City of Crows

by Chris Womersley

A woman's heart contains all things ... France, 1673. Desperate to save herself and her only surviving child from an outbreak of plague, the widow Charlotte Picot flees her village to seek sanctuary in Lyon. But, waylaid on the road by slavers, young Nicolas is stolen and his mother left for dead. Charlotte fears the boy has been taken to Paris for sale, for it is well known there is no corruption in a man's heart that cannot be found in that terrible City of Crows. Yet this is not only a story of Paris and its streets thronged with preachers, troubadours and rogues. It is also the tale of a woman who calls herself a sorceress and a demon who thinks he is a man ...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, France, Adult, Magic

368 pages, Paperback

Published August 29, 2017

About the author

Chris Womersley (born 1968 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian author of crime fiction, short stories and poetry. He trained as a radio journalist and has travelled extensively to such places as India, South-East Asia, South America, North America, and West Africa.[1] He currently lives in Melbourne, VIC.

Reviews

[RG · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had heard amazing things from the local bookseller. This was a case of not being a great fit for me.I loved the historical fiction aspect with some hint of magic realism. I just found thr characters boring. I never felt involved in Charlottes plight. I also found it weird how sudden some characters changed personality or traits. The ending I cant tell is a cop out or one of those ambiguos you decide for yourself or bookclub type moments. I'll definitely give Womersley another shot as I did believe his writing was very good, just not these characters plus the strange change in plot direction.

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the Paris setting and dabbling in the occult stuff, but otherwise this one missed the mark for me.

I found the whole thing quite bland, and was a little frustrated that it sat on the fence between realism and fantasy. The witchcraft, rituals, spells etc were all very ambiguous and coincidental, whereas I wish it had taken a firm stance either way.

Charlotte was a bit dull as the heroine of the story, and Lesage is a loathsome, cowardly man that can't decide his own mind. The whole concept of the pact between the two was ridiculous to me so every time it was used as a linchpin I rolled my eyes a little.

The book moves at a decent pace yet there's nothing particularly interesting in the journey that had me invested. I did enjoy the city descriptions though when they arrived in Paris. I really love anything set in Paris around this time so I appreciated it here. It was also quite interesting to hear more about the occult scene at the time and see some of history's figures brought to life here.

The book sells itself as being about a mother who will do anything to get her child back, but I never really felt that urgency. She didn't seem to be doing too much at all, to be honest, other than demanding things of Lesage. Towards the end, things got a little hectic, but otherwise I was unimpressed by this 'desperate' mother.

Overall, I really enjoyed the setting but felt the story was a little too weak for it. I wish there'd been less focus on Charlotte and more on Lesage and the underground occult scene.

Still, it was an okay read and mothers may appreciate it more than I did.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Paris is a most dangerous city, oh yes. Filthy, my God. Full of rats and other vermin. Bodies lying dead in the streets. Horrible carrion birds everywhere, living off the refuse. You know, I’ve heard some people refer to it as the City of Crows. And a man I know told me that many of these crows are inhabited by the souls of dead witches. Yes.’

In late 17th century France, Madame Charlotte Picot flees her plague-ridden village with her only surviving family member, her young son Nicolas. They are heading towards Lyon when Charlotte is attacked and Nicolas abducted. Rescued by the Queen of the Forest, Charlotte reluctantly accepts the power of the book from the retiring witch before she begins her search for Nicolas.

Meanwhile in Marseilles, Monsieur Adam du Coeuret is surprised to be summoned to see the Governor of the galleys, where he has been incarcerated for 5 years for telling fortunes and uttering incantations in Paris. He is released, changes his name to Lesage, and heads north to see his family for the first time in many years. Not far into his journey, he comes across Charlotte in the pre-dawn, standing inside a protective mystical circle scratched into the road.

And that's where the magic (pardon the pun) of the story happened for me! Talking at crossed purposes, a huge misunderstanding has Charlotte thinking that Lesage is the demon she has summoned to help her search for Nicolas, and Lesage truly believes he has been charmed/enwitched into the service of the Queen of the Forest. So off they go to find Nicolas, and an early lead sets them in the direction of Paris.

