The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Cleopatra, the #1 national bestseller, unpacks the mystery of the Salem Witch Trials. It began in 1692, over an exceptionally raw Massachusetts winter, when a minister’s daughter began to scream and convulse. It ended less than a year later, but not before 19 men and women had been hanged and an elderly man crushed to death. The panic spread quickly, …
The panic spread quickly, involving the most educated men and prominent politicians in the colony. Neighbors accused neighbors, parents and children each other. Aside from suffrage, the Salem Witch Trials represent the only moment when women played the central role in American history. In curious ways, the trials would shape the future republic.
As psychologically thrilling as it is historically seminal, The Witches is Stacy Schiff’s account of this fantastical story — the first great American mystery unveiled fully for the first time by one of our most acclaimed historians.
more
Well researched and so well written that I felt compelled to read passages out loud to my husband who was trying to read his own book. Schiff’s book gives a frightening look at what a culture of authoritarianism combined with political self-interest and fear can lead to. She eschews easy answers and convenient villains and shows people trying to do the right thing and getting it horribly wrong. She also points out the nimble shifts and hasty re-writing of history by those advantaged by money and/or power. A gem.
1 star to Stacy Schiff’s The Witches: Salem, 1692. It is rare that I cannot finish a book especially when it’s on a topic that I find fascinating, but after multiple attempts, I can’t leave this sit on my night-table any longer. It mocks me because it has won…
The Salem Witch Trials are such an historic part of our country, and I’ve read numerous articles or viewed multiple TV shows or movies depicting this time period; however, this book fell short in capturing my attention. I’m sure for the right person it will have a higher ranking but I have to place it back on my shelf as a book to donate rather than truly finish.
A mix between reality and fantasy, it is too incongruous to stay focused. You go several pages focusing on a narrative describing the facts and then you are dropped into an imagination of what someone thinks a witch is doing. You’re given so many facts to interpret followed by creative character descriptions that you have to keep readjusting your perspective to stay on track.
I think this book needs to be handled differently for me to enjoy it. It’s a few books in one; perhaps it would have done better as 3 short stories in a single novel so that you have a creative story using the facts applied to a family for depicting what happened while separately you have a true account of what’s known – the good and the bad and then a third one dedicated to all the things people didn’t know about this time period in America.
I have heard good things about the author and will peruse something else she’s written in the book store before committing to buying it. Good luck to anyone else who takes this book on — just wasn’t for me.
I was curious to investigate my family history with this book. Stacy Schiff pulled together what evidence is left from the Salem witch trials to create a compelling narrative with thoughts about why what happened did.
I love Stacy Schiff’s wit and sarcasm interspersed throughout well-researched historical non-fiction. I thought this book dragged on a bit long but I’m glad I read it and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject. She manages to bring the scene to life for a twenty-first century audience.
Very interesting
One of those books whose message resonates through history to modern times. Beautifully written and utterly haunting. Stunning research.
Fascinating account of the Salem witch trials. Although a difficult read with mind-boggling details, this book is best read in short spurts in order to appreciate the depth of the circumstances surrounding the trials and their aftermath. The economic, political, religious, pychological and social norms are well-documented despite so much material that was lost to history. It is well worth reading, especially in these fraught times.