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A review by ellianamaselli
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
5.0
review for 9th read
reasons you should read this book:
1) this book has Nat Eaton.
2) if you have any heart at all, the final chapter will probably make you squeal like a giddy schoolgirl.
3) this book has a very pretty, head-strong sailor boy.
4) this book has John Holbrook (particularly in the context of the second-cutest romance ever).
5) this book has a handsome, roguish love interest who regularly puts himself at risk for the sake of others.
6) this book has Hannah Tupper.
7) BONUS: this book has Nat Eaton.
18,000,000/5 stars.
review for 6th, 7th, & 8th reads (yes, really)
All my life, my dad has decorated his bedroom with It's a Wonderful Life posters, decorations, etc. We have a whole-ass display case in our living room filled with a porcelain snow village from the movie, as well as books, magazines, ornaments, mugs, and just about anything else you can think of that fits with the theme. We had the same kind of thing in our game room growing up, but instead of It's a Wonderful Life, that room was Muppet themed.
My dad and I are a lot alike. And while I don't hyper-fixate on It's a Wonderful Life or the Muppets, I have my own special interests. One of them is the band Flyleaf. The other, this book.
When it comes to this book, I am a weak, weak woman.
Every time I open this book it feels like home. From the characters to the romance to Hannah's cottage, this book is absolute perfection. (And that's a huge claim coming from me.) If you don't believe me, just look at my "Dates Read."
I have not read any other book more than maybe three times. Eight times is just ridiculous. My friends think I have a problem. My family has been forced to accept my obsession just as they accepted my dads'. That alone should be enough to make you want to read this book. But if you're still somehow deciding, let me break it down for you:
Katherine ("Kit") Tyler is a sixteen-year-old girl from Barbados. After her wealthy grandfather's death, she flees to the only family she has—a family of four in Puritan Connecticut. When Kit arrives in Connecticut, she quickly discovers that she is completely out of place in the solemn Puritan colony.
One day, as she laments this (yes, I use dramatic words like "lament" for dramatic effect because it is, in fact, dramatic), she meets Hannah, an old Quaker woman on the edge of town, who has been repeatedly accused of witchcraft and thus shunned by the community. As she grows closer to Hannah, Kit also grows closer to Nat Eaton, a (sexy) sea-faring friend of Hannah's and crew member on the very ship Kit took to arrive in Connecticut.
Finally, Kit begins teaching Prudence, a neglected and, dare I say, abused little girl, to read and write. Kit introduces Prudence to the others, and pretty soon, the four outcasts develop close friendships with one another.
You could go on and on about the social commentary, the romance, blah-blah-blah. But at its core, this book is about four misfits who find each other and become, as Anne Shirley would put it, "bosom friends." It's heartfelt, and every time I finish it, I want to cry. Not because it's sad, but because it's just precious. If that sounds like something you'd like, I implore you to please read this book.
review for 3rd & 4th reads
Ok, y’all, I’ve read this book four times and it’s still so absolutely FANTASTIC. I take back my previous rating of 4.5. This is a five-star book. I would give it 6 if I could like it’s THAT GOOD.
It’s so good, in fact, that after finishing my third read through it (about a week and a half ago), I immediately went back and read it AGAIN because I couldn’t get the darned book out of my head.
I totally get why some people don’t like this book... it’s not a genre that’s for everyone. But I love every moment of it. As long as you like classics, historical fiction, and romance, you’ll probably love this. And I will never fail to recommend it to people who like those genres.
Please, please, please, if you like sweet, comforting classics/romances and historical fiction, read this. It’s THAT GOOD.
———————————————————————-
review for 2nd read
4.5 | OK so I read this in like 5th grade but I didn’t remember anything.
Now, I don’t usually like historical fiction but reading this again, I was amazed. The characters, romances, and friendships in this were just precious. Gosh, it was good. I just wish we’d gotten an epilogue. But otherwise, I adored it. I’ll definitely be reading this again.
reasons you should read this book:
1) this book has Nat Eaton.
