The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (Thorndike Press Large Print Core Series) - Hardcover

Howe, Katherine

3.72

56,675 ratings by Goodreads

9781410418951: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (Thorndike Press Large Print Core Series)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1410418952 ISBN 13: 9781410418951

Publisher: Thorndike Pr, 2009

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"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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Review:

"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

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is the best historical fiction I've read in years, hands-down. The scenes set during the 1692 Salem witch trials are gripping, with meticulous period detail. The author does an amazing balancing act between the Colonial storyline and the incredibly compelling present-day plot--when you finish one section, you want to race ahead to the next. It's been a thrill to work with such a talented author." -- Leslie Wells

"A devilishly delightful read."-- San Francisco Chronicle

"Compulsively readable. . . . The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is smart, and Howe's research translates into a vividly imagined narrative. The social forces driving Deliverance's life come alive, as do the realities of the not so distant pre-Internet and cellphone realities of Connie's world. The novel is a page-turner, but the characters, not the plot, dominate." "Denver Post""

"A devilishly delightful read." "San Francisco Chronicle""

"A devilishly delightful read." San Francisco Chronicle"

"Compulsively readable. . . . The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is smart, and Howe's research translates into a vividly imagined narrative. The social forces driving Deliverance's life come alive, as do the realities of the not so distant pre-Internet and cellphone realities of Connie's world. The novel is a page-turner, but the characters, not the plot, dominate."--Denver Post

"I thought I had found another Alice Hoffman as I began Katherine Howe's debut novel, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, perhaps a little practical magic overlaying a story of romance. Yes and no. It has definite Hoffman vibes, but with a little Da Vinci Code, Stephen King, and academic discourse thrown in to create a charming and different mix. . . . Howe is masterful."--Portland Oregonian

"A sensational debut novel . . . carries on every page Howe's unique passion, wit, intelligence, and spirit."--Matthew Pearl, bestselling author of The Dante Club and The Poe Shadow

"A terrific debut novel . . . a captivating thriller of the hidden powers of women throughout the centuries."--Boston Globe

About the Author:

Katherine Howe is completing a PhD in American and New England Studies, and is a descendant of Elizabeth Proctor, who survived the Salem witch trials, and Elizabeth Howe, who did not. The idea for this novel developed while Howe was studying for her doctoral qualifying exams and walking her dog through the woods between Marblehead and Salem. She lives in Massachusetts, with her husband.

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