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Anna Ember
Rumors of diabolical doings send a priest to an isolated village high in the Alps. There he finds himself locked in a battle of the wills with a milkmaid accused of witchcraft.
She will not be easy to burn: she thinks he is an idiot and he isn’t so sure she is a witch. They both will confront a terrible question: is what you believe less dangerous than how you believe it?
She will not be easy to burn: she thinks he is an idiot and he isn’t so sure she is a witch. They both will confront a terrible question: is what you believe less dangerous than how you believe it?
279 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2018
183 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 17, 2020
Excellent story.
The story just cannot be explained in simple terms as it raises a lot of questions and none of them are simple.
The story begins with an illiterate milk-maid of a simple village who manages to convince the people of her village, that the priest there is not to be trusted. The village follows the girl and soon they earn the wrath of the Church by their actions.
Then another well read and educated man is sent to the village with the claim that the milk-maid is a witch.
The battle between the milk-maid and this man is the crux of he story.
The way the story has been told and the way the story went was beautiful. Frankly no words to described it. Enjoyed every bit.
The story just cannot be explained in simple terms as it raises a lot of questions and none of them are simple.
The story begins with an illiterate milk-maid of a simple village who manages to convince the people of her village, that the priest there is not to be trusted. The village follows the girl and soon they earn the wrath of the Church by their actions.
Then another well read and educated man is sent to the village with the claim that the milk-maid is a witch.
The battle between the milk-maid and this man is the crux of he story.
The way the story has been told and the way the story went was beautiful. Frankly no words to described it. Enjoyed every bit.
March 12, 2019
Unlike anything else
I received this book free from one of the book sites. I do not remember which one! This is my honest and voluntary review.
The story of a milkmaid & the priest sent to her village. He is looking to find a witch. She is everything to the village. He has to learn more about her. An amazing example of how the world was seen by one woman & her village during the witch burnings. Read carefully or there may be something that you'll miss! This book will take a few days to read. It is not something that you can speed read. Recommended
I received this book free from one of the book sites. I do not remember which one! This is my honest and voluntary review.
The story of a milkmaid & the priest sent to her village. He is looking to find a witch. She is everything to the village. He has to learn more about her. An amazing example of how the world was seen by one woman & her village during the witch burnings. Read carefully or there may be something that you'll miss! This book will take a few days to read. It is not something that you can speed read. Recommended
February 17, 2021
This is the second novel I've read by J.M Hushour. I read 'Weatherhead' a a year or so ago and it was one of the most extraordinary and transformative novels I have encountered. 'Anna Ember' is not as extraordinarily long, nor does it share 'Weatherhead's weird, ever-shifting puns and meanings. But it is still recognisable as being from the same author and is still a challenging and enthralling read.
In brief, a priest visits a village high in the mountains to question a milkmaid who has been accused of witchcraft and basically determine a reason to burn her (guilt being generally pre-assumed in such matters by such investigators).
What he encounters is not at all what he expected: a girl who is at once blameless and guileless, yet infinitely complicated and surrounded by layers of mystery his mind simply cannot penetrate. The investigation is ultimately of himself, as his beliefs and motives are questioned and taken apart and he is faced with facts which do not and cannot fit his theories. We, like he, are often left questioning what is real: what actually happened and what did not? This extends to the ending of the book, as well, which is open to interpretation, though anyone who has read carefully will understand what has transpired.
A rewarding read, but not a relaxing one.
In brief, a priest visits a village high in the mountains to question a milkmaid who has been accused of witchcraft and basically determine a reason to burn her (guilt being generally pre-assumed in such matters by such investigators).
What he encounters is not at all what he expected: a girl who is at once blameless and guileless, yet infinitely complicated and surrounded by layers of mystery his mind simply cannot penetrate. The investigation is ultimately of himself, as his beliefs and motives are questioned and taken apart and he is faced with facts which do not and cannot fit his theories. We, like he, are often left questioning what is real: what actually happened and what did not? This extends to the ending of the book, as well, which is open to interpretation, though anyone who has read carefully will understand what has transpired.
A rewarding read, but not a relaxing one.
