women for reproducing in situations deemed unacceptable. That however is a quibble.
The language around the execution was particularly beautiful, poetic in fact. "I wonder where souls go, and how they go. Are they winged, do they fly? They must do, to leave earth, to reach Heaven" is one striking extract.
A very fulfilling read. (Although I'm still intrigued as to where Flemingstown is, or was! Or was that a makey-uppy place?)
The characters were well drawn, particularly Alice. The voice of Petronella was earthy, and at times raunchy, although I did think this was not sustained. However that might have been me and the circumstances where I was reading it; on a ferry crossing the Irish Sea in the aftermath of Storm Hannah is not exactly conducive to allowing yourself to be drawn into a novel. The language put me in mind of Tracy Chevalier, The Lady and the Unicorn for example.
I did have one reservation about the depiction of Jack, where the nuns threw him out when no more money was coming. Although it was quite in keeping with the treatment of children in mother and baby homes in Ireland in the last century, do we have any reason to believe this was characteristic of 14th century Ireland? As I understand it, a deadening tyranny arose in Ireland after the famine, where church and society worked hand in glove to punish women for reproducing in situations deemed unacceptable. That however is a quibble.
The language around the execution was particularly beautiful, poetic in fact. "I wonder where souls go, and how they go. Are they winged, do they fly? They must do, to leave earth, to reach Heaven" is one striking extract.
A very fulfilling read. (Although I'm still intrigued as to where Flemingstown is, or was! Or was that a makey-uppy place?)
April 7, 2019
The Kilkenny Witch Trial of 1324 and the story Alice Kytler and her maidservant Petronelle was a slice of Irish history of which I had no previous knowledge. My graduate studies were centred on the 1500's to the the twentieth century but this book has really inspired me to learn more about our medieval past.
I found it fascinating that a woman like Alice could be so successful and powerful in her time. She was married four times, was a moneylender and held considerable wealth. Was she typical for her time? How many other women had such powerful roles in medieval Ireland?
Unfortunately it was inevitable that the Catholic Church's 'Empire of Misogyny' would clash with women like Alice in Irish society.
The story opens with one of the final scenes in the book. The story then jumps back to the events that led to the witch trial. It is told through the voices of three different characters- Alice, Petronelle, and her daughter Basilia. The character I had most sympathy with was Petronelle. She had a very interesting and mysterious background and her main concern was to protect her daughter.
Alice Kytler on the other hand was self serving and opportunistic.
There is a general feeling of doom all the way through this book. The combination of religious zealousness, superstition and jealousy made for a powder keg ready to explode.
The author does a great job of combining historical fact with fictional embellishments and it makes for one riveting and thought provoking tale; one I won't easily forget and will put aside to read again.
I found it fascinating that a woman like Alice could be so successful and powerful in her time. She was married four times, was a moneylender and held considerable wealth. Was she typical for her time? How many other women had such powerful roles in medieval Ireland?
Unfortunately it was inevitable that the Catholic Church's 'Empire of Misogyny' would clash with women like Alice in Irish society.
The story opens with one of the final scenes in the book. The story then jumps back to the events that led to the witch trial. It is told through the voices of three different characters- Alice, Petronelle, and her daughter Basilia. The character I had most sympathy with was Petronelle. She had a very interesting and mysterious background and her main concern was to protect her daughter.
Alice Kytler on the other hand was self serving and opportunistic.
There is a general feeling of doom all the way through this book. The combination of religious zealousness, superstition and jealousy made for a powder keg ready to explode.
The author does a great job of combining historical fact with fictional embellishments and it makes for one riveting and thought provoking tale; one I won't easily forget and will put aside to read again.
March 17, 2019
Her Kind is a novel which can be compared to the tapestry so often referred to in the novel itself. Various threads of stories and characters come together, interweave and eventually paint an inevitable picture. Woven around historical fact, the story however is one which could take place (which elemental alterations) even now.
The inevitably of the story is that you suspect how it will end, ever before you reach the climax, not because the story isn't complex enough, but the gist of the story is an age-old, familiar one. It doesn't ruin the story, the journey to get to the end is what makes this novel so enjoyable. A Gentle tale for the most part, the undercurrent of distrust, worry, suspicion and hysteria which runs through and comes to a climax late on keeps the reader interested.
