Praise for By Her Hand
‘Marion Taffe easily belongs alongside renowned authors of the genre such as Geraldine Brooks, Maggie O’Farrell, Lauren Groff, and Robyn Cadwaller, making it all the more impressive that By Her Hand is Taffe’s debut.’
‘An impressive debut.’
- The Australian
‘I’m blown away by the extraordinary knowledge, skill and confidence of debut novelist Marion Taffe in this captivating piece of historical fiction. A survivor, a writer, a warrior, an acute observer of the world as it is and a dreamer of what it could be, Freda embodies the complexities of both her own world and the one we live in now. By Her Hand is a lament for a world where men take up so much space and an ode to the women who learn to take up their own – in the world, with their bodies, and for Freda, on the page. Exhilarating.’
– Kate Mildenhall, The Hummingbird Effect, The Mother Fault, Skylarking
‘Marion Taffe’s deft, vivid, intimate storytelling reels us into a past that casts a bright, penetrating light on ancient female friendships and – despite the oppressive and often brutal environment – points with determined confidence and lucid optimism to a different future for women, one where the societies that diminish and suppress are dissolved by the powerful intricacy and intimacy of female connection.’
– Sally Colin-James, One Illumined Thread
‘This is a mighty story, all the more impressive from a debut author. I loved the character of Freda, her softness and her strength. The world that Marion Taffe creates is visceral and compelling.’
- Robyn Mundy, Cold Coast
‘I sank into this novel, knowing myself in sure hands. With a foundation of meticulous research and deep empathy, Taffe invites us into the world of the tenth century, so unlike our own and yet, we discover, also familiar. It is a place of beauty and brutality, poetry and pain, longing and loss. Each page breathes with the soul of the period in gorgeous prose that flows and thrums with the rhythms of the landscape.’
– Robyn Cadwallader, The Fire and the Rose, Book of Colours, The Anchoress
‘By Her Hand is a remarkable feat of storytelling – moving and beguiling, it is a timeless reminder of the courage of women, and a loving tribute to sisterhood. A sensory feast. A stunning reminder of women’s long history of courage. I wept as I read, in recognition of bravery, grief and longing.’
– Michelle Tom, Ten Thousand Aftershocks
