Witchy Woman


Witches. Salem. It all just is so Halloween-ish, we can hardly stand it.

Back at the beginning of June this year, the publisher Voice released this Katherine Howe book called The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, a competent novel about a New England graduate student in history who stumbles upon a reference to a heretofore unknown book of spells from the era of the Salem witch trials.

The novel fluctuates between the present-day digging of Connie, the likable graduate student in question and flashbacks to Deliverance Dane, the colonial author of this book of spells.

Now we've read some "meh" reviews of this one, but to tell the truth, A Reader's Respite really enjoyed the novel. We recognize that it won't be winning the Booker Prize, but the story was engaging and plausible. We especially enjoyed Howe's treatment of the Salem "witches."

The paperback version of this book is due to be released on April 5th. In our opinion, if the publisher had any sense at all, they'd wait until October 1 of next year for that release. But what do we know?

Anyway, if you're in the mood for a non-gory, Halloween-ish, witchy, American historical fiction read this holiday, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane might just fit the bill. Keep it in mind.
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19 comments:

  1. Sandy NawrotOctober 23, 2009 at 2:05 AM

    I remember this summer when the book came out, I'd heard loads about it online, then saw where GMA pronounced it one of their picks for best summer reading. So I ordered it on my Kindle, and there it sits. I'd meant to read it for RIP, but I just never got to it. I'm still hoping to get to it soon. I like the premise!

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  2. MicheleOctober 23, 2009 at 2:25 AM

    Sandy - I have so many damned books just sitting on my kindle unread it's pathetic. It's as if I keep those books for when I run out of "real" books, LOL.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 23, 2009 at 4:10 AM

    I haven't read anything related to Salem and the witch trials recently , I might give this a try. But I ll wait for the paperback to release :)

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  4. A Bookshelf MonstrosityOctober 23, 2009 at 5:50 AM

    I've been eyeing this one for awhile-think it sounds really interesting. Thanks for your review :)

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  5. Jen - devourer of booksOctober 23, 2009 at 6:36 AM

    I really liked this book too. Maybe it wasn't mind-blowingly fantastic, but I was running errands the day I was reading it and each time I got somewhere new I'd pick it up and read a few pages before going in the store, it captivated me that much.

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  6. KathleenOctober 23, 2009 at 6:51 AM

    I think I would enjoy this one. I've always been fascinated by the whole Salem witch thing and the parallel modern story sounds interesting too!

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  7. nomadreaderOctober 23, 2009 at 7:30 AM

    I've read mixed reviews of this, but our tastes are usually rather similar, and somewhere in my never ending pile of ARCs, I have this one. Perhaps I'll have to pull it out. Thanks!

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  8. UnknownOctober 23, 2009 at 7:31 AM

    I thought this was OK, but I kept getting frustrated by how stupid Connie was. She is supposed to be a post-graduate student, but she came across like a 10-year-old. I predicted everything in advance, which was slightly disapointed for a mystery book. I'm pleased that you enjoyed it a bit more than me - I can see it is a great Halloween read.

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  9. bermudaonionOctober 23, 2009 at 8:52 AM

    The reviews for this one do seem to be all over the place, but I have a feeling I'll like it. (I have the same problem with my Kindle books.)

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  10. Celticlady's ReviewsOctober 23, 2009 at 9:25 AM

    I also read this book this summer an really liked it...

    here is my review...

    http://celticladysramblings.blogspot.com/2009/10/physick-book-of-deliverance-dane-by.html

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  11. Jo-JoOctober 23, 2009 at 1:57 PM

    This book has definitely caught my attention. I find this time period very interesting.

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  12. AnnaOctober 23, 2009 at 5:20 PM

    Non-gory and Halloween-ish? Sounds like my kind of book. Thanks for the recommendation!

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

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  13. Beth FOctober 23, 2009 at 7:16 PM

    I've had this since its ARC days. I really must get to it! I know I'll like it.

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  14. KailanaOctober 23, 2009 at 11:14 PM

    lol The title made me think of the Eagles instead of the actual subject of the book. :)

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  15. The Book ResortOctober 24, 2009 at 1:12 AM

    I really want to read this one & now even more 'cause of you ;].

    Thanks, Michele.

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  16. Holly (2 Kids and Tired)October 24, 2009 at 10:06 AM

    I really want to read this one. Love your review!

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  17. JoanneOctober 24, 2009 at 10:17 AM

    I read and reviewed this book over the summer and found aspects of the story to be very compelling. I agree--it wasn't fabulous (didn't care for the present-day romance storyline), but the evident historical research was interesting and made the book a worthwhile read.

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  18. AnonymousOctober 27, 2009 at 10:21 AM

    I have this sitting on my shelf. I should pull it down soon.

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  19. LibraryGirlOctober 27, 2009 at 6:37 PM

    I received this one as an ARC from the Barnes & Noble First Look program and enjoyed it a great deal.

    It was very different from the other books I was reading at that time and I think that made it even more appealing to me.

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