Witch Child

Witch Child #1

by Celia Rees

The Barnes & Noble Review

YA author Celia Rees serves up a history lesson and a bewitching tale of suspense with Witch Child, the story of a young woman's struggles to survive amidst the witch mania that besieged 17th-century civilizations on both sides of the Atlantic. The story unfolds from the pages of a centuries-old diary, purportedly found hidden inside an old quilt. In a lead-in to the tale, Rees provides just enough manufactured manifest for this diary to lend it a realistic feel. The diary's author, a 15-year-old Englishwoman named Mary Newbury, grabs her readers' attention with a vengeance from the very first page, where she details her grandmother's arrest and subsequent execution for the crime of witchcraft.

Unlike some of the innocents who fell victim to this 17th-century hysteria, Mary readily admits to being a witch -- at least within the confines of her diary -- and is rescued from suffering a fate similar to her grandmother's by a mysterious female benefactor who ushers her unto a ship sailing for the New World. Mary hopes the change of venue will provide an escape from the sort of rigid intolerance that caused her grandmother's death, but rumors of witchcraft seem to follow her wherever she goes. The horrific onboard conditions and several at-sea disasters trigger witch paranoia among Mary's fellow sea travelers and, when the surviving passengers finally arrive in Salem, Mary quickly discovers that the lifestyle and the settlers in this New World are even more rigid and intolerant than those she left behind.

Adding to the danger of witch hunts and Mary's unfortunate tendency to attract unwanted attention are the day-to-day struggles for survival; starvation, disease, and deplorable living conditions are no strangers here. But while the era may be different, the lifestyle harder, and the stakes higher, young Mary's adolescent struggles with peer pressure, self-discovery, and self-actualization carry a timeless appeal that will easily cross the centuries to modern-day teens. (Beth Amos)

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Witches, Paranormal

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2000

About the author

Celia Rees (born 1949) is an English author of children's, YA and Adult fiction.

She was born in 1949 in Solihull, West Midlands but now lives in Leamington Spa with her husband. Rees attended University of Warwick and earned a degree in History of Politics. After university, she taught English in Coventry secondary schools for seventeen years, during which time she began to write.

Since then, she has written over twenty YA titles. Her books have been translated into 28 languages. She has been short listed for the Guardian, Whitbread (now Costa) and W.H. Smith Children’s Book Awards. She is a regular tutor for the Arvon Foundation. She has been Chair of the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group and on the Society of Authors’ Management Committee.

Her first book for adults, Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook, was published by HarperCollins in July, 2020.

Reviews

[Lyndz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The North American witch hunts of the 1600’s was a tumultuous and horrifying time in our history, particularly for women who were unable to conform to the norms of society.


Witch Child is a diary of sorts that starts out with Mary, recounting the horrific and humiliating witch trial that her beloved old grandmother had to endure before her public execution in England. It follows Mary as she makes her journey to the New World where she realized that things are not much different than they were in England.

This is not your typical “Salem witch trial”-esque novel. ( I was a bit worried it would be just another retelling of The Crucible or The Witch Of Blackbird Pond )
Sure it keeps in the interesting historical facts but it adds a new twist. Here is why Witch Child is original and captivating:
Our protagonist, Mary, is a not only a terrified puritan girl wanting to avoid being accused of witchcraft. But, she is, in fact, a witch. Well, really more like a modern-day Pagan or Wiccan. But, still, considered a full-blown witch by their standards.
The other thing that makes this book stand out from its contemporaries is that Rees has created a artful parallel between two cultures and thus a compelling statement about how laws, and opinions are highly influenced by society. In the woods near the city of Beulah, where Mary is living, there is a Native American people who strongly revere shamanism and second sight in their people. In stark contrast to their puritan neighbors who (as we all know) are sending many a young woman to the gallows for the same thing.

I found this new spin on an old favorite topic compelling and engrossing despite the fact that some of the sub characters were a little flat and boring.

If I had to choose just one word to describe Witch Child it would be Enchanting.

Recommended for anyone who loves witch lore, Early American historical fiction, and/or Native American culture.
4 stars from me.

[Cora Tea Party Princess · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 Words: Magic, conflict, superstition, new world.

This is such a great book, and I've loved it for years. It's not a high-paced thriller and to be honest not much actually happens, but it is a great, pleasant read, and totally compelling.

I love the various settings and all of the conflict which comes with them.

This book flirts with fantasy but there's very little outright. It not in your face, it's subtle and quite tame. It comes across as very realistic and what magic is mentioned is rather vague - it's more hedge-witchery and healing.

I quite liked the way it was written, it was almost hesitant. It was also very clever. I like it when fiction is presented in such a way that it could be real.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary and her grandmother exist on the fringes of society, eking out a living by midwifery and herb lore. But those on the margins are always at risk from their neighbours, existing at the mercy of their good opinion. On a day like any other, Mary's grandmother is accused of witchcraft, then quickly hanged for doing nothing more than what neighbours once called 'help' but now considered to be 'crimes'. Left alone, Mary is forced to take a dangerous path, one that stretches all the way to the New World. But will she be any safer there? Her grandmother's needless death was Mary's first lesson about the power of prejudice and public opinion. There are many more to come.

