BOOK REVIEW ON

Reviewed by: Jharen I. Rebucias

BAL-LCS 3
 I. BOOK TITLE

 THE WITCH OF EXMOOR

- The novel was starred by Frieda Haxby, famous for her classic writings
such as The Matriarchy of War, The Scarecrow and the Plough, The Iron
Coast and in her latest as well as heated work Queen Christina. Frieda was
roughly describe for her eccentricities, however for Daniel Palmer and his
sisters Grace and Rosemary and their respective families, she is a monster
mother, caring only for her work, her lover, herself.

II. AUTHOR

 MARGARET DRABBLE

Image taken from google

- Margaret Drabble or in her full name Dame Margaret Drabble was on born
June 5, 1939, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. She’s an English writer of
novels that are skillfully modulated variations on the theme of a girl’s
development toward maturity through her experiences of love, marriage,
and motherhood. Drabble began writing after leaving the University of
Cambridge. The central characters of her novels, although widely different
in character and circumstance, are shown in situations of tension and
stress that are the necessary conditions for their moral growth. Drabble
was concerned with the individual’s attempt to define the self, but she was
also interested in social change. She wrote in the tradition of such authors
as George Eliot, Henry James, and Arnold Bennett.
 Drabble’s early novels included A Summer Bird-Cage (1962), about a
woman unsure of her life’s direction after dropping out of graduate school,
and The Millstone (1965), the story of a woman who eventually sees her
illegitimate child as both a burden and a blessing. Drabble won the E.M.
Forster Award for The Needle’s Eye (1972), which explores questions of
religion and morality. Her trilogy comprising The Radiant Way (1987), A
Natural Curiosity (1989), and The Gates of Ivory (1991) follows the lives of
three women who met at Cambridge during the 1950s. In The Peppered
Moth (2000) Drabble detailed four generations of mothers and daughters in
a Yorkshire family. The Sea Lady (2007) traces the relationship of a man
and a woman who met as children before either became famous—he as a
marine biologist and she as a feminist—and ends with their reunion. The
Pure Gold Baby (2013) centres on a young single woman in the 1960s who
must give up her aspiration to be an anthropologist in order to raise her
developmentally disabled daughter. Aging and mortality are the themes of
The Dark Flood Rises (2016), which focuses on a 70-something woman and
her friends.

In addition to her novels, Drabble wrote several books on the general

subject of literature, as well as journal articles and screenplays. The
relatively few short stories she wrote in the 20 th century were collected in A
Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman (2011). She also edited the Oxford
Companion to English Literature (1985, 2000).
Reference: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Margaret-Drabble
 III. CHARACTERS

CHARACTERS NAME
Frieda Haxby Palmer The main character of the novel. She was a brilliant
eccentric who climbed out of the social swamp up the
ladder of literature through her study of Queen Christina,
produced three upwardly mobile children, and retired to
the mouldering mansion of Ashcombe on the coast of
Hampshire, where she reigns as a recluse over a gothic
welter of skulls and spiders.
Daniel Palmer The eldest of Frieda, a light haired, skinny, freckled chap
and he’s a lawyer.
Grace Palmer D'Anger Middlechild of Frieda, she’s known as Gogo in the story
whom taller than Rosemary and little heavier weight. Her
profession was not clearly stated by the author as she
states “One would not like to speculate upon Gogo’s
profession, for fear of reprimand or ridiculed if proved
wrong” (p.3)
Rosemary Palmer Herz Rosemary is the youngest of the Palmer family and was
describe as the beauty of the family as well.
Patsy Palmer Patsy is the wife of Daniel, describe as plumper than
Daniel. A headmistress and gynecologist.
David D’Anger The political media figure, sociologist of Guyanese
aristocracy, the husband of Grace.
Nathan Herz A Jewish advertising executive and the husband of
Rosemary.
Simon Palmer Eldest of Daniel and Patsy, studying at Oxford University.
Emily Palmer Youngest and only daughter of Daniel and Patsy who later
on went to Italy to study.
Benjamin D’Anger Only child of David and Gogo, he’s the favorite grandchild
of Frieda.
Jonathan Herz The two children of Rosemary and Nathan.
Jessica Herz
Gladys Haxby Mother of Frieda who plays a major role why she has
“gone mad” as describe by Frieda’s children.
Ernie Haxby Husband of Gladys and father of Frienda and Hilda
Everhilda Haxby Sister of Frieda whom she also hated because of their
dark past
Andrew Palmer Said to be the husband of Frieda.
Cedric Summerson Suitor of Frieda, was invited when Frieda called for their
“Last supper” in the Timon’s Feast
Judge Bill Partington A family friend of the Palmer, they usually had Aga
Celia Partington breakfast on Sundays.
Will Paine Patsy met Will in Winchester Gaol where Will was serving
a sentence for peddling grass to the middle classes of
Stroke Newington. Patsy helped him and took him in, he
lived at the attic.
 Cate Crowe Manager of Frieda Haxby in her writing career.
Terry Zealley The courier who was task to deliver in Ashcombe a
package to Frieda personally and played a large role by
finding out the disappearance of the old lady.
PC Wainwright Officers who were in charge of investigating and looking
Sergeant Wiggins of Frieda Haxby.
Mr. Roland Roty Detective inspector in charge of the sudden
disappearance of Frieda.
Jane Todd Jane Todd introduced to be the newly found friend of
Frieda in Ashcombe.

