Calligraphy of the Witch

by Alicia Gaspar De Alba

Mexico, 1683. When Concepción Benavidez flees her indenture from the convent of San Jerónimo in Mexico City and sets out to join a band of refugee slaves along with her friend Aléndula, the two are captured by buccaneers in Vera Cruz led by the famed Laurens-Cornille de Graaf, who is running a slave- and provisions ship headed for New England. Aléndula dies on the journey, but Concepción, upon arrival, is renamed Thankful Seagraves and sold to a Boston merchant, Nathaniel Greenwood, who plans to have her care for his crippled father-in-law and manage the Old Man’s chicken farm. Delirious, half-starved, and terrified by her ordeal on board the Neptune , during which the Captain raped her repeatedly, Thankful Seagraves gives birth to a daughter, coveted by Rebecca, Nathaniel's fallow wife, and over the next eight years struggles to adapt herself into English colonial life. With great difficulty she attempts to raise her daughter in the faith and language of New Spain and thus forge a connection between herself and the girl even while Rebecca slowly turns Hanna against her. Like her friend, Tituba Indian, Concepción is a perpetual outsider—her mixed-race looks as well as her accent and her Catholic background set her apart—and before long she gets swept up in the hysteria of the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692, culminating in a shocking accusation by her own daughter, who renounces her mother and declares her a witch.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Witches, Fiction, Historical, Adult

384 pages, Hardcover

First published October 16, 2007

About the author

Alicia Gaspar de Alba is a scholar, cultural critic, novelist, and poet whose works include historical novels and scholarly studies on Chicana/o art, culture and sexuality.

She is from the border between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, where she lived until age 27. She has a B.A. (1980) and a M.A. (1983) in English from the University of Texas at El Paso, and a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of New Mexico (1994). She started her doctoral work at the University of Iowa in 1985 but left after a year, then lived in Boston, Massachusetts for four years. In 1994, she was hired as one of six founding faculty members of the then César Chávez Center for Interdisciplinary Instruction in Chicana and Chicano Studies at University of California, Los Angeles. She has published and organized a conference on the Juarez murders. Alicia Gaspar de alba also keeps a regular blog called "Cooking With Sor Juana".

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, KT can put this puppy high on her TDS (too damned sad) list. I'm a big fan of historical fiction but this book is too gritty and graphic to be enjoyable. There's not even enough redemption for it to make Oprah's list. There's no development, just one long tale of woe. A young adolescent girl is captured by pirates in the West Indies and is repeatedly and graphically raped and abused until she is sold as a servant in Boston. The author is particularly adept at describing the degradation of such an existence. So many books gloss over how vile humans can be to each other. She has *everything* against her. She is female, colored (mixed race), unilingual Spanish, has eyes that are two different colors and worst of all, a Papist. Of course, she's a sitting duck for the witch hysteria of late 17th century New England. Witch hunts then, as now, were just a political tool for getting rid of people who couldn't be brought into line by other methods. (I think a better story of the whole witch thing is when an accepted member of the community is turned against. This poor woman was an outcast from the get-go). Actually, what this book does very well is how it shows just how much humanity has evolved in three hundred years. Many of us think that the human race has such a propensity for greed, war and destruction of the planet that we are just as bad as we ever were. Not so! Relatively little time has passed since even enlightened educated people were mind-bogglingly ignorant, vile and cruel to anyone who was the slightest bit "different". We have made huge advancements in our tolerance, compassion and understanding of other races, cultures, religions, orientations and physicalities. Although I'm sure it was not the author's intention, the best thing about this book is that illustration of just how far we have advanced in our attitudes to the differences among us.

[Annalisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book so fast I wasn't even able to add it on my "currently reading" list! This is the second book of Gaspar de Alba and it is just as good as the first. She provides a hypnotizing look into the New England witch trials - her analysis comments on both economic and social contexts. This is far from the crucible but in many ways- much more relevant for women of color. It was so good I was up until 3am finishing it (even with 32 papers left to grade!).

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my all time favorite book..its heartbreaking..I have read it so many times that I have lost count, and each time it still keeps me glued to it till Im done..read this book and you will not be disappointed!!!

[Lisa James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, well researched, heartbreaking. This story about a Mexican woman captured by a pirate crew in Vera Cruz, & sold to a merchant in MA in the early 1680's, is a story of love, loss, longing, survival, hardship, & finally, sacrifice. It takes place before the Salem witch trials, & encompasses the horrors of that time of madness & infamy. Concepcion is ostracized because 1. She's not white, 2. She's Catholic, & 3. She speaks Spanish, & later, English with an accent. She was repeatedly raped on board the ship, & she is carrying a baby by the time she makes it to Massachusetts. Her daughter Hanna, is the subject of serious contention between she & the wife of the man that bought her. Rebecca can no longer have children, so she sets out to take Hanna away from her mother. There is so much sadness & fear, superstition & lies, in this book. You cannot help but have your heart go out to Concepcion...

