Deliverance from Evil

by Frances Hill

Deliverance from Evil brings to life the Salem witch trials, one of the most uncanny times in our nation's history. Young girls in trances pointed out neighbors, leaders, relatives--over 150 people were arrested, with many hanged for their supposed sins. Frances Hill, author of A Delusion of Satan, brings her deep historical and political understanding together with her honed skills as a novelist to produce a picture of the trials both realistic and emotional. She has written an extraordinary and gripping novel of hysteria, power plays, and love in colonial America.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Witches, Historical, 17th Century, Young Adult, American History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2011

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Perhaps we are their political foes."
Frances Hill, Deliverance From Evil: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials


This one did not do it for me. It is a retelling of the Salem witch trials, a topic that has always interested me and which I’ve read many books about.

I should also mention this was a DNF at around 60%. The problem for me is not the writing which was quite good, but that the book just wasn’t a good fit for me.


First off, it’s not just about the Salem witch trials. It’s also about. America’s wars with Native Americans. Now for the record that is also a topic I have a strong interest in and I’ve read many books on this too .

However I’ve never read a book simultaneously about both at the same time.



My feeling is that there was just too much going on for me. The chapters alternated, and in one chapter you might be reading about someone being accused of being a witch, and then the next chapter you’ll be reading about natives and dead bodies of Americans and natives.



This really didn’t interest me because you’re constantly pulled out of whatever you’re reading about to read about something else if that makes any sense. I also felt it was way too fast paced and this is the kind of book where if it had taken place in Arizona for instance, I would have calked a Western. It’s that kind of novel.

This is not a slow and atmospheric buildup. It drops you right into the middle of everything from the beginning and there’s so many characters, and so many people, and so much alternating between the two plots and some gore and people being arrested on the Salem side and people being murdered on the Native American side that it was too much for me almost immediately.



The kind of book that I enjoy reading in regards to the topic of Salem would be something like the crucible. But my favorite book about any kind of witch trials is the classic historical fiction The Witch of blackbird pond, which is among my 10 favorite books ever and which, no other book about the subject, no other book that I’ve ever read on the subject can possibly top it as it comes to atmosphere.


I didn’t feel like I knew any of the characters in this. It was just going so quickly, and there were so many people in it and I didn’t and I couldn’t really get into it with enthusiasm.

[Chris Spiegel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept at this book for about 65 pages. I never, ever stop reading a book once I start one, however this book was so incredibly boring. I love any books having to do with the Salem Witch Trials, and was very much looking forward to reading this, which made it especially difficut to give up reading. Oh well. I think the biggest problem was that Ms. Hill just kept adding too many characters to the story. I realize she is a historian, and probably has a difficult time letting go of facts in the telling of a tale, but this was a novel. As Stephen King advised to aspiring writers in his book, ON WRITING, "kill your babies." By which he meant....edit, edit, edit! Frances Hill should take this advice to heart before she considers writing another novel.

[J]

I'm such a sucker for Salem circa 1600s.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all know the story of the Salem Witch Trials. At least, I thought I did, until this book. Perhaps because most stories about the trials focus more on the girls or other accused victims, I was completely unaware of a man named George Burroughs, a minister accused of being the leader of the witches. Burroughs was arrested in Maine and brought to Salem for trial. In this book, his young wife Mary and his friend Peter race to prevent George from being hanged for witchcraft. It is clear from very near the beginning that the afflicted girls were faking and had the approval of Putnam and other town officials to accuse certain people of witchcraft for personal gain.

Unfortunately, the writing was rather dry, and I use the word "race" above rather loosely, since by "race" I mean taking weeks to walk from Salem Village to Albany and then travelling back again (this time on horseback). I could tell that the author had done a lot of research, and knew that she had written several nonfiction books about the trials, but this was perhaps the downfall, because I was occasionally confused by the various characters. I didn't connect with many of them except George and Mary, and even then I didn't understand their intense relationship given that George was old enough to be her father and in fact had a daughter just a year younger than she was. Their marriage came out of nowhere and then they were extremely devoted to each other. I really had to try to believe that this was the way it was back then but even still it was difficult to swallow. The pace picked up by the end but, like "Titanic," I already knew the ending...

