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The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Elizabeth George Speare

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Jan 05, 2019 Werner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, books-i-own

My wife Barb had read this back in the 90s, and mentioned to me at the time how much she liked it, which had put it on my radar. So last fall, when I was considering a new book to read aloud to her, I selected this one, guessing rightly that after the lapse of 25 years or so, it would be like a new read. The very short Goodreads description for this edition says it "brings to life the witch hysteria of Puritan New England." That's true as far as it goes, but very incomplete; one plot strand depi My wife Barb had read this back in the 90s, and mentioned to me at the time how much she liked it, which had put it on my radar. So last fall, when I was considering a new book to read aloud to her, I selected this one, guessing rightly that after the lapse of 25 years or so, it would be like a new read. The very short Goodreads description for this edition says it "brings to life the witch hysteria of Puritan New England." That's true as far as it goes, but very incomplete; one plot strand depicts the witch hysteria of that day, rising to an intense climax that evokes considerable drama and suspense, but there's significantly more to the book than that. (The cover blurb tends to be more lurid and Gothic than the book itself justifies, as well.) It's solid historical fiction (the kind that earned a Newbery Award, at a time when quality was required for that) rather than schmaltzy melodrama. The 16-17 year old heroine/viewpoint character will appeal to teens, but adults can thoroughly appreciate the novel as well.

Our setting is the fictional town of Wethersfield in the colony of Connecticut in 1687-88, on the cusp of England's Glorious Revolution, a time when New England history buffs know that royal governor Sir Edmund Andros was pushing the envelope of royal absolutism to its limit. (Speare does an excellent job of working this historical backdrop into the fabric of the story.) But we see it through eyes that can view it with more than slight detachment: those of Katherine "Kit" Tyler, born and raised on Barbados, in a very different milieu. Orphaned young, she was raised by her now dead, wealthy grandfather; but misuse of his trust by a thieving overseer replaced the wealth with a plethora of debts, and after his passing the plantation had to be sold to pay them. As our story opens, Kit's now sailed to Connecticut --without sending any advance word ahead of her!-- without any money except what paid for her passage, to seek a home with her mother's surviving sister, Rachel Wood (whom the niece has never seen), and her family. Both she and the Wood family are in for culture shock galore.

IMO, this is a wonderful novel, without any significant downside that I could see. It's a nuanced and fascinating portrayal of human relationships, across cultural and generational lines; and Speare avoids the pitfalls of caricaturing Puritan society or creating cartoon characters depicted as entirely good or entirely bad. Kit's a basically likable person, free-spirited and kind-hearted, smart and book loving (her grandfather taught her to read, and had an extensive library), appreciative of beauty. But she's also, at 16, got a definite lazy and entitled streak, a product of her upbringing; she takes for granted the slavery-based economy she's benefited from all of her young life, and she views the Crown with a rather naive subservience. (For all that they tend to be more narrow, both religiously and culturally, than Kit, the New Englanders she meets tend to be more on what we would recognize as the right side of those issues.) The author also makes it clear that New England society isn't monolithic; aged Quaker Hannah Tupper, who becomes Kit's fast friend, and seaman Nat Eaton, with his travel-based broader outlook, are also part of its fabric, and even among the Puritan congregation of Wethersfield, there are differences in personalities and attitudes. Most of them aren't genuinely malevolent (though Goodwife Cruff certainly is, and Speare also depicts the insidious way that mob psychology, given a chance, can work); they're just regular people, with the same range of moral and psychological qualities we'd find in a small town today, and most prove to be sympathetic. Speare has also created, in many cases, dynamic characters --that is to say, characters who can learn from each other and from experiences, and change some attitudes and perspectives. And while Kit understandably doesn't relate well to the ultra-long, tedious monologue sermon-centered Puritan church services twice on Sundays, and doesn't support the bigotry against Quakers, there's no anti-Christian attitude on her part, and no anti-religious propaganda in the book.

Speare's plotting is perfectly-crafted, and her prose style felicitous; at just 223 pages, this is an absorbing, fast-paced read that held my interest throughout. If a reader could devote time to reading it without much interruption (Barb and I couldn't, of course), it would actually be a quick read. A lifelong New Englander herself, her love for and knowledge of the beauties of New England's natural world is evident in many places in the text. Finally (and which is an important consideration for this genre) her historical accuracy and faithful reconstruction of the life and ethos of the times are impeccable. This book really gives you an appreciation of the back-breaking, monotonous labor that filled daily life, for both sexes (though the focus is on females), as well as the community spirit and some of the folkways. Some might say I give too many books five star ratings; but in all honesty, I couldn't give this one any less! ...more

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Mar 14, 2011 Alandra rated it it was amazing

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