This was an interesting read overall. It could have gone into more detail in places, maybe, as some chapters were more sparse than others. This may be to do with the lack of research and evidence on some topics.
I liked the stories as a way of giving life to anecdotes of cunning folk and the role they played in people's lives, providing hope and solace.

Not what I was expecting but informative and interesting. It was an interesting way to relay the historical accounts through stories and accounts rather than fact based chapters. It reads more like a fiction novel and was easy to follow. Sometimes books on these subjects can be long winded and hard to concentrate on but this was such a refreshing way to read about folk lore and tales in different way.

An interesting look at how everyday cunning folk used magic in medieval times to find lost items, fortune tell, or find love and solve everday problems etc.

This read like a series of historical antidotal accounts of cunning folk so at first it took me a while to get into but then I became interested as the author continues.

Clearly a lot of research has gone into this book.

An intriguing read.

Informative, nice and easy to read, although perhaps not useful for someone who already has the background knowledge of this subject

A very interesting read! It's very clearly a passion project that has been well-researched and sourced, but it still remains very readable, with a great flow of narrative to pull you through all the anecdotes. I've done a lot of reading in and around this topic, but Cunning Folk felt fresh and enjoyable throughout.

This book delves into the use of magic in England from the fourteenth century onwards, focusing on the 'cunning folk'—individuals who offered services such as locating missing items or people, providing love or fertility charms, curing illnesses, and even facilitating get-rich-quick schemes. Unlike witches, who were often associated with harmful magic, cunning folk were generally viewed as practitioners of beneficial magic, aiming to assist rather than harm. The book examines the historical distinction between these groups and explores the evolving perceptions of magic throughout the centuries.

3.5/5.

Living as we do in the Age of Disenchantment, books like this are an invaluable scry into the ages before, where magic was Very Real and played an important part in people's day to day lives. I think we could all do with a bit of re-enchantment, and so I highly recommend this.

Your silver spoons are missing. Your child is ill. Your husband is abusive. Who do you call? Well in the right up until Jacobean times the answer was probably a cunning person. Magic was the way out of tricky situations. All levels of society did it. Kings, servants, farm labourers. Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic takes us on a tour of these cunning folk. Some good and some bad. We meet the people who consulted them and what became of them. An absolutely fascinating glimpse into the past.

Cunning Folk and myself? A match made in heaven!! If would you read the stars, you would know!! Hahahaha

Now joke aside, there was no way for me not to enjoy this! I have always had a fascination with magic, so to speak! I am coming from the non-believer side, but not in "everything is non-sense" way of looking at things. No matter where you stand, the practices are very fascinating to learn about. From the how and the why, to the actual steps taken, to understanding the mind set needed to make everything work...and I could go on and on and on...

Tabitha Stanmore looks at the practices we have written record of, in and around 1600s; which in turn means, she is dependent on very limited material; yet she does manage to "paint" a brilliant picture of what was available at the time in term of magic ways of solving every day problems and not only! Of course my only regret is that there wasn't more material to explore, more example, and a more in depth analysis, but hey-ho, that's history for you :p

Cunning Folk is a fascinating book. It really brings to life those cunning folks who, in the medieval times, helped with their special powers. Sometimes to find love, often to fight disease, to get rid of an enemy or be protected in battle, and so many other purposes. The book also shows how the attitude of society could change with the times towards cunning folk, from respect to fear to persecution. This is also a fantastic work of research, going back to old manuscripts and material to get a glimpse of who these cunning folks were, how they worked and lived, and what happened to them and their clients.
A great exploration of these times and folks and this need that human beings have for magic. And, is it so different now?

With history its easy to think of inventions, fashions, buildings and of course who runs a country. We can see this leads to a to b and then eventually to what we see around us. Its sometimes harder to get our heads around what was in people’s heads. It can be quite surprising and in some ways challenge what we see now. In Tabitha Stanmore’s intelligent and fascinating Cunning Folk – Life In the Era of Practical Magic we get to see how the concept of magic, the supernatural and how they viewed those who practised it the ones known as the Cunning Folk.

