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The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 27,569 ratings · 4,289 reviews

"A fresh present-day story infused with an original take on popular history. Forget broomsticks and pointy hats; here are witches that could well be walking among us today. This debut novel flows with poetic charm and eloquence that achieves high literary merit while concocting a gripping supernatural puzzler. Katherine Howe's talent is spellbinding."
--Matthew Pearl, autho...more

Hardcover, 376 pages

Published May 22nd 2009 by Hyperion Books

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Aug 04, 2009 Jeanette rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who like irrelevant details

Shelves: started-it-hated-it

If you're eagerly looking forward to reading this book, avoid my scathing review.

Sorry folks, if this review seems unkind, but I've got major hater tots for this book. I'm not averse to great detail if it's germane to the story or at least interesting, amusing, or informative. But must Ms. Howe describe for us each and every slant of light that passes through every window, and the piece of furniture or floor on which that slant of light falls? And the facial expression of every character in the...more

58 likes · like · see review

Apr 25, 2011 Mary rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'VE GOT A PROBLEM WITH THIS BOOK ALREADY!!!

Only a few chapters into the book I am shocked at the following glaring error (and I hope there aren't any more of this magnitude before I'm done):

On page 35 when Liz asks Connie, "Did you ever meet her (Granna)?", Connie answers that her mother told her that she met her grandmother when she came to visit them in Concord. When Liz asks, "Do you remember any of this?", Connie says, "Not really. I think maybe I remember her dying.....I must have been abo...more I'VE GOT A PROBLEM WITH THIS BOOK ALREADY!!!

Only a few chapters into the book I am shocked at the following glaring error (and I hope there aren't any more of this magnitude before I'm done):

On page 35 when Liz asks Connie, "Did you ever meet her (Granna)?", Connie answers that her mother told her that she met her grandmother when she came to visit them in Concord. When Liz asks, "Do you remember any of this?", Connie says, "Not really. I think maybe I remember her dying.....I must have been about three or four."

Then on page 44 it describes the "only Christmas with Granna that Connie could remember" when her grandmother brought hand knit sweaters that didn't fit right and Connie "chuckled with affection at the memory". Besides the fact that Connie already said she didn't remember her Granna, I also don't think a 3 or 4 year old child would comprehend the situation enough to "chuckle at the memory" 20 years later.

Seriously, this is a real problem for me. Even if the author was this careless in the continuity of the story, its hard to believe that it was never caught in editing.

UPDATE (more than half way through the book)
Connie is flat out dumb! She supposedly has a masters degree in Colonial History yet she didn't know that "receipt" means "recipe" in that time period. She acts as though she never heard names like Patience and Prudence, which were common in the time period that she has supposedly studied for years. The moment when she figures out that Mercy and Marcy are the same name (just add the Brahmin accent and spell it like it sounds) is nothing short of DUHHHHH. She reads Prudence's journal which talks about going to deliver the neighbors' babies. A few hours later she has a eureka moment when she realizes that, hey, Prudence was a midwife! Puzzling over directions to put something in a "witch bottel", Connie scratches her head in bewilderment until she figures out that "bottel" must be the phonetic spelling of "bottle" therefore it must be "witch bottle". (Good thing the author spelled it out for those of us who might not have made that connection.) These are just a few examples of what a dim bulb Connie is although she is supposedly a PhD candidate. It is difficult to warm up to a main character who is such a poseur - in this case as an intellectual.

UPDATE: (finished)
I wanted to like it, if only because of the subject matter and the great cover art. This is a book I might have read when I was 14 and loved it. But I take a huge exception with the review excerpt that compares this book to The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. This book is written on a 7th grade reading level compared to Kostova's rich, layered, deeply woven tapestry of vampire lore. It is like comparing a Harlequin Romance to Gone With the Wind because they both take place in the South.

The best parts of the book were the finely detailed scenes of daily life in the flashback chapters. The author has done a great job illustrating the speech patterns, behaviors, beliefs and habits of 18th century New Englanders. The book would have been so much better if she had focused more on that part of the story where she really shines. The modern day story was so trite and repetitious (how many times does Connie say, "Mom...." in an exasperated tone of voice?) that it diluted the impact of the riveting historical narrative.

