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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Guess what everyone, this book made me remember that I friggen LOVE a good historical fiction, and that’s what this is baby!
medium-paced
Entertaining book about a Puritan woman in Boston who tries to divorce her husband and then is accused of witchcraft. I enjoyed this and thoroughly liked the protagonist. Kept me guessing until the end.
Meet Mary Deerfield, 24 year old Puritan women living in Boston in 1662. Daughter of an importer and wife to a powerful, violent mill owner. When Mary's father brings a three tined utensil to her, all the rage in Europe,her life drastically changes. Mary's husband in a fit of rage, stabs her hand, breaking bones, she mysteriously find the utensils suspiciously placed in their property. Trying to escape a horrid marriage and the rumors of witch, Mary does all she can to keep from the gallows.
Historical fiction with a mix of thriller aspects, "The Hour of the Witch" is the summer read that I needed. I certainly didn't expect myself to be picking up a book about Puritan women in the 1600's but after finishing this book, I'm certainly glad I did. I will note, that the book was slow building but if you are patient, it definitely paid off. I did find the ending a little predictable but nonetheless an enjoyable book about a topic I really didn't think I'd love. 4 stars, Audio.
Historical fiction with a mix of thriller aspects, "The Hour of the Witch" is the summer read that I needed. I certainly didn't expect myself to be picking up a book about Puritan women in the 1600's but after finishing this book, I'm certainly glad I did. I will note, that the book was slow building but if you are patient, it definitely paid off. I did find the ending a little predictable but nonetheless an enjoyable book about a topic I really didn't think I'd love. 4 stars, Audio.
I worked for a divorce lawyer for several years, so I was quite fascinated by the Puritans version of divorce proceedings. I also enjoyed some of the historical environment of Puritan Boston in 1662. However, I will warn you as a woman, I found this to be a difficult read with regards to women’s place in society and the acceptable treatment thereof. However, that was history and I take no issue with the way it was portrayed. My main issue with the story, aside from the fact that I thought the perpetrator was a little too obvious, had to do with the main character Mary and her preoccupation with men throughout the story.
I hope I’m not stereotyping victims, but I find Mary’s attraction to various men in this story to be unrealistic? Is that the right word? Odd, for sure. She has an abusive husband. He throws her into the hearth and the very next day she’s thinking about how sexy her son-in-law is. Jealous of her daughter-in-law, Peregrine, because she has a young husband who doesn’t appear to abuse her, okay that I buy or even if she thought he might save her, ok? But that doesn’t seem to be what this is. Then after her husband stabs her in the hand with a fork, a few days later, she’s going on about the attractiveness of her parent’s good friend’s nephew. It’s all very odd and I just think it’s misplaced in the story. I find it very odd that a woman that is being abused by a man and is living in an oppressive society towards women and her in particular, would think about her attraction to so many different men (she seems to describe every man she comes into contact with on the basis of his attractiveness) to the point of distraction from her circumstances. If she’s not viewing them as saviors, it just doesn’t make any sense to me. She’s intelligent and has no problem speaking up for herself, to her own detriment at times, so I’m unsure as to why there was all this focus on how attractive all the men were. I found it distracting.
I hope I’m not stereotyping victims, but I find Mary’s attraction to various men in this story to be unrealistic? Is that the right word? Odd, for sure. She has an abusive husband. He throws her into the hearth and the very next day she’s thinking about how sexy her son-in-law is. Jealous of her daughter-in-law, Peregrine, because she has a young husband who doesn’t appear to abuse her, okay that I buy or even if she thought he might save her, ok? But that doesn’t seem to be what this is. Then after her husband stabs her in the hand with a fork, a few days later, she’s going on about the attractiveness of her parent’s good friend’s nephew. It’s all very odd and I just think it’s misplaced in the story. I find it very odd that a woman that is being abused by a man and is living in an oppressive society towards women and her in particular, would think about her attraction to so many different men (she seems to describe every man she comes into contact with on the basis of his attractiveness) to the point of distraction from her circumstances. If she’s not viewing them as saviors, it just doesn’t make any sense to me. She’s intelligent and has no problem speaking up for herself, to her own detriment at times, so I’m unsure as to why there was all this focus on how attractive all the men were. I found it distracting.
A real page turner!!!
The author did a great job with the story and giving a look inside a witch trial. I highly recommend this book.
The author did a great job with the story and giving a look inside a witch trial. I highly recommend this book.