The alternating viewpoints are a useful narrative tool, however I do feel Petronelle would have sufficed fine as the individual narrator and it wouldn't have changed the story too much.
To say this novel is based around the theme of magic is too simple ; it is a novel of medieval Ireland, of everyday life, of women and how society treats them.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC to review.
The inevitably of the story is that you suspect how it will end, ever before you reach the climax, not because the story isn't complex enough, but the gist of the story is an age-old, familiar one. It doesn't ruin the story, the journey to get to the end is what makes this novel so enjoyable. A Gentle tale for the most part, the undercurrent of distrust, worry, suspicion and hysteria which runs through and comes to a climax late on keeps the reader interested.
The alternating viewpoints are a useful narrative tool, however I do feel Petronelle would have sufficed fine as the individual narrator and it wouldn't have changed the story too much.
To say this novel is based around the theme of magic is too simple ; it is a novel of medieval Ireland, of everyday life, of women and how society treats them.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC to review.
Read
May 3, 2019I mostly enjoyed this, but felt there were maybe too many different POVs and I'd probably have been more emotionally invested if it had been slightly more focused. It was an interesting glimpse into a bit of history I know nothing about, though.
July 22, 2019
Check out this review and more on my blog!
I received a copy of Her Kind from Penguin Random House Ireland in exchange for an honest review.
If there’s one thing I love, it’s historical fiction that explores the history of witchcraft and witch trials. Her Kind introduced me to a medieval witch trial I’d somehow never heard of before, the Kilkenny Witch Trial, and I’m honestly quite mad at myself that I’d never come across it before.
Part of that, I think, is down to the way the history of witch trials are taught; because there was such a boom of witch trials across Europe and North America in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, we often overlook the fact that witch trials also occurred in the Middle Ages. What’s even more likely, though, is that I’ve never heard of the Kilkenny Witch Trial because my knowledge of Irish history is appalling, and this novel has once again reminded me that Irish, Scottish and Welsh history should be taught more in English schools.
But that’s a debate for another time.
In 1324, Dame Alice Kyteler became the first person condemned for witchcraft in Ireland. Her Kind offers a fictionalised account of the events leading up to the trial through the eyes of her servant, Petronelle, another real figure from history, and explores what happens when powerful women clash with the men of the church.
One of the things I loved most about Her Kind was Boyce’s treatment of Alice. She so easily could have fallen into the trap of writing a woman ‘ahead of her time’ (a term often used in historical fiction that gets on my nerves), but she doesn’t. Alice isn’t all that nice. At all. But she is a woman with a head for business in a world where she’s expected to be subservient to the men around her, and it was incredibly satisfying to watch her refusal to bow down to them even though life would probably be easier for her if she did.
The reason I didn’t love this novel as much as I hoped was this novel’s versions of Petronelle and her daughter, Basilia.
I love novels about witches and I also love novels about mothers and daughters, but while Her Kind is told from the alternating perspectives of Petronelle and Basilia I rarely felt like I was reading a book about a mother and her daughter. We as readers can see the heartbreak on the horizon, we’re forced to watch as Basilia idolises Alice and distances herself from her own mother who we know is trying to do everything she can to keep her daughter safe. The problem was there wasn’t quite enough of that push and pull between Alice, Basilia and Petronelle to satisfy me; in fact considering she’s sixteen years old, practically an adult as far as the 1300s are concerned, I couldn’t understand how Basilia was blind to the kind of person Alice truly was.
When Petronelle and Basilia first arrive on Alice’s doorstep at the beginning of the novel, Basilia doesn’t seem to have any interest in being there. She wants to go home. Then, mere pages later, she’s wondering why her mother didn’t take them there sooner. If Basilia had been younger I would have found her so much easier to believe, but at sixteen she was still fairly juvenile and I couldn’t believe her naivety.
Petronelle is a character I’ve seen before in novels like this, but she’s a likeable and sympathetic character, which is why women like her so often appear in stories such as this one. She had an interesting backstory that I would have liked to know more about – Boyce would sometimes drop little nuggets about her family history and then explore them no further, which was a little frustrating – and I especially wanted to know more about how she ended up living outside Kilkenny with her daughter in the years before she sought shelter from Alice.