This is the third novel by Chris Womersley that I've read; all three being very different from each other. Loosely based on real people and events, this one gave me the history that I love, without being overpowered by the fantasy/paranormal aspects of the story, and it transported me to a filthy and debauched Paris of the 1600s. Along the way I had quite a few laughs as Charlotte and Lesage tip-toed around each other, trying to achieve their own individual purposes without upsetting the tenuous balance of their decidedly non-magical co-dependence.

Recommended.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 4 out of 5]

I surprised myself by enjoying and therefore finishing this, having got it from Book Club with mixed reviews - I figured I would give it 50 pages then move on and return it. I do like to at least try all kinds of books, but have not had much success with prize-winning literary authors, or “magical realism”.
I found the writing easier and more immediately engaging than expected, and was soon drawn into the plot, so can recommend it, apart from the abrupt, open ending.

Set in France during the reign of Louis XIV, this is about a young peasant woman, Charlotte Picot, whose husband has recently died of the plague, leaving her village with her last surviving child to try and save him. Attacked on the road by a gang of slavers who shoot her with an arrow, leaving her for dead and taking her son, she is rescued by an old witch in the forest, who heals her and then passes on her powers and a book of spells. The witch instructs her to summon a demon who will help her, then leaves her alone.

Simultaneously, in Marseille, an ageing confidence trickster is released unexpectedly early from his prison sentence and, renaming himself Lesage, sets out to return to his beloved Paris, with a map he believes will lead him to a buried fortune. When a drunken inn-keeper mentions the witch in the forest, he is convinced she is the key to finding it. Bound together by magic or misunderstanding, they travel to the City of Crows to find Nicolas, but Lesage’s past associates want him to return to the lucrative business of spells and manipulation - can he redeem himself and save Charlotte’s son?

I really wasn’t sure which way this was going and liked the uncertainty around the magical elements. This is based on true historical events and people, according to the author’s note. The descriptions of 17th century life - the filth, hunger, disease, cruelty and disregard for life made for uncomfortable reading as they are almost certainly accurate. Neither Charlotte nor Lesage were appealing characters but I still had my hopes raised for a happy ending for them, so did feel rather cheated when it was left open to interpretation.

[Lisa]

I feel really bad about abandoning this book because I've met Chris Womersley and he's a really nice man, and a really good author too. I met him at the Miles Franklin Awards ceremony when Bereft was shortlisted, and I really liked his next novel after that which was Cairo (not the city, a block of flats in my city of Melbourne).
But, although I made my way to page 129, City of Crows lost me with its occult elements. I'm not keen on the Gothic, but I liked the beginning which was reminiscent of Geraldine Brooks' Year of Wonders, and I was interested to find out how the mother Charlotte was going to rescue her son Nicolas from the slave traders and whose fate was so vividly depicted with the chapters about a man inexplicably freed from captivity. But I can't take seriously magic and witches and whatnot - even though I know that what's they believed in C17th France and elsewhere - and there was just too much of it for the book to hold my interest.
Still, it's beautifully written and has an authentic feel for its period, and I'm quite sure that there will be plenty of people who love it, maybe more than they loved his previous books...

[Bron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am in love with historical fiction at the moment, and witches/sorcerers/village healer women always (see also the good people), so this looked right up my alley.
It was a great read - I loved the relationship between the main characters, and there was a really good tension in the writing caused by the ambiguity around chance vs magic. There was also quite a lot of pus (since the plague is almost a character)
I gave it 3.5 stars

[Tundra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story with its factually based, plot driven magical realism. The plot, time period and setting are all intriguing however my hesitation lies in the ending where the magical realism (hinting at magic -but it could be just coincidence) tips into realism. It just feels like an easy option to end the book.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book at all. I am not sure why I even finished it. I found it dark, miserable and grim , and not in an interesting way.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I wasn’t reading for book club I never would have finished it. It’s a great story line but the characters never pull you in and the story telling falls flat.