In the medieval period sometimes you had a problem that needed specialist help, but the question is who are you gonna call? When you want to be in a relationship, out of one, rich, powerful, or healthy in this period you would often find in this time someone with a reputation for knowing the secret ways to do this. They’re not witches or warlocks as we tend to think - they’re more local businesses with a reputation that attracted the needy. Some get acclaim for it but others got into trouble. Stanmore walks us through the range of such experts nicknamed the cunning folk that also challenges how people viewed such people far more complicatedly than we expect.

Usually when we think of those offering some form of witchcraft in the past our heads jump to images of stakes, ducking stools and various folk horror stories but Stanmore finds that the medieval period prior to the really tight restrictions (and even then) had a much looser relationship with using such people even when the Church is a major power and a key part of daily life. Ina time of no NHS, huge child mortality, very strict views on the rights women could have and you get a sense that when the pressure is on, we would seek out someone who is known to solve these unusual types of problems.

Looking through court records, commentaries and histories Stanmore paints the picture of the beliefs found in the UK and across Europe al the way to Russia. Yes, you would seek a person to find your lost cutlery as they’re probably the most expensive item in your home. If you can’t find love you may not own property or have any wealth; in you’re an abusive relationship sowing your partner is impotent is more likely to help you leave and get a life than simply walking out and in a time of 50% child mortality who wouldn’t do all they can to save a child? Stanmore is less interested in discussing the likely lack of science in these things – a load filled with knives can name the guilty but the more fascinating aspect for me is the way Stanmore explains why people needed this. That they were prepared to pay considerable sums of money for it and what would happen to people if they couldn’t do so.

It not just working-class folk who do this we get tales of Bishops using warriors with enchantments to settle land disputes and various members of the nobility seeking out a way to stay in favour or gain their own power. The consequences of lost were expensive and in some cases likely to end up in prison or dead yet people did this for hundreds of years. The achievement of the book is understanding the mindset of the people offering and taking the services. Reputations were gained and lost with people choosing their practitioner well. In a strange time where Doctors used Unicorn Horn as a standard cure there may have been method in why some wise women were preferred to help those with illness. Each chapter walks through one theme and gives several successful and unsuccessful examples, but the key is this was very normal. People accepted magic, astrology and the idea of the gods and demons who may powered it. Disturbing tales such as a master baker who tried to pull his insides out to tales of children being saved and wives getting free from their horrible husbands. Its tempting to think well clearly these people are primitive but we still seek magic in astrology, tarot, gurus, and a whole sea of wellness tips online covering eternal youth to making yourself rich quick. Have we really evolved or just got better terms to describe people.

As a reviewer of fantasy novels, the idea of the person that a hero sought for magic is often seen as something special even for this time, but this is a reminder that actually many didn’t blink an eye at magic or consulting someone for a spell, charm or remedy. The understanding of the mindset mindset of people of this time as to why this was the case is what comes to life for me and this is a book I can heartily recommend for a different look at how the world used to be and very probably still is. Highly recommended!

Fascinating, brilliant book.
This book is about how ordinary people in the middle ages hired 'cunning folk' to find lost objects, predict the future, kill people and cure them.
It has examples of actual cases whose records have survived, so we can see the different circumstances from a wide social status.
Who knew you can get answers from a loaf of bread?
I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious, or just loves history.

What a treat this was to read! Short stories, meticulously researched (the bibliography is extensive), to illustrate the power of belief through the ages. it is incredible to read how much people would pay 'cunning folk' for information and help - particularly considering the backdrop of witch trials and the danger of making people suspicious about you. Stanmore shows how people at all levels of society would turn to cunning folk for help and pay significant amounts of money in the process for all sorts of reasons: love, legal recourse, fortune and future, to list just a few!

Early on in the book, Stanmore describes the exploits of Mary Woods, a story which was familiar to me because I had read 'A Net for Small Fishes' by Lucy Jago; I loved making this link and hearing about the murder of Overbury from a different perspective. There were many other captivating stories which intrigued me as I read on.

If you are interested in witch craft, magic or myth - do not miss this read!

