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Full
reviews
THE
HERALD
21st
June 2003
Martin Tierney
"It
is late seventeenth-century Scotland. In a heady elixir of war, pestilence and
its unholy handmaiden superstition, the climate for persecution is ripe. Grissel
Jaffray, an historically factual figure executed for witchcraft, comes from a
long line of women with ancient knowledge of herbs and medicine. This fiction
uses the form of a diary to tell her tragic tale. Beautifully written it is an
utterly convincing tale of fear and injustice."
cALEDONIA
June
2003
"Claire-Marie
Watson won the sought-after Dundee Book Prize for The Curewife, and it's
easy to see why. This is a truly original tale of a 17th-century healer."
Highland
News Group
Highland
News, North Star, Lochaber News
30th June 2003
"Hilary
Mantel's reputation as a novelist is used by way of a glowing quote on the front
cover of The Curewife by Dundonian Claire-Marie Watson (Polygon, £8.99).
But the book has its own magic tale. The writer submitted it for the Dundee Book
Prize competition, won it, and then had her book picked up by Polygon.
Telling the story of Grissel Jaffray, who arrives in Dundee from Aberdeen, it is
set in the 1600's and shows what happens in an era when those who practice
witchcraft come up against a land of war, plague and turbulent politics - and a
superstitious people.
Grissel traces her history, back to her great great grandmother Grizelda and her
herb-smart, disabled great granny Mhairi "who lived by Fortrose".
But brought up in Aberdeen by her grandmother Elspeth, Grissel learns the skill
of the curewife. "...I went with her to find the roots and herbs and and we
would dry them. I watched when she tended folk who called for her. And I
listened close when she spoke of what ailed them. This is how the wisdom passed
to me..."
She keeps a diary through the eventful times in Dundee to pass on her knowledge
to following generations. But the goodness is tempered by a dark side, and
Grissel is never afraid to risk all to take a satisfying revenge on her greatest
enemy. But based, as she is on a real-life character, the end of her life is
mapped out for a tragic end from the start.
A
well-written story that races on, the book still shocks as it ends."
The
Scots Magazine
September
2003
Ian Smith
Dundee's
Witch Doctor
A gripping novel set in strife-torn 17th
Century Scotland
"Most
of us will have seen that well-known television programme where chefs conjure up
a mouth-watering dish out of little more than their imagination and a goodly
dollop of professional expertise. So it is with Claire-Marie Watson, winner of
the Dundee Book Prize in 2002.
Her prize-winning novel, The Curewife, is a superb feat of imagination, while
expertise comes in the form of deep research into the minutiae of everyday life
in the poor, strife-torn land that was mid-17th-century Scotland.
Ms.
Watson has had to weave a tale around the meager ingredients which have filtered
down to us - and a wonderful, page-turning job she has made of it.
In this her first novel, she elects to tell Grissel Jaffray's story through her
diary - or "book" as Grissel terms it. Unusually for the time, Grissel
can read and write, thanks to the good sense of her grandmother who did a deal
with a grateful mother of a child she cured of a fever.
And "curing" is the central theme. For Grissel Jaffray is, according
to the author, a curewife, descended from a long line of such gifted women whose
herbs and potions were much more effective than the pathetic efforts of the
so-called doctors.
We even have a fictitious family tree detailing the female line of Grissel's
ancestors, beginning with Mhairi, born in 1297, the year Wallace defeated the
English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
It is in the detail of the day-to-day life in Dundee that Ms Watson really comes
into her own. The poor
food the drunkenness, the filth, the utter hopelessness of poverty. Grissel
writes it all down. She has the time and, as the wife of a maltsman and town
burgess, she, her husband and son are better fed than most others of the period.
Grissel, says the author, was born in Aberdeen in 1615 and came down to Dundee
after marrying James Butchart, a maltsman whom her seafaring father had picked
out for her. By Grissel's account it was a good match and they eventually had a
son, Alexander, their only child, also destined to go to sea.