Told through Mary's 'lost' diary entires, the book follows her from Cromwellian England to Puritan America. Each moment holds the terrifying possibility that her secret may be revealed: Mary, too, is a witch. Her negotiation between her growing understanding of herself as a girl and a witch and the intolerance, suspicion, petty jealousies, and bitter rivalries of her new community is what lies at the heart of the novel. The narrative is pretty straightforward, with no real surprises, and it's only Celia Rees' creation of a strong and appealing character in Mary that gives the story its impact. While it addresses relatively dark themes, it's lightly done, a thought provoking read rather than a disturbing one.

There's something to it though, a feeling of magic just awakened, and there's real potential for the sequel to add the depth that this was lacking. I'll certainly be reading it, I'd like to see what this young witch does next...

ARC via Netgalley

[Wendi WDM · Rating 3 out of 5]

1659. A time of fear and persecution. Mary, granddaughter of a witch, keeps a diary. It begins: I am Mary. I am a witch…

She sees her grandmother hanged, is rescued by a stranger, takes ship for America and finds a place in a Puritan community there. All that befalls her, she records in her diary and as she writes, she stitches the pages inside a quilt for discovery would mean death.

For a young adult book this was very good. No patronizing "teenage girl" voice that you would find in "Twilight". I actually suggest getting a copy of the book on cd so you can hear the wonderful Jennifer Ehle (who played Elizabeth Bennett in the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice) reading the story.

It is a light read. It is a little stereotypical, but then again, doesn't history pretty much point out that the Puritans were a bit stodgy and afraid of just about anything that couldn't be explained by the local pastor?

There were times when I felt as if the story was being outright stolen from other "witch hunt/witch trial" stories out there - some teenage girls don't like another teenage girl and they all start acting crazy and blaming the other girl for it. "She comes to me with the Devil!" That part was a little disappointing. I've read that story already. I knew sooner or later that Mary would be considered a witch and probably hunted down by her townsfolk, but to have it almost exactly like many other stories? meh...

In the end, I thought the book on cd was entertaining, especially as I worked on boring data entry. Nothing too heavy but not too light either. Didn't draw my attention away too much from my work, but kept me interested and going.

A definite read!

[Kate Forsyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful historical novel for teenagers begins: ‘I am Mary. I am a witch.’ It is set in 1659, during the tumultuous months after Cromwell’s death and before the return of Charles II. Her story is purportedly told in diary entries that have been found sewn inside a quilt. It is a tragic and powerful tale, which begins when Mary’s grandmother is arrested and tortured by witch-finders and then hanged in the town square. Mary is rescued by a rich woman who she suspects may be her real mother, and sent to join a group of Puritans fleeing to the New World. However, the Puritans are stern and narrow-minded and quick to blame any misfortune on witchcraft. Mary finds herself in increasing danger as the party lands in Salem, Massachusetts. A growing friendship with a Native American and his shaman grandfather increases her risk. A simple yet powerful tale that explores the nature of magic and superstition, faith and cruelty.

[Elle (ellexamines on TT & Substack) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. A lot of potential and good writing style, but ultimately just another boring, archetypal historical fiction.

When I was in my preteen stage, I went through a historical fiction stage, and I read countless books about witch hunts. Almost all of them share some major traits: a main character who is a misfit, usually because she's particularly unreligious, and a boring beginning.

Unfortunately, this book doesn't break that mold. Rees breaks no boundaries with her sometimes-boring plotting.

Besides the unoriginality, this book fails due to bad plotting. Witch Child is far too drawn out. The first half was completely boring, and the author only manages to develop dramatic tension towards the end.

This book does do some good things. Celia Rees' prose flows very nicely, making even the boring bits easy to read. And the main protagonist here was genuinely likable, which is definitely a redeeming factor. But altogether, there was nothing special about this book. It was just okay.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Audiobook narrated by Jennifer Ehle 5h 37 minutes

The older I get, the more I am convinced that the young women of Salem Massachusetts in the 1600's were the original "Mean Girls."

I loved the narrator and the journal writing aspect of this book. I liked Mary, our main protagonist, who watches her grandmother die accused of witchcraft and later feels her own self being made the scapegoat for strange happenings in her community. The fact it is based on a real diary, something I learned after listening to the audio, made it all that more memorable to me. The ending was a bit ambiguous but overall I am satisfied with my first audio selection of 2024.


Goodreads review 10/01/24

[Mikayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just as good as it was the first time I read it.

[Relyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things I was really looking forward to about this vacation is all the time in the car to read. Humph! I didn't bring a single book that I wanted to read. No kidding. At the time I packed, I was tired and I grabbed really light reading. When it came time to read, I really wanted a story, you know? Instead, I read all my magazines and bought more.

