Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this! It’s hard for me to review it without spoilers, but I’ll try to share some of what I liked without giving anything away. First of all, basic plot line without spoilers: it’s about a young woman in 17th Century Boston who petitions the court for a divorce from her abusive husband and gets accused of witchcraft. Since I am a big fan of uppity women, I was predisposed to like Mary Deerfield. Mary isn’t uppity, mind you, she knows her own mind and doesn’t take kindly to condescension, and doesn’t think she should be forced to maintain silence in the face of falsehood, slander, or injustice. So she doesn’t. In other words, “uppity,” by 17th Century pilgrim standards.
I’m no scholar of 17th Century New England culture, but from my admittedly superficial knowledge (hey, I read The Scarlet Letter), Hour of the Witch feels like a reasonably accurate representation of the time and place. So I appreciate the historical accuracy, and the ability to delve into what it must have been like for women to live in a society where speaking up and displaying any kind of capability or knowledge could get them killed. There were several sympathetic and likable characters, a few bad guys, and the ones who get caught up in a system where rocking the boat could get them killed as well. Mary’s plight grabbed my sympathy and I was rooting for her every step of the way. The double standards and hypocrisy and difficulties faced by women who just want to live their lives with dignity and autonomy feel extremely relevant in the here and now. I’m not sure we’ve really progressed as much as we’d like to think since the time when women could be killed for being witches based on hearsay and suspicion.
I’m no scholar of 17th Century New England culture, but from my admittedly superficial knowledge (hey, I read The Scarlet Letter), Hour of the Witch feels like a reasonably accurate representation of the time and place. So I appreciate the historical accuracy, and the ability to delve into what it must have been like for women to live in a society where speaking up and displaying any kind of capability or knowledge could get them killed. There were several sympathetic and likable characters, a few bad guys, and the ones who get caught up in a system where rocking the boat could get them killed as well. Mary’s plight grabbed my sympathy and I was rooting for her every step of the way. The double standards and hypocrisy and difficulties faced by women who just want to live their lives with dignity and autonomy feel extremely relevant in the here and now. I’m not sure we’ve really progressed as much as we’d like to think since the time when women could be killed for being witches based on hearsay and suspicion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An unputdownable thriller, a mystery and a positive empowering statement about the connections among women rolled into one. Along the way also an atmospheric evocation of early colonial Boston. Very well done. First book I read by this author, will definitely look for more.
Second time reading this book. I highly suggest the audiobook as it is read by the author's daughter. This work of fiction makes you question the validity of the witch trials of the 17th century. Could the witch trials have been a cover for "inconvenient marriages" and/or "unmanageable wives"? A reminder that history is typically viewed through the victor's lens.
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There was so much assault in this book I almost had to stop listening
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Instances of abuse and rape, so take care of yourself and know that.
Good historical fiction. Kind of slow. Good character development.
Good historical fiction. Kind of slow. Good character development.
Mary Deerfield requests a divorce from an abusive husband and becomes a pariah of the community.
Probably not for some, but I enjoyed it. Learning plausible ways in which women subvert the patriarchy in olden times is fascinating to me.
Yes, the thees and thines are awkward but I got used to them.
Yes, the constant references to the devil's tines bog the pacing down, but it literally represents the Evil in this book, which, you kno, is germaine to witch trials.
My biggest criticism was the resolving agent at the end kind of swoops in a little too abruptly for my taste. It was there all along, but I wish there had been more of a will it/won't it throughout the narrative.
Probably not for some, but I enjoyed it. Learning plausible ways in which women subvert the patriarchy in olden times is fascinating to me.
Yes, the thees and thines are awkward but I got used to them.
Yes, the constant references to the devil's tines bog the pacing down, but it literally represents the Evil in this book, which, you kno, is germaine to witch trials.
My biggest criticism was the resolving agent at the end kind of swoops in a little too abruptly for my taste. It was there all along, but I wish there had been more of a will it/won't it throughout the narrative.