The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

I loved this book! I felt the beginning had a slow start but I was hooked soon after. It shows a different perspective of Salem’s witch trails. I loved how the book switched time periods & would definitely recommend if you are interested in witches or the Salem trials at all!

I was drawn into this compelling story, a story laced with just enough historical detail, very quickly. The writer wastes no time in getting the reader's attention and keeping that attention all the way to the somewhat abrupt, but workable ending. A satisfying read, overall; I'll read her other works as well.

Katherine Howe's The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane takes the Salem Witch trials of 1692 and asks the question: What if at least one of the accused really was a witch? With that intriguing question, she brings us into the academic world of Connie Goodwin, a grad student at Harvard in 1991, whose doctoral thesis takes a back seat when her mother persuades her to clean out and sell her grandmother's house in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Once she arrives at the abandoned house, Connie discovers an old key containing the name "Deliverance Dane" inside a family Bible, and with her curiosity piqued, she begins tracing an old "physick" book used by the accused witch. Along the way she encounters romance, an anxious and grumpy mentor, and a mystery that seems to grow the more she investigates. Set mostly in 1991, Howe intersperses her story with chapters set in the past, giving illumination to what was going on before, during, and after the witch trials. Though the mystery is fairly easy to figure out, all of the characters are likeable and Connie's journey into the past is fascinating. I had an easy time imagining the settings, and the paranormal aspect comes out naturally through the course of Connie's work. There was a bit of a slow start, but once the story picked up, the pages flew by as I got caught up in the plot. Biggest complaint? Howe's need to have some of her characters speak phonetically to reinforce their New England accents, a totally unnecessary element that pulled me out of the story every single time it occurred. Still, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is a well-researched, well-written glimpse into a What If? scenario that I doubt many of us in modern times had thought to ponder. Excellent reading!

Salem, Massachusetts, for all of its historically bad press, all of its (sometimes crass) commercialism, and its generally bad rap and rep for generations, is a very lovely New England town. Katherine Howe's novel goes far in helping rehabilitate Salem's concept by reviving yet again its darkest moment, the Witch Trails of the late seventeenth century. Author Howe herself is a descendant of Salem's accused and her tale is based on her own genealogy. The result will evoke comparisons with DA VINCI CODE and Lauren Groff's THE MONSTERS OF TEMPLETON, quite aptly. Howe's characters are alive with a sweltering humanity and her plot evolves with the sinous grace of an adder. Her depiction of the 1690's, while accurate and certainly appropriate, still leaves the reader with an unsettling sense of creepy vivacity. This is fun reading and will be great at the beach this summer for those avoiding the Steels, Grishams, and Scottolines of the season. Salem comes off pretty well here with the respect and deep spirituality it deserves and resonates.

Really enjoyed this story. Connie Goodwin is working on her dissertation at Harvard when her mother asks her to go to her grandmother's (who passed away some time ago) home to get ready to sell it. At the house Connie finds a key in a bible with a scrap of paper tucked into with "Deliverance Dane" written on it. From that point on Connie is caught up in the mystery of who Deliverance Dane was & what the key is for. The interludes that bring the reader back to the 1600s allows us to see the history that Connie must find out to understand what the physick book is about & how it will change her. It was a page turner & I found it difficult to put it down. This would be a great choice for a book club discussion.