One of the things Jeffrey and I always do in a new city is go to the art museum and seek out good used bookstores. I found this one at Bards Books in Phoenix. It is kind of fun because it's a copy actually printed in Britain and the price is listed in pounds. I read this all the way through yesterday - couldn't put it down. SO GOOD!!

The story is another version of The Crucible and the Salem Witch Trials. But, somehow, it's not the same - it's compelling and a nail-biter and different. I loved this book. For one thing, she really is a witch. No worries - I didn't spoil anything. The first line of the book is something like, "I am Mary. I am a witch." There are other twists that I enjoyed, but you'll have to discover them for yourself. Great read!

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think I was really in the mood for this. It's a fairly straightforward historical fiction, with a fairly standard frame story of a found diary type deal. It's very easy to read; definitely aimed at young adults, if not at kids. Probably that's part of it -- it was so easy there was nothing to hold onto. The set-up is interesting enough, and for what it is, it's well-written, but there wasn't enough substance for me.

[Celia Buell (semi hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review 12/29/23
My rating has gone way down on this one since the first time. 3.5 stars (4 for Goodreads) from previously 5 stars.

Witch Child takes forever to get started, and once it does, it still doesn't. Witch Child reads like a Dear America novel but without the characters to get invested in as much, or at all. I think for a second read, this is very predictable and leaves nothing up to interpretation - except the ending.

I will say, knowing a lot more about the witchcraft accusations in the 1600s, I still find this book a lot more detailed than some, especially when looking at motivation of the accusers. Witch Child paints a picture of conflicting interests and people who have nothing left to lose, except by turning on each other. I enjoyed the really human side of the interactions coming from both sides.

There are some books I can reread and still be shocked again and again by all the turns. This was not the case with Witch Child. It doesn't seem to hold up.

I might be curious enough to read Sorceress, but I don't plan on reading this one again any time soon, or at all.
--------------------------------
Review 5/23/19
I don't know a lot about the 1600s and the various "witch trials" and fear that ran throughout England and the colonies, and what I do know comes from Shakespeare and from The Crucible, both which show all the accusation with no truth to any of it.

But Celia Rees turns the known story on its head, where suddenly, witches are real, and they know who they are. The main character, Mary, who has true powers, has escaped persecution in Britain on a Puritan ship headed to the New World, but what she doesn't know is that she will face even worse there.

I loved the character development and the ways that Mary's friends become her family. At first it doesn't seem like there's much in the way of character development, and the voice is kind of hard to read, but by the end you realize that each significant character has actually changed a lot, and people start to question their own values and their devotion to a community that will treat one of their own in this way.

I feel like I learned a lot more about the general contrast between indigenous beliefs and Christianity, and the ways they clashed originally. Living in a modern and very diverse community, and being a nonreligious and spiritually questioning person, I have always found this clash and the fear of Native Americans as witches hard to believe, but Witch Child clears some of that up in ways that The Crucible didn't. I understand the fear-mongering and the need to blame someone better after reading this book, and getting the perspective of a girl who actually has the powers she is accused of having.

The story leaves off, literally, in the middle of a sentence. I had forgotten that there was going to be a sequel, but the way Witch Child ended makes me so anxious to get my hands on Sorceress as soon as I can. I know I start so many series that I don't end up continuing for months or years, but I want this to be different. I wish I actually owned the book, but I'll find a way. I will definitely try to read it this summer.

[Lily]

Witch Child, by Celia Rees explores a very contradictory issue that existed in America for a vast amount of time. The Salem Witch trials are studied in classes to this day, and the events that took place still haunt many people. This novel does not focus directly or bluntly state the events of the Salem Witch Trials, but is obviously focused in that central time period. The setting of this novel is essential in the plot, which is something I do not regularly see in other texts. This unique focus on that specific literary element really intrigued me; I don't think this book would be the same if alternate literary devices had been demonstrated to portray the overall theme of hardships of witch craft.
Additionally, the point of view of this novel played an essential role in portraying the message Rees intended. If the narrator of this novel hadn't been a witch suffering from the mistreatment and horrors surrounding her, the readers would not be subject to bias and might hold a different opinion on the events.
Overall, this novel is very well written, and despite a few disturbing images that prevented me from reading it in the past, I really enjoyed this book and recommend it.

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary ha quattordici anni ed è cresciuta con una vecchia saggia che chiama nonna a cui tutti si rivolgono per guarire, per partorire, insomma, per la sua conoscenza delle erbe e del corpo umano. Ma appena qualcosa va male, le stesse persone che l'hanno cercata, la accusano di stregoneria e la fanno giustiziare. Mary rimane sola, e una donna benestante (che poi scopre essere sua madre) la fa imbarcare con alcuni puritani su una nave diretta in America. Ma sia sulla nave che all'arrivo in un paesino vicino Salem, Mary scopre che per lei non è cambiato niente, che rischia le stesse accuse che rischiava in patria, soprattutto quando la piccola comunità è piena di fanatici di ogni genere e di vere "streghe", cioè delle ragazzine spietate che giocano con la vita degli altri.