Tabitha Stanmore's Cunning Folk guides the reader through the place of practical magic in a time when its place in society was wholy different to now. By detailing various interactions with cunning folk, the book feels like a jewel box of historical encounters with magic. Perfect if you enjoyed The Ruin of All Witches. Look out for the chapter on love magic, it was absolutely fascinating and I would love a book all about that!

Insightful exploration of the occult with a collection of real life events woven throughout. This was an interesting introduction to a topic I am familiar with in fantasy/fictional settings and broadened my understanding of the changing social landscape for cunning folk. The story could feel a little disjointed at times, but I understand it is a tricky subject area that requires a lot of call back to previous chapters. Overall, I really enjoyed seeing the very human behaviours that have carried through to modern day and would recommend to anyone with an interest in the supernatural.

Cunning Folk is an exploration of practical magic users in history, mainly gathered from court records. The author's PhD was focussed on the use of practical magic in medieval and early modern England, so this is clearly an area of expertise for her.

The book felt to me like a series of anecdotes, grouped into themes, rather than having a strong narrative. From a narrative viewpoint, some of the stories were also a little unsatisfactory because the historical record contained part of the story, but the conclusion was missing. Obviously this gap in the historical record isn't the author's fault and she did attempt to fill in some blanks with educated guesses, but it was a bit like overhearing some juicy gossip but not hearing the ending.

A recommended read for people interested in the history of magic.

This was a fascinating read, and I loved learning about the history of magic without the spin of dark magic and witches. It is obviously very meticulously researched, and the author makes the topic engaging and relevant throughout.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

In the late medieval and early modern eras a belief in certain parts of magic was part of everyday life. Love potions, finding lost objects, a change of luck? Then people would see their local 'wise woman' or 'wizard'. However sometimes the desire for help veers over into black magic, danger or debt and crosses the line into illegal activities. Here Stanmore recounts how 'practical magic' was part of the everyday for people in all levels of society. The level of research is fabulous and the writing is very engaging.

A look at the use of magic in England from the fourteenth century onwards. So-called 'cunning folk' were used throughout these centuries to provide services such as finding missing items or people, providing love or fertility charms, curing illness, & even the odd get-rich-quick scheme. They were viewed as different to witches (who could also be either male or female), as witches were viewed as practising magic to do harm, whilst cunning folk were mainly thought to be trying to help.

This is an interesting & informative read with a lot of information packed into its pages. Personally, I felt that it became a little dry to read in places - the curse (pun intended) of academic work - but it always keeps the reader engaged enough to continue. The crossover with Catholicism & calling on the saints for aid was particularly interesting to me as was the evolution of the laws & societal viewpoints on magic which gradually shifted into something more malevolent & culminated in the witch trials. One slight let-down (which is not the author's fault) is that the records so often don't tell us what happened afterwards to the people involved in the cases discussed. Overall it was a very enjoyable read.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Random House UK/Vintage/Bodley Head, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Horoscopes, Palm readings at Fairs, Clairvoyance, the Lottery, spinning a wedding ring over a pregnant belly to predict the sex of the unborn babe, we all have superstitious habits, and these are seen as harmless fun and certainly not taken as a matter of life and death.
In this fascinating and very detailed book, Magic was seen as a public service. It was the perception of Good Magic that could ease the mind over matters of love and marriage, the health of the family, and comfort when everything was going wrong, it provided the easy solace that religion sometimes neglected.
White witches were usually wise women, skilled in healing and the use of herbs, they were called upon for childbirth matters and usually held in high regard, until events turned sour.
We also read about the hunt for the Philosophers Stone, the use of Alchemy to find the source of good health and everlasting life. There are also examples of many famous people who consulted such cunning folk, to help foretell the future of their health, marriage prospects, which side to support in the case of war, and the search for precious metals.
I found this a most enjoyable and informative book.I really enjoyed reading about the many famous people through the ages who have consulted such wise people. The question posed was, do we still need Magic in our life? I believe we need something to give us hope that things will get better, it may all be Hocus Pocus, but like our ancestors, it gives comfort to our stressed modern times.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, Random House UK, and Vintage for my advanced copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. A five star rating.
I will leave a copy of this review to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.