Reviews

Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian

nschwaben's review against another edition

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dark informative sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

takumo_n's review

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5.0

Loved this. Historical fiction that starts as a drama of a abused wife in the mid 17th century. She wants a divorce, and is declared a witch from the town's people. Then it becomes a court procedural, with incredible suspense and twists. Then a thriller, with a little romance. It just fantastic.

gbarrocas's review

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tense slow-paced

3.5

It was fine.

iceangel32's review against another edition

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4.0

This book had a slow start. I showed how little women in Boston in 1662 had, they were thought of almost the same and the indentured however they were honored to have children. Any woman that had a voice or saw how they were treated where concerned as wrong and that is what the first part of the book was about. In 1662 with witch hunting starting the Hartford and coning to Boston, an woman with a voice, any woman that stood up for herself was considered a witch. This is what happened to Mary Deerfield. Poor woman abused by her husband and then the unspeakable. But the ending, the slow start was worth the ending. Overall a great book. Glad I stuck through it, glad I picked it up (if I can still say that for an audiobook).

sromain's review

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5.0

Really enjoyed this book. The author did a good job portraying the mentality of the time period and had an unexpected twist at the end. Very good read.

shareen17's review

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4.0

Such an immediately immersive and suspenseful story of a Puritan woman in 1600's Boston. Women of the day were in a very precarious position when their safety was in question or when they wanted any independence. I thought the author did a great job of being in the mindset of a religious woman of the time.

sargar114's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kikitiando's review

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4.0

I was honestly surprised at how much I enjoyed this read. This assumes one can enjoy injustices against women from a bygone era.

I thought it was a well-written mystery. A fabulous blend that left me angry and curious and fascinated the way you might be staring at a train wreck.

The most I know about the Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials comes from a hazy memory of reading The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible in high school so I appreciated the insights this book offered.

I had been worried it would be more along the lines of an Anne Rice book, but it was nothing of the sort. It was a mystery that happen to include witchcraft and definitely worth the read.

kurumipanda's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-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? No

3.0

kat5zing's review

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4.0

Quick read— wanted a little more from it and it definitely got better as it went along. 3.5