Review: The Physick Book Of Deliverance Dane

The Physick Book Of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to the audiobook of this after reading The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs. After fininishing Temperance Hobbs I discovered that there was another book. While you don't need to read this one first, they both stand on their own, I recommend reading this one first as it gives a great back story on now Connie and Sam meet and tells Deliverance's story which is something I was missing in the other book. Little did I know she had an entire book devoted to her back story.

This is a wonderful nod to the Salem Witch trials and the craze that occurred in the 1690's. Howe does a wonderful job blending the historical information with fiction in this book. I love how she too real accounts and people and blended them in with her tale. It is very well done.

This follows Connie Goodwin, a promising history graduate student at Harvard. Her advisor is keen on her finding a primary source for the paper she is going to write. Connie is called upon by her mother, a free spirit living in Arizona, to sell her grandmother's very old, very odd house. What Connie uncovers while she is cleaning up the house for sale is the old family bible and a key with a name attached to it. This discovery leads her on a literal witch hunt to find a women who she believes is not only her ancestor but was also persecuted as a witch. She soon finds that Deliverance Dane was a healer and known to have a physick book. This could be Connie's primary source for her research. Unfortunately strange things start to happen as Connie tries to find the book. Connie is forced to accept that her family may have gifts that she was unaware of or unwilling to see in order to save the man she's come to care about.

I really enjoyed this and I'm glad I went back to read this after reading the 2nd book. I highly recommend the series if you like magical realism, witch lore, and historical fiction.


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