The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

by Katherine Howe
4 Stars
Historical Fiction, Witches
Setting: Massachusetts
371 pages
Published 2009

Ellie's Review
This is a captivating modern-day novel that flashes back to the Salem witch trials. Were those charged really innocent? If you enjoy historical fiction surrounding the Salem witch trials, I think you would like this book as it has a bit of a different twist on what happened.

Book Summary
Interweaving two narratives, one set in 1991 and one set three centuries earlier, Katherine Howe's debut novel is a marvel of invention and historical reconstruction. The author employs her training as a historian to vividly depict the realities of 17th-century Salem, dramatizing the plight of the unfortunate victims as they fall prey to the mania of their accusers. But it is the leap of imagination by which she connects Connie to to that distant past that turns The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane into a bewitching reading experience.

The Heretic's Daughter

by Kathleen Kent
4 stars
Historical Fiction, Witches
Setting: Salem, Massachusetts
332 pages
Published 2008

Ellie's Review
The Heretic's Daughter is a great historical fiction book about the Salem Witch trials. It grabbed me from the beginning, especially since the author is a descendant of the characters. However, the ending was sad. Of course, I knew it would be, but I kind of like happy endings.

Book Summary
Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.

Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendent of Martha Carrier. She paints a haunting portrait, not just of Puritan New England, but also of one family's deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution.