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The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

by Katherine Howe

3.59 · rating details · 14,942 ratings · 3,425 reviews

"Have you not considered the distinct possibility that the accused were simply guilty of witchcraft?"

Connie Goodwin thinks her academic advisor is teasing her; she
has mastered the scholarship surrounding the Salem witch
trials of 1692 and knows the question he poses is preposterous.
She never suspects that answering it will alter e...more

Hardcover, 371 pages

Published May 22nd 2009 by Hyperion Books

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Aug 04, 2009

Jeanette rated it

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 c...more

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Apr 25, 2011

Mary rated it

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 ...moreI'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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Apr 17, 2009

Cheryl/Aradanryl rated it

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 loo...more

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Sep 17, 2011

Hannah rated it

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...moreRating 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)

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Mar 25, 2011

UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* rated it

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 ple...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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Nov 28, 2009

Jess rated it

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 to...moreUsually 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)

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May 09, 2009

Jemima rated it

Katherine Howe's novel "The Physic Book of Deliverance Dane" engages the reader in an unexpected story rooted in the Salem witch trials. It transitions back and forth between historical periods with ease while slowly unfolding the plot. I did not find the main characters very engaging, but the plot was interesting in it's mix of historical detail and imaginative outcomes. Howe's writing is pleasingly descriptive and at times emotionally intense, but at other times I found it a little d...more

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Feb 21, 2011

Linda rated it

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

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Jun 24, 2009

Cheryl rated it

· 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 inter...more

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Apr 14, 2009

Nely rated it

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 ...moreThis 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)

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Aug 14, 2009

Nancy (NE) rated it

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 chara...more

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Apr 22, 2011

Mindy rated it

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 t...more

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Nov 01, 2009

Wyndie rated it

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 Del...more

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Aug 18, 2009

Brenda (Lansdowne) rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 16, 2010

Tahleen rated it

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. ...more

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Jul 07, 2009

Christy rated it

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 ...more

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Apr 19, 2010

Kim rated it

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 exci...more

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Feb 22, 2011

VR rated it

· 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

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Jun 09, 2009

K rated it

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 re...more

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Jan 09, 2012

Angela rated it

Connie Goodwin is a PhD student at Harvard, focusing on Colonial America for her studies. After completing her oral exams, she calls her mother who informs her that her grandmother's home has sat abandoned for 20 years and Connie should go up there to get it ready to sell. Connie's none too thrilled to have to do so, but is willing to take a little breather and focus on her dissertation while she cleans the house.

Little does she know the ties this house has to herself, the past, and ...more

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Jan 09, 2012

Brenna Swift rated it

Recommends it for: Readers who enjoy stories that are unintentionally humorous.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Terrible. Like many other readers, I was expecting something entirely different. It started out relatively interesting but got much, much worse as it went on. For me, the problem was the entire premise of the book. You want to write a novel that assumes the Salem "witches" were actually practicing witchcraft? As in, telepathically moving objects and unlocking doors with magic spells? Um...okay. But they weren't, and that's what makes the Salem Witch Trials so horrifying. I wish Howe ha...more

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Jan 04, 2012

Shweta's Book Journal rated it

Shelves: historical-fiction

At the outset Physick Book of Deliverance Dane looks like historical fiction with Salem Witch Trials as its central plot (which btw it is) but what makes this book post worthy? I would say it is the narration. The part of book which happen during the actual witch trials is very small when compared to the present day quest to find out the truth . I expected to see a plot where the past would over take the present in narration but it was a pleasant surprise. When you delve into the depth of the p...more

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Jan 03, 2012

Christin (Portrait of a Book) rated it

Shelves: 100in2011, book-portrait-review, historical-fiction, adult, paranormal

Really 3.5 stars

I have always found the history surrounding the Salem Witch Trials very interesting. Given that, I was curious to see how this book would explore the stories from a modern-day perspective. Blending past and present with paranormal elements and a sweet romance, this book drew me in right from the beginning.

Connie is a graduate student at Harvard pursuing her doctorate in history. In preparing for writing her dissertation, her advisor, Manning Chilton, suggests ...moreReally 3.5 stars

I have always found the history surrounding the Salem Witch Trials very interesting. Given that, I was curious to see how this book would explore the stories from a modern-day perspective. Blending past and present with paranormal elements and a sweet romance, this book drew me in right from the beginning.

Connie is a graduate student at Harvard pursuing her doctorate in history. In preparing for writing her dissertation, her advisor, Manning Chilton, suggests that what she needs is a new primary source. Connie never dreamed that preparing her grandmother's house for sale could provide just that. After finding the name "Deliverance Dane" on a piece of paper hidden inside a key, Connie begins to research this mysterious person. It soon becomes clear that Deliverance was connected with the Salem Witch Trials and that a book of her spells and potions may still exist. In her search, Connie meets Sam, a steeplejack working on church restoration. She cannot help but fall for him, yet, as her advisor constantly reminds her, she knows her work has to come first. At least, it does until Sam becomes seriously ill. Could Deliverance's book possibly contain something that would help Sam? Can Connie find it in time and unravel all of the mysteries before her - even ones that she never expected?

First of all, I loved the fact that Connie was a graduate student. I personally think that we need more books with college students as the protagonist (though I admit that may have something to do with being in college myself). Being that Connie is a researcher and so much of this book is about uncovering Deliverance's story, it would have been easy to be lost in historical details, but that was not the case. Deliverance's life is revealed not only through Connie but also through brief interludes set in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. I loved this juxtaposition of time periods and the chance to see Deliverance's life firsthand. In addition to uncovering this story, Connie is discovering many things about her family, working to understand her mother better as well as herself. When you add to this Connie's friendships and her relationship with Sam, this story contained many layers, which I appreciated.

Though I really did enjoy this book, I have to say that I did have a few problems with it. I had difficulty connecting with Connie's character. Despite the fact that she's a graduate student like myself, her emotions seemed somewhat glossed over or rationalized rather than being felt intensely. In addition, there were times that I got lost in all of the descriptions, and there were times when I found myself enjoying the historical perspectives more than Connie's story. I would have liked to have seen Connie and Sam's relationship develop more, even if it was a subplot.

If you enjoy historical fiction or books about the Salem Witch Trials, then you will enjoy The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. I will look forward to seeing what Howe writes next!(less)

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Oct 27, 2011

Richard rated it

This pretty-looking book was urged upon me by a fellow bookaholic whose previous urged reading, The Hummingbird's Daughter, was so ghastly and generally unpleasant to read that I was worried this book would be a stinker too. After all, hype + feminism + supernatural goins-on = *groan* for the typical Y-chromosome bearer.

I was completely wrong. I'm sorry I waited to read it.

Don't mistake me, it's a first novel with first-novel flaws, but it's a very good read and it's a pr...moreThis pretty-looking book was urged upon me by a fellow bookaholic whose previous urged reading, The Hummingbird's Daughter, was so ghastly and generally unpleasant to read that I was worried this book would be a stinker too. After all, hype + feminism + supernatural goins-on = *groan* for the typical Y-chromosome bearer.

I was completely wrong. I'm sorry I waited to read it.

Don't mistake me, it's a first novel with first-novel flaws, but it's a very good read and it's a promising debut. The basic story, a grad student in American History's discovery of a previously unknown primary source for data on the Salem witch trials, is built to excite the historian in me. The book itself, being a recipes-and-remedies book written by multiple generations of gifted women, also hooks my attention immediately.

The author, who is descended from an accused witch from Salem and who counts another, who died there, among her connections, is uniquely placed to make this story exciting. She is also a grad student, and she's made of storytelling stuff. No one who comes from such a lineage could escape the desire to make use of such great material. Considering the number of books, fiction and non, published about Salem, not many have tried. But Howe makes us invest in so much more than just the Salem-ness of the tale. She brings her creations to a simmer early in the book, and then lets 'em fly on the boil with a finely adjusted sense of pacing that I wish she'd teach to other novelists.