It’s never entirely clear what Petronelle and Basilia were running from; this is a novel that could have benefited from Boyce using a few more pages to explore the history of medieval Ireland, although a part of me did enjoy just being dropped in this alien world and being asked to go along with it. On top of that, there’s also a history between Petronelle and Alice’s family, but none of it’s ever completely explained and I think the scenes between Alice and Petronelle would have been even more tense if we had known all that had gone on between them in their youth.
We do have some lovely moments of these three women, and two more of Alice’s servants, trying to navigate around each other and their roles in society. As women they’re all considered lesser than the men, but Alice’s higher status sets her above the other women and yet, without their support, she’d be completely alone. It’s a compelling scenario, but there wasn’t quite enough of it for me to get the story I wanted.
Essentially, Her Kind is a novel that I think could have been a five star read for me if it had been longer. Boyce’s writing is beautiful, and I’ll be keeping my eye out for what she releases next, but the story was a little too sparse here. For me to really feel the gut punch that the ending of this story wanted to be I needed to have more of an emotional connection to the characters, but I was never allowed close enough to our narrators to get to know them as well as I wanted to.
I received a copy of Her Kind from Penguin Random House Ireland in exchange for an honest review.
If there’s one thing I love, it’s historical fiction that explores the history of witchcraft and witch trials. Her Kind introduced me to a medieval witch trial I’d somehow never heard of before, the Kilkenny Witch Trial, and I’m honestly quite mad at myself that I’d never come across it before.
Part of that, I think, is down to the way the history of witch trials are taught; because there was such a boom of witch trials across Europe and North America in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, we often overlook the fact that witch trials also occurred in the Middle Ages. What’s even more likely, though, is that I’ve never heard of the Kilkenny Witch Trial because my knowledge of Irish history is appalling, and this novel has once again reminded me that Irish, Scottish and Welsh history should be taught more in English schools.
But that’s a debate for another time.
In 1324, Dame Alice Kyteler became the first person condemned for witchcraft in Ireland. Her Kind offers a fictionalised account of the events leading up to the trial through the eyes of her servant, Petronelle, another real figure from history, and explores what happens when powerful women clash with the men of the church.
One of the things I loved most about Her Kind was Boyce’s treatment of Alice. She so easily could have fallen into the trap of writing a woman ‘ahead of her time’ (a term often used in historical fiction that gets on my nerves), but she doesn’t. Alice isn’t all that nice. At all. But she is a woman with a head for business in a world where she’s expected to be subservient to the men around her, and it was incredibly satisfying to watch her refusal to bow down to them even though life would probably be easier for her if she did.
The reason I didn’t love this novel as much as I hoped was this novel’s versions of Petronelle and her daughter, Basilia.
I love novels about witches and I also love novels about mothers and daughters, but while Her Kind is told from the alternating perspectives of Petronelle and Basilia I rarely felt like I was reading a book about a mother and her daughter. We as readers can see the heartbreak on the horizon, we’re forced to watch as Basilia idolises Alice and distances herself from her own mother who we know is trying to do everything she can to keep her daughter safe. The problem was there wasn’t quite enough of that push and pull between Alice, Basilia and Petronelle to satisfy me; in fact considering she’s sixteen years old, practically an adult as far as the 1300s are concerned, I couldn’t understand how Basilia was blind to the kind of person Alice truly was.
When Petronelle and Basilia first arrive on Alice’s doorstep at the beginning of the novel, Basilia doesn’t seem to have any interest in being there. She wants to go home. Then, mere pages later, she’s wondering why her mother didn’t take them there sooner. If Basilia had been younger I would have found her so much easier to believe, but at sixteen she was still fairly juvenile and I couldn’t believe her naivety.
Petronelle is a character I’ve seen before in novels like this, but she’s a likeable and sympathetic character, which is why women like her so often appear in stories such as this one. She had an interesting backstory that I would have liked to know more about – Boyce would sometimes drop little nuggets about her family history and then explore them no further, which was a little frustrating – and I especially wanted to know more about how she ended up living outside Kilkenny with her daughter in the years before she sought shelter from Alice.
