Getting past the unusual design of the book, I found Connie's and Deliverance's stories very interesting. This is a fiction novel that has some historical facts about the Salem witch trials. I was expecting the historical element, but the suspense element was a nice surprise. Connie is working on her dissertation and comes across an old "recipe" book that connects her to the past and to Deliverance Dane, an accused Salem witch. Little does Connie know that the book will put her in danger as well. ( )

Nice read! At times it was difficult to pronounce the heavy Boston accent while reading, I thought this was an interesting and easy read. Nicely written! I'll definitely check out Katherine Howe in the future! ( )

This book is about the salem witch trials. It was very entertaining and worth reading. ( )

The main character was a little too slow for my tastes. I knew more about American colonialism than she did and she was a grad student! The story was also very predictable although I enjoyed the historical aspects. ( )

This pretty-looking book was urged upon me by a fellow LTer 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. ( )