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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
Not entirely coherent for me all the time, but still a haunting portrayal of the minds of the girls who led one of the most haunting events in US history 3.9/5
3 1/2 stars - mostly because it really took me a long time to get into the book. I had a difficult time figuring out who was talking for about the first third of the book. Once I got into the rhythm of it, it was not too bad a read. I am unconvinced her theory of why the girls did what they did is the correct one. But its an interesting read on an almost unbelievable historical event.
conceptually promising, but in practice?
This book was better than I initially remember it being. There are some more realistic/serious themes to the story than the first read brought. The verse is beautiful and I actually read it the way poetry is supposed to be read making it a much better quality in language.
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:
Yes
I liked this in that it realistically portrayed just how young these girls were. Most of the retelling I'm familiar with describe the girls as manipulative and cruel when really, they were so oppressed this was the only way they could find to get any attention. I also enjoyed the adoration Ann Putnam Jr. had for their families servant, Mercy Watson, and the "affliction" started as a way to get her attention. It was an interesting twist on an historical event I have read about over and over again and continue to come back to.
Although the topic was quite interesting it just wasn't that great a story. The ending was sudden and unfinished.
This took some time to get into and I wonder if readers without any background knowledge of the Witch Trials will be able to follow along. It was very engrossing once you gave it enough time and the free verse style is a really interesting technique for storytelling.
Grade 8 and up.
Grade 8 and up.
Stephanie Hemphill is certainly no Arthur Miller. I started reading this with the thought to recommend it to my junior students as a high interest young adult version of The Crucible, but this retelling of the Salem Witch Trials is was less compelling than Miller's play and might actually cause my students to LOSE interest. Alas.
I really wanted to like this book, and there has and continues to be a lot of buzz about it, but I just found the novel to be boring. I didn't like any of the characters except one, and I felt that the book was moving slowly.