The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

By: Katherine Howe

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Connie is looking forward to starting work on her graduate thesis over the summer, when her mother asks her to sell an abandoned house once owned by her grandmother in Salem, Mass. Relunctantly, Connie moves to the small town and inhabits the crumbling, ancient house, trying to restore it to a semblance of order.

Curious things start to happen when Connie finds the name "Deliverance Dane" on a yellowed scrap of paper inside an old Bible, and begins to have visions of a long ago woman condemned for practicing "physick," or herbal healing, on her neighbors in 1690s Salem.

Interspersed with modern-day sections are chapters on the actual witch trials, revealing the fascinating story of Deliverance Dane and how she got caught up in the tragic events. Connie meets an intriguing young steeplejack named Sam, who's also interested in the history of the area. But just as Connie starts to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding Deliverance's identity, Sam has a horrifying accident, and Connie has to figure out a way to save him that involves an ancient and mystical cure. And to do that, she needs to locate the actual "physick book" once owned by Deliverance Dane herself.

Immediately compelling, with powerful historic insight and detail, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is that rare find - a literary first novel with a very commercial premise and pacing.

©2009 Katherine Howe (P)2009 Hyperion

Critic reviews

"In all, a keen and magical historical mystery laced with romance and sly digs at society's persistent underestimation of women." ( Booklist)

Started weak - ended Strong!

Was worth wading through the unconvincing awkwardness of the first chapters. Howe found her stride and the dialogue became natural, the plot became truly interesting. The story was enriched because she did an excellent job of employing both empirical and magical knowledge to weave her tale -- along with a lot of solid history . Unlike some readers, I thought her handling of the man/woman part was refreshing - not gloppy with romance but definitely making the mutual interest and consummation clear. I plan to try the next book.

That's entertainment

Entertaining historical fiction that kept my attention despite the pretty silly caricature of Harvard U. and an ending designed for Hollywood. Kudos to the narrator. Shelved under "good airplane food."

entertaining story. Fine Narration

The Physic of Deliverance Dane is a really compelling story. It's well written and the narrator Katherine Helgren does a good job of all the character voices.
Jane

Grad students and history buffs will love this

I appreciated the in-depth historical research the author did for this book. In fact, the postscript was one of my favorite parts, as she explained which parts were historically accurate and which had been partly or wholly factionalized. Also, any graduate student or post-graduate will relate to the portrayal of grad student life which was clearly drawn from the author's own experience. I loved this book!

Could have been great

I really struggled to finish this book. It's very wordy with too much background description. There's lots of stereotyping and that gets old really fast. I think it is such an interesting topic and a great way to approach the story, but it reads more like a teen romance novel and there's far too much trailing off of the narrator's voice when she's reading.

Reliving the Salem Witch Trials...

The reader is excellent and the story engrossing. A lot of true history from the Salem Witch Trials makes this book a must listen for history (and witchcraft!) enthusiasts. Well researched...

Loved this Book!!

Any additional comments?

I just finished The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane an hour or so ago. With each finished work, I wonder if it's better to write the review right away or digest it a bit...

So here are my initial reactions. The storyline is solid...Salem witch hunt of 1692. The story flashes back and forth between modern time (1991) with a young Harvard grad student newly accepted for her doctoral program and back to Salem with Deliverance or her daughter Mercy and granddaughter Prudence. Deliverance is a medicine woman, helping with baby deliveries and general maladies who gets fingered by the teenage girls who have claimed to be under the spell of several witches in the community.

Flash back to Connie, who gets a message from her hippie-mom that her grandmother left them a house in her will that needs tending and selling. So Connie takes on the project of cleaning this small cottage in order to sell it.

Here's where the book is little disappointing. It's VERY predictable and very similar to Forgotten Garden. You can see what's coming a mile away. BUT, it is still an interesting story and the author does pulls things together reasonably well.

So, while I would have been much more critical if I were grading a grad student's work, I have to give this one 5 stars because I don't want it to end. I want to read more and would definitely pick up another book by this author because the sheer enjoyment I got out of it along the way.

Reminds me of Connie Willis

Good Read. Reminds me of Connie Willis only less verbose. No surprises though. Just fun.

Loved it!

Like the author, I have two ancestors who were tried as witches in the Salem Witch Trials, so I really connected with this story. I loved the way it covered both the (mostly historical) 1692 incidents and the (fictional) current happenings involving a descendant. I thought it was really well done!

Entertaining

This book was entertaining enough. I would have LOVED it when I was 16. But, while I was listening to it, I kept thinking how it reminded me of watching Scooby Doo cartoons. I loved those as a kid, but not so much when I outgrew them. This book assumes the reader or listener knows zero about historical fiction & needs to be explained. That in itself wouldn't be so bad, but the main character is grad student in history & SHE needed basic stuff explained.