The over the top ending did nothing to redeem the story. It had a cartoonish quality that, again, would have been much more suitable in a book for young readers than a novel that aspires to be taken the least bit seriously.
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69 likes · like · see review

Apr 17, 2009 Cheryl/Aradanryl rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-read-arc-giveaway

There was so much that led me to believe I would thoroughly love this book. The topic is of interest to me on lots of levels (I too am related to many of the individuals on both sides of the Salem trials), I've visited the area before, the author has great credentials and has been educated at outstanding schools, the cover is beautiful, the publisher is pouring out a great deal of money into hype, and I enjoy historical fiction as well as looking at something from a different angle. I so looked...more

24 likes · like · see review

Dec 21, 2010 Ticklish Owl rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: n-america, historical-fiction, magic, ebook, books-about-books

This book felt like it was intended for middle-schoolers; pedestrian writing, uninteresting characters, and a connect the dots plot. The historical sections sounded like they came straight from Wikipedia.

Connie is contradictory and rather dim. One minute she barely remembers her grandmother, the next she vividly recalls a holiday with her. I could have overlooked that, if the story had been more convincing.

I am beyond baffled by Connie's inexperience with the library at the college she attends....more

6 likes · like · see review

Sep 17, 2011 Hannah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, historicals

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Rating Clarification: 2.5 Stars

Author Katherine Howe's take on the Salem Witch trials of the 1690's features a little twist: her story imagines that one of the accused really had supernatural talents....

The story begins in 1681 when young healer Deliverance Dane visits the home of Peter Petford and attempts to help his ailing 5 year old daughter Martha.

Fast forward to 1991: Harvard University, where our main character Connie Goodwin is getting ready to answer some final questions in her qualifyi...more Rating Clarification: 2.5 Stars

Author Katherine Howe's take on the Salem Witch trials of the 1690's features a little twist: her story imagines that one of the accused really had supernatural talents....

The story begins in 1681 when young healer Deliverance Dane visits the home of Peter Petford and attempts to help his ailing 5 year old daughter Martha.

Fast forward to 1991: Harvard University, where our main character Connie Goodwin is getting ready to answer some final questions in her qualifying exam for PhD candidacy. She is hoping to pass the orals, and spend the upcoming summer preparing her thesis on some aspect of American colonial history. A detour in her well laid plans occurs when her hippy, new-agey mother asks her to travel to Marblehead, Mass. and prepare her deceased grandmother's old house for sale. The house hasn't been lived in for 20 years, and is filled to the brim with the accumlated trash/treasure of centuries. What Connie discovers when cleaning out her granna's house is the basis for this lackluster tale of magic, superstition, prejudice and greed.

This book had all the potential to be a clear favorite with me. You've got your Salem Witch trials, you've got your old house filled with secrets, you've got a story imbued with hints of real magic and supernatural elements, you've got a young woman with links and connections to other women centuries past, and you've got your wee canny canine. What's not to love? Well, almost everything.

I will say that I did enjoy Howe's story featuring Deliverance Dane and her life. These snippets occured sporatically throughout the book, and were interesting and entertaining. Had the entire book been about Deliverance, I would probably have given this book 4 stars or more. Unfortunately, the majority of the book focused on modern day Connie, surely one of the stupidest candidates for PhD candidacy that Harvard has ever considered. Connie, while touted by the writer as a brilliant and clever young mind destined for BIG things in the world of colonial academia, displayes mind boggling idiocy when it comes to the most simple observations on colonial life. She is amazed and stunned by phonetic spellings of colonial first names (i.e. Marcy = Mercy - SHAAAZAM, who'd have guessed?!?). Although she is a born and Massachusetts native, she continually marvels over the speach patterns displayed by Boston Brahmins and similar citizens of her native state. WTH? Umm, people generally notice variations in speech when they are NOT native to the area, but Connie apparently finds the style of speech of her people extraordinary. In fact, Connie is so incredibly dense (view spoiler).

Connie is, IMO, so stupid, so uninspiring, so vapid a creature that it boggles the mind to think (view spoiler). And as Connie's story makes up 90% of the book's plot, it makes for a very tedious and boring story. The wonder of it all is that I gave it 2.5 stars, but I did find parts of it very moving and page turning.