«È quando le cose non vanno che la gente cerca qualcuno a cui dare la colpa».

Spero che ti sia salvata, Mary, che tu abbia raggiunto Penna Azzurra e che abbia vissuto la vita che meritavi. Perché i "selvaggi" sono molto più saggi dei puritani con cui sei stata costretta a vivere.

[Luana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se avete una nipote, un nipote, un cugino, il figlio di amici di famiglia, la sorellina e volete regalare un libro, eccolo qua, servito su un piatto d'argento, 'Il viaggio della strega bambina'.
Semplice, ma non banale, ambientato nella America del 1600 invasa dai nuovi coloni puritani che, partendo giudicati dall'Inghilterra, arrivano nel Nuovo Mondo pronti a giudicare a loro volta, un nuovo mondo di indigeni, ma anche il loro stesso sangue, accusandolo di stregoneria.

Un libro sui pregiudizi, sul razzismo, sull'ingiustizia del fanatismo religioso. Consigliato per bambini che volessero avvicinarsi a questi temi.

[Tairique Robinson]

Tairique Robinson

This book was one of the most boring books I evEr read in my life. From cover to cover a bunch of nonsense. It was like any other book you would find in a book store. This book should not ever be handed out again. Thats all i have to say.BORING!!

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book back in 2009 and I loved it.
anything about Witches interests me immensely because I happen to have two aunts who are into witchcraft & no my real name is no Sabrina Spellman LMAO!

[Girl with her Head in a Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

For my full review: https://girlwithherheadinabook.co.uk/...

Do you ever have a reading experience where it feels less like reading a book and more of an encounter with your past self? This was definitely one of those. When I saw this come up on Netgalley to celebrate its twentieth anniversary, I hit Request immediately but had failed to truly anticipate the waves of nostalgia that reading it would provoke. As a teenager, I had a hardback copy of Witch Child. So did nearly all of my schoolfriends, even the ones that barely read anything. The image of the girl on the front cover seemed to suggest a level of wisdom and experience that we had yet to discover in our corner of West Lancashire. Picking this up again, memories came flooding back of the damp temporary classroom where we had our tutor time, the brown and orange seats of the school bus and the peeling seats of the Year 11 common room. In the truest sense of the term, it was another life. The links that books can forge with our past are powerful and this one was particularly poignant.

Set in England immediately after the restoration, Witch Child centres around teenager Mary Newbury. As the novel opens, she watches helplessly as her grandmother is accused, tried and then finally executed for witchcraft. With eyes beginning to turn on her too, Mary is snatched from the crowds by a mysterious well-wisher who bundles her away, placing her with a congregation ready to depart for the New World. But Mary still cannot let her guard down. Still whispers and suspicion dog her steps. When the ship loses wind during the voyage, tensions rise. Mary gradually realises that there are more women and girls like her out there than she had realised. When they finally reach the New World, she meets another such but when Mary remarks that she has hoped for a fresh start, she is warned tartly that things are worse here than they had been back in England. Folk have brought their superstitions along with them and these false beliefs have flourished and bloomed. Truly, this is The Crucible for children.

It's clear to me now why this book strikes such a chord in the teenaged girl market. Girl feels misunderstood and out of place? Girl feels that she cannot express her true being without being persecuted? Girl feels alone and adrift? There is a reason why I read and reread it and the sequel Sorceress during those last few years of secondary school and sixth form college. At its bones there is a 'Mary versus the Mean Girls' story but in this case the Mean Girls are the ones who are going to get her hanged for witchcraft. I knew about the Mean Girls in those years. Then there is also the joy and connection that Mary finds in her friendship with Native American Jaybird with just the hint that it may lead to something more. I can see why I loved this book so much.

But I was also surprised to realise how far I had imprinted my own viewpoint on it. I remembered the romance between Mary's friend Rebekah and Tobias as some kind of 'slow burn'. In truth, it barely exists on the page. As a prim teenager, it left a far stronger impression than it would now. Indeed, Rees' writing style was a lot blanker than I remembered. This was interesting to me since that I tend to find a similar kind of emotional blandness to a lot of young adult fiction - I don't get hit 'in the feels' the way that a lot of other bloggers mention. Was I somehow more capable back then of populating a book with an inner life than I am now? Did I 'dive in' more? Read less critically? Read more 'for fun'? Or was it because Mary was relating experiences about which I was utterly ignorant? Since I read Witch Child, I have been heartbroken, grief-stricken, depressed, broken-down, built-up, fallen in love, had sex, gotten pregnant, given birth and become a parent. It's been an action-packed twenty years. Perhaps little wonder I returned to the book more jaded.