But Dundee turned into a truly terrible place in 1644 when Montrose launched the
first of his two attacks on the town. Plague struck in 1648 and in 1651 the
English General Monck besieged and took the place, his garrison not leaving
until 1659. Grissel records it all for her readers in her quaint yet flowing
style - the burnings, the murders, rape and pillage.
Naturally Grissel becomes weel kent throughout the town as a curer
of ailments - even an unwanted pregnancy is terminated with a potion of
"aiten berries" - but it is these very skills which will eventually
prove her undoing.
In the superstitious, sermon-dominated climate of the time, it took but a
jealous whisper or two in the ministers ear for an innocent woman to be
arraigned on a charge of witchcraft. Thus it was for Grissel Jaffray.
The reader - unlike poor Grissel - is spared the horrors of faggots and the
flaming tar barrels. But such a grim era will be long remembered."
general
press coverage
Celebration
of Scots creativity
The Courier and Advertiser
Nov
2003
"This
weekend sees the third "winter weekend" of events at Pitlochry
Festival Theatre.
With the first-ever winter season well under way, the events from Friday feature
the best of Scottish creativity in celebration of St Andrew's Day. Friday
evening features Sheena Wellington in Concert and a one-day creative writing
workshop with Dundee Book Prize winner Claire-Marie Watson is offered on
Saturday from 10 to 5. Numbers are limited, so places should be booked, and
participants will be asked to prepare a piece of writing to bring with them. In
a one-off performance on Saturday two of Scotland's best loved actors, Edith
Macarthur and Tom Fleming, present an evening of poetry and prose, Border and
Ballad."
Acclaimed
author visits village
Stirling
Observer 5th Nov 2003
"Cambusbarron
Library hosted a visit by best-selling Scots author Claire-Marie Watson
recently.
Winner of the Dundee Book Prize, Scotland's most prestigious literary award, the
author entertained a capacity attendance with tales of her writing experiences
and revealed that she has a futher two titles in preperation."
Library-books
famous author
Stirling
Shopper Nov 2003
"Cambusbarron
Library hosted a visit by best-selling Scots author Claire-Marie Watson
...."
Author
to give talks
The Courier and Advertiser
July 2003
"Last
years Dundee Book Prize winner has been invited to give a series of readings at
Edinburgh Castle during the upcoming Fringe Festival.
Claire-Marie Watson who won the UK's largest prize for a previously unpublished
novel, will be giving a series of short talks and readings each day from August
8-18 in the Royal Apartments Laich Hall.
Her prize-winning novel, The Curewife, became a Scottish best-seller following
its release 10 weeks ago with its first print run already having sold out.
Set in Dundee in the mid 1600's the novel deals with witchcraft, war, plague and
politics.
Mrs. Watson will also tell visitors about the next book prize, which is to be
judged by poet and novelist John Burnside, radio journalist Edi Stark and crime
writer Ian Rankin.
Mrs. Watson said, "Eminent, prize-winning judges awarded me the Dundee Book
Prize and they changed my life, I would urge other aspiring authors to have a
go..."
Author
visits Overgate
The Courier and Advertiser
30th June 2003
"Winner
of the Dundee Book Prize, Claire-Marie Watson, was in the Overgate Centre on
Saturday signing copies of her book The Curewife.
Claire-Marie won the book prize in 2002. Her book was launched just over a year
later and now she is getting great satisfaction from watching it fly off
the shelves.
She said, "It feels wonderful to sit here and look at it and have people
ask about the book or to dedicate it."
Dundee's
third book prize launched
The
Courier & Advertiser May 2003
"Today's
launch of the third Dundee Book Prize at DCA was not only a celebration of the
cultural and literary life of the city but of Dundee itself.
It also coincided with the publication of last year's winner Claire-Marie
Watson's novel The Curewife..............Managing Director of Birlinn and
Polygon, Hugh Andrew, also spoke about the sense of place that vibrates in
Dundee and said the Dundee Book Prize was Scotland's premier writing prize,
before presenting the first copy of The Curewife to Claire-Marie Watson.
