Elizabeth R. Andersen

This is a great audible!

Set in medieval times just after “the great pestilence” (the Black Plague) The Alewives follows the lives of Gritta, wife of Georges and mother of a dozen, whose names she can sometimes remember, her older neighbor, the widow Appel. When the young newcomer to the town of Colmar, dim-witted, Efi loses her husband, Gritta and Appel do the neighborly thing and take Efi under their wings. As with all in the devastatingly poor community, the three women are looking show more for ways to fill their coffers with coin and fill their bellies. They begin to brew ale (it is illegal for women to make more than their family can drink and highly illegal for them to sell) and look for a "hood" to help them sell it. Friar Whikeras is up for the challenge. And all seems good until, one by one, the women in Colmar end up murdered. The three women are determined to avenge their friends' deaths and continue brewing and selling their ale.

The Alewives is a very fun, quick book that is steeped in dark humor. Elizabeth Andersen does an excellent job of bringing in modern issues while keeping the story seemingly true to the times (I know nothing about medieval times, but I was totally convinced that Andersen did!).

As for the narration - Ella Lynch should win an Oscar. I kid you not. There were umpteen characters, and she had a believable voice for all of them. She was SO entertaining, and even when I may not have quite understood what was happening (remember, this is set WAY back when with customs and sayings that sometimes were head scratchers), I was still smiling just listening to Lynch speak.

So much fun here. You won't regret this one. show less

I received this book in a member giveaway on LibraryThing and this is my honest review!

I quite enjoyed the story, the setting and the characters. I thought the prose was easy to read while transporting me to the historical time period of the templars. But it was the setting of Acre was truly unique and a place I knew little about, that truly captivated me.

I found the many characters very difficult to get into (I am a busy online teacher and sometimes I just don't have the energy to read a show more book with so many names and perspectives), but I am truly glad I stuck with it because I look forward to the second book. show less