I'm slightly in shock that a piece of media that I loved as a teenager is old enough to be celebrating its twentieth anniversary. I don't feel middle-aged. Last year I attended the wedding of a dear friend from university and was startled to reconnect with various friends who I had not seen since graduation, ten years before. What was noticeable was that the vast majority of us had children but also an overwhelming percentage had developed dietary requirements. Life is speeding by. The girl who read Witch Child during tutor time, on the school bus and in the common room feels like a creature from a long time ago. For her, it was definitely not true that schooldays are the best of your life. In fact, things improved for her quite rapidly once they were over.

I am a happier woman in my thirties than I ever was as a teenager and yet for all of that, I am glad that I had Witch Child to help me through adolescence. In contrast to the more titanic protagonists of franchises such as Twilight and The Hunger Games, Mary Newbury feels less burnished and more human. She has integrity and she has courage but she also has to use her wits to survive. It is this resourcefulness which means that she is still such a compelling character even as fashions in Young Adult literature have shifted. Mary Newbury is a survivor, a girl who looks at her circumstances and determines to rise above them and remain true to herself. It was a pleasure to revisit her and I pray that she continues to shine a light to other young girls trudging through adolescence. Heroines like her can make a difference - she certainly did for me.

[nelas_bookspiration · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein Re-Read aus meiner Kindheit, der wir ein Sprung in mein Kinderzimmer war, wo ich mit Taschenlampe unterm Bett weiter gelesen hab, weil ich wissen wollte wie es endet.
Toller Schreibstil, tolle Geschichte und eine Protagonistin, die einem sofort sympathisch ist.

[TheBookAddictedGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I am Mary. I am a witch.”

Witch Child tells the story of a girl named Mary, whose grandmother was hanged for being a witch. She had to leave, before the townspeople turned on her as well. And so she was taken away from the only home she’s know by a mysterious woman she’s never met, Mary is sent to America for her own safety. But life aboard a ship of Puritans heading to the New World is just as dangerous as it was back home in England – maybe more so. Can she keep her secret? Or will she be discovered, and killed just as her grandmother was?

I was captivated, and literally devoured Witch Child. It was an amazing, powerful story, and was also insanely addictive.

Told from Mary’s point of view, it’s written in the form of a diary that was found sewn into the seams of a quilt. As I read, I felt like I had travelled back to the 1600s, and there were loads of little details that just made the history feel alive.

Mary was a brilliant character, strong and brave. I loved her spirit, and found myself feeling everything she felt. Her voice was unique, and her emotions intense: she was an entirely believable character.

The supporting characters were brilliant as well, and all very real. Jaybird, the Native American Indian boy; Martha, the Puritan who took Mary in; Reverend Johnson, the one who believes he’s a prophet of God, who I believe is really the evil one. There were so many amazing characters, and they all went together to form a brilliant, realistic world.

The thing I liked most about this book was the history behind it. The witch trials both fascinate and horrify me, ever since I learnt about them at the very beginning of high school. It amazes me how narrow minded people can be, and how healers can be seen as “spawn of the Devil”. Did you know that at least 250,000 women were killed, and in some villages were left with no women at all? (I’d just like to point out that I didn’t actually get that from the book, it’s just a weird piece of information that I’ve remembered, for some reason or another.) And the Native American Indian history and beliefs intrigued me too: how the settlers forced them out, their ideas on spirits, the way they live. I wouldn’t have thought that the two would go together so well, but they did, and I loved the way they did.

The one and only downside: the concept of magic and witchcraft was left unclear. Mary hinted at visions, controlling storms and voodoo-like dolls, but nothing was confirmed... Unless that’s what Celia Rees meant for it to be like... to make you think, to wonder...

Overall, Witch Child was a brilliantly written story with authentic, unique characters and an amazing plot. It was intense, addictive and ended with a horrible cliffhanger. Even though it’s written for 11+, I think everyone can enjoy the history in it!

Finally, a simple question:
Do you believe in magic?

[Charlotte Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the very mixed reviews on Goodreads, I found this book gripping, entertaining anda real page turner. Firstly, I was immediately drawn in by the cover. Usually I prefer books with illustrated covers, but I found that the photograph on this and the sepia tones really reflect the feel and atmostphere of the book.

With regards to the premise and the style of writing, this book contains diary entries written by Mary, the granddaughter of a witch, around 1659-1660. It is regarded as a children's book, being shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction prize in 2001, but I think it would definitely be suitable for a teenage or even adult audience also. As this book is not a work of fiction, more passages from an irregularly kept diary dating back from the colonial period, more commonly known as 'the Mary papers', I found some of the chapters very emotional and thought-provoking, as I knew they were based on reality.

I am finding it difficult to write a review for this book, as I honestly cannot fault it in any way. I loved the simplistic yet poetic writing style, the story that this girl lived and also the characters that she met along the way. 'Witch Child' by Celia Rees is a definite 5 out of 5 stars for me, and I would thoroughly recommend it to readers of any age, as I think it gives an important lesson in the superstitions and cruelties of human nature, and is a beautiful quick read.

