- Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: Penguin (25 Jun 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 014103811X
- ISBN-13: 978-0141038117
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12 x 4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 182,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Lost Book of Salem
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'Flows with charm and eloquence while concocting a gripping supernatural puzzler. Katherine Howe's talent is spellbinding' - Matthew Pearl, of the number one bestseller THE DANTE CLUB
Product Description
N.B. THE LOST BOOK OF SALEM is published in the US under the title THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE.
While clearing out her grandmother's cottage for sale, Connie Goodwin finds a parchment inscribed with the name Deliverance Dane. And so begins the hunt to uncover the woman behind the name, a hunt that takes her back to Salem in 1692 . . . and the infamous witchcraft trials.
But nothing is entirely as it seems and when Connie unearths the existence of Deliverance's spell book, the Physick Book, the situation takes on a menacing edge as interested parties reveal their desperation to find this precious artefact at any cost.
What secrets does the Physick Book contain? What magic is scrawled across its parchment pages? Connie must race to answer these questions - and reveal the truth about Salem's women - before an ancient family curse once more fulfils its dark and devastating prophecy . . .
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is one of the best books I have ever read; the story is fascinating and very original, the characters excellently developed and real, and the historical background great.
Connie Goodwin, a graduate student of Colonial American history at Harvard, is looking for an original subject for her research, when her unconventional, new age mother asks her to renovate and sell her grandmother's house near Salem. Connie is amazed by the old colonial house and its magical garden, but her academic interest is captured by an old key with the unusual name of Deliverance Dane inside an old Bible, so she begins to research this strange and yet very familiar woman from the past. Her research takes her to the famous witch trials of 1692 and as Connie investigates her subject and traces a mysterious book, she learns more about herself and her family than she could ever imagine. The story takes place in present time 1991, but as Connie unfolds the story of Deliverance's book, short interludes take us back to the past and we get glimpses of the reality of these amazing women whose lives were linked with this special book.
Katherine Howe has created a fascinating and gripping plot enriched with vivid details, probably drawn from her own academic knowledge of colonial history and also her heritage as she is a descendant of two accused Salem witches; Elizabeth Proctor and Elizabeth Howe. The main character, Connie, is one of the best developed, complete and believable characters in literature I have ever come across and her interactions with all the other characters of the novel, as well as the way she deals with her academic research and her growing understanding of herself are excellently presented. In addition the short interludes of the past are so well written, with amazing historical detail and vivid descriptions, that it is almost as if the reader is there witnessing the events. Sadly, these interludes are very short and we only get glimpses of the past, thus personally I was left wishing to know more about these women, to be part of their lives and to get to know them better. However, that is exactly what happens when we research the past and I think that this longing to look more deeply into the everyday lives of all these women and to know them more, a longing known only too well to anyone who researches the past, adds to the story and makes Connie even more real and familiar.
This book is truly a page-turner and I highly recommended it!
This book is also published with a different title as The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane .
Connie Goodwin, a graduate student of Colonial American history at Harvard, is looking for an original subject for her research, when her unconventional, new age mother asks her to renovate and sell her grandmother's house near Salem. Connie is amazed by the old colonial house and its magical garden, but her academic interest is captured by an old key with the unusual name of Deliverance Dane inside an old Bible, so she begins to research this strange and yet very familiar woman from the past. Her research takes her to the famous witch trials of 1692 and as Connie investigates her subject and traces a mysterious book, she learns more about herself and her family than she could ever imagine. The story takes place in present time 1991, but as Connie unfolds the story of Deliverance's book, short interludes take us back to the past and we get glimpses of the reality of these amazing women whose lives were linked with this special book.
Katherine Howe has created a fascinating and gripping plot enriched with vivid details, probably drawn from her own academic knowledge of colonial history and also her heritage as she is a descendant of two accused Salem witches; Elizabeth Proctor and Elizabeth Howe. The main character, Connie, is one of the best developed, complete and believable characters in literature I have ever come across and her interactions with all the other characters of the novel, as well as the way she deals with her academic research and her growing understanding of herself are excellently presented. In addition the short interludes of the past are so well written, with amazing historical detail and vivid descriptions, that it is almost as if the reader is there witnessing the events. Sadly, these interludes are very short and we only get glimpses of the past, thus personally I was left wishing to know more about these women, to be part of their lives and to get to know them better. However, that is exactly what happens when we research the past and I think that this longing to look more deeply into the everyday lives of all these women and to know them more, a longing known only too well to anyone who researches the past, adds to the story and makes Connie even more real and familiar.
This book is truly a page-turner and I highly recommended it!
This book is also published with a different title as The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane .
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is absolutely amazing - I wish I could give it more stars!
The story of modern Harvard PHD student Connie researching her thesis on American Colonial History is interwoven with the story of Deliverance Dane, a 'cunning woman' caught up in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Throw in a family legacy of accidents befalling the men in the line, a latin scholar room mate, a bohemian puzzle of a mother, a delicious steeplejack boyfriend and a nutty professor and the story is complete.
