The Physick Book of Deliverence Dane by Katherine Howe.
"Harvard graduate student Connie Godwin is determination personified. She will get her doctorate and find success as a historian, whether her aura-reading mother understands her bookishness or not. But first she has to contend with her tweedy adviser’s oddly urgent demands and her late grandmother’s incredibly old, long-abandoned house in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The house is cloaked in vines and stuffed with dusty old bottles and books, but its clutter yields a tantalizing scrap of paper carrying the words “Deliverance Dane.” Connie hasn’t a clue, but the reader knows, thanks to alternating chapters set in the late-seventeenth century, that Deliverance was a good woman accused of being a witch during the infamous Salem witch hysteria. Soon Connie, admirably sensible in the face of mystifying, even terrifying occurrences, zealously searches archives and libraries for healer Deliverance’s “shadow book,” while struggling to understand her own weird, new powers. Historian Howe’s spellbinding, vividly detailed, witty, and astutely plotted debut is deeply rooted in her family connection to accused seventeenth-century witches Elizabeth Howe and Elizabeth Proctor and propelled by an illuminating view of witchcraft. In all a keen and magical historical mystery laced with romance and sly digs at society’s persistent underestimation of women. --Donna Seaman" Booklist, taken from Amazon.com
When I first saw this in the store, it looked really interesting but since I don't buy anything without checking the reviews, I came home & checked Amazon. The reviews about about 4/5 stars, not super great but I knew I wanted it anyway. Got the book as soon as possible, read it right away & absolutely *loved* it. Keeping in mind, I'm an atheist who finds religious history fascinating, this book was right up my alley. Kept my attention & I finished it in 2 days. Loved that the author based most of it on historical fact.
This is a great summer read.
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