This is one of those books, like The Tenth Gift, that had great potential, but lacked skillful execution. There were flashes of it here and there, but not enough consistency to make it a winner in my mind.(less)

13 likes · like · see review

Mar 25, 2011 UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr-contemporary, witches, salem-witch-trials, 2011-reads, starts-with-m-thru-p, romance-no-steam, contemporary-and-historical, pnr-witches, standalone, reviewed-by-me, 4-stars, magicians-mages-witches, magic-spells-witchcraft-curses

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with the Salem witch hunts. Even as a young girl in elementary school, I read books, watched movies and loved listening to stories about the witch trials and the events leading up to them. So when I saw The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, it goes without saying that I just had to have it.

We first meet our heroine, Connie Goodwin, as she’s about to answer the final question in her qualifying exam at Harvard; “Would you please provide the co...more
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with the Salem witch hunts. Even as a young girl in elementary school, I read books, watched movies and loved listening to stories about the witch trials and the events leading up to them. So when I saw The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, it goes without saying that I just had to have it.

We first meet our heroine, Connie Goodwin, as she’s about to answer the final question in her qualifying exam at Harvard; “Would you please provide the committee with a succinct and considered history of witchcraft in North America?” Now, Connie is an incredibly intelligent woman, trying to impress a panel of equally intelligent – if not more so - Harvard professors with her knowledge of American Colonial history. The dialog and accompanying narrative reflected the importance of her answer, and for a brief time I found myself kind of lost in the “educated” explanation. However, once we get past that part in the story, which didn’t last very long, I easily fell into the flow and the feel of Katherine Howe’s writing.

I’ve found that sometimes when an author tackles a fictional retelling of factual historical events, it can end up boring and text bookish for the reader. I think it takes skill to stay true to the details without putting the reader to sleep. Thankfully, Katherine Howe pulled this off beautifully.

I was quickly pulled into the story and felt very much a part of Connie’s journey to find Deliverance Dane’s missing Physick Book. The glimpses into the past we were given as we moved between 1991 and the late 17th and early 18th centuries flowed very well, and I really feel like the author did a brilliant job of taking us from one time period to another, as we moved from chapter to chapter.

Along the way, Connie meets Sam, and a romance develops between them. I really enjoyed that aspect of the story because Sam was a great character, but I wish we could have seen a little more relationship development between them, so that I could have felt the depth of her emotions for him during certain parts of the book. However, that said, I thought the author did an excellent job of making his a character someone I cared about even though we didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with him. And a note for those who might be interested, while we know that Connie and Sam do have a sexual relationship, there was nothing sexually explicit in this book.

Overall, this was a great story, with a fun twist, that I couldn’t put down. It had me imaging what it would be like if I had lived during this time period, and answered questions I’ve long had. And I even shed a few tears over what it must have been like for the families of the accused.

I’d love to get my hands on something else along the lines of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, and will be keeping my eyes open for more by this author.
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15 likes · like · see review

Nov 28, 2009 Jess Michaelangelo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, own

Usually I'm not the type of person to just randomly go out to Barnes and Noble and buy a book that I'm not sure I'll enjoy. Something about this book pulled me in, though, and it didn't let go of me until I finished it just now.

I loved this book. Katherine Howe weaves her story with the finesse of a practiced writer, not someone who's just published her first novel. There was something about her writing style that I just couldn't get enough of. It wasn't too simple, but it wasn't too difficult...more Usually I'm not the type of person to just randomly go out to Barnes and Noble and buy a book that I'm not sure I'll enjoy. Something about this book pulled me in, though, and it didn't let go of me until I finished it just now.

I loved this book. Katherine Howe weaves her story with the finesse of a practiced writer, not someone who's just published her first novel. There was something about her writing style that I just couldn't get enough of. It wasn't too simple, but it wasn't too difficult either--just balanced enough so that I was sucked into the story. Her switch between Massachusetts in the early 1990s and Massachusetts in the 1690s was smooth and effortless. I enjoyed that it didn't feel like there were two separate stories going on; they were both so entwined that it seemed that each was affecting and influencing each other. Her characters were all very well-developed, and the history was clearly well-researched and accurate. There weren't any hanging plot lines, so it was nice to see a story nicely wrapped up while still allowing the reader to speculate on the future of the characters.

I also loved how Katherine Howe wrote the character of Connie, as a fact-driven, meticulous grad student, because if she hadn't done Connie that way, the second part of the book would have been too unbelievable. That being said, I thought she wrote that wisely and believably.