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for my women & literature class. It's supposed to be a class about reading books from the lense of women and understanding history through them. It was so depressing though! I felt like Concepción had been through so much. She had been violated physically and mentally so many times, and it was just so uncomfortable how much she couldn't stand up for herself. I know that's the whole point, but when there was the scene towards the end when a certain person who violates her body and the book describes how she killed him and he DOESN'T DIE and he shows up in the next chapter I was so mad. I was like yes this is the moment I needed I needed her to stand up for herself, and then it didn't work out (heaven forbid she's able to assert herself for one moment) and I threw the book across the room. The ending was kind of trite, and done way too many times but hey at least it's over.

[Danielle Swartsfager · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many negative reviews about this book being sad or depressing, but it’s so much more than that! It is primarily about loss. A woman loses the life she knew, her home, language, religion, friends, and most heart wrenching of all - her daughter. I read reviews saying the main character doesn’t get redemption in the end but in her own way she does. This is about motherhood and grief in the setting of puritanical New England and the Salem Witch Trials. It’s beautifully written with Spanish mixed in and some of the writing in a calligraphy style font. Yes this was a “sad” book but it was so meaningful and Im grateful to have read it.

[Martin Saucedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will make you uncomfortable, sad, melancholic, frustrated and depressed. But the story is good and well crafted. It’s definetly a book that speaks to those of us that continue to live between 2 cultures, those who suffer prejudice over their appearance, and to those who continue to search an identity amongst people that tell us that we don’t belong.

[LibraryCin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Conception is brought from Mexico to Massachusetts as a slave in the late 1600s. But on the ship on the way there, she is raped over and over. Once in New England, she has a baby, but the couple who bought her want a second child and haven’t been able to. So, while Conception tries to teach her daughter Spanish and some of her own culture, Rachel takes it upon herself to turn the child against her mother, and eventually takes Hanna (or Jeronima, depending if you ask Rachel or Conception). In a town not too far away, people are being accused of being witches, including Conception’s friend, Tituba.

This was good. There were parts that were a bit slower to read (literally), when Conception was writing letters, as the font was changed to look like handwriting. It does make me wonder if younger people will be able to read those parts of the book at all (if kids are no longer being taught cursive). It’s a tough book to read, though. I saw someone use the word “gritty”. Good way to describe it. Hanna/Jeronima drove me nuts sometimes! But I guess it’s hard for me to understand how easy it is for a child to be “brainwashed”, and that’s really what it amounted to.

[MSJLibrary]

In 1683, a “mestiza” woman named Concepción Benavidez escapes an apprenticeship as a scribe in New Spain when Vera Cruz is suddenly under siege, only to find herself sold into slavery--first to a sadistic Dutch pirate, and then to a prominent Puritan merchant who lives near Salem Village in colonial Massachusetts, and marvels at her beautiful handwriting. As someone who is mixed-race, Spanish-speaking, Catholic, and pregnant with the child of the Dutch pirate who sold her, Concepción experiences a great deal of prejudice. Years later, when her friend Tituba in Salem is imprisoned as a witch, suspicion immediately turns on her as well, as someone who is perceived to be lascivious, independent, and ultimately diabolic, merely because of her otherness.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 17th century story of a woman enslaved by pirates and brought to Boston from Mexico, who is later accused of witchcraft was an interesting and uncommon story that was well-researched. I found the writing a bit clunky and repetitive and thought it could have been better edited.

[Maxine · Rating 2 out of 5]

So depressing. Disgusting rapes and abuses against women thoughout the book. You know Thankful Seagraves doesn’t get to raise her child and her kid is a spoiled brat!

[Todd Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complex and rich.

[Marisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was an experience.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t what I expected, including much less of Mexico and much more of the Salem Witch Trials, but still a well-researched, interesting story of a terribly tragic moment in US history.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Lesemappe Svenja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daumen hoch...für mich volle Punktlandung Meine Meinung / mein Fazit:
Es ist Ende des 17. Jahrhunderts. Die aus Mexiko stammende junge, dunkelhäutige Concepción Benavidez wird von Piraten nach Boston verschleppt und als Sklavin an einen Kaufmann und dessen Frau verkauft. Dort soll sie sich um den Pflegebedürftigen Vater seiner Frau kümmern und auf dessen Hühnerhof helfen.Dort bekommt sie eine Tochter die aus einer, der vielen Vergewaltigungen des Piratenkapitän stammt und nennt sie schließlich Jerónima. Da die Frau des Kaufmanns, Rebecca keine Kinder mehr gebären kann möchte sie das Kind für sich selbst und tut dafür alles um es zu entfremden. Im laufe der nächsten 8 Jahren spitzt sich die Lage um die Gunst des Kindes zwischen den beiden Frauen immer mehr zu.Es beginnt die Zeit der Hexenprozesse im Nachbar Ort Salem und auch Boston bleibt davon nicht verschont.
Rebeccas Vater, der von Concepción seit her gepflegt wird beschließt sie zu heiraten und schenkt ihr die Freiheit. Während dessen wird die Situation zwischen den beiden Frauen, die um die Liebe des Kindes kämpfen immer unerträglicher. Und so beschuldigt  eines Tages die kleine Jerónima, die von Rebecca Hanna genannt wird und lieber in dessen Haus und bei ihr bleiben möchte ihre dunkelhäutige Mutter der Hexerei.
So nimmt das Schicksal seinen Lauf...
 
