The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Howe, Katherine

3.72

56,672 ratings by Goodreads

9781401393052: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

ISBN 10: 1401393055 ISBN 13: 9781401393052

Publisher: Voice, 2009

"A fresh present-day story infused with an original take on popular history. Forget broomsticks and pointy hats; here are witches that could well be walking among us today. This debut novel flows with poetic charm and eloquence that achieves high literary merit while concocting a gripping supernatural puzzler. Katherine Howe's talent is spellbinding."
--Matthew Pearl, author of The Poe Shadow and The Dante Club

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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About the Author:

Katherine Howe's ancestors settled Essex County, Mass. in the 1620s, and stayed there through the twentieth century. Family members included Elizabeth Proctor, who survived the Salem witch trials, and Elizabeth Howe, who did not. Katherine Howe got a Ph.D. in American and New England Studies at Boston University, which included a research seminar on New England witchcraft. The idea for thisnovel developed while she was studying for her Ph.D. exams, walking her dog through the woods between Marblehead and Salem. She lives in Marblehead, MA with her husband and assorted animals.

From AudioFile:

Graduate student Connie Goodwin stumbles upon a seventeenth-century manuscript belonging to the enigmatic Deliverance Dane. Goodwin's focus on New England witchcraft in her graduate studies at Harvard provides a platform for listeners to understand the cultural nuances behind Dane's mysterious narrative. Katherine Kellgren has a timeless voice that makes her a good choice to narrate a novel set in both the 1990s and 1690s. Although her vocal characterizations never stray too far from the voice she uses for the narrative, she believably depicts both genders and centuries. Her subtle American accent cleverly hints at the possibility of British origins, adding credence to the compelling seventeenth-century tale spun by Dane. Listeners will find themselves entertained as well as educated about a misogynistic chapter in American history. J.T. � AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

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