[Gwen Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like the ending....I would have written the final chapter differently – spoiler – the following partially reveals the end. My take – Lesage arrives with Nicolas in tow only to hear screaming coming from Charlotte’s room as Marguerite (who has arrived back on Charlotte’s door minutes earlier) catches Charlotte with a knife about to pierce her baby brother’s body. Lesage lunges and snatches the knife from Charlotte – tossing it aside. Marguerite grabs her baby brother, holding him tight to her chest away from Charlotte. Nicolas runs to his mother who in shock and tears drops to her knees clutching her lost son. Lesage spies the bloodied heart at Charlottes feet, horrified at the sight before him. He wants out – but not before he snatches a handful of coins from the treasure chest and grabs her black book from the stool by the window. He makes good his escape from the crying and chaos which is now attracting attention from the neighbours. This ending could lead into a sequel if the author wishes to pursue what happens to Lesage (with the all powerful black book) after he flees Paris!

[Daniel Polansky]

A mother who might be a witch pursues her kidnapped son through 17th century France with the aid of a charlatan who might be the devil. Discomfiting, fast-paced and with a mean sting. Excellent genre fiction, worth your look.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book definitely took me on a journey.

I was instantly hooked in the first chapter. I loved how this book was written, but as the story went on, I started hating Charlottes character. She became very whiny through the middle of the book and towards the end. I would've liked the sorcery and witchcraft to be more real, instead of it being coincidence through out the book.

The ending of the book was satisfying due to the circumstances of the characters, but I would've liked to know more about what happened to Charlotte instead of it just drifting off. I hate stories that don't finish scenes or tell us EXACTLY what happened. It feels like a bit of a let down.

I recommend this book, but I would not reread it.

[Pam Tickner · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars ... It started out 4 star and dropped off by the end to 3 stars. I loved Womersley's descriptive writing style of the time and place but didn't feel the same about his character development. I couldn't tell if Charlotte became almost mute as the story went on because of extreme trauma or if the author got bored by her. I had almost lost interest in her plight by the end. A good book to discuss - because I'm not sure what happened in the end.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

City of Crows was marketed to me as "historical with a hint of magic realism", which while not my usual genre of choice, did sound interesting enough to give a chance. While I certainly don't regret reading it, it didn't live up to my expectations.

The story is well written, the details of 17th century France were conveyed well, and the magical realism was central to the plot in a way that made sense/worked. The plot was interesting, with good pacing and some good twists. The characters were interesting and well developed.

Unfortunately, despite all of these good qualities, I found the start of the novel a little too slow for my liking, and harder to get into than I was expecting. I didn't particularly like the main character Charlotte either. I continued reading however because the writing and premise had me intrigued. I certainly enjoyed the book, but the ending was... incredibly disappointing. Throughout the tale we see some 'magic', and at the time (or later on) we as the reader find out the true causes of these (all of which could be explained with science). I really liked that, and thought it was handled very well. Then the ending involved a pretty serious piece of magic... with no logical explanation provided, and I couldn't find anyway to make it fit in my mind either. The end was grim, a tad rushed, and just a little odd on top of this, and it left me confused, and more than a little disappointed.

If you're interested in a dark/grim historical novel with a little occult, then this is worth the read! Just don't expect the ending to fit the way you'd think it would. You might end up disappointed.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an entertaining read. Provincial France and Paris in 1673: plague, impoverished peasants, a corrupt church, and decadent aristocracy. Muck filled streets, the smell of excrement, unwashed bodies, sour wine, grilled meat. Necromancers, sorcerers, poisoners, abortionists, thieves, beggars, and orphans everywhere. Corruption writ so large Dickens would have gasped. Into this a boy is kidnapped, a near murdered mother is initiated into witchcraft and given the grimoire that goes with the trade. She summons a fiend to help her find and rescue her son, and the action and description proceed apace. Everything is clear to the reader, nothing is clear to the characters - what a great bit of trickery by the author whose only fault may be that he revels in descriptions. Philip Pullman's advice came to mind - the woods are not the story, stick to the path. It's not a fatal flaw, and many of the descriptions are breathtaking - especially the scenes of Paris and the haunts of the players. If this were a movie I'd see it in the style of David Lean's Oliver Twist - know what I mean?