[Beth Bonini · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a particularly compelling example of historical fiction. So compelling, in fact,that I think my students may well ask, "Is this real?" I have to continually explain that good fiction SHOULD convince you that "it" (the characters, the emotions, the storyline) is "real," but sometimes they find that concept confusing. Well, author Celia Rees does a terrific job of making you feel like a historian/anthropologist who has just discovered an amazing find: the diary of a young colonial girl which has been stitched into a quilt. Mary Newbury's story begins in Cromwellian England, and the action begins in the first chapter when Mary's grandmother is hanged for practising witchcraft. Mary is whisked away by a mysterious woman, and then given into the care of some Puritans who are sailing for the New World. Mary's grandmother has been a herbalist and healer, and Mary has learned -- and has need to practise -- some of these healing skills. Before long, though, whispers that she is a witch begin to undermine her tentative place in this new community.

Full of wonderful details, beautifully written, and possessing an interesting, consistent narrative voice, this is a story that should appeal to most female readers. Although Rees writes for young adults, this book has the sophistication to appeal to adult readers as well.

[Eliza Brittni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear Celia Rees
I think it’s cool how the book ended. The fact that the dairy isn’t finished at the end made it seem very realistic. I thought it was unfair how even though she came to the New World, she was recognized as a witch still. She had no family in England (so she was lead to believe) and came so she could start a better life. The people in the new world hated witches more than in England, thus making Mary have to be very careful. I didn’t understand why the other girls in town hated Mary so much. They watched her and blackmailed her, just to get what they wanted. Im glad Mary refused though. In the end when the girls said that Mary possessed them and when they tried to make it seem like she left the “witch items” in the forest was very insane. I really hope Mary went of with the Indians, they really liked her and I know she could have adapted there.

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

🐺🌗🔮

"Witch Child had been on my shelf for over a year until I finally picked it up and decided to read it. It’s a story about a girl named Mary that is a witch and the book is written in the format of her secret diary. It’s set in the 17th century where women were burned or hanged without any trials for the most simple suspicions of them being witches." (...)

👉 Read more of my review on my blog post -
https://nomuhjournal.wordpress.com/20...

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Galleggia!

In città vivono nove streghe, tre vestite di lana, tre vestite di stracci, tre del miglior velluto...

Inghilterra, 1659. La giovane Mary assiste all'impiccagione per stregoneria della nonna Alice Nuttall. Subito dopo viene aiutata da una giovane e graziosa donna che organizza la sua partenza verso il Nuovo Mondo insieme a un gruppo di puritani in fuga dall'Inghilterra.

Non aspettatevi un libro fantasy o horror sulle streghe. La stregoneria di cui parla Celia Rees è quella reale, per cui molte donne vennero uccise. Molte di esse avevano l'unica colpa di essere guaritrici, o comunque donne che vivevano del proprio lavoro e conducevano una vita diverse dalle timorate mogli dei loro compaesani.

Il viaggio della strega bambina è un libro femminista nel senso più bello del termine. L'autrice ci presenta una figura femminile ancora in fieri terribilmente segnata dall'uccisione della sola figura parentale di cui era a conoscenza. Mary è però una ragazza forte, e quando si rende conto che la sua unica speranza è il viaggio verso l'Inghilterra, travestita da puritana, fa di tutto per amalgamarsi al gruppo e crearsi una nuova vita.

Il libro parte lentamente, con la descrizione del lungo viaggio verso il Nuovo Mondo e le prime peripezie dei coloni, per poi prendere ritmo dalla metà in poi. Il ritmo lento e lo scarso numero di avvenimenti importanti non inficiano la bellezza del romanzo, scritto benissimo, in modo semplice e intenso. Questa intensità però a volte finisce con l'enfatizzare il comportamento di alcuni personaggi che però rimangono di contorno, dando la sensazione di voler giocare con il lettore. Attendo la lettura del secondo volume (Se io fossi una strega) per confermare o meno questo giudizio.

[The Bursting Bookshelf of a Wallflower · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

When her grandmother is accused for sorcery, Mary has to flee immediately. With the help of a mysterious woman, she is able to get on a boat that is leaving the continent for the New World. Living within a puritan settlement, Mary is however once again the target of hatred and persecution. Will her friends be able to protect her?

I have always been intersted in reading about the persecution of whiches and sorceres as one of the darkest chapters in human history and I remember that I enjoyed reading this book a lot as a teenager. Mary is an intriguing character and I desperately wanted to know all about her. Unfortunately, the story is focusing a lot on her travel over sea and on the settlement of the group of puritans. When the story is suddenly getting suspenseful, I had the feeling that the author rushed a little through it and the ending came much too fast!