Like I mentioned earlier, I found that the historical parts of the book seemed very accurate, so I'd recommend this book to fans of historical fiction.

The only minor thing that got to me about this book was that some of her vocabulary choices and some of the dialect of the 1600s were a little jarring. That being said, I suppose the dialect was true to its time and would only naturally come a little awkwardly to me.

It was nice to be able to delve into the lives of some of those accused in Salem. I found this to be one of the most unique takes on the period, as well, i.e. what if we didn't have the hindsight that modern America does? What if witchcraft is as real a problem as the flu, especially in the days when modern medical answers weren't available? What if there were real witches and not just women who fell victim to being low on the social ladder or young girls who "ate moldy bread"?

Overall, very nicely done. Added to my list of favorites! (less)

18 likes · like · see review

Nov 13, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Angie Fisher for TeensReadToo.com

Connie Goodwin, like many young women, has issues with her mother. So when Grace asks her daughter to interrupt her doctoral research at Harvard to go to Marblehead for the summer and ready her grandmother's house to be sold, Connie wonders why she agreed.

And that was before she walked into the ancient cottage that has no electricity.

Connie's knowledge of Colonial history, her chosen field of study, comes in handy as she learns the secrets of the past...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 21, 2011 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hist-fic, mod-lit

There has never been a genuine grimoire, aka book of shadows or spell book, found in the US. When Harvard doctoral student Connie Goodwin moves Marblehead, MA to rehabilitate her grandmother's historic home, there are many signs and portents that suggest that Connie may be hot on the trail of the first American grimoire. Her major advisor, Manning Chilton, shows a particularly intense interest in her search, and when Connie's new guy, Sam, has a surprising accident and falls prey to uncontrollab...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 24, 2009 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-edition

First, I did like this book. It is a great summer beach book; BUT it was much, much lighter than I thought it was going to be and given the hype I had been hoping for much more. The juxtaposition of the historical story and the modern story were very well done and the characters were likable and well thought out. The relationships between the characters in each time period were very real and believable and the descriptions of historical Salem and Marblehead and the Salem Witch Trials were intere...more

24 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2009 Nely rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of Connie Goodwin, a doctoral candidate in American History at Harvard, who (upon her mother’s request) spends the summer cleaning and clearing out her grandmother's house that has been vacant for 20 years in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Little did Connie know what she was in store for when she agreed to this tedious task.

While browsing through her grandmother’s old books, Connie stumbles upon a very old key in a bible. Attached to this key is an equally old slip of paper with t...more This is the story of Connie Goodwin, a doctoral candidate in American History at Harvard, who (upon her mother’s request) spends the summer cleaning and clearing out her grandmother's house that has been vacant for 20 years in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Little did Connie know what she was in store for when she agreed to this tedious task.

While browsing through her grandmother’s old books, Connie stumbles upon a very old key in a bible. Attached to this key is an equally old slip of paper with the name, Deliverance Dane.

Told through flashbacks from Salem in the late 1690's we learn the story of Deliverance, a woman condemned as a witch in 1692, her daughter and eventually her granddaughter, as well as the history of the "Receipt Book" which is handed down from generation to generation.

As Connie tries to get the house back to rights in order to sell it for lack of payment of taxes, she is also working on her doctorate course and is persuaded by her adviser to find Deliverance's physick book otherwise known as a Shadow Book which might be the perfect topic for her doctorate - having found an unknown Salem witch.

I could not put this down! -- this is historical fiction at it's finest. It makes you want to know more about the time and immerses you wholly in it's world. The link in the story between contemporary times and the past is gripping as well as the commentary on religion and the Salem Witch Trials. I especially liked that Ms. Crouch uses so much detail when describing Salem in 1692. The houses, the way they talked, dressed, lived was all very detailed. She uses real names and events to depict Deliverance’s demise. She definitely did her research and it was neat to read that she was related to two of the named witches. I highly recommend this.