It’s never entirely clear what Petronelle and Basilia were running from; this is a novel that could have benefited from Boyce using a few more pages to explore the history of medieval Ireland, although a part of me did enjoy just being dropped in this alien world and being asked to go along with it. On top of that, there’s also a history between Petronelle and Alice’s family, but none of it’s ever completely explained and I think the scenes between Alice and Petronelle would have been even more tense if we had known all that had gone on between them in their youth.
We do have some lovely moments of these three women, and two more of Alice’s servants, trying to navigate around each other and their roles in society. As women they’re all considered lesser than the men, but Alice’s higher status sets her above the other women and yet, without their support, she’d be completely alone. It’s a compelling scenario, but there wasn’t quite enough of it for me to get the story I wanted.
Essentially, Her Kind is a novel that I think could have been a five star read for me if it had been longer. Boyce’s writing is beautiful, and I’ll be keeping my eye out for what she releases next, but the story was a little too sparse here. For me to really feel the gut punch that the ending of this story wanted to be I needed to have more of an emotional connection to the characters, but I was never allowed close enough to our narrators to get to know them as well as I wanted to.
October 22, 2019
Wow! What an amazing book! I was transported by the exquisite writing talent of Niamh Boyce to a world I never knew existed. I could picture every scene and found myself completely absorbed, picturing every scene such was the brilliance of Boyce’s use of expression and language of the time. The story was dark yet fascinating and you get a great sense of life at this time and the events leading up to the Kilkennie Witch Trials of 1324. I was taken along, intrigued by the personalities in the book and gripped as the story developed at the perfect pace. Certainly the best book I have read in a long time.
August 11, 2024
Loved it. Fiction based on real events that took place in Kilkenny 700 years ago.
Kilkenny is the nearest "big town" to my home place. So the story of Alice Kyteler played a lot in my imagination as a kid walking around kk, and eating family meals in her old home. I took it as fact that she was a witch 🤣 (though tourism board and the lovely pub's marketing strategy peddle that version very well too).
I still absolutely love the castle and its grounds, and really enjoyed the picture of medieval "Kilkennie" painted by the author.
I'm really looking forward to walking around the town again with a "healthy disrespect" for the official record of Bishop Ledrede, and instead thinking of Niamh Boyce's Kilkennie.
Kilkenny is the nearest "big town" to my home place. So the story of Alice Kyteler played a lot in my imagination as a kid walking around kk, and eating family meals in her old home. I took it as fact that she was a witch 🤣 (though tourism board and the lovely pub's marketing strategy peddle that version very well too).
I still absolutely love the castle and its grounds, and really enjoyed the picture of medieval "Kilkennie" painted by the author.
I'm really looking forward to walking around the town again with a "healthy disrespect" for the official record of Bishop Ledrede, and instead thinking of Niamh Boyce's Kilkennie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2019
Brilliant, earthy, heart-wrenching and beautiful. Characters were drawn in fine detail - a moving and poignant account of a frightening time in our past. Highly recommend.
November 22, 2020
My review of this book appears in Historical Novels Review issue 89 (August 2019)/:
In the opening scene of this small, intimate novel, a group of women marked with the yellow crosses of heretics is led out of prison in Kilkennie, Ireland, in 1324. The watching crowd names the miscreants, wondering, “where is Dame Alice Kytler?” The narrative then jumps back in time to tell us, from the point of view of Alice’s servants and the spiteful bishop who has accused them, how these events developed over the course of the previous six months. Boyce keeps the focus laser-sharp, detailing the daily lives of the wealthy, pragmatic merchant Alice and the women who work for her. The action begins with the arrival of Alice’s childhood friend and her mute, traumatized daughter. They have escaped a raid on their Gaelic settlement, seeking shelter in the Anglicized town, with all its pretensions, gossip, and class conflicts. Kilkennie is a medieval town in transition – a fascinating mix of urban sophistication and peasant superstition, where the clergy and merchant classes struggle for control of the valuable laborers who make an elegant new way of life possible. The narrators navigate these challenges with earthy humor and keen psychological insight, as the malice and greed of men threaten to overcome Dame Alice’s efforts to create a peaceable, profitable community.