Considering that the story is having an open end, the many important happening in the last few pages left me a little unsatisfied. After having read the reviews of the second installment of this series - which is supposed to wrap up the fate of Mary - I am however unsure if I am going to give the book a try. I guess that the little hints I got by reading the blurb and the reviews gave me all the information I wanted to have.

[Mia - · Rating 3 out of 5]

E' che mi son fatta delle domande e mi sono data delle risposte quando ho finito di leggerlo.

- L'ho finito!
- E ti è piaciuto?
- Mica tanto.
- E' scritto male?
- No, che c'entra, scritto male no, però ...
- Però?
- E' una scrittura un po' ridondante, capisco che ha a che fare con il periodo in cui è ambientato, metà del 1600 tra l'inghilterra e l'america, la caccia alle streghe, gli indiani, però ho fatto fatica.
- A te piacciono le streghe.
- Di brutto!
- Ma questo libro no?
- 'nsomma.
- Nemmeno un personaggio ti è piaciuto?
- Bha, li ho trovati un po' stereotipati, ma non sono costruiti male, sono riuscita a vederli e a sentirli.
- Vabbè, può succedere di leggere un libro e non trovarlo bello.
- Sì sì.
- Ne scegli un altro?
- Sì sì.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi piace il modo in cui la scrittrice Celia Rees ha "ricostruito" il diario della giovanissima Mary: dalla morte della "nonna" (accusata di stregoneria) fino all'arrivo nel Nuovo Mondo, dove gli insediamenti dei coloni sembrano non essere immuni dalle superstizioni del Vecchio Continente, gli eventi narrati sono più che credibili... e non si può non provare simpatia per Mary. Una strega, in fondo, non era nient'altro che una donna indipendente, non accecata dalla tradizione e dai formalismi, capace di leggere e scrivere e magari di guarire... Una lettura piacevole, forse poco impegnativa, ma in grado comunque di far riflettere. E questo non è poco per un libro destinato prevalentemente agli adolescenti.

[Jessaca Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s strange to read a book about witches, where the main character is a witch, and to only ever see magic twice (one of those times being 90% through the book).

Witch Child is solidly in the historical genre, and only mildly in paranormal, so if you’re looking for a story about witches, this ain’t it.

The only reason someone would ever want to read the journal of a witch is if there was mention of witchcraft or some cool sorceries. Mary’s journal though, is mostly about her migration to America and settling in a Puritan settlement. I might’ve actually liked the book more if it was classified as historical fiction instead of historical paranormal.

I was kind of angry about this book though. You don’t get to use the format of a journal, but then include conversations and dialogue as if it were in the present. Were she writing a diary, she’d write them in past tense, at the very least. I found the structure of the novel confusing and unrealistic.

At least the writing itself wasn’t terrible... I did enjoy the tone of Witch Child and felt the speech patterns were authentic to the time. It’s probably the only thing that saved this book from a two star rating.

[Elisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

In genere inizio le recensioni con una piccola citazione. Questa volta, però, non ho sottolineato niente. Non perché il libro non abbia note di merito, ma perché non è il frutto di una penna che scava nel groviglio della realtà districandone i nodi. Non è uno di quei libri in cui il lettore si ritrova ad annuire convinto e sente di potersi quasi specchiare sulla superficie della pagina. E' un libro che scorre tra le dita come un rosario di avvenimenti: grano dopo grano, evento dopo evento, si arriva alla fine del circolo, si aprono gli occhi e tutto è terminato.

E' la metà del 1600. La narratrice (e protagonista) è Mary, ragazzina inglese costretta a fuggire dall'Inghilterra a causa dell'accusa di stregoneria che ha trascinato sulla forca sua nonna materna e, per logica consequenzialità, ora dirige il suo naso sospettoso contro di lei. La destinazione è il Nuovo Mondo, unica speranza per chi come Mary deve abbandonare in fretta un'identità scomoda per poter sopravvivere. I suoi compagni di viaggio sono paradossalmente esponenti della stessa religione che ha rovinato la sua vita: la dittatura di Cromwell è agli sgoccioli, e il figlio del re assassinato dai puritani tornerà nel paese da un momento all'altro. La vita si preannuncia dura per i puritani che restano, soprattutto per gli Anziani che si resero complici dell'assassinio del re, considerato dai più come un sacrilegio. La stessa nave accoglie vittime e carnefici, desiderosi di riscatto e salvezza. Al momento dell'arrivo, però, la comunione dei desideri dei viaggiatori si incrina e si declina negli stessi meccanismi sociali di ostracismo e isolamento che hanno reso tanto famosi i puritani da un lato e dall'altro dell'Oceano.

