"Take a walk into the past in this compelling, readable and thought-provoking book that examines the history of a witch-hunt in 1651. "
Oh my, The Ruin of All Witches is absolutely fascinating! Detailing the witch-hunting that took place in a frontier town in Massachusetts during 1651, this is a darkly enthralling read. The author describes it as a historical reconstruction rather than a novel. Written using historical documentation including court records, sermons, letters, diaries, deeds, and wills, this dual sense of story and history ensures a deeper awareness. It begins almost as a fairytale would, the style of writing placed me in time and location. I was able to look around and soak up the atmosphere. I felt a connection to the place and people, could reach a level of appreciation for thoughts and feelings. Examining small details, looking behind fears, beyond survival, makes this an accessible and thought-provoking read. The maps help plant the location, the Sources and Methods detailed at the back confirm the thought process behind this book. Malcolm Gaskill is a leading expert in the history of witchcraft and his knowledge and research shows. The Ruin of All Witches is a vivid, captivating and intriguing walk into the past and I’ve chosen it as a Liz Robinson Pick of the Month.
| Primary Genre | History |
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In the frontier town of Springfield in 1651, peculiar things begin to happen. Precious food spoils, livestock ails and property vanishes. People suffer fits and are plagued by strange visions and dreams. Children sicken and die. As tensions rise, rumours spread of witches and heretics, and the community becomes tangled in a web of spite, distrust and denunciation. The finger of suspicion falls on a young couple struggling to make a home and feed their children: Hugh Parsons the irascible brickmaker and his troubled wife, Mary. It will be their downfall.
The Ruin of All Witches tells the dark, real-life folktale of witch-hunting in a remote Massachusetts plantation. These were the turbulent beginnings of colonial America, when English settlers' dreams of love and liberty, of founding a 'city on a hill', gave way to paranoia and terror, enmity and rage. Drawing on uniquely rich, previously neglected source material, Malcolm Gaskill brings to life a New World existence steeped in the divine and the diabolic, in curses and enchantments, and precariously balanced between life and death.
Through the gripping micro-history of a family tragedy, we glimpse an entire society caught in agonized transition between supernatural obsessions and the age of enlightenment. We see, in short, the birth of the modern world.
The Ruin of All Witches features in the following genres: History, Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, History of the Americas, Social and cultural history, Religious intolerance, persecution and conflict, Witchcraft, Witchcraft and wicca, History and Archaeology, History: specific events and topics, Religious issues and debates, Religion: general, Religion and beliefs, Philosophy and Religion, Occult studies, Alternative belief systems, Mysticism, magic and occult interests, Mind, body, spirit, Health & Fitness, Non-Fiction Books of the Month, Audiobooks of the Month
The Ruin of All Witches is available in Paperback, Audiobook, Hardback, Ebook (Epub)
The Ruin of All Witches was written by Malcolm Gaskill and published by Penguin Books Ltd
The Ruin of All Witches has 336 pages
£11.69