The story is at once an historical mystery weaving it's tantalising way through a family secret and also a spellbinding, unbelievable, wonderous story of magic, good, evil and misunderstanding. The worry and superstition of the pre-scientific era is dealt with sensitively, illumiating both the perceived and the very real threats facing the God fearing Salem Villagers of that time period. In addition, the level of detail in terms of the modes of dress, the furniture and the inticacies of the daily life in 1692 is absolutely fascinating.
I started it yesterday and could not put it down - I've wasted all wekend reading it in long sittings, stopping only for lunch and the odd cup of tea! - The writing was beautiful and the pacing of the novel was extraordinary, adding to the suspense. You were more than willing to suspend your disbelief when reading this novel through the skill of the author Katherine Howe.
Well worth reading. Wow!
The story of modern Harvard PHD student Connie researching her thesis on American Colonial History is interwoven with the story of Deliverance Dane, a 'cunning woman' caught up in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Throw in a family legacy of accidents befalling the men in the line, a latin scholar room mate, a bohemian puzzle of a mother, a delicious steeplejack boyfriend and a nutty professor and the story is complete.
The story is at once an historical mystery weaving it's tantalising way through a family secret and also a spellbinding, unbelievable, wonderous story of magic, good, evil and misunderstanding. The worry and superstition of the pre-scientific era is dealt with sensitively, illumiating both the perceived and the very real threats facing the God fearing Salem Villagers of that time period. In addition, the level of detail in terms of the modes of dress, the furniture and the inticacies of the daily life in 1692 is absolutely fascinating.
I started it yesterday and could not put it down - I've wasted all wekend reading it in long sittings, stopping only for lunch and the odd cup of tea! - The writing was beautiful and the pacing of the novel was extraordinary, adding to the suspense. You were more than willing to suspend your disbelief when reading this novel through the skill of the author Katherine Howe.
Well worth reading. Wow!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I came across this book by chance at a book store and don't regret buying this at all!
The book is based on the Salem witch trials and a modern day doctoral candidate in American History, Connie Goodwin.
Connie, at the request of her mother, spends the summer clearing out her grandmothers cottage on Milk Street, Marblehead, Massachusetts and finds interesting treasures, amongst them a parchment with the name Deliverance Dane enscribed on it. From then on, you could say her life takes a huge leap in to a mystery which will change Connie. Her studies interlink with her discoveries in the cottage and Connie goes in search of a book, The Physick Book, which dates back to Salem, not yet realising that another party has a hidden interest in this very book. She also begins to experience haunting visions of the Salem witch trials, and you begin to wonder whilst reading this, whether Connie has more ties to Salem than she even realises.
To mention any more would give too much away, but should you choose to read this book, you will not be disappointed.
The book is based on the Salem witch trials and a modern day doctoral candidate in American History, Connie Goodwin.
Connie, at the request of her mother, spends the summer clearing out her grandmothers cottage on Milk Street, Marblehead, Massachusetts and finds interesting treasures, amongst them a parchment with the name Deliverance Dane enscribed on it. From then on, you could say her life takes a huge leap in to a mystery which will change Connie. Her studies interlink with her discoveries in the cottage and Connie goes in search of a book, The Physick Book, which dates back to Salem, not yet realising that another party has a hidden interest in this very book. She also begins to experience haunting visions of the Salem witch trials, and you begin to wonder whilst reading this, whether Connie has more ties to Salem than she even realises.
To mention any more would give too much away, but should you choose to read this book, you will not be disappointed.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Uninteresting
I found this book quite dull and hard to get through, I had gotten through half the book before getting to the actual plot. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Zenz
I was disappointed by this book
The Lost Book of Salem is a dual time-frame novel, with part of the story set during the Salem witch trials in the 17th century and the rest of the story taking place in 1991. Read more
Published 13 months ago by H. Skinner
lost in boredom
The book literally fell off my hand at page 39. Howe's writing is wordy, detailed to the extreme (even the way the dog's tail waves is described) and the story hardly engaging... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Roger Jay
A gem of a book
I must admit when I ordered this I wasn't sure that I was going to like it, however, it was engaging from the start. Before I knew where I was I had finished the book. Read more
Published 19 months ago by The Watcher
Very slow ...
I was really looking forward to reading this book but I'm afraid today I gave up with it. Got to page 167 and was still no further along in the story really. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Little Miss Magic
Enjoyable
I found this an enjoyable, quick read - but I can't give it more than 3 stars for several reasons. (1) Somehow I never really got involved in the modern-day part of the story - I... Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2010 by Reader 11
Fascinating Story
I chose to read this book as my Halloween read this year, as the story has its roots in witchcraft and the Salem witch trials of 1692. Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2009 by Nicola
A fascinating premise but a somewhat passionless read
The Lost Book of Salem (aka The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane) is a very good and enjoyable read, but I must admit it didn't quite live up to my expectations. Read more
Published on 15 Oct 2009 by Daniel Jolley
A good read but didn't quite hit the mark
A really enjoyable read with some fascinating detail with regard to the Salem witches. In fact, the parts of the book set in the period of the trials are the best bits. Read more
Published on 9 Oct 2009 by L Brown
The Lost Book of Salem
Katherine Howe, a direct descendant of Elizabeth Howe and Elizabeth Proctor, two accused witches who were hanged for witchcraft during the famous Witch Trials in 1692, wrote a... Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2009 by Mrs Mary Aris
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