[LibraryCin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fictional account of the Salem witch trials. It starts off in two different states (Massachusetts and Maine). Of course, in Massachusetts, we have Salem Town and Salem Village. It is in Salem Village where Betty Parris, Abigail Williams, and Ann Putnam start the witch accusations. In Maine, in a town called York, the village is attacked by “Indians”. George Burroughs is a minister in nearby Wells, and goes to help the survivors. Included in the people he brings back to Wells is Mary; they soon fall in love and marry. Later in the Salem drama, Burroughs is accused of leading the “witches” and is arrested. Mary and George’s best friend Peter work to try to free George.

The author has written at least one (one that I’ve read) very good nonfiction book on the Salem witch trials. Into this fictional account, she has brought the bulk of the people involved in Salem along with many other real people, but the “behind the scenes” with Mary and Peter trying to free George is the fictional account. Interestingly, I enjoyed this part of the book the most – at least once George was arrested, the book really picked up for me at that point. I’m a bit sad to see the overall low ratings of this book. I really liked it.

[Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/...

My apologies to the author, but I had to give up on this one.

Hill is a renowned historian on the Salem witch trials, and I thought the premise sounded fascinating. I remember visiting Salem, Massachusetts, when I was 16 years old, so the topic appealed to me. I love great historical fiction. I should have paid closer attention to the negative or lackluster reviews, though.

About the only positive thing I can say is that the author clearly knows her history and can paint a realistic setting--in the beginning I was intrigued by the Indian attacks, conflict between Anglicans and Puritans, and the girls who kept having seizures. But she lost me completely in the plot details (or lack thereof). Hill is a historian, not a novelist, and it shows. It felt like she thought we should understand the story without telling us what was going on.

I read about 60 pages into the book, but it was so poorly written and with so many colorless characters that I finally had to put it down. And it was such a relief to do so.

[Kerri Howard · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish reading it. I gave up on page 81, after the four thousandth character was introduced. I NEVER quit on books (because I'm convinced they inevitably get awesome about 4 pages after I stop reading), but Hill was just throwing out characters without giving us anything to link them to in order to keep them straight. It was also kinda boring. It was like a poorly conceived and executed re-working of "The Crucible." All the characters were the same, but you weren't invested in them. The events were familiar, but presented in a way that made the prospect of whatching paint dry appealing.

I say that as someone who LOVES Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" (Seriously. Kerri + "The Crucible" 4-EVA), and who would have been thrilled if this book had been well done. Sadly, 'twas not the case.

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t remember where or when I had bought this book - but I really do hope that it had been on sale.

I’ve read quite a few books on the Salem Witch Trials and I’m hoping that with each new one - fictional or nonfictional - there may just be a little new tidbit of information that I can keep in my mind but with this, there was absolutely nothing.

It seemed almost to be like a nonfiction novel in it’s writing and the lack of personality to the characters in the book. Nobody was interesting. Nobody had any depth. Everyone was completely lackluster.

And, to finish it off, yes, I think the reader understands that Putnam had a gap in his teeth. You don’t need to reminds us every time that he is mentioned, dear God.

3/10 stars. Would not recommend, but wouldn’t exactly burn either.

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Read" is a misnomer - this book was so horrifically bad, I couldn't even finish it. The writing was just...not good, which really disappointed me - I know the author knows this subject and knows it well, but she really needs to stick to nonfiction. I so wanted to love this book - I'd been looking fwd to it for awhile, but UGH!

[Mauoijenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhhh! That's all I have to say. I so thought this would be sooooo much better. :(