December 3, 2019
Started off good and went weird in the middle. It read like a screen play and I would watch it if it was ever filmed. Just too much is left confusing and disjointed.
July 19, 2019
Phrasing, words and concepts were beautiful..a treat to read. Story length was drawn out and some of the concepts were presented over and over so that I skipped paragraphs. Ending was predictable but uniqueness of subject and mastery of descriptive passages made it worth the read.
March 18, 2021
Did not finish..
April 12, 2019
"Anna Ember" by J.M. Hushour is somewhat of a historical romance. But don't expect a sappy costume drama for the ladies. The action takes place in 16th-century Germany, but this too is deceptive, for the narrative is as timeless as the Iliad or King Lear.
___Now that I've dissuaded the feint of heart, let me describe what this grand story is all about. It takes place in a woebegone German village whose customs and lifeways haven't changed in 900 years. The villagers know nothing about religious wars, voyages of discovery or vaulted cathedrals. They've gone without a spiritual shepherd for more than a year.
___The last parish priest had preached hell & damnation and exacted evermore tributes while he tried to bugger altar boys and deflower virgins. Until Anna Jobston, the village milk maid, expelled him from the village.
___Anna is beloved by the villagers. She takes care of their free-ranging cows, collects milk, churns some of it to cheese and gathers firewood. She's young, blameless, hard-working. She embodies the village's pagan customs and social beliefs. Worse for Anna, she has crossed swords with Mother Church.
___The bad-news priest limped off the village hillside with his tail between his legs. He vowed to get even with the insolent brat. He went straight to the archbishop and told him about an evil witch who flew on a broom and turned God's children into devil worshippers. It so happened the archbishop had the right man for the job. He'd adopted an orphan whose troubled mother had bitten off his finger. The archbishop had taken the young man under his wing and schooled him in the inquisitor's craft to become his roving demonologist.
___So the archbishop points his demonologist at the village and tells him to burn the witch and return the villagers to Mother Church's fold. For the demonologist, this assignment has become routine. He has burned several witches, mostly elderly women with no men to their name. But unlike some inquisitors, the demonologist carries out his investigations with integrity. He has never burned a guiltless witch.
___A long tiresome climb gets the demonologist to the village. There he discovers his quarry is a young woman midway in her teens. And now I've set the stage. I won't say more to spoil your anticipation of the plot. But some words need be said to explain why this story is both superior and timeless.
___Although the circumstances may appear extreme, the author invites readers to examine the battle of the genders. The demonologist is educated and assured of his esteemed role in the social hierarchy. Anna can neither read nor write, yet she has learned from the book of Nature. The author shows many instances where the humble book of Nature runs circles around man's vaunted theologies.
___Let's face it. Everyone about to read this story is a product of 5,000 years of male-dominated cultures. For most of human history, women had no rights whatsoever. They were entirely dependent on male lawgivers, male protectors and male providers. Women had no choice but to accept their lot. Even today in these so-called enlightened times, men still want to force their edicts and laws upon the female domain.
___That's what this narrative is all about. The demonologist and the milkmaid struggle to find a stark-new balance for their genders. A balance that abides by the underlying laws of our instinctive roots. Highly recommended. 5.0 stars.
___Now that I've dissuaded the feint of heart, let me describe what this grand story is all about. It takes place in a woebegone German village whose customs and lifeways haven't changed in 900 years. The villagers know nothing about religious wars, voyages of discovery or vaulted cathedrals. They've gone without a spiritual shepherd for more than a year.
___The last parish priest had preached hell & damnation and exacted evermore tributes while he tried to bugger altar boys and deflower virgins. Until Anna Jobston, the village milk maid, expelled him from the village.
___Anna is beloved by the villagers. She takes care of their free-ranging cows, collects milk, churns some of it to cheese and gathers firewood. She's young, blameless, hard-working. She embodies the village's pagan customs and social beliefs. Worse for Anna, she has crossed swords with Mother Church.