The first-novel blues come when Howe writes about her male characters. They're not well drawn, and their actions aren't very believeable. She also has some data withheld from her main character that I simply can't believe a mother would fail to mention to a daughter. (So as to avoid spoilers, I can't say what, but it's a pretty big omission IMHO.)

Hey, pobody's nerfect, right? I forgive these flaws because the story is so tightly paced, and so much of the time is spent with delightful characters, that it's an overall joy to read. Buy it new, in paperback, and you'll a) love the object itself since the publisher made a beautiful book, and b) support an author whose future work bids fair to make your dollars well spent. Very much recommended.(less)

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Oct 19, 2011

Elizabeth rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, kindle, historical-fiction, sci-fi-and-fantasy

Similar in many ways to A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, in that it's the story of a young academic who, during the course of her research, stumbles upon a document that ends up leading her down a path of learning about the women caught up in the Salem witch trials of the late 17th century. Oh, and that witches are real.

The tone of the book, however, is very different. It's a bit more serious, and a lot more grounded in reality (though still a bit of a far fetch, there are...more

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Sep 09, 2011

Renee Pinkston rated it

I was hesitant to start this book; I had in my mind that it would be one of those horribly written romantic bits that you feel bad that you read the minute you finish. This was not the case.

I will be honest, I first saw this book on Oprah, It was probably a book of the month or some sort. I have always been interested in things that deal with the supernatural/unexplainable. When I listened about this book I was attached. It look me about 2 years before I bought it. I was browsing ...more

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Sep 05, 2011

G.K. Wuori rated it

I guess you can always get me into a book about a graduate student since I were one at one time. This grad student is Connie Goodwin. She’s just finished her orals and is looking for a dissertation topic when her mother, Grace, asks her to check out the old family house in Salem, Mass. and get it ready for sale. At the old place she discovers an odd key and a message that slowly ropes her into Salem’s witching past. A book of “recipes” by one Deliverance Dane suggests that at least one...more

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Aug 30, 2011

Istop4books rated it

· review of another edition

I enjoyed this book in an easy, breezy way, as a quick summer read with an interesting Salem witch hunt topic.

I didn’t love it. The cover promised a novel that “flows with poetic charm and eloquence that achieves high literary merit while concocting a gripping supernatural puzzler…spellbinding.”

Um, no. There was no poetic charm, it wasn’t particularly gripping and was definitely not spellbinding. It was a good first novel written by a young woman whose two ancestors were part...more

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Aug 30, 2011

Shazza Maddog rated it

· review of another edition

Connie Goodwin is a Harvard grad student, getting ready to start research on her doctoral dissertation when her mother, Grace, calls and insists she go instead to clean out her grandmother's house. Granna had died some time ago and the house on Milk Lane had been empty all this time. When Connie arrives, she finds there's no electricity or telephone (but grudging running water), and the house is so completely overgrown, it's hidden from the world.

She and her dog, Arlo, a little mud...more

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Aug 18, 2011

Elinora rated it

Very badly written "mystery" that manages to make the Salem era boring. The average reader picks up the clues entire chapters before Our Heroine, Connie, figures them out, and often has to stop reading long enough for her to catch up. I think this book was set in 1991 so that Connie would not have access to the Internet. A few hours on Google or Wikipedia might have solved the mystery in an afternoon.

As several other reviewers have pointed out, the heroine doesn't seem ...more

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Spineless Book Club: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - Katherine Howe	2	3	Jan 20, 2012 07:19am
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B&N Recommends selection 6/8/09	17	68	Oct 18, 2011 12:50am
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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 the novel, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, developed while she was studying for her doctoral qualifying exams, walking ...more

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