The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
A spellbinding, beautifully written novel that moves between contemporary times and one of the most fascinating and disturbing periods in American history - the Salem witch trials.
Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she can't refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest-to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.
As the pieces of Deliverance's harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past then she could have ever imagined.
Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the witch trials of the 1690s and a modern woman's story of mystery, intrigue, and revelation.
Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she can't refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest-to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.
As the pieces of Deliverance's harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past then she could have ever imagined.
Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the witch trials of the 1690s and a modern woman's story of mystery, intrigue, and revelation.
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Community Reviews
This book caught my attention a few months back when I saw the author interviewed on the Borders website. The author's own history of being a double-descendant of women who were accused in the Salem witch trials made me more interested in seeing what this book was about. One day day when wandering around the Book section of Target, I saw the book and remembered that I was curious about it.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I thought, being a academic research type of book, that it would be a little dry and boring. But Howe works the history in with the storyline so well that I found myself becoming more engrossed in the story as I read on. I would say that the story unfolded gently. The pacing was not too fast, not too slow, and each new revelation whetted my appetite for more.
The book took a slight turn to the paranormal, not unsurprisingly, toward the end, and offered interesting viewpoints about time period. In some ways, the book reminded me of the recent tv show WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? which showed celebrities tracing their lineage back in time. This book is not quite like that, as the main character Connie Goodwin is not researching her family history, but information for her doctorate dissertation -- and happens on her own connection to the research somewhat inadvertently.
The journey goes through some triumphs and setbacks, culminating in discovery provided a fascinating read that I would recommend for those who are fascinated by history and/or genealogy.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I thought, being a academic research type of book, that it would be a little dry and boring. But Howe works the history in with the storyline so well that I found myself becoming more engrossed in the story as I read on. I would say that the story unfolded gently. The pacing was not too fast, not too slow, and each new revelation whetted my appetite for more.
The book took a slight turn to the paranormal, not unsurprisingly, toward the end, and offered interesting viewpoints about time period. In some ways, the book reminded me of the recent tv show WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? which showed celebrities tracing their lineage back in time. This book is not quite like that, as the main character Connie Goodwin is not researching her family history, but information for her doctorate dissertation -- and happens on her own connection to the research somewhat inadvertently.
The journey goes through some triumphs and setbacks, culminating in discovery provided a fascinating read that I would recommend for those who are fascinated by history and/or genealogy.
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