Book Description
Colmar, 1353 CE
Gritta, Appel, and Efi managed to survive the Black Death, only to find that they are in desperate
need of money. With limited options and lots of obstacles, they band together to become alewives -
brewing and selling ale in the free Alsatian town of Colmar. But when an elderly neighbor is
discovered dead in her house, the alewives cannot convince the sheriff and the town council that her
death wasn’t an accident, it was murder. As the body count piles up, the ale flows and mystery is
afoot!
Set in the tumultuous years after the most devastating pandemic the world has ever
experienced, The Alewives is a playful romp through a dark time, when society was reeling from loss
and a grieving population attempted to return to normal, proving that with the bonds of love,
friendship, and humor, the human spirit will always continue to shine.
* * * * * A short, sharp, snappy, hugely entertaining, medieval mystery that portrays the realities of
life at the time, with just the right amount of humour to make it thoroughly entertaining. A well-
deserved 5/5 from me! - MJ Porter, author of Cragside and The Erdington Mysteries
* * * *.* 'The Alewives' is laid out with great compassion, insight and humour and the reader comes
to care for these people! The strong and growing working relationship and friendship of the three ale
wives in question and
round which the action evolves is moving and profound. we are left hoping that good times - and
further adventures - are just around the corner! - The Historical Fiction Company
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Alewives' by Elizabeth R Anderson and Ella Lynch.
Read and reviewed for Elizabeth R Anderson, Ella Lynch, Haeddre Press and Rachel's Random Resources Tours
Publication date 16th January 2023.
This is the first book I have read by this author. It is also the first book in the 'The Alewives of Colmar' series.
This novel consists of 31 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO ELIZABETH ON A FANTASTIC PAGE TURNING SUCCESS!!
A successful unputdownable cosy mystery by the very talented Elizabeth Anderson. I'm always a bit dubious with books based historically as I worry about not being able to 'deal' with the language used but I absolutely love how Elizabeth has written this book. The language used is perfectly suited to the era whilst being easy to read and making it quite humorous on several occasions. The atmosphere and descriptions were perfect. The synopsis and cover also suit the storyline.
The storyline had me hooked immediately and I love the way that the 'Alewives' go about their detective work. There was so much going on that it kept me entertained thoroughly throughout with mystery after mystery and clue after clue. One of the things I absolutely loved the most about this book is the era it is set in. I have actually never read a fiction book before that has gone that far back into the past and I was absolutely fascinated that this was set in the era or the plague!!! I must admit it sounds very morbid but I was intrigued by Elizabeth's fantastic, evocative and (I must admit) gross and smelly descriptions!!! She has done an absolutely amazing job of researching this era and it shines through her book!!! Congratulations Elizabeth!!! One of my pet hates is when authors do not do enough research into their chosen era or topic and it is then littered with unnecessary mistakes but it really does show that you have done a fantastic amount of research and you really did bring the past back to life with this book!!! It was filled with suspense, mystery, laughter, murder, clues, deceit. tension, suspense, red herrings, history, plagues and so much more!! It is absolutely perfect to read either curled in front of the fire or lying on a beach which not many books can achieve. I devoured it in one sitting as I just could not put it down and gave up on lying to myself saying just one more chapter as that never happened!! I loved that each of the chapters had their own little quirky titles, some of which made me laugh by themselves!! I never did work out who the killer was and was completely shocked when they were discovered. A great achievement as I am a huge crime fan and tend to work out who did what quite early on. The atmosphere was perfectly suited to the mystery and the era . I also love the fact that although this is a cosy mystery it also had me in stitches of laughter on so many occasions which makes it the perfect light hearted read!! Although my partner wasn't too happy when I made him jump half a mile with some of my roars of laughter when I was immersed listening to the book with my earphones in and he was trying to watch a movie lol!! I really did love this immersive, addictive, funny and action packed cosy mystery. A perfect start to what promises to be an epic series!!! I cannot wait to get stuck into the next book!!!
This is one of the few books that I have listened to 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but this time I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Ella Lynch who did an amazing job bringing this story and the characters to life with both male and female characters. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity. I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Elizabeth but also to listening to more books narrated by Ella!
