The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
Books | Fiction / Occult & Supernatural
3.5
(524)
Katherine Howe
A spellbinding, beautifully written novel that moves between contemporary times and one of the most fascinating and disturbing periods in American history - the Salem witch trials.Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she can't refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest-to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.As the pieces of Deliverance's harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past then she could have ever imagined.Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the witch trials of the 1690s and a modern woman's story of mystery, intrigue, and revelation.
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More Details:
Author
Katherine Howe
Pages
384
Publisher
Grand Central Publishing
Published Date
2009-06-09
ISBN
1401394434 9781401394431
Community ReviewsSee all
"It was just ok for me. It was a book a could put down and walk away from and pick up a day or two later to continue reading. I found it to be too wordy and over the top with details and explanations. I was able to skip paragraphs and not miss a thing. "
M B
Maria B
"Three stars is probably generous. For a PhD candidate in history, this protagonist sure was dumb. Basic historical background, such as the fact that spelling was nonstandardized for most of English-speaking history, seems to have repeatedly eluded her. What, a “bottel” might be referring to a “bottle”? “Receipt” might be “recipe”? A real puzzle to sort out!<br/><br/>The only thing that made me keep reading was to see how the 17th century sections turned out. Those sections were few and far in between. And in the end proved disappointing. The contemporary sections felt like utter tosh.<br/><br/>So I gave it that third star because there must have been something enjoyable (or at least compelling) that made me finish reading it. Plus I think I’ve packed and moved this book three times...so one star to justify each move, I guess."
B S
Bree Sarlati
"I’ve re-read this book about 4 times. History, magic, mystery, a bit of romance. "
B W
Brittany Wasson
"One of the best books in my collection! "
S S
Sarah S