This is a marvelously witty, cleverly plotted novel. Fans of medieval history and literature will appreciate how Boyce has woven elements of Irish hero tales and Chaucerian characters into a tapestry of artfully observed historical detail about domestic life. The main character, Petronelle, is derived from a single mention in the Annales Hiberniae; the scheming Alice is clearly inspired by the Wife of Bath. Boyce transforms the existing male-authored accounts of female transgression into a rich network of interdependent women trying to navigate the demands of their faith, family loyalties, and desires.
In the opening scene of this small, intimate novel, a group of women marked with the yellow crosses of heretics is led out of prison in Kilkennie, Ireland, in 1324. The watching crowd names the miscreants, wondering, “where is Dame Alice Kytler?” The narrative then jumps back in time to tell us, from the point of view of Alice’s servants and the spiteful bishop who has accused them, how these events developed over the course of the previous six months. Boyce keeps the focus laser-sharp, detailing the daily lives of the wealthy, pragmatic merchant Alice and the women who work for her. The action begins with the arrival of Alice’s childhood friend and her mute, traumatized daughter. They have escaped a raid on their Gaelic settlement, seeking shelter in the Anglicized town, with all its pretensions, gossip, and class conflicts. Kilkennie is a medieval town in transition – a fascinating mix of urban sophistication and peasant superstition, where the clergy and merchant classes struggle for control of the valuable laborers who make an elegant new way of life possible. The narrators navigate these challenges with earthy humor and keen psychological insight, as the malice and greed of men threaten to overcome Dame Alice’s efforts to create a peaceable, profitable community.
This is a marvelously witty, cleverly plotted novel. Fans of medieval history and literature will appreciate how Boyce has woven elements of Irish hero tales and Chaucerian characters into a tapestry of artfully observed historical detail about domestic life. The main character, Petronelle, is derived from a single mention in the Annales Hiberniae; the scheming Alice is clearly inspired by the Wife of Bath. Boyce transforms the existing male-authored accounts of female transgression into a rich network of interdependent women trying to navigate the demands of their faith, family loyalties, and desires.
April 29, 2019
I loved how this book gave a voice to three (and more) women previously hidden in history, and as said by another reviewer, if it wasn’t for the fact that Alice Kyteler had been accused of witchcraft, we would never have known about her economic success - goodness knows how many other successful business women in the medieval period have been hidden from us.
Boyce’s Kyteler is not a saint. She’s ruthless, resourceful and fights back as well as she can. Her maid and her niece, in my opinion, are the real victims. Boyce has carried out meticulous research and created stories for these characters that are credible (and also incredible to think that such atrocities occurred).
Boyce’s Kyteler is not a saint. She’s ruthless, resourceful and fights back as well as she can. Her maid and her niece, in my opinion, are the real victims. Boyce has carried out meticulous research and created stories for these characters that are credible (and also incredible to think that such atrocities occurred).
May 10, 2019
The one-star review by Amalia Gavea is jaundiced and terribly unfair. Don't let it put you off, this is a great book.
August 29, 2020
This book vividly transported me to medieval Ireland, an era I’m not familiar with. Being familiar with the streets of Kilkenny & it’s historical buildings I felt I was walking those streets in the 1300s taking in the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of everyday life of a society made up of Norman’s, English, Flemish & native Irish.
Based on true events, the author weaves together a story of strong women in a patriarchal society deemed to be witches by church hierarchy & how one mans word & actions can influence the wider community.
Based on true events, the author weaves together a story of strong women in a patriarchal society deemed to be witches by church hierarchy & how one mans word & actions can influence the wider community.
June 12, 2019
Reading Her Kind was a joy. Drawn into the mysterious world of Medieval Kilkenny, along its narrow streets, under its archways, up to the Cathedral and back down to Kyteler's House one could feel that you were actually there. The escaping bees, the mussel-pearl fishing boys, the monks and other characters, that act as backdrop to one of the most sensational events that happened in the city, are woven through major events with a skill that only a master story teller such as this could achieve.
Money, power and women's sexuality are the driving forces of this bitterly fought battle between Alice Kytler and Bishop Ledrede in a tale that is as relevant today as it was then. In bringing this story out into the open we the readers are privileged to learn about our history in such an entertaining and interesting way.
