White Witch of Kynance by Mary Calhoun (1970) Hardcover Book [Hardcover] [J

I loved Calhoun's Katie John books as a kid. The White Witch of Kynance steps way beyond Katie to Jennet, a 16th century girl who dreams of being a white witch healer. I just finished reading this books as an adult and wish I'd found it in my library when I was in middle school-high school because I know I'd have adored it, right along with Speare's "Witch of Blackbird Pond" and Sally Watson's "Witch of the Glens." Because the previous reviewers couldn't say very much, anymore, about the plot, I thought I'd include what's on the flyleaf in hopes that anyone reading this will decide to purchase it ASAP: "Oh, to have the powers of magic against all the fears, the terrible dark things that move in the empty countryside and stir a midnight beside one's own hearth. And in one's mind. To be a white witch like An Marget, with the power of healing and the power of good against evil, that was what Jennet wanted most--even more, she thought, than the love of Robin Pender. Apprenticed to the wisewoman of Kynance, Jennet learned the art of herbs and healing. From her she learned that no one is free from longing and doubt and darkness--not even a white witch--and that in faith there is the greatest kind of power. With an authenticity reflecting her travels in and around Cornwall, Mary Calhoun beautifully captures the mood and spirit of life on the Cornish coast and the people who lived there in the sixteenth century. And she subtly evokes parallels between that century and ours today, both confused by misplaced values and a striving for something to believe in." Anyone who has read and loved Monica Furlong's Wise Child and Celia Rees' Witch Child [and British newcomer Zoe Marriot's The Swan Kingdom] should give this a try. It was ahead of its time in the 70s with its depiction of a 16th century character whose abilities go beyond that of healing with plants and herbs while posturing as a person with supernatural powers. Jennet has "gifts" she thinks might be "of the devil," and she's afraid. Her fear leads her to want to apprentice with An Marget, the towns wise woman healer. In the end it's Jennet who helps to heal An Marget, and in the process she loses the fears holding her back from believing in herself.

I read this book almost 30 years ago, and still remember it... I wish I could get hold of it now; definitely worth a reprint. The relationship between the heroine and her elderly friend was so poignant, and as a young teen I strongly related to the difficulty she had in reconciling her admiration for this woman and the doubt and pity she later felt for the real, fragile and imperfect person her friend turned out to be. The romance was sweet as well... very likeable characters.

When I was 14 I read this book, and from what I remember it was wonderful. I have been searching for it since then at libraries, unable to locate it... I have even searched online libraries. It was one of the best books I have read. ~ Ketcha ~