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being so familiar with the story of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials I had wondered whether this novel by Frances Hill would have anything new to offer in the telling of this well-known event and, to a large extent, it didn’t. All the familiar characters, Tituba, Rebecca Nurse, the Proctors, Samuel Parris, the Putnams, the Mathers, to name just a few, were central to the developing story, as were Betty Parris and Abigail Williams whose childish mischief set in train the ensuing tragedy. However, Frances Hill focuses her story around George Burroughs, an historic figure not included in Miller’s play, The Crucible. A deeply religious, although not always conventional, minister, he is living in Wells, a settlement in Maine when the story starts and, along with his fellow villagers, is more concerned with the very real threat of attacks by Indians than with imagined witches. However, ten years earlier he had been pastor of Salem Village and during his time there had made a number of powerful enemies. When the witchcraft hysteria gained momentum and the series of trials began, opportunities for settling old scores led to him being arrested on suspicion of not only being a witch, but of being the embodiment of devil-worship and of influencing others to turn to witchcraft. Shortly before the hysteria took hold in Salem Village he had married Mary, a nineteen-year-old young woman whom he had recently rescued, one of the few survivors of an Indian massacre in a nearby settlement. This was his third marriage but, in spite of the difference in their ages, both felt that they had met their soul-mate and were blissfully happy in their new relationship.
As much of this story focuses on Mary’s attempts to seek justice and freedom for George, a different slant was put on the more usual accounts of this period and I found that this made it easier to become engaged. Although not much was recorded in contemporary records about them, Frances Hill managed to create a credible story about their relationship. Burroughs appeared to represent a particular threat because he was regarded as a force for change, someone who showed that there were many ways of being a good Puritan.
I enjoyed the fact that the author made such good use of her extensive research into this period of American history in order to highlight the social and political context within which these events took place. The rapidly developing mercantile trade had led to business and inter-familial rivalries, as well as to the emergence of a focus for envy, jealousy and greed. The witchcraft hysteria and the ensuing trials allowed people to try to settle old scores by denouncing their enemies as devil-worshippers. Added to this was the influence of rivalries and suspicion between the different religious factions within New England, with concomitant opportunities for seeking revenge. Such was the paranoia and fear which rapidly escalated within the community that long-standing friendships could no longer be automatically relied on. As one character observed, “Friendship means nothing when power is at stake.”
Frances Hill’s prose is very evocative, both in relation to the locations she described and the way in which she demonstrated how impressionable, vulnerable young girls were manipulated by those seeking retribution. Although this story is so familiar, it still has the power to shock. Maybe this is because the fact that a community can become so easily caught up in suspicion, fear of difference and fanatical behaviour is as relevant today as it was in the seventeenth century – a sobering and disturbing thought.
(I read this book soon after it was first published and have reecntly re-read it in my book group.)

[Paleowin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t think the writing is actually as bad or dry as many reviews make it out to be. In some ways my three star rating isn’t really fair as I found the writing style well done, but was most just reminded of how much I dislike the subject and time period. My biggest problem was I couldn’t bring myself to like the characters I was supposed to like. I know much of the racism and sexism is in the context of the time, but it doesn’t make for endearing characters.

[Marilyn Gillitzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this one. It seemed to start slow and drag on. It may have been because I started with it as an ebook on my phone or maybe it was just slow at first. Once it picked up and I had the physical book I was reading it eagerly. If you're reading it and struggling, keep going.

[JoAnne Armando-Feddeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised

This book drew me in quickly. With the mixture of factual characters and events, I found myself so intrigued that I want to learn more about the trials and the innocent people that fell victim to the madness of greedy power seeking men.

[Thomas Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novel of Salem witch (hunt) trials!

[Wendopolis]

In order for me to read a book about the Salem witch trials it must offer something different.

[Jenica C · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t read this book. It was bad. I read about 1/4 of it and gave up.

[Carrie Turner]

DNF

[Chelsea Goodwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok but hard to get into

[Phoebe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't even get through them first chapter. This book is just awful. Clunky writings, awkward sentences, just bad. Unfortunate, since they author is clearly something of an authority on this typically fascinating topic. Disappointing to say the least. No wonder I found it at the dollar store...

[Chelsea Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Since a young age I have been very interested in The Salem Witch Trials. This book somehow managed to make one of my favorite, most enthralling topics a snoozefest. The author has potential, but for a different genre of writing. I never rate a book this low, but this one is a do-not-read.

[Paula Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fictional story about a real event. It actually is based mostly on facts from the time of the Salem witch trials. George Burroughs was the main character and was one of the people accused and hanged for witchcraft although he really was a devout Christian. It is the story of how the craziness got started and how George's wife tried to prove his innocence. It told it like it was - a group of young girls who continued a charade that cost people their lives. They were actually encouraged by people who were supposed to be Christians. Interesting story.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deliverance from Evil revolves around George Burroughs, a minister who is swept up in the Salem witchcraft trials. I've read several books, fiction and non-fiction, about the trials, and was interested in what Hill had to say. She's written scholarly works about the trials. Unfortunately, I just couldn't finish the novel.

First, though, it's obvious that Hill is an expert on the subject. The period details are wonderful and I did get a great sense of what was going on with the young women who began the accusations of witchcraft. (I had never heard what happened to certain of them, so this was interesting.) I also learned about the political climate of the time, which was fascinating.

But I never fully engaged with Burroughs or any of the other characters, and I really don't know why. I also never really figured out why the other ministers/political authorities didn't like Burroughs, aside from his unpuritan stances and behavior, and friendships with Indians. Was that really motivation enough for their actions? In real life, I guess so; in fiction, I want something more (even if it goes against the historical record). I wondered if Hill's expertise started to work against the story; too much adherence to historical fact might hamper the author's ability to flesh out characters and such.

