A novel by Bonnie McGowan
The Seven Sorrows
of Annora Palfrey
How much of a life survives without a name?
A PhD student begins researching a medieval bride erased from history, unaware of how closely their stories are entwined.
Get book updatesCurrently unpublished. Follow the journey here.
Inside the story
A medieval marriage.
A historian’s enquiry.
In 1467, a young noblewoman is married off to settle her father’s debts. Alone in a strange household, she develops a friendship with a stablehand who she teaches to read. However, as their friendship develops into love, his newfound literacy and their relationship put both their lives at risk if discovered.
In 1994, Annora Palfrey arrives in York to study women’s writing in medieval prayer books. As Annora uncovers the history of an unnamed bride, she begins to have strange visions that feel like memories of another life. Kester Shaw, the archivist she finds herself drawn to, seems to know far more about her and the unnamed bride than the records provide.
A historical novel with speculative elements.
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The author
Hello, I’m Bonnie.
I’m a writer based in Devon, drawn to the lives of women whose stories have slipped out of the historical record.
The Seven Sorrows of Annora Palfrey is my debut novel, about how women shaped their own lives through choices that the surviving records do not always reveal. I’m looking forward to sharing its journey with you.