Dramatizing the fight to save medical knowledge during the witch-burning times 1465-1540 in Europe. Called "riveting" and "tremendously impressive."
Charged with the task of carrying the foremost medical volume of the time – the Trotula – a young Salernita struggles through her dangerous journey while trusting plants more than people. Harbored and helped by feral herbalists, a giant bowman, scribes and traders, she years to recraft medical science with Paracelsus, the father of modern surgery.
In The Mandrake Broom, you’ll meet:
·Luccia Alimenti, daughter of a medical professor at the University of Salerno, Italy, first of its kind and last to close its doors to women;
·Fiona, her Irish godmother who tries to protect her and forge a family while struggling with epilesy and grief.
·Marelle, a hunter and co-conspirator as they are pushed to the brink and take up arms for revenge.
·Theo Paracelsus, a brilliant eunuch and addict who helps Luccia forge a bridge between the new and old medicines.
The Mandrake Broom involves the tension between visibility and invisibility, between internal strength and external powerlessness, and the continually fluid interplay of those factors, while it takes the reader through persecution and Plague, love and joy, and the struggle for knowledge and unity.
The Historical Novel Review says that “historical events…are elegantly woven into the plot. The well-rounded characters, constant action, and captivating subject matter unite [in] Wells’ vivid writing…. Reminiscent of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Mists of Avalon series, Jess Wells’ third novel belongs on everyone’s reading list.”
Professional Reviews
Historical Novels Review
Wells’ detailed bibliography confirms her extensive research. Historical events such as the invention of the printing press and contributions of Paracelsus, an innovative 16th century physician, are elegantly woven into the plot. The origin of the witch’s broom stereotype and a description of early book production techniques are also engaging. The well-rounded characters, constant action, and captivating subject matter unite to enlighten as well as infuriate as the atrocities of the time period become real through Wells’ vivid writing. Perspective from the persecutors’ point of view comprises a small part of the novel, and provides insight into their motivations.
Reminiscent of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Mists of Avalon series, Jess Wells’ third novel belongs on everyone’s reading list, especially those who enjoy books about strong women willing to fight for their beliefs. – Suzanne J. Sprague, in The Historical Novels Review, 2008
Excellent Novel, Great Fiction
“Excellent novel, great historical fiction. I highly recommend this book. It works as a quest, a thriller, an action adventure set in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, during the time of the Plague, the Inquisition, witch burnings, the Middle Ages. ..This is beautiful writing with great tension and pace. It really kept me plugged in, pulling for the protagonists, aching for them really. Great characters. This is the best historical fiction I’ve read in a very long time. Wells made the urgency of the time come alive.” – Bett Norris, author of Miss McGhee
Exciting Novel
Exciting novel, suitable for teens as well
Set in Europe in the 14-1500s this is a well-researched, complex, and exciting historical novel about the efforts of a family of women to hold onto, and pass along, medical and herbal knowledge in the face of witch hunts. Luccia Alimenti, daughter of a female medical professor at the University of Salerno is entrusted and ordered by her mother to carry out this task, which she does against all odds. Never dull, there is plenty of danger, adventure, and love in this small package. Published as an adult novel, teens who enjoy historical fiction will find this a worthwhile read. – Rainbow Books
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