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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Meh. I understand the Witch Trials were also ridiculous in real life, but I struggled with Mary’s thought processes and decision making. This made it hard to relate to her. I also didn’t love the ending with the daughter - seemed too far fetched. Overall the story was well written, just probably not for me.
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not a quick read, but classic Bohjalian, total immersion in character, place and time, an absolute escape. The ending will keep you guessing. I stayed up till the witching hour of midnight to finish this much to my husband's dismay, could not put the last 50 pages down.
Dare I call this a more contemporary take on the Scarlet letter with a Salem witch trial twist?A kind of Puritan metoo? I love this male author's feminism, which also rang through in his novel Midwives. Bohjalian's writes incredibly from the female perspective, oh if all our men could be so evolved.
Dare I call this a more contemporary take on the Scarlet letter with a Salem witch trial twist?A kind of Puritan metoo? I love this male author's feminism, which also rang through in his novel Midwives. Bohjalian's writes incredibly from the female perspective, oh if all our men could be so evolved.
Ugh. I hate giving a 3 star rating to one of my favorite authors, but I just wasn't in love with this novel.
The setting is New England in the 1660's - think the Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials. The story itself was not bad, but the courtroom drama and the use of the word "Prithee" in every sentence (not really, but it seemed like it) sort of made the middle 200 pages of the book drag on. At one point I thought -- do I even care how this ends?
The last 100 pages saved the novel. In true Bohjalian fashion, the ending was full of twists that I did not see coming. If there could have been more of this, I'd have loved this book.
It did get me to thinking about two things:
1) How blessed I am to live in 21st century America as a woman who can own things and say things and do mostly as I please.
2) How will people 300 years from now look back on our writing and be annoyed with the conversational language of our time?
The setting is New England in the 1660's - think the Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials. The story itself was not bad, but the courtroom drama and the use of the word "Prithee" in every sentence (not really, but it seemed like it) sort of made the middle 200 pages of the book drag on. At one point I thought -- do I even care how this ends?
The last 100 pages saved the novel. In true Bohjalian fashion, the ending was full of twists that I did not see coming. If there could have been more of this, I'd have loved this book.
It did get me to thinking about two things:
1) How blessed I am to live in 21st century America as a woman who can own things and say things and do mostly as I please.
2) How will people 300 years from now look back on our writing and be annoyed with the conversational language of our time?
I am in awe of Bohjalian's versatility as a writer, his books cover a wide range of topics, from current events to historical periods. While this may not be my favorite of his novels, it kept me entertained and I felt a wide range of emotions as I read it. I thought the ending was a bit unrealistic but it was satisfying.
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Old style language which was slow to read at times but halfway through the story started picking up. Good ending!
Very uneven—the ending was strange.
I liked the glimpse into life in early Boston.
I liked the glimpse into life in early Boston.
This was fine but definitely not the best by this author.
After reading reviews of this book, I was concerned that the violence would be too intense for me, and it almost was. I was considering giving up about 50 pages in. The protagonist's husband is indeed a monster, but I'm glad I carried on. This is great historical fiction, my favorite genre.