2) if you have any heart at all, the final chapter will probably make you squeal like a giddy schoolgirl.
3) this book has a very pretty, head-strong sailor boy.
4) this book has John Holbrook (particularly in the context of the second-cutest romance ever).
5) this book has a handsome, roguish love interest who regularly puts himself at risk for the sake of others.
6) this book has Hannah Tupper.
7) BONUS: this book has Nat Eaton.
18,000,000/5 stars.
review for 6th, 7th, & 8th reads (yes, really)
All my life, my dad has decorated his bedroom with It's a Wonderful Life posters, decorations, etc. We have a whole-ass display case in our living room filled with a porcelain snow village from the movie, as well as books, magazines, ornaments, mugs, and just about anything else you can think of that fits with the theme. We had the same kind of thing in our game room growing up, but instead of It's a Wonderful Life, that room was Muppet themed.
My dad and I are a lot alike. And while I don't hyper-fixate on It's a Wonderful Life or the Muppets, I have my own special interests. One of them is the band Flyleaf. The other, this book.
When it comes to this book, I am a weak, weak woman.
Every time I open this book it feels like home. From the characters to the romance to Hannah's cottage, this book is absolute perfection. (And that's a huge claim coming from me.) If you don't believe me, just look at my "Dates Read."
I have not read any other book more than maybe three times. Eight times is just ridiculous. My friends think I have a problem. My family has been forced to accept my obsession just as they accepted my dads'. That alone should be enough to make you want to read this book. But if you're still somehow deciding, let me break it down for you:
Katherine ("Kit") Tyler is a sixteen-year-old girl from Barbados. After her wealthy grandfather's death, she flees to the only family she has—a family of four in Puritan Connecticut. When Kit arrives in Connecticut, she quickly discovers that she is completely out of place in the solemn Puritan colony.
One day, as she laments this (yes, I use dramatic words like "lament" for dramatic effect because it is, in fact, dramatic), she meets Hannah, an old Quaker woman on the edge of town, who has been repeatedly accused of witchcraft and thus shunned by the community. As she grows closer to Hannah, Kit also grows closer to Nat Eaton, a (sexy) sea-faring friend of Hannah's and crew member on the very ship Kit took to arrive in Connecticut.
Finally, Kit begins teaching Prudence, a neglected and, dare I say, abused little girl, to read and write. Kit introduces Prudence to the others, and pretty soon, the four outcasts develop close friendships with one another.
You could go on and on about the social commentary, the romance, blah-blah-blah. But at its core, this book is about four misfits who find each other and become, as Anne Shirley would put it, "bosom friends." It's heartfelt, and every time I finish it, I want to cry. Not because it's sad, but because it's just precious. If that sounds like something you'd like, I implore you to please read this book.
review for 3rd & 4th reads
Ok, y’all, I’ve read this book four times and it’s still so absolutely FANTASTIC. I take back my previous rating of 4.5. This is a five-star book. I would give it 6 if I could like it’s THAT GOOD.
It’s so good, in fact, that after finishing my third read through it (about a week and a half ago), I immediately went back and read it AGAIN because I couldn’t get the darned book out of my head.
I totally get why some people don’t like this book... it’s not a genre that’s for everyone. But I love every moment of it. As long as you like classics, historical fiction, and romance, you’ll probably love this. And I will never fail to recommend it to people who like those genres.
Please, please, please, if you like sweet, comforting classics/romances and historical fiction, read this. It’s THAT GOOD.
———————————————————————-
review for 2nd read
4.5 | OK so I read this in like 5th grade but I didn’t remember anything.
Now, I don’t usually like historical fiction but reading this again, I was amazed. The characters, romances, and friendships in this were just precious. Gosh, it was good. I just wish we’d gotten an epilogue. But otherwise, I adored it. I’ll definitely be reading this again.