Review: The Betrayal of Maggie Blair

by Elizabeth Laird
publisher: Houghton Mifflin BFC
date published: April 18, 2011
format: hardcover
pages: 435
source: library
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

In seventeenth-century Scotland, saying the wrong thing can lead to banishment—or worse. Accused of being a witch, sixteen-year-old Maggie Blair is sentenced to be hanged. She escapes, but instead of finding shelter with her principled, patriotic uncle, she brings disaster to his door.

Betrayed by one of her own accusers, Maggie must try to save her uncle and his family from the king’s men, even if she has to risk her own life in the process.

Originally published in the UK, this book has a powerful blend of heart-stopping action and thought-provoking themes.

What I Thought

I had been dying to read this book since March. I finally got my chance when my local library got a copy at long last. The Betrayal of Maggie Blair may be about the fallout of a witch trial, but don't let the genre listings on Goodreads deceive you. This is a very well-written historical fiction novel, not a paranormal one. It rekindled my appreciation for straight historical fiction and, in the process, taught me about a period of Scottish history I had never heard of in full detail before.

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair takes place during a year from an eight-year period of Scottish history known as The Killing Time, during which Presbyterianism (a form of Puritanism) was under attack by the British monarchy, resulting in the deaths of many Scottish Presbyterians. In addition to that, witch hysteria was not unheard of, resulting in the prosecution and deaths of several men and women. Maggie must contend with both of these dangers. Her journey throughout southern Scotland is both riveting and courageous as she tries to stay one step ahead of those who would do her harm.

There is a lot of talk about religion, including copious excerpts from the Bible. This definitely went a long way to set the scene for the religious fervor that was held by the Covenanters, as well as the dire straights they found themselves in at the hands of the "Black Cuffs" (i.e. "Red Coats" aka British troops). As Maggie jumps out of the frying pan that is her conviction under false witness as a witch and into the fire that is her uncle's harrowing Covenanter world, Maggie finds that she has a strength far beyond what she thought she possessed. She transforms from meek, anxious Maggie into strong, self-assured Maggie. This beautifully illustrated the transformative powers of adversity and self-reliance.

The characters in this book were extremely well done. From Maggie's grandmother to the vagabond piper, Tam, each character has a distinctive personality that jumps right off the page and sucks you into the story. It was very easy to imagine each character as I read more about them. The bad guys in this novel are provoking and truly horrible people, which added to the urgency of Maggie's escape. The only character flaw that made reading a bit difficult was the repetition of particular thoughts on Maggie's part. After the fifth time of reading the same inner monologue, I was hoping for something more. However, that is only a small part of the story. The rest more than made up for it.

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair was well worth the wait. I am very happy to have read this one and would buy this for my collection. I will definitely be encouraging my daughter to read it when she is older. It was informative, imaginative, and thought-provoking. It was an excellent foray back into historical fiction. I give this book 4 hoots!