IV. SETTINGS
 Place:
- State of England
- Ashcombe on the coast of Hampshire
- Guyana
- Taunton
- Ilfrecombe
- Italy
 Timeline:
- Eighteenth century
- Nineteenth century
- Twentieth century
 V. PLOT
 INTRODUCTION
- The novel introduces in a lovely weekend of talk, tennis, fine dining, and
leisure, three well-off, middle-class, middle-aged English couples meet in
the countryside of Hampshire. David starts a game he calls the Veil of
Ignorance in which players must decide if they would be willing to accept
the tenets of a just society if they were to learn about them without
knowing what position they would hold in it. Even though no one really
wants to discuss it, there is only one issue that keeps the Palmer family up
at night: what should they do about their strong, eccentric mother, a
renowned writer and thinker, who has abandoned her previous life and
moved mysteriously to live in a dilapidated former hotel by the sea in
Exmoor, in the West Country? She did this for what reason? Is she insane?
What does she plan to do? In her will, how would she distribute her
assets? The three children of Frieda Haxby Palmer, Daniel, Grace, and
Rosemary, who have never been particularly religious, must think about
these issues.
 RISING ACTION
- The children of Frieda are worried about what their insane mother could do
with their inheritance—which they do not actually need—but they are
somewhat guarded in what they say to one another about it. Although her
family would excuse them for believing she is angry, Frieda is actually not
at all angry. She has been acting strangely, after all: She has started
smoking, developed a sudden love for Wagnerian opera, and left her car in
the middle of a London traffic congestion and attempted to give it away.
She also wrote an incomprehensible, exhaustively researched historical
book that dramatically diverges from her earlier social history writings,
which has virtually ruined her reputation. The family believes Frieda to be,
to use a common term, “off her rocker” when Patsy hears her on the radio
babbling mystical nonsense about her connections to Sweden’s Queen
Christina of the seventeenth century, the topic of the book.
 CLIMAX
- Frieda mysteriously disappearing causes the Palmer kids more fear. Her
body turns up on the coast a few weeks later (it appears that she fell from a
cliff). They learn that she left everything to her favorite grandchild, the
precocious, too-good-to-be-true Benjamin, in her will. As a result of his
good fortune, Benjamin becomes ill and gets sicker over time. Although his
condition is psychological rather than physical, his parents, David and
Grace, seem curiously powerless to make things better. Meanwhile, Nathan
worries about losing his job, Rosemary has found she is ill and may need
to rely on the untrustworthy National Health Service, and Simon, the Oxford
student son of Daniel and Patsy, progressively descends into drug misuse
despite no one seeming to notice at the time. For the smug Palmers, things
are not going well.
 FALLING ACTION
- Through Lily McNab’s care, a child psychiatrist, Benjamin is eventually put
on the path to recovery. Emily is sent to Frieda’s home to organize the
deceased woman’s paperwork. On a beautiful winter day, she sets out,
exuding youthful confidence and enthusiasm. The implication of
regeneration is clear, and it doesn’t seem ironic that the narrator refers to
her as a “smart young virgin.”