I personaggi sono dipinti in modo frettoloso. La stessa protagonista è appena abbozzata, e alcuni elementi del suo racconto stonano nella lettura. Mary è una figura costruita per essere moderna: conosce le erbe mediche, riesce a distinguere le chiacchiere da comari e la superstizione dalla verità. Però vede nell'agire delle quattro ragazzine perfide del villaggio l'orma della stregoneria, e non lo fa per modo di dire. Potrebbe essere un simbolo per indicare che la vera stregoneria sta nella cattiveria umana, ma Mary quando la sua amica ha le doglie prima del tempo osserva con sospetto la ragazzina che stritola tra le mani la sua bambola come nei riti voodoo. Perché ciò che non vale per un personaggio deve valere per l'altro, solo perché è uno degli anti-eroi? Insomma, si predica la liberazione dalla superstizione per tingere le pagine della stessa superstizione.
La figura della madre, poi, figura di passaggio nella prima parte, riemerge a tratti nella narrazione senza alcun nesso logico. Mary ha il potere della divinazione, riesce a vedere il futuro e il passato (anche se lo fa una volta sola). La nonna era un'esperta di erbe mediche e praticava la divinazione attraverso la classica interpretazione delle foglie galleggianti in un bicchiere d'acqua (in tutte le sue varianti). La logica porterebbe a pensare che sia un dono ereditato dalla nonna, ma lei è sicura: "Questo viene da mia madre, che è più potente". Ottima conclusione, ma perché? Il lettore vorrebbe sapere qualcosa di più, su cosa basi questa convinzione, dato che hai visto tua madre una volta e - con una rapidità strabiliante, potevamo non inventare il test del DNA - hai capito chi era grazie al colore dei suoi occhi?

La frase che compare in copertina per spronare il lettore impaurito all'acquisto recita: "Un romanzo scritto con intelligenza, uno stile raffinato, un ritmo incalzante, ricostruisce magistralmente gli aspetti psicologici e storici della caccia alle streghe" (The Guardian). Ecco, magari il giornalista del Guardian dovrebbe tenersi la pallottola del "magistralmente" per prede migliori.

Il succo del romanzo è: l'uomo è più propenso a vedere il male fuori da sé che nella propria testa. Anche nel momento in cui la sua ipocrisia diventa palpabile, la strada della ragione viene spesso abbandonata per la più comoda piazzola dell'accusa indiscriminata. E' quello che accade ai personaggi di questo romanzo che si rivolgono alle esperte di erbe per curare i propri cari. Il consulto viene venerato se risulta benefico, ma se la cura non sortisce i suoi effetti la colpa della malattia stessa frana sul curatore, seppellendolo.

La parte che maggiormente ho apprezzato è stata quella relativa a Penna Azzurra. Mi è sembrato il personaggio disegnato con più precisione. I suoi movimenti silenziosi, la sua completa unione e commistione con la natura che gli permette di godere dei suoi frutti senza turbarne l'equilibrio. La libertà della ghiandaia si staglia nitidamente contro la rigidità dei cappelli alti come campanili sotto cui si rintanano i puritani, con la loro prepotenza nel scacciare le fedi altrui per imporre col pugno di ferro la loro versione della verità. Il mondo indigeno guerreggia ideologicamente con quello puritano anche per quanto riguarda la figura della donna: Aquila Bianca dà un nome a Mary associando il suo sguardo fiero a quello del lupo, lo stesso sguardo che la ragazza deve tenere basso nella vita in comunità per non attirare su di sé l'odio del potente reverendo Johnson.

E' un libro a tratti piacevole, anche se ammetto di essermi annoiata per una buona parte della lettura. Dà spunti di riflessione, ma li lascia lì, sospesi, e sta a te coglierli e ricavarne il succo. Una lettura attiva, certo, ma in genere da un libro magistrale ci si aspetta di non dover ricavare da soli le riflessioni sulla vicenda, anche perché altrimenti Celia Rees avrebbe potuto consegnarci la coperta in cui è nascosto il manoscritto e dirci: "Qui c'è il materiale, ricavane qualcosa. Buon lavoro!".

[Julia (Pages for Thoughts) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The format to make Witch Child a diary was very clever. As the writing felt so true and innocent, I was shocked to find out after googling that Mary Newbury actually did not exist. The air of mystery surrounding her was magnificent, and I love the uncertainty behind whether or not she is actually a witch. Some of the instances in which she has "powers" seem to be hasty judgements on the part of the townspeople- but then towards the end of the book I started to really believe that she does truly have magical powers.

Something else I loved was the whole topic of the Witch Trials themselves. I enjoyed how clearly this book showcased some of the cruel attitudes of society and their stereotypes regarding outsiders. Those days were no stranger to prejudice and discrimination, and I loved those themes. There were certainly some creepy scenes near the end, and I loved the paranormal climax! The author has major talent in building suspense.

However, I did have some issues with Witch Child. In many instances the plot felt weak and at an almost boring standstill. Many themes were slightly underdeveloped. It was also difficult understand at times, and near the end, almost too bizarre. While I did enjoy the mystery of whether or not Mary is written to have powers, it made the text slightly confusing as the author's note at the end and introduction made it seem nonfiction. I think Rees could have made what genre Witch Child is more clearly.

You can see this review and more at https://pagesforthoughts.blogspot.com...