There are a few reviews of this book that call it "magical realism." I think that's a misused term. Think of City of Crows as a fable replete with the beliefs of its time - a time when magic was practiced, and ambiguous.

If you're a fan of gothics, and historical fiction (this book is based on real people,) this is a hell of a read.

[Di · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was compared to the books of Hannah Kent and Ian McGuire and so I had high expectations. Also, I enjoyed Womersley's earlier book Bereft very much. I was unsure of the genre that Womersley intended with the book. At first I thought it was intended to be historical fiction and beginning as it did with a plague stricken village, I was reminded of The Year of Wonders. But it soon moved into the realms of the occult as Charlotte's son Nicholas was stolen from her and she was given a book of magical spells by an old crone.

The afterward shows the historical origins of the characters and explains why there were 3 female characters all with names beginning with C - very confusing.

I liked the clever way in which Womersley allowed that the spells could have had an effect or could have been chance and he sustained that right up to and including the final page of the book as Charlotte and Nicholas took flight.

The prisoner/devil Adam Coeuret/Lesage began as an interesting character. His life in the galleys and early release were well drawn but once in Paris and returned to his old haunts and relationship with Catherine Monvoisin I found him less so.

The story moves, I wanted to know what happened, but the characters didn't convince me.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm baffled as to why this book did not earn more than 3 stars from me. Seemed to tick all my boxes - historical, based on real events and people, set in France, wonderful cover, well-written, dabbles quite convincingly in the magical realm...at least until the abrupt and not-quite-sufficiently-satisfying ending. I adored Womersley's 'Bereft' some years ago and jumped at another offering from him.

Maybe the story was a little slow in progressing, but the writing is considered, convincing and obviously by an accomplished hand. The alternating narration helped the momentum although neither main character really earned my empathy. The way Womersley weaves in elements of the occult with naturally explainable circumstances was clever. (Alas, with the obvious exception of THAT ending...!)

I looked forward to getting back to this book each time I picked it up, but I never felt thoroughly engaged. What a shame. I will still recommend it though. To 'holiday readers' in possession of a healthy dose of patience and a pinch of desperation.

[Caren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably more of a 3.5, the novel was engaging. It didn't have the poignancy of his BEREFT, which was sensational, but his portrait of Paris 17th century was so vivid: sights, sounds, smells - reminded me slightly of PERFUME in this regard. I'm just not great with demons and sorceresses, so the "magic" charms and spells didn't sit well in my head. But, worth reading, quite an engaging plot.

[Corrina Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanted something different to read rather than the usual murder/spy genre. Quite liked it. Fantasy with a bit of black magic thrown in.

[S.C. Karakaltsas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 1673 France, Charlotte Picot grieves the death of her husband and with her only child Nicolas, she flees her small village to save him from the plague which sweeps across the country. Along the way, Nicolas is stolen from her and she is left for dead. Rescued by an old woman who brings her back from the brink of death, Charlotte continues her quest to find her son who she fears has been taken to Paris to be sold. Along the way, she meets Lesage, recently freed from jail and together they begin a journey filled with fear, rogues and superstition.

'Grief was an unpredictable burden for a woman; it killed or deranged some, yet made warriors of others.'

This novel is beautifully written and is the second of this author’s novels I’ve read. Like his earlier novel, Cairo, this one is hard to put down. The language is evocative and the descriptions put you into a place so full of hardship, we’re grateful to have been born in a different time. I loved the idea that ignorance and lack of education heightened Charlotte and Lesage’s superstitions of sorcery and magic for explanation of events which today, with the knowledge of science, would be easily explained. Witches, sought after for many things were revered and feared.