Ich finde die Geschichte ist sehr gut recherchiert und bringt einem zum nachdenken. Auch die Charaktere sind sehr gut von der Autorin beschrieben worden. Wer  die Geschichte von "Salem" und den dortigen Hexenprozessen kennt wird die eine oder andere Nebengeschichte mit historischen Hintergrund bekannt vorkommen.
 
Ein sehr flüssiger und spannend geschriebener historischer Roman bei dem man das Gefühl hat, als ob man selbst ein Protagonist der Geschichte ist. Es ist ein ständiges auf und ab der Gefühle und ein Roman der verspricht was schon auf dem Cover steht. 
Jeder, der gerne historische Romane ließt wird mit diesem Buch auf keinen Fall enttäuscht sein. Angefangen von Piraten über Sklaven bis hin zu den "Hexen von Salem" bietet dieses Buch alles was das Herz begehrt.
 
Daumen hoch...für mich volle Punktlandung

[Patty Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story starts out a little differently than most witch hunt stories. Heroine was brought to Boston from Mexico, raped on the ship and became pregnant. She was an educated scribe in Mexico in a convent. Was enslaved in Boston, owners took her daughter for her own. Daughter didn't want to be associated with her mother because she was different and didn't speak English correctly. Then it became a typical witch hunt story, daughter denounced the mother, mother is put into prison but pardoned when the Colony comes to it senses (really, the governor's wife was denounced and she couldn't possibly be a witch, of course). When the woman who took her away from her mother is dying, she requests that the daughter look for the truth about her mother. She does and finaly understands which the mother had gone through to keep her.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was set during the Salem witch trials, but from a different perspective than any other witch trial book I've read. The main character is from Mexico, and was sold as a slave when the ship she was a passenger on arrived in Massachusetts. Her path from slave to accused witch is an interesting one. I don't want to give away the details, but the story is compelling and gives a unique perspective on the witch trials. Definitely worth reading!

[Shana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished this novel by Alicia Gaspar de Alba last night. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked it but as I read on I started to see the many references the author makes to famous historical events and people such as Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and the Salem witch trials. The main character, Concepción Benavidez (aka Thankful Seagraves), lives a fascinating life but in the end what makes this book so enjoyable is the author’s ability to weave in many references for the reader to pick up on.

[Stacia (the 2010 club) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book jumped out at me from the library shelf a few years back and I picked it up not knowing anything about the author or content.

I remember reading this pretty much straight through. It was a captivating historical fiction, but very heartbreaking to read in parts. The ending sort of frustrated me somewhat, but overall the book was a solid read.

[Tomio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about the Salem Witch Trials and am eager to read more about this event in history that should not be forgotten. I liked that the author used a foreigner to be the main character in this book. And that she was punished for being foreign. Most of all I loved reading about the power of a mother's love for her daughter.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

The witch hunts in Salem was one topic; but to me the treatment of indiginous people was the outstanding element to this novel. Why does one ethnic group feel they are superior to another, just because they can't & won't understand the culture.........

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating intersection of Latina culture and the Salem Witch Trials. Some of it was very difficult to read (ie rape/abuse scenes) but was definitely a text that was worthwhile and very nearly a Four Star.

[Unionpearl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great historical treatment & character development of the cross-cultural heroine and a compelling argument against xenophobia and contemporary witch hunts. I was very disappointed, however, in the flat bestiality of all the male characters--the misandry seemed to become its own xenophobia.

[Julie Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://juliekrose.blogspot.com/2008/0...

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about a woman mistakenly sold into slavery and shipped to America in the 1700's or 1800's. A perspective not usually shown of the occurences of the Salem witch trials. The untold story.

[Alejandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Alicia Gaspar de Alba, about the consequences of bigotry, fanaticism and ignorance...

[Juicy_Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great and I could not put it down!I really like the fact that it's not a typical Salem Witch Trial story.

[Tori]

2007

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The twist at the end was amazing and I love Salem Witch trial literature so it was awesome. :) Thanks Kim :-)