___The bad-news priest limped off the village hillside with his tail between his legs. He vowed to get even with the insolent brat. He went straight to the archbishop and told him about an evil witch who flew on a broom and turned God's children into devil worshippers. It so happened the archbishop had the right man for the job. He'd adopted an orphan whose troubled mother had bitten off his finger. The archbishop had taken the young man under his wing and schooled him in the inquisitor's craft to become his roving demonologist.
___So the archbishop points his demonologist at the village and tells him to burn the witch and return the villagers to Mother Church's fold. For the demonologist, this assignment has become routine. He has burned several witches, mostly elderly women with no men to their name. But unlike some inquisitors, the demonologist carries out his investigations with integrity. He has never burned a guiltless witch.
___A long tiresome climb gets the demonologist to the village. There he discovers his quarry is a young woman midway in her teens. And now I've set the stage. I won't say more to spoil your anticipation of the plot. But some words need be said to explain why this story is both superior and timeless.
___Although the circumstances may appear extreme, the author invites readers to examine the battle of the genders. The demonologist is educated and assured of his esteemed role in the social hierarchy. Anna can neither read nor write, yet she has learned from the book of Nature. The author shows many instances where the humble book of Nature runs circles around man's vaunted theologies.
___Let's face it. Everyone about to read this story is a product of 5,000 years of male-dominated cultures. For most of human history, women had no rights whatsoever. They were entirely dependent on male lawgivers, male protectors and male providers. Women had no choice but to accept their lot. Even today in these so-called enlightened times, men still want to force their edicts and laws upon the female domain.
___That's what this narrative is all about. The demonologist and the milkmaid struggle to find a stark-new balance for their genders. A balance that abides by the underlying laws of our instinctive roots. Highly recommended. 5.0 stars.
April 22, 2020
This is definitely one of the most confusing books I've ever read... but also one that will certainly stick with me forever. Not going to tell you what it's about, I'm sure you already know that from reading the summary. It flowed like poetry and fascinated me... I absolutely loved the writing style and loved the beginning and the end however there was a lot of time wasted in between with repetition. I can understand repeating a phrase used in the beginning of the book also at the end for clarification but there were phrases used over and over and over to the point I almost skipped straight to the end and skipped the middle entirely. Other than that it was a very fascinating read.
September 1, 2021
There is something hypnotic about this book.
Yes, every writer’s voice is unique, but some voices, once you move into them, you don’t want to leave. There’s something undefinably appealing in its soft straightforwardness. The author uses the best powers of descriptive narrative to move the story forward. The story itself is lush, surreal in mood and deeply believable.
Note: on several occasions a segment of writing is inserted for a second time in the wrong spot. Do not let the chunky editing errors get in your way- just keep reading.
Yes, every writer’s voice is unique, but some voices, once you move into them, you don’t want to leave. There’s something undefinably appealing in its soft straightforwardness. The author uses the best powers of descriptive narrative to move the story forward. The story itself is lush, surreal in mood and deeply believable.
Note: on several occasions a segment of writing is inserted for a second time in the wrong spot. Do not let the chunky editing errors get in your way- just keep reading.
Read
October 18, 2021Could not continue. I am finally able to stop reading a book if I am not fully engaged by it. There are too many books I want to read to keep reading one I am not enjoying. My only exception to that rule is if it is written by a favorite author.
March 15, 2019
This is the strangest book I ever read. The story of a milkmaid & the priest sent to her village. He is looking to find out if she is a witch.
July 12, 2020
Fssinati6
Great blend of philosophies challenging one's criteria for juggling right and wrong. A very interesting and intriguing contrast. Well written.
Great blend of philosophies challenging one's criteria for juggling right and wrong. A very interesting and intriguing contrast. Well written.
April 18, 2021
I loved it. I hated it. Enough said.
Glad I read it. Sorry I read it. I’d read it again. Most people won’t like it. A few will live it.
Glad I read it. Sorry I read it. I’d read it again. Most people won’t like it. A few will live it.
September 12, 2021
Wow, what a read!
This book was so good I was sorry to have it finished. I loved how the author wove this tale. I recommend it to anyone who doesn't believe in absolutes.
This book was so good I was sorry to have it finished. I loved how the author wove this tale. I recommend it to anyone who doesn't believe in absolutes.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews