{"id":2552,"date":"2014-03-19T04:56:25","date_gmt":"2014-03-19T04:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lesbianfunworld.com\/books\/?p=2552"},"modified":"2014-03-19T04:56:25","modified_gmt":"2014-03-19T04:56:25","slug":"hearts-minds-by-jay-taverner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesbianfunworld.com\/books\/hearts-minds-by-jay-taverner\/","title":{"rendered":"Hearts & Minds by Jay Taverner"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hearts & Minds<\/em><\/h2>\n

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Jay Taverner<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Jay Taverner is the pen name of lesbian partnership Jacky Bratton and Jane Traies. Their historical novel, Hearts and Minds<\/I>, is set in rural England in the 1730s and is a wonderful evocation of life in those transitional times. It’s the sequel to their previous novel, Rebellion<\/I>, and revisits the heroines of that book, 20 years on. Hope and Bell now live together peacefully in a Shropshire village, but when Bell rediscovers her long-lost brother in Ludlow, she agrees to attend his wedding. Separated for the winter, both women are bereft. However, Hope’s attention is soon taken up by a beautiful young black woman, Lucy, whom she finds giving birth in her goat shed, and by charges of witchcraft laid against her friend and neighbour, the reclusive shepherdess Bron. Meanwhile, near Bristol, Bell is introduced to the modern iron foundry her brother works for, and to Quaker values of equality. The juxtaposition of a rapidly modernising world with ancient superstitions about witchcraft vividly brings to life the complexities of that time. The gulf between rich and poor is depicted very skilfully, building up to the Shrewsbury Assizes where the aristocratic judge hands out summary justice to the poor, while Hope, Bell and Lucy try to save Bron from hanging. The different plot elements intertwine nicely, and the relationships between the women are warm and deep. This is an excellent piece of historical fiction. —Elizabeth Sourbut<\/I><\/div>\n
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