Creative process - She reflected on the creative process and told of how
she had come up with her award-winning work last year saying "Words love to
play hide and seek and mine could do it for days and weeks."
She also wished those who were competing in the next prize the best saying that,
"Unless a game is difficult, it isn't worth playing."
Writing
in Focus
The
Courier & Advertiser May 2003
"The
Dundee Book Prize and Scottish Arts Council are joining forces to celebrate
writing and reading at Dundee Contemporary Arts on May 3.
In the morning, to launch the Dundee Book Prize search for new writing, writers
and readers are invited to hear poet and novelist John Burnside discuss the
craft of writing.
This years winner Claire-Marie Watson will be on hand to offer advice.
Claire-Marie's winning manuscript The Curewife will be published on may 2 by
Polygon.
The Scottish Arts Council will celebrate the long list for this year's book of
the year awards in the afternoon....."
A
word on witchcraft
The
Courier & Advertiser 23 May 2003
"THE
CUREWIFE, Claire-Marie Watson's winning entry in last years prestigious Book
Prize competition is published this week.
Chosen from a shortlist described by author and awards presenter Hilary Mantel
as "fascinating and outstanding", the book fulfilled in every respect
the Book Prize organisers' aims of discovering superb, new unpublished works of
fiction....."
Helen Brown talks
to Dundee Book Prize Winner
The
Courier & Advertiser 3 May 2002
"............At the time of her win, her awestruck
comment was, "This is the best day of my life!" and a few weeks
further on, with an intervening holiday break to help the news sink in properly,
she clearly hasn't changed her mind about the feeling of being a published
author. And it should be said, one chosen from a worldwide entry as the winner
in Scotland's biggest literary prize.......Claire's success may have taken her
by surprise but the three distinguished judges - Don Paterson, Marion Sinclair
and Kasia Boddy - were in no doubt that her novel was something
special........"
DUNDEE BOOK PRIZE WINNER
Dundee Evening Telegraph 10 April 2002
"This year's
Dundee Book Prize was won by a
Dundee-born writer, telling the
story of one of the city's historical figures........"
DUNDEE-BORN WOMAN
WINS CITY BOOK PRIZE
The Courier and Advertiser 11 April
2002
By Joy Watters
"This year's
Dundee Book Prize attracted entries from all over the world but was won
by a Dundee-born writer, telling the story of one of the city's
historical figures ......."
LIBRARY NOTICE LEADS
TO PRESTIGIOUS BOOK AWARD
The
Herald 11 April 2002
By Chris Holme and Angela Henshall
"An unemployed
woman carried off one of Britain's most prestigious literary
awards yesterday with her first attempt at writing a
novel...........Mrs Watson now joins best-sellers A L Kennedy, Rosamunde
Pilcher and Kate Atkinson alongside 20 books about Dundee
published since 1999..."
TALE OF
WITCH-BURNING WINS £6,000 BOOK PRIZE
The Scotsman 11 April
By Frank Urquhart
"A new novel,
telling the story of the last witch to be burnt at the stake in Dundee,
yesterday won Scotland's main book award for an unpublished novel.
Ms Watson, a former personal assistant, beat off competition
from across Britain as well as the rest of the world to win her
prize......"
NOVICE WINS TOP
AWARD
Daily Record 11 April
By Bob
Dow
"A rookie novelist
yesterday won Scotland's richest book award. Claire-Marie Watson
scooped the £6,000 Dundee Book Prize......"
ANCIENT TALE OF
DUNDEE CASTS NEW SPELL ON CITY
Scotland on Sunday 21 April
By Dani Garavelli
"Witchcraft and
torture might not pull the tourists in, but they are likely to enhance
Dundee's role on the literary stage..... Having exposed Dundee's weakness for
burning old ladies, Watson is about to engage in some more PR work
for the City of Discovery, and her next novel is inspired by a murder
from the late Victorian era...... Witchhunts, murders, miscarriages
of justice? At least with Watson as its new ambassador, no-one will
ever accuse Dundee of being
dull."
Television and
Radio
Press coverage
included interviews for television and radio news and feature programmes
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