The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Good

Kindle edition. Just a heads-up for Kindle readers: The book said it had ended when my Kindle still said only 95% had been read. The page asking how i liked the book made me think that was it, story over. It wasn't until I talked to someone else who had read the physical book that i discovered I'd missed a huge part of the ending! After Kindle said the book was over and did i like it there was still the Postlude and the PostScript by the author, plus her acknowledgements. So, though the story and history was good, and I enjoyed the book very much, I think the layout in Kindle was not great. I hate not to give 5 stars, but i think the premature placement of the "book completed" page needs to be noted and addressed.

The book was shipped in a great package and arrived fast. I would recommend the seller and hope to do business with them again. Happy with my book!! ☺️

The Physick book of Deliverance Dane is an amazing story. This takes the well researched and written about to death Salem Witch trials and makes them new and fascinating again.*Spoiler Alert*Connie is a graduate student in the study of American History. We meet her as she is going into her oral interview. She ends up being accepted into the graduate program and is pressured to start her dissertation immediately by her advisor. At the same time she receives a call from her Mom asking her to move into her Granna's old house in Marblehead Massachusettes and clean it up so it can be sold.The house does not have electricity and only has plumbing in the kitchen and in the bathroom upstairs. The story gets really interesting when Connie finds an antique key stuffed with a scroll that says Deliverance Dane on it inside of an old Bible. From there on Connie spends the rest of the summer trying to find Deliverence and her book. There is a little romantic episode (what story would be complete without one) before the story finally comes spiraling down with an unlikely villain.The Physick book of Deliverence Dane is a delicious witch story with mystery, romance (although very PG-13) and magic!! Wonderful book!!

I was very impressed by Howe's skill as a writer, by her vocabulary, and by her knowledge of the subject matter. That said, I found the book slow-moving and cluttered. I saw one other review that mentioned how odd it was that Constance never cleaned up the house on Milk Street. I would have peeled those vines away from the windows within the first week. And the character of Manning Chilton -- I think the book would actually have been stronger without an avaricious lunatic. I still have big questions about what kind of essence poured out of him at the moment of his death. Was he himself bewitched?Perhaps the strangest thing about the book is the way Howe shies away from investing witchcraft with its own lexicon and sense of innate magic. Instead she mitigates its scary-ness by using Latin bits referring specifically to a Christian God, and tops off the scary moments with the Lord's prayer. I am not a practicing witch but I do see witches as incredibly potent feminine figures who, throughout history, created their own power simply because there were no other options.

In "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane", Katherine Howe uses the Salem Witch Trials to tell a story of the legacy of cunning women in history, interweaving historical fact with modern fiction. Though Deliverance Dane was a real person, the scanty records of her existence allow Howe to reimagine her and her role in the trials, demonstrating a knowledge of Salem based on the work of the most eminent historians in the field. Though the historical field has largely moved past Chadwick Hansen's work, Howe reinvents his most outlandish claim (maybe there WERE witches at Salem) as the basis for the more fantastical elements of her story. When discussing Dane's fictional descendants, Howe draws upon the work of other historians, such as Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's groundbreaking monograph, "A Midwife's Tale".The modern-day parts of Howe's story, set in 1991, resemble other stories that reinterpret history for a modern setting, such as Elizabeth Kostova's "The Historian" or Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons". Certain parts of the modern story fall into cliché, such as the skeptic who turns out to have powers, parts of the romantic subplot, and the identity of the modern antagonist, but the historical elements combined with Howe's romanticized portrayal of her protagonist's research are endearing enough that the clichés never grow tiresome."The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane" will appeal to those interested in the history of Salem or general witchcraft history as well as fans of historical fiction. Howe's writing is an excellent introduction to the academic history of Salem for non-historians and the fantasy elements will entertain even those who do not enjoy history.

I really enjoyed this book, it was very well written. The author obviously knows her history and I loved all of the factual information she weaves throughout the story. I thought the way she wrote Deliverance to be such a complex witch, not at all like anything I have ever read before about the Salem Witch Trials and the steriotypical witch image. Catherine created a respectable and honorable witch living amongst the ignorance and fear of the 17th century colonists.I usually do not buy a book unless someone reccomends it but it really seemed interesting. It was a page turner, respectful, and had an excellent resolve that pretty much wrapped everything up in the end. It was also refreshing that it wasn't about vampires, crude sex stories(Outlander, Time Traveler's Wife), or extreme violence. Yes, it is possible to write a good story without all the junk. I think it would make a great movie and I look forward to more books from Catherine Howe.

Deliverance Dane is my 7x Great-Grandmother. While not exactly based on facts, it was still an enjoyable read.

The story of Deliverance Dane and her life as a cunning woman gave me so much to think about.Constance is a young woman at graduate college studying history.Her mother is a somewhat fey woman who talks casually of auras and other worldliness. It is not difficult to see why Constance would choose to study a factual, feet on the floor subject. Yet, as the story develops you see that history is a mixed bag, and it is not so set in stone.Reading about witchcraft, a female lineage; interspersed with details about familiars, why a witches hat is the shape it is was wonderful and fascinating.This is an energetic book, I enjoyed every word, including the postscript at the end.

Great read!

Too good a read. I felt so attached to the story sometimes that I could really see things happening in front of my eyes. It's in such lucid language tok. Bringing out one's heart to writing is what is evident here. I would look forward to similar works from the author

le livre était dans un état correcte .

Very good story, you can see alot of research went into this book!