Money, power and women's sexuality are the driving forces of this bitterly fought battle between Alice Kytler and Bishop Ledrede in a tale that is as relevant today as it was then. In bringing this story out into the open we the readers are privileged to learn about our history in such an entertaining and interesting way.
July 8, 2019
A seriously good book. I loved it, from the story, which had me riveted, to the characters of the women. Superb.
July 28, 2019
Beautifully told, great story, wonderful attention to detail, transported back in time
June 14, 2019
Excellent historical fiction based on actual events in 14th century Ireland 🇮🇪 and should be a part of any feminist reading list.
July 21, 2019
This book resonates through time; women still to some degree being prosecuted by the court of public opinion. But it also revealed to me a history i had only a slim knowledge of, and was very evocative of its time. This made it a bit dull on occasion, the slow simmering of the story's progression could have been shortened somewhat. However for the main part it was interesting, and the characters were believable and 3d,even the most good and naive of characters were at times irritating, like regular people.
May 27, 2019
Her Kind is inspired by the Kilkenny witch trials of 1324. Bishop Richard de Ledrede is a man plagued by women; by glimpses of the church's anchoress contained in her small cell, by the wealthy money lender Dame Alice Kytler who does not need or require his blessing, but mostly by his sexual desire of women that cannot or should not be fulfilled. A "bitter old man," Ledrede seeks to control the populace of Hightown, wresting control from Alice who owns the allegiance of the town and most of its wealth. When her fourth husband accuses her of poisoning him and her step-daughters turn against her, Alice is accused of witchcraft. However, it is not Alice who is burnt at the stake, but her maid Petronella. The author skilfully builds the story of Alice and Petronella and examines how a powerful and independently wealthy woman is torn so spectacularly from grace. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical setting of this novel, knowing little about 14th century Ireland and also the roundness and complexity of the characters, particularly Alice herself. A must read for lovers of historical fiction.
May 30, 2019
This is a good, solid drama with interesting characters. And, there was a twist to it that I did not see coming.
May 25, 2019
There are few books written about this time period in Ireland, even fewer from a woman's perspective. Niamh offers a wonderful glimpse into the 14th century, weaving a tale that is both captivating and engrossing.
April 28, 2019
It is six years since the release of Boyce's award winning debut, The Herbalist. In a recent newspaper interview she claimed the first draft of Her Kind was completed in 2014. The time between was taken up with revision and the long time-scales of the traditional publishing process. As another reviewer has said, it was well worth the wait.
Boyce has taken real events from the fourteenth century and crafted from them a highly imaginative fantasy. In dong so, she has given us a version of those events that has a much greater ring of truth than the official versions. As she claims, those were written, not by the victims of a witch hunt, but by the men who instigated it. By telling the story from the points of view of the female participants, as well as the man whose tortured mind dreamed up the allegations, she has created a deeper truth. A truth that draws on the reality of medieval life in Ireland, the strained relationships between the different communities – French, Anglo-Norman, Flemish, Welsh and Gael.
As merchants, Anglo-Norman lords and the Catholic Church jostle for control of the city of Kilkennie, the idea that a wealthy moneylender has achieved her success by poisoning a succession of wealthy husbands gains traction among the Burghers.
Many of the dream sequences, which merge into the reality of interrogation under torture, reminded me of the controversial Ken Russell movie The Devils. I doubt Boyce has seen the film, which deals with another real event that took place three centuries later in France, nor has she gone as far as Russell in her depictions of depravity, although the charges that come from the lips of Bishop Roger Ledrede include descriptions of activities, conjured from his imagination, that echo scenes from the movie, which has rarely been screened anywhere since its controversial release 48 years ago.
The early chapters of the book are full of hints about the past relationship between the three women at its core. I confess to having found that irritating at first, but I quickly recognised it as a clever device, since the whole edifice of the charges against the alleged witch is built on hints and intimations, distortions of the truth which become twisted in the fevered imagination of the Bishop.
Others will say that I am not qualified to make such a statement but I have no hesitation in describing this as a tour-de-force which deserves the most prestigious of literary awards. There is unlikely to be a better book published between now and Boyce's next, however long that may take.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone interested in medieval history, sorcery, Game of Thrones, any other historical or dystopian fantasy - or just the pure joy of beautiful writing.
