I reviewed this self-published book for the HNS several months ago in the fall. I remember sitting at work in my car on my lunch break, rain pouring, reading this book. The pouring rain suited the book and I thought added to the atmosphere...
Mary Bliss (Parsons) moves with her family from England to the colonies to escape religious persecution and the King’s tyranny. We watch the intelligent, beautiful and observant Mary grow up in the harsh environment of Puritan New England. Throughout her life, from sleepwalking child to serving girl to wealthy wife, Mary is confronted with her neighbor’s jealousies and superstitions. She is accused more than once of witchcraft, and we see the story through all the way to her trial in Boston.
This book is an interesting mix of novel and biography, a format that works here extremely well. There are no gaps in the story, characters are consistent and well-developed, and I grew to love Mary and her family—and to resent the petty suspicions of her neighbors. Mary’s story is told with the careful attention to detail of an author who obviously cares deeply for the story, and consequently, the reader also cares deeply. When I reached the last page, I would have been content to read 450 more pages of Mary’s life. The book is very professionally printed, the cover is a beautiful dark matte finish, and I found no misprints. This was an excellent read.
My review courtesy of the Historical Novel Society.
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