The Outcast Woman Archives

“My two lovely girls”

by Huguenot Jo | Feb 21, 2023 | Memoir, The Outcast Woman

February 22 is never a good day for me – it’s the anniversary of my mum’s death, and I ignore it at my peril. Better to acknowledge it than have things go wrong all day as the subconscious wreaks havoc.…

To be disreputable, disrespectful, disobedient

by Huguenot Jo | Jan 16, 2021 | Book review, Puritanism, The Outcast Woman

Sarah Perry’s latest publication, “Essex Girls: For Profane and Opinionated Women Everywhere”, is a tiny little book based on a Harriet Martineau lecture she gave; it’s an entertaining read for any woman who doesn’t like to shut up. Sarah Perry...

For God’s sake: the things they do to you

by Huguenot Jo | Oct 13, 2019 | Puritanism, The Outcast Woman

…

Half-Hanged Mary and The Handmaid’s Tale

by Huguenot Jo | Jul 15, 2018 | Book review, Film/Broadcast review, Puritanism, The Outcast Woman

Margaret Atwood dedicated her novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” to Mary Webster – “Half-Hanged Mary”. Webster was hanged from a tree for witchcraft in 17th century Puritan New England, yet – remarkably – survived overnight, was cut down, and subsequently...

Cardinal Richelieu and the Devils of Loudun

by Huguenot Jo | Jun 3, 2018 | Book review, The Outcast Woman

I had to buy a second-hand copy of Aldous Huxley’s “The Devils of Loudon” from Amazon Marketplace, having searched unsuccessfully in independent bookshops for a current edition. “Do people no longer read it?” I wondered. When the vintage Penguin paperback...

Corrag, The Highland Witch

by Huguenot Jo | May 28, 2018 | Book review, The Outcast Woman, William III

Susan Fletcher’s novel “Witch Light” is set in 1692, a handful of years after my Huguenot ancestors fled France and landed in England – hopeful of a warm welcome, since the Glorious Revolution of 1688 had ousted James II (a …

« Older Entries

“My two lovely girls”

To be disreputable, disrespectful, disobedient

For God’s sake: the things they do to you

Half-Hanged Mary and The Handmaid’s Tale

Cardinal Richelieu and the Devils of Loudun

Corrag, The Highland Witch

Subscribe to new blog posts

Recent Posts

Categories