Boyce has taken real events from the fourteenth century and crafted from them a highly imaginative fantasy. In dong so, she has given us a version of those events that has a much greater ring of truth than the official versions. As she claims, those were written, not by the victims of a witch hunt, but by the men who instigated it. By telling the story from the points of view of the female participants, as well as the man whose tortured mind dreamed up the allegations, she has created a deeper truth. A truth that draws on the reality of medieval life in Ireland, the strained relationships between the different communities – French, Anglo-Norman, Flemish, Welsh and Gael.
As merchants, Anglo-Norman lords and the Catholic Church jostle for control of the city of Kilkennie, the idea that a wealthy moneylender has achieved her success by poisoning a succession of wealthy husbands gains traction among the Burghers.
Many of the dream sequences, which merge into the reality of interrogation under torture, reminded me of the controversial Ken Russell movie The Devils. I doubt Boyce has seen the film, which deals with another real event that took place three centuries later in France, nor has she gone as far as Russell in her depictions of depravity, although the charges that come from the lips of Bishop Roger Ledrede include descriptions of activities, conjured from his imagination, that echo scenes from the movie, which has rarely been screened anywhere since its controversial release 48 years ago.
The early chapters of the book are full of hints about the past relationship between the three women at its core. I confess to having found that irritating at first, but I quickly recognised it as a clever device, since the whole edifice of the charges against the alleged witch is built on hints and intimations, distortions of the truth which become twisted in the fevered imagination of the Bishop.
Others will say that I am not qualified to make such a statement but I have no hesitation in describing this as a tour-de-force which deserves the most prestigious of literary awards. There is unlikely to be a better book published between now and Boyce's next, however long that may take.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone interested in medieval history, sorcery, Game of Thrones, any other historical or dystopian fantasy - or just the pure joy of beautiful writing.
July 4, 2019
This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
"This book is laced with period detail, mystery, and an atmosphere of danger prevails throughout. "
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
"This book is laced with period detail, mystery, and an atmosphere of danger prevails throughout. "
April 8, 2019
'Her Kind' is set in Kilkenny in the 14th Century, based on witch trials that really took place there. The novel is loosely based on the case of Alice Kyter, an infamous moneylender who was accused of witchcraft by her enemies in the Catholic Church, and is narrated by Alice, her lady's maid and childhood companion Petronelle, and Petronelle's mute daughter Basilia. The narrative weaves dreams and memories with the present, which though enjoyable to read could be confusing, especially since two of the characters went by alternative names.
This is more than just a novel or simple retelling, and is a conscious and fierce act of retrieval, of women who were silenced and tortured and burned when the Catholic Church couldn't control them. The religious figures in the book are derranged in their descriptions of taboo sexual practices and fleshing out of rumours of women who take demon lovers, and the way these lies are spread to further their power is frightening. I didn't realise women were burnt at the stake in Ireland, let alone so near where I grew up, so it actually took me a while to figure out that this was based on real history. In her afterward to the book, Niamh Boyce explains that she took a liberal approach to the story, as the official records would have been heavily biased in favour of the Catholic Church, and she wanted to give a voice to women like Petronelle.
While I sometimes lost track of the story and would have preferred more backstory at the beginning, I think what Boyce does here is really important, and that I will remember this book for a long time.
This is more than just a novel or simple retelling, and is a conscious and fierce act of retrieval, of women who were silenced and tortured and burned when the Catholic Church couldn't control them. The religious figures in the book are derranged in their descriptions of taboo sexual practices and fleshing out of rumours of women who take demon lovers, and the way these lies are spread to further their power is frightening. I didn't realise women were burnt at the stake in Ireland, let alone so near where I grew up, so it actually took me a while to figure out that this was based on real history. In her afterward to the book, Niamh Boyce explains that she took a liberal approach to the story, as the official records would have been heavily biased in favour of the Catholic Church, and she wanted to give a voice to women like Petronelle.
While I sometimes lost track of the story and would have preferred more backstory at the beginning, I think what Boyce does here is really important, and that I will remember this book for a long time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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