books 2009: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, by Katherine Howe

[supercheesegirl]

My mom lent me this novel. Our protagonist, Connie, is a PhD candidate in history at Harvard, searching for a dissertation topic. After she passes her oral exam, her mother insists that she clean out her grandmother's old house and get it ready for sale. Connie finds an old key in the house that leads to a mystery, and if Connie can solve it she'll not only land a dissertation but also find out some interesting things about herself and her family history.

This book nicely weaves the present timeline and the story of the Salem witch trials together. Only one thing got on my nerves with this book: Connie, as a talented and well-read graduate student, ought to be a lot smarter than she is. I'm no colonial history buff, but if I'm catching on to things chapters before Connie does, that makes me worry what kind of history professors Harvard's churning out these days. In some places Connie made me long for Robert Langdon of DaVinci Code fame, because whatever else Langdon is, at least he's a smart character who figures things out. Connie needed several sharp smacks in the head at times. Overall, though, a solid first book, a good historical novel, and a fun read.

Comments

[lilacgrrl.livejournal.com]

this book is sitting on my nightstand to be started once i finished the graveyard book.

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

It was a fun book--Connie was a twit sometimes, but I really liked it, and I liked how the history was woven through the narrative.