Being a Bookwork!
- The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
Book Review by Smita Roy
Book: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
Author: Katherine Howe
Genre: Fiction
The Physick Book Of Deliverance Dane
Katherine Howe, you should take a bow as we give kudos to your brilliant work at doing great research for a work of fiction, albeit based on actual facts of history. It's a complete new take on the infamous Salem Witch-Hunt which was prevalent in the 17th century. Many scholars later believed that most of the women convicted and executed, were wrongly done so for various reasons like jealousy, personal enmity, sometimes these women were more qualified in cures and medicine, most of them also happened to be midwives, a few others who were perhaps single women not ready to give in to the whims and fancies of men with bad intentions towards them... the reasons are aplenty. But then, what the author here tries to point out, is that could it be, that there was some truth in the whole concept... maybe, witchcraft was indeed practiced.
In an age of Harry Potter today, we as people have become more open towards and perhaps interested too in the concept of Wizards, Witches, Warlocks, Sorcerers, etc. but back in the day, where most people had no knowledge about the wonders of occult and science, viewed it as something terrible; some even exaggerated their descriptions to spread about more fear. People like healers would be viewed with suspicion and doubt.
But with changing times, with minds more open to practicality and reason, these theories of mixing elements of physics or chemistry to bring about something new, started being looked upon and people started exploring into them.
The Physick Book Of Deliverance Dane, was a book such where the old Deliverance Dane wrote about her magick potions, tinctures, cures, etc. to be passed on to her future generations. While the book came down the line in the family tree, it lost it's way out of the family and sadly sat in a lost corner of the Radcliffe University only to be found again by yet another member of the same genealogy Connie or Constance Goodwin who is a history student, trying to do a research on the Salem witches. Little does she know that she herself, hails from the family of one and how.
A very interesting narrative with the past and the present running together in a parallel universe to come and meet together at the same point where the climax is revealed. Real is an illusion and illusion is real and there's a little reality to every superstition... quite like how the world of magick actually works.
Every author puts a little bit of himself/ herself into each of their creations and here Katherine Howe has in fact revealed her own connection to Elizabeth Howe who was one of the accused in the witch trails and also happens to make a brief appearance in the book. So reading about Connie would give you the underlying feeling that of an autobiographical account perhaps... say with the research descriptions of Connie's search for the book. But then, that's for Katherine Howe to tell...
As for the book, it's a great read having a perfect blend of reality and the metaphysical world as they are supposed to be!
Related articles
- Accusations of Racism Destroying Lives- The New Salem Witch Hunt (shepherdspiehole.typepad.com)
- The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe - a Book Review (insearchofmymuse.wordpress.com)
- Visit Salem, MA and Uncover the Dark Past of the Salem Witch Trials (thefairytaletraveler.com)
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