'Monsieur Maigret placed the skull back on the shelf. "You know, they are hanging Justine Gallant and Monsieur Olivier at Place de Greve tonight. For murder. Witchcraft. They say they tried to summon the Devil himself."'

It is also a story of a woman’s grief for her family and her sheer desperation to do whatever she has to do to get her son back despite the consequences. What she does towards the end is shocking and takes your breath away and there is quite a bit of controversy over the ending. All in all an enjoyable and engaging read.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay book with an okay plot. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if my headspace wasn't so negative, but it is what it is, and forcing myself to read was better than allowing my mind to take over entirely.

I enjoyed how the author was able to balance the history and the fiction to give us an interesting book, but if you're going into this book without fully understanding the Affair of the Poisons and what led up to that event or the direct fallout, then I feel that you're not going to enjoy this book. Likewise, if you go into this expecting it to be a book about witchcraft and fantasy, you'll be sorely disappointed. This book does contain 'witches' and it does contain 'poisoners' as well, but in a historical sense.

Personally, I feel that Womersley tried too hard to be poetic in the writing of this book and the style really doesn't work. Perhaps, it's my current mood and where my head is at right now, but the writing did a pretty good job at annoying me in parts.

The characters weren't drawn out the best. I felt nothing for the heroine (or is she morally grey?) after awhile. I feel that if you're not supposed to get to know Charlotte, then this would be an excellent book- but the writing feels like it's supposed to be intimate and that we're supposed to get to know the heroine.

I'll keep this book on my shelves and give it a reread because I feel that given time, I'd probably really love this book- but so far, the only books I have enjoyed that are set in Louis XIV's France are part of the nonfiction category. Which is a huge disappointment for me.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impressive and lyrical and dark and surprisingly comedic. Charlotte stole the show in this novel, a strong but fearful character, someone awakening to a new world, and that world is the dirty city of scoundrels, that city of crows, Paris. She seemed some full of grief but determination, and willing to dig into the darkest parts of herself to do what needed to be done and that was finding her only remaining child, Nicolas. Lesage was a joke, honestly, an embodiment of toxic masculinity and avarice for power and striking out when he had none. Well written but I disliked him. I found that when I sat down to read this book, the pages disappeared and I would devour dozens of pages, but then difficult to pick back up. Overall, very good.

[Beachi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the kind of book I like: set in 17th century France, characters who are flawed and real and painstakingly detailed, unexpected twists and turns and a truly wondrous ending. Excellent read.

[Phoebe Wrighton Doorne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

A completely absorbing and extremely well-told tale that evokes the era of late 17th century Paris brilliantly and is appropriately soaked in blood and desperation. I can see this being a hit worldwide.

[Kaya Cassidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted so badly to love "City of Crows." When I read the inside cover at my local bookstore, I thought it had all the ingredients to be the kind of novel I'd love- magic, mystery, history- and yet, I'm a bit disappointed.

When Charlotte Picot's son, Nicolas, is kidnapped by those who'd wish to harm him, she turns to an old mystical woman in the woods known as the "Forest Queen" for help, gaining access to the woman's grimoire in the process. Through a series of misunderstandings, she and a convict recently released from the galleys, who calls himself Lesage, believe themselves to be tied together in the quest of finding Nicolas.

Womersley's sprawling descriptions of Paris, with all its 17th century charm and horror, is the highlight of the book for me. He knows how to set a scene, and he makes frequent use of poetic comparisons to sell the descriptors of characters and setting. Perhaps to some this would some repetitive or overselling, but I loved the style of writing in this book. The idea also, of basing these characters off of real, historical people, while not unique, was fascinating. The idea of the novel (Woman loses her son, goes on a quest to find him) is not original, but I do think enough was shaken up in the formula here to say "City of Crows" avoids being *predictable.* The biggest shortcoming was easily, to me, the characters.