It is always worrying when starting a new series as you have no idea who the characters are. It is very important for me to bond with not only the lead protagonists but also any characters that may make repeat appearances during the series too.
The characters were all larger than life, realistic and a complete breathe of fresh air. There are 3 main characters who make up 'The Alewives'. These consist of Gritta who has 12 children (rather her than me!!!) and a useless husband, Efi who is the youngest (and senseless) and Appel who gets up to some strange activities at night. These three women were definitely not meant to be born in the era they were. I absolutely LOVE THEM!!! They refuse to conform to society, get up to lots of mischief, have a fabulous sense of humour and brew their own ale!!! Honestly, these 3 women are definitely some of the best characters I have ever met!!! They each bring their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses to their little misfit group and I really cannot wait to meet them all again!!! Elizabeth's fantastic evocative writing skills and Ella's brilliant narration completely bring them all to life along with all of the other characters who each played their own parts perfectly whether you loved them or hated them!!! I absolutely loved the friendships between these women , including their fantastic sense of humour!!! I have also got to give a mention to Friar Wikerus who I was also invested in and whose character I also really liked!! I loved the fact that when all the other men were against these women Friar Wikerus believed in them all along. They really are a fantastic bunch of characters and I am looking forward to meeting them all again in the next book in what is guaranteed to be a fantastic series!!!
Congratulations Elizabeth on an absolutely fantastic, humourous, unique historical cosy crime that I just could not stop listening to!!!
Overall a fun and easy to read page turning cozy murder mystery with the perfect amount of crime and humour that will keep you turning the pages.
266 pages /5 hours 48 minutes
This book is just £4.08 to purchase on kindle, £13.12 for the audiobook and £12.31 in paperback via Amazon (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I loved it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Although she spent many years of her life as a journalist, independent fashion designer, and
overworked tech employee, there have always been two consistent loves in Elizabeth R. Andersen’s
life: writing and history. She finally decided to put them both together and discovered her true love.
Elizabeth lives in the Seattle area with her young son and energetic husky. On the weekends she
usually hikes in the stunning Cascade mountains to hide from people and dream up new plotlines
and characters.
- Join Elizabeth's monthly newsletter and receive the first two chapters of The Scribe for free. Sign up
- Find photos of hikes and daily author life at Elizabeth's Instagram: @elizabethrandersen
- Follow Elizabeth on Twitter for nerdy medieval history facts: @E_R_A_writes
- Watch Elizabeth try to explain the weird, wonderful world of Medieval life on her TikTok channel:
Elizabeth is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Alliance of Independent Authors.
Social Media Links
Website: https://www.elizabethrandersen.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ERAndersenBooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/E_R_A_writes
Narrator Bio
My name is Ella Lynch, I am an experienced British audiobook narrator and nature-loving treasure
seeker on an ever-evolving journey of connection and expansion through the art of storytelling.
I am an empathetic, married mum of 1, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and a mental health
advocate. My lived experiences inform my art, helping me deeply connect with the intentions
behind words and relay them intuitively to the listener.
I gained a triple distinction in my (BTEC) National Diploma in Performing Arts from Truro College, and
have been working as a professional audiobook narrator since 2018. In this time I have narrated
over100 audiobooks, voiced numerous healthcare explainer videos for the NHS, provided VO for
children’s animated audiobooks and even dubbed a Russian commercial!
I have a particular passion and flair for Magical Realism, Literary Fiction and LGBTQIA+ Romance and
Comedy, and as a voracious reader myself I absolutely thrive on bringing all words, across multiple
genres, to life for listeners.
When I'm not in my booth you will likely find me walking my dog on the beach, paddleboarding an
estuary, exploring the UK in my self-built campervan, playing boardgames and cooking up delicious
plant-based feasts for my family. A vegan of over 20 years, I love crochet, painting, fires, swimming
and hoola-hooping as well as meditating, practicing Reiki and EFT tapping and deep, heart-felt
connection.
Social Media Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/narrator_ella
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/narrator.ella/
Purchase Links
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Elizabeth_R_Andersen_The_Alewives?id=AQAAAECiznOOwM
Nook/Barns &Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-alewives-elizabeth-r-andersen/1142902562?ean=2940159696694
BingeBooks: https://bingebooks.com/book/the-alewives