This book will be available in June, so make sure to make a note of it and put it on your TBR list so you don’t forget to pick up a copy. In my opinion, you will not be disappointed. I’m dying to see what the finished product will look like - since I only have an ARC. But the binding, with its flap covering the pages, beautiful artwork, and thick paper makes this book quite a treasure. (less)

19 likes · like · see review

Aug 14, 2009 Nancy (NE) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Spoilers possible... The plot of this book is about a modern graduate student's research into a primary source concurrent with the Salem witch trials. There were parts that were extremely well written. The historical sequences, particularly the hangings, were eloquent at times. However, I found so much = the storyline, events, locales and characters predictable, and at the same time, somewhat unbelieveable. I was distracted by the timeline, which seemed unrealistic. How could the main character...more

13 likes · like · see review

Apr 22, 2011 Mindy rated it 1 of 5 stars

SO boring!!! If this book hadn't been recommended to me there's no way on earth I would have kept going. Until the last quarter of the book I could've put it down at any time and never given it a second thought. I thought much of the imagery was over the top and some of it just plain stupid. For example, saying a man in court looks like he smelled of burnt leaves. What is that? Books should paint a picture. Not only do I still not see the picture, it distracted me from the book. Or calling the c...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jul 25, 2012 Susanna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, shit-lit

The concept was interesting. Unfortunately, the execution was not as good.

Also, I guessed the villain and the "big twist" fairly early, which didn't help.

A real disappointment.

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 03, 2013 Brittany rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Reading this book was a bit like being smacked upside the head with one of those really firm couch cushions by an overenthusiastic playmate. It didn't hurt but that's about all that can be said of it.

The foreshadowing in the first few chapters was so very blatant and heavy-handed that I kept thinking surely these had to be red herrings. Sadly, they weren't. Anyone who has read more than three fantasy novels could have mapped out the rest of the book from there.

The main character is such a Mary S...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 28, 2011 Simcsa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-paranormal, read-in-2011, historical-fiction

2.5 stars

Set in Cambridge and Marblehead, Mass., Howe's propulsive if derivative novel alternates between the 1991 story of college student Connie Goodwin and a group of 17th-century outcasts. After moving into her grandmother's crumbling house to get it in shape for sale, Connie comes across a small key and piece of paper reading only Deliverance Dane. What follows is a breezy read in which Connie must uncover the mystery of a shadowy book written by the enigmatic Deliverance Dane.

This was slow...more

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Nov 01, 2009 Wyndie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Bravo to whoever was responsible for the book jacket. I was drawn in by a glowing review from Matthew Pearl, the author of “The Dante Club.” The premise looked like a unique spin to one of America’s more tragic parts of history, the Salem witch trials. However the novel was a poorly written 375 page disappointment.

I felt much like Connie; searching for a book. The characters (living and dead) were void of dimension, making it difficult for me to feel vested in her quest for Deliverance Dane. Th...more

13 likes · like · see review

Oct 06, 2009 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, 2009

I always feel dubious complaining about books that I listen to rather than read. It's hard for me to gauge whether I have problems with the writing or with the reading when perceived flaws arise.

Connie is a newly minted PhD candidate in history looking, at the behest of her advisor, for a fresh new primary source for her dissertation when she is asked by her flighty mother to clean and prepare her grandmother's old house for sale. Connie travels to Marblehead and discovers a possible lead in her...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 16, 2010 Tahleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fantasy

This book was pretty awesome. At first I was a little wary, since I wasn't too keen on the idea of hearing about Connie's story, but I was certainly wrong. I loved how the two narratives, that of the past and that of the present (well, 1991 anyway), wove together. Howe crafted a fantastic story, and I was pleasantly surprised that the novel had supernatural aspects, something I wasn't expecting. And I loved Sam... sigh.

My one gripe is how dense Connie seemed to be at certain points. I was gettin...more

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Jul 07, 2009 Christy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I recommend reading the author's postscript before starting the book. I would have enjoyed thinking about/interpreting the novel with its specific agenda in mind throughout the story. Nonetheless, despite reading the postscript afterwards, I still found the book to be an interesting read with a refreshing spin on the Salem Witch Trials. Katherine Howe writes about the trials respectfully, by acknowledging and accepting the people of the time as genuinely believing witches could exist and did exi...more

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Apr 19, 2010 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just finished reading this book by Katherine Howe and loved it! The setting is in Massachusetts in 1991 and the late seventeenth century. The main character, Connie, is very likeable. She is a graduate student just about to begin research on her dissertation and this is when the story gets interesting!

