Email a friendThe Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
Salem, Massachusetts, 1681. Fear and suspicion lead a small town to unspeakable acts. Marblehead, Massachusetts, 1991. A young woman is about to discover that she is tied to Salem in ways she never imagined.
“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
“Literary alchemy…powerful enough to deliver a charming summer read.”
—Christian Science Monitor
“Howe pairs a scholarly search for a missing book with the thrill of spine-tingling witchery.”
—Dallas Morning News
“If you need some magic in your life…lose yourself in The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane.”
—Real Simple.
Listen to a sample from the audio book.
www.PhysickBook.com
Salem, Massachusetts, 1681. Fear and suspicion
“A devilishly delightful read.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
“Compulsively readable…The novel is a page-turner, but the characters, not the plot, dominate.”—Denver Post
“A witch story that will leave you spellbound…Once in a while, a new writer offers up a hypnotic tale of the supernatural that has the publishing world quivering with excitement. In 2005 it was Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian; in 2006 it was Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale. This summer, The Physick Book is magic.”
—USA Today
“I thought I had found another Alice Hoffman as I began Katherine Howe’s debut novel…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
“This isn’t the same old hang-the-sorceror tale. It has a bedeviling twist.”
—New York Daily News
“If you need some magic in your life (and these days, who doesn’t?) lose yourself in The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane.”
—Real Simple
“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.”
—Booklist, STARRED review
“Have you ever had to leave work early so you could go home and finish the last chapter of the book you’re reading? It happened to me recently: Katherine Howe’s debut novel…is a page-turning, delicious and devilishly delightful read…The Physick Book is the type of book I love—a totally original work that defies description and takes control of your mind and your emotions.”
—Publishers Weekly, Galley Talk column
“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
“In this mix of historical fiction, fantasy and modern mystery, graduate student Connie Goodwin discovers clues in her grandmother’s New England home that lead to a search for an archaic text that could prove the existence of real witches amidst the hysteria and panic of the Salem Witch Trials. The story alternates between Connie's search and the story from the past of Deliverance Dane, a medicine woman with somewhat magical talents living during Salem's uproar. This book took me a little while to get into. I loved the premise and the writing was well done, but at times the descriptive language bogged down the pace of the plot. Once I hit the middle to end of the book, however, I was hooked and enjoyed the story much more. I'd recommend this novel to fans of historical fiction and fantasy or anyone who wants a new take on the old stories of the Salem Witch Trials.”
—Lisa Joy Guerrero
“The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. READ THIS BOOK! I found it incredibly difficult to put this book down once I started it. Howe has given the Salem and New England witch craze a new look. She does not offer excuses or scientific reasons. She just postulates there is some truth to all the commotion and goes from there. The book goes back and forth in time to better look at the lives of the New England women involved. All with such good names such as Deliverance, Prudence, Mercy, and Constance. What if there really were witches? Not the pointy hat scary variety associated with Halloween, but “cunning” or “wise” women who understood the ways of plants and were able to heal and help people. Being bewitched just might have been something that was beyond the ken of Man. The history of one New England family comes to life when an old house is reopened and its secrets rediscovered. And the lives of the strong women are lovingly portrayed. The setting is well prepared and the writing pulls the reader in. You get history, suspense, romance, and some witchery, both old and modern. I loved this book. Incidentally Howe is herself a descended relative of some New England witches.”
—reader Laurabelle McCaffrey