In my personal opinion, Lesage really is the only character of even mild interest here, and even he wasn't particularly memorable. The idea of a spiritual charlatan was interesting to me, and his dynamics with the worldly Madame Voison and the provincial Madame Picot were, at times, funny. The biggest flaw of the novel overall though, was the way some parts of the book dragged on. I never found myself outright bored, but I was never excited to pick up this book to see what came next, either. I also see what Womersley was trying to do with the ending, but it fell pretty flat on its face for me.

There *is* plenty of dark charm to be found in "City of Crows," but overall I felt pretty meh about the read. Nothing too special, but nothing bad either.

[Danielle Clode · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully evocative and compelling story exploring myth and mysticism, ignorance and power. A story that left me wanting more.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing and dark journey into a world that's lost to us today: the pre-rational superstition and magic of late 17th century France. Womersley brings to life the arresting sights and odours of this vanished world and his own magic is being able to create the sudden and unpredictable collisions of peasants, criminals and innocents. This is no plot spoiler, so read on . . . Charlotte Picot is a simple, but not naive, young wife and mother. Her children and husband have died of pestilence and plague, for reasons that Charlotte can't fathom. In desperation, she leaves her damned village with her last remaining son, Nicolas. On their first days on the road, they become separated and thus begins 400 pages of Womersley's characters' attempts to influence the world they inhabit, and on the occasions when such influence seems to work, scarcely believing in their own powers. Highly recommended.

[Boy Blue · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise had promise but it failed to deliver.

The key issue with the book centres around the main character and the concept of magic-realism. Magic-realism normally dictates that elements of magic are woven into the story such that the characters don't question them and they seamlessly merge with the real. The problem with Womersley's book is that he has set it up so that all the magic could more easily be explained as coincidence or in some cases extreme coincidence, thus putting it more in the realism category, with one notable exception, the ending.

When Madame Picot casts spells or charms, or when Lesage predicts things with his tarot deck, the outcomes could just have easily happened by chance. Early on you meet the Forest Queen who seems truly wise and powerful, yet she is in the story so briefly that you never see her true powers before she passes them on to the unsure and bumbling Madame Picot. Lesage who is also supposed to be an extraordinary fortune teller and dark magician is a mumbling, bumbling fool. In many ways you wish Womersley had put more magic into the tale.

The thing that ruins the whole book is the ending. Essentially, after a novel worth of magic that could be explained by chance, the main character just flies away with her child in tow. It seems like an enormous cop out after all the work that has been done to make the story believable. What makes this even more annoying is that by the end of the story the main character has become so boring and mute that you don't even care if she survives or not.

The story felt a bit under cooked, inconsequential and slow. Womersley chose to go with the dark gritty realism but didn't go all the way. The characters weren't sinister enough. The tarot cards that break up the book into its sections feel more like gimmicks than aids to understanding and meaning. Contrast the use of the tarot with Elizabeth Catton's use of astrology in The Luminaries and it comes off looking like a poor amateur attempt at adding meaning. The tarot alone has so much material and potential but it was completely underused. It's also frustrating that there's a section of dark magic in Madame Picot's grimoire that she makes a huge fuss about not using but the story doesn't mention she goes to that section for the sacrifice of the child to bring her son back, in fact she barely uses the book at all. Considering that the author says a history of grimoires was what made him write the story I'm surprised there wasn't more about them in the story. Ultimately, Madame Picot's turn to darkness was poorly written, partly because of her naivety and partly because it felt inconsequential and rushed. You just don't like her or care about her by the end of the story. All of these problems result in a frustrating read where you can easily see where the story could have been improved with a bit of explication, better characterisation or a good editor.

[Tasula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, cleverly plotted, but the ending disappointed and confused me. Middle ages France, a peasant woman whose husband just died, leaves her village with her 8 yr old son, but he is kidnapped and she is shot and left for dead. The rest of the book describes how she survives and travels to Paris (the city of crows) with the help of an ex-convict/fortuneteller named LeSage searching for her son. The descriptions of life and often death and the harshness dealt to the impious and alleged sorcerers/witches are the most interesting parts of the book. Some of the characters are based on real life people of the time, with a bit of info at the back of the book about what happened to some of them.