I stopped mid-way through the book and flipped to the end. After the sensational drama of the trials and hysteria, the epilogue felt anticlimactic and flat.

Still, if you like historical novels, try this one and see what you think. The writing is very good and you may have a different response to the novel than I did.

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been intrigued by the Salem Witch Trials and so a work of historical fiction on the topic appealed to me.

Deliverance From Evil: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials is written by Frances Hill, historian on the subject and writer of non-fiction works as well.

I struggled with this book initially. Hill introduces so many characters so quickly, making her habit of head hopping even more annoying than it might otherwise be. There were times I had to stop and backtrack to figure out who was speaking. Early on, it was also hard to invest in any one character or story line.

That said, I stuck with it and by the middle of the book things turned around. Point of view shifts were less frequent, and I found it considerably easier to follow the story. While a number of the characters felt stiff and contrived, specifically that of George Burroughs and his wife, who like many of the characters are based on real-life persons, in the end they were "good enough" to bring the trials to life.

If you like historical fiction, have an interest in the Salem Witch Trials, and have some patience, this may be worth your time. I personally walked away with something partly because, despite its other shortcomings, the story does attempt to explore the motivations behind the atrocities committed. However, that was only after I resisted the urge to abandon it several times along the way.

[Robin M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deliverance from Evil is a fictional account of the Salem witchcraft trials centering on George Burroughs. It’s an interesting yet frustrating read. His third wife, Mary, the author “invented her story, personality, and appearance. The part of the novel concerning her journey from Salem to Albany is pure fiction, as is the relationship between her and Peter White.” (And Peter White is a totally made up character.) Did his wife really leave Maine and his children to visit Burroughs in jail? Did Burroughs escape jail in order to confront Samuel Sewall (but not escape for real)? And, if 150+ people were accused/arrested, then how come Burroughs had a dungeon cell all to himself in Salem town?

In Jan. 1980, David L. Greene, editor, wrote in The American Genealogist that Mary (--) was the third wife of George Burroughs and they had a daughter Mary (b. 1690-1692). The widow married (2nd) Boston, 13 July 1693, Michael Homer; (3rd) Cambridge, 5 Feb 1699/1700, Christopher Hall Jr. So much for the fictional Peter White and their happy ending!

Frances Hill has written 4 nonfiction books about the 1692 witch hunts.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deliverance from Evil is a meticulously researched and intricately written fictional account of the Salem witch trials of 1692. The author, historian, Frances Hill, has used her expert knowledge to bring to life a town steeped in superstition, and grievous rumour.
The story opens with two girls playing at fortune telling, they little realise what repercussions their actions will have, as soon an evil miasma pervades the town, and friends and neighbours are betrayed and subjected to horrific speculation.
Initially, I found the book difficult to read, there are an abundance of characters, and trying to place them within the story becomes a bit tedious, so much so, I nearly gave up. Not liking to admit defeat I continued, and found that the book started to become more interesting about half way through, and from then on I enjoyed it. I’ve read a few novels about the Salem witch trials, and whilst this isn’t up there with my favourites, I can acknowledge that the author certainly knows her subject very well, and has recounted the story in a different and slightly more academic way.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this historical fiction novel (started June 17 and finished June 23) set during America's history that to this day is still difficult to actually believe that something as horrible as the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 happened, and that innocent people were accused just for their beliefs.

Please see below for my review of this excellent historical fiction novel by Frances Hill titled "Deliverance From Evil: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials".

I found this novel to be quite good. Finding a good historical fiction novel that keeps you interested enough to read some of the book and to keep you going I find is a difficult task. That being said, this hit the spot for the Salem Witch Trials category. Managed to read this novel in six days! As for most novels, it does take a couple chapters or so to get into it, but once you're into it - hang on because you're instantly transported back to Salem!

Hang on and enjoy the ride!

[Rai · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an odd book. I liked parts of it, and I didn't like parts of it. And often I was confused by it.

Part of that stems from the idea of how the people were disillusioned into believing in witches. The book is written in such a modern manner, that I found it hard to believe the arguments about witchcraft. A better job could have happened to establish it as a viable threat.

Then there is the question about what was happening with the girls? Were they lying? Were they manipuated? Were they drugged? Often times it is implied they are lying, which is understandable. But why? Was it her father's influence