 DENOUEMENT
- The story ends in a rather forlorn temperament for the Palmer, as the
author describes “The Palmers, Herzes, and D’Angers are in mourning.
They had appeared to be thriving. Hard to say who suffers the most (261).
She then lists each of their sufferings. We’re getting close to the
conclusion, and this is closure with a capital C. We can soon make the kill.
For the overkill, yes. Benjamin attempted suicide before being slain by
Frieda, us, and Frieda. There will only be one or two more fatalities. Some
will make it” (250-51).

VI. THEME
 The Witch of Exmoor mainly centers on the intricacies of family warfare. It
especially starts from the protagonists family upbringing and affects from
generation to generation. Hence, sorrow and anger is evident in the novel as the
pent-up emotion of the main character. The novel as well as a touch-up of comedy
because of how Drabble wittily narrates and describes her characters and some
scenes .

VII. COMMENTS
 Val Hanessy commented that Margaret Drabble novel, The Witch of Exmoor is
witty, intelligent and pulsing with astute sociological observations. Indeed, I
couldn't agree more because it was evidently shown in the novel the
perspicaciousness of Drabble on societal issues. It was introduced by the
character named David D’Anger of the name called The Viel of Ignorance. The
participants have to decide whether if they were to discover the principles of just
society were to be found, they would be willing to accept if they did not already
know what place they would occupy in the society. Participants are asked to
decide if they are willing to press the button and make it happen. And it makes
me think also, if would I be willing to and honestly, I doubt it. Furthermore, The
author was not only particular with social justice she also has a vast knowledge
because I have observed that she adopts the role of intrusive narrator of the story.
It makes nothing I don't understand or give her the chance to explore while
delivering the story I need somehow inspires me to read more. Because it feels
like when you’re reading her novel, she humourously comminicates and elaborate
 it by other literary pieces or some reality facts. I even doubt the novel as fiction,
honestly. Nonetheless, it’s entertaining and informational.

VIII. APPLICATION OF LITERARY THEORIES

 The Witch of Exmoor increasingly focused on the old lady’s bizarre behavior,
Frieda Haxby. Her three (3) children sees her not as a mother but sadly, a monster.
I believe not a monster per sé but it’s just that, they haven’t see or feel the
affection of a mother. Frieda’s bizarre behavior made Gogo (middle daughter)
speculate that it started when their grandmother (Gladys Haxby) died that Frieda
gained freedom.

“ It was the headliness of freedom in her 60s the late liberation from the guilt of
armchair bound old blood sucker that had sent her spinning off into space and
17th century Sweden. It must have been Gladys’s that Frida had started her last
disastrous literary enterprise.” (p. 29)

In this perspective, we can introspect this using the Psychoanalytic theory

narrowly the Psychosexual Theory of Sigmund Freud which he believed that
events in our childhood have a great influence on our adult lives. We can infer that
Frieda as a child was not satisfied or didn’t experience good upbringing, which
makes her fixated. This was evident in;

“ In Gladys’s presence, Frieda was a oddly subdued revering to a morbid

attentive unwilling servitude said suggested what she had been like as a salty
determined ambitious child.”
“Frieda, herself no mean talker, fell silent in her mother's presence as Gladys
talk and talk and talk of nothing of herself of nothing. An unchanging
subjugation.” (p. 29)
In these context, it showcases how Frieda was raised and was able to inherit
that kind of upbringing making her hated by her children. However, despite how lacking
and insane mother she was. We cannot deny the fact that she was strong. For a mother
of three children, raising them all alone, I guess she also deserves a fair share of praise.
Given that the timeframe in the novel, seventh to twentieth century, woman oppression
are rampant and evident. Frieda might be raised unaffectionately by Gladys, we could
say Gladys raised a strong and independent woman.
“ She told them they must be warriors maidens, for this world is but a
battleground” (p. 113)
Frieda was able to eventually feed, cloth and even gave her children the privilege of
education. Through her insanity to pursue, she was able to raised their social status into
the middle class.

IX. NUMBER OF STARS

 I’ll rate the novel three (3) over five (5) for I enjoyed it yet it was somehow boring.
There’s a small portion of conversation between characters and more on
narration. It narrates from scene to scene, and undeniably the author has vast
knowledge yet it makes the reader to have information overload while reading and
sometimes it’s hard to keep up.