Reviews with content warning for Infertility - Hour of the Witch

Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian

23 reviews

themomwithabook's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Review of Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is 24-years old and the second wife of Thomas Deerfield. Thomas’ late wife unexpectedly died from a horse accident. When Mary and Thomas wed, she had no idea of his rage, nor the extent of his power. Often drunk, one night Thomas takes a fork and stabs it through the back of Mary’s hand. Knowing that if she continues to live with Thomas and may end up like his late wife, Mary petitions for a divorce. But in a time where men treat women as property and condescendingly; and a time where everyone fears possession of the devil - Mary ends up having to defend herself from accusations of being a witch. Hour of the Witch is a tale of survival. It’s a witch hunt in the truest sense but Mary has to find a way not only to end her marriage, but to avoid the gallows as well.

This historical fiction novel paints a vivid picture of what life was likely like during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. I mean - it’s patriarchy at its finest. White men who hold all the power, authority, social privilege, and influence; and the women who hardly have any rights, let alone a voice. While the story starts off a little slow, it picks up with this ominous tension that remains throughout the entire book. The cruelty described and the unfairness of it all was so frustrating. I can’t imagine having lived in that time with all the injustices and repression women faced. And yet for some reason, something about the era of the Salem Witch Trials has always fascinated me. Bohjalian is a wonderful storyteller in that he finds ways to teach readers about a time period while also pulling them into a new world. Hour of the Witch does just that. It’s captivating and descriptive. Bohjalian brought to life a period in time where rumors and accusations were absurdly believed and something seemingly innocuous quickly appeared duplicitous and worthy of standing trial.

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Domestic abuse; Infertility

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henrygravesprince's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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kb_sherman's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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kimveach's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a fascinating look at one of the first divorce cases in 1600s Boston amongst the Puritans. While the book was slower-paced than his contemporary novels, I still had a hard time putting it down.

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haileybones's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Hour of the Witch intrigued me from the moment I saw its cover in a pre-release promotional e-mail. The setting and premise called to mind a film that captivated my imagination - The Witch (2015) - and I was intrigued. With trials, historical setting, and religious themes? Sign me up!

But instead of a supernatural suspense, Hour of the Witch is part family drama, part procedural, and part crime solving with a bland (at best) main character whose values reflect the modern era more than Colonial Boston. The setting itself was underutilized and underdeveloped. There is little in the way of rich description or historical context, even though the novel is quite lengthy.

The main source of tension is between Mary and her husband, Thomas, who abuses her with enough plausible deniability that she is powerless to stop it. After asking for divorce and being accused of witchcraft on tenuous circumstantial evidence, she is forced to prove both her husband's guilt and her own innocence. Over two court proceedings, we follow Mary's many attempts to assert agency in her life.

Mary herself was a frustrating character to read. We are assured of her intelligence and kindness, but she constantly takes unnecessary risks with obvious, potentially life-ending consequences for herself and those associated with her. She schemes and plots carefully for months to

kill Thomas

, then backs out at the last minute and is suddenly careless with the evidence. Her

romance with Henry Simmons

is extremely underdeveloped and feels like a deus ex machina to

get her out of the colony and have a long-desired baby

The "twists" throughout were pretty predictable if you're familiar with

abusive family systems

and the time period. I was instantly suspicious that

Thomas had killed his first wife

and knew what was going on as soon as

Peregrine's apples turned out to be poisoned

. I mean, I guess I have serious

Daddy Issues™

myself, so maybe I was more on the ball than your average reader?

By the end, each facet of the mystery has been neatly solved, its culprit given comeuppance, and the solution spoon fed to the reader, wrapped in a tidy bow by an all-too-happy epilogue that would have felt more at home in a romance novel than a historical thriller. Yawn.

The book is too long, the pacing is slow, and the cast and plot themselves could have been tightened significantly. I'd advise a library borrow before clicking "Add to Cart".

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heyyy_rach's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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syche's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I have always enjoyed Chris Bohjalian’s writing but it’s been a while since I’ve read one of his books—this was a nice return to his style. Super engaging, very detailed. I’m going to have to see what else of his I’ve missed over the last few years.

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