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Connie Goodwin’s summer is shaping up to be one of dust and moving boxes instead of books and study partners. A Harvard student, Connie was looking forward to working on her doctoral dissertation but instead, she’s been roped into cleaning and packing for the sale of her grandmother’s deserted home near Salem, Massachusetts. When she discovers a 17th century Bible with a key hidden inside, Connie finds herself on a path to solve a family mystery distracting her from her studies. The more she learns about her past ancestry connected to Salem and the infamous witch trials, the more dangerous her life becomes. Seamlessly taking the reader on a vivid journey to the past and present, Katherine Howe has a gift of storytelling. So much so, that I found myself enjoying the well written and accurate sections from the 17th century more than the contemporary parts. But unlike other historical books that follow the same pattern, the present time isn’t a jarring thing to experience after living long-ago and it flows nicely back and forth. While very bookish and collegiate, I still found Connie Goodwin easy to relate to and enjoyable. However, Deliverance and her daughter were even more captivating, showing us so much more about the Salem witch trials than before. An interesting subject anyway, the author found a way to put us directly in the shoes of an accused witch on trial, making the journey a page turner. What’s more, the mystery that Connie follows as she tries to discover what happened to Deliverance Dane and her Physick book is full of twists and turns, thrills and even a few chills. I was surprised by what I read. Not only by shocking turns of events, but because it wasn’t what I had been expecting. It was like taking a walk in a familiar neighborhood and suddenly finding an ice cream store on the corner. This is certainly one of my favorite reads of 2009.
Reviewed by Terri |
THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE
Posted October 2009 |
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