‘Hagtale’ by Sally O’Reilly (Review)

I’m always a little suspicious of books that draw on the work of other writers, so when Scribe Publications sent me a novel with a twist on a Shakespearean story, I was a little hesitant to get started on it (which explains why it’s taken me several months to get around to it…). Still, I did eventually find the time to give it a try, and even if I wasn’t entirely convinced, there was plenty about it to enjoy. Join me, then, as we take a trip back in time to meet a woman who, according to this author, at least, has been rather misunderstood, with her husband the real villain of the piece… ***** English writer Sally O’Reilly’s Hagtale is a novel of two strands, told in alternating chapters. The first of these takes us to Midlothian (in Scotland) in 1354, where Rowan, a monk recovering from a nasty touch of the plague, is enjoying life pottering around in the monastery gardens – until, that is, the head of the monastery calls him in for a quiet word: “Brother Rowan, you are a kindly…