Connie is asked by her mother, Grace, to go to the family's old home in Marblehead, MA to ready the family home for sale. Connie finds a clue that could lead to some new and exciting research -...more

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Feb 22, 2011 V.R. Barkowski rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE by Katherine Howe tells the tale of Harvard Graduate student, Connie, who spends a summer sorting through her deceased grandmother’s things. When she finds a Bible, a mysterious note and a key, the story is off and running. The book shifts between 1991 Marblehead Massachusetts (Connie’s present) and late 17th century Salem. While the storyline is intriguing—albeit derivative—the writing is weak. Stereotypical characters and flat prose had me skimming my way t...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 09, 2012 Shayla rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book, and how much I learned about the Salem Witch Trials. This is a very good educational book, and I found it very interesting.

1 like · like · see review

Jun 09, 2009 K rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: hyped-disappointments

This has gotten a lot of buzz lately in the library world. Four librarians including myself had holds on it before it even arrived at the building. Apparently we'd all been hooked by the same intriguing blurb. Don't make the same mistake! A historical mystery that is slow to no purpose, containing flat, unexceptional writing and an utterly predictable and unoriginal plot.

Whatever, I guess it was fine. Just, am annoyed from having to be reminded once again that one must read reviews with great b...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Don't mistake this book for a history of witchcraft. it is not.
I was drawn to the beautiful cover. And I put the book down when I read the blurb because I thought the author had her own agenda. Like she wanted to suck the reader into her world of the occult and have us all embrace witchcraft. And I think I actually said this to Ms Howe, who was smiling at me from behind the book table. She challenged me to read it. And promised that she wanted to hear my thoughts on the book.
So, my thoughts...
A...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Autant le dire tout de suite : j'ai A-DO-RÉ !!!

Dès le départ, je sentais que j'allais aimer ce livre : une très belle couverture et un résumé plus qu'alléchant, ce roman avait tout pour me plaire ! Et je n'ai pas été déçue !

En effet, très vite, je suis entrée dans l'histoire et c'est avec beaucoup d'impatience, qu'à chaque fois, j'attendais de pouvoir me replonger dedans. Il y a beaucoup de mystère, cela crée du suspense et éveille l'intérêt du lecteur. Suspense qu'on retrouve jusqu'aux dernière...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Mimi Jones rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is literally the fifth time I have tried to write a review and for some reason or another it gets magicked away! So, will make this brief to avoid losing a few hundred more carefully considered words....

The historical sections of this book are strong and authoritative as befits the author's status as a scholar of Colonial history -- as well as her lineage as a descendant of a convicted and executed Salem (MA) witch.

The contemporary sections are less credible. The romance seemed thin and je...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Sariah rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a well thought out, well researched novel. I loved the jumps between our main (modern day) story and the stories of the past. I have always been fascinated with the Salem Witch Trials, and this just gave me even more information. And all the stories in the past are based on real people and real situations. I learned a lot about "cunning women" and more than I knew before about "witchcraft" and medicine in the 17th century. This is a great story about a Harvard grad student (Connie) who...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

See this review on 1776books.net...
http://1776books.blogspot.com/2009/10...

Since historical fiction is my favorite genre, I was eager to read "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane". Taking the reader back in time to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, Katherine Howe's book had a lot of promise. I sat down to begin reading it one Sunday afternoon about two weeks ago and could not put it down. It all went downhill from there.

Howe does what seems to be the trend nowadays began by the master, Jodi Picou...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Jill rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, fiction

Wow! I really loved this book! I read it on recommendation from several friends who know how much I love Deborah Harkness' "A Discovery of Witches," and said that this book is along the same lines. Like ADOW, the plot centers around an ancient, magical book, witches, libraries, and academia. This book in particular is built around the Salem witch trials of 1692, and basically has two stories unraveling at once... in different times. I don't want to give too much away, though!

Katherine Howe's wri...more

2 likes · like · see review

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About Katherine Howe

Katherine Howe was born in Houston, Texas, and received a degree in art history and philosophy from Columbia. She is completing a PhD in American and New England Studies at Boston University, which included teaching a research seminar on New England witchcraft. The idea for her first novel, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, developed while she was studying for her doctoral qualifying exams, wa...more

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“But remember. Just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it isn't real.” — 82 people liked it

“Of course mothers and daughters with strong personalities might see the world from very different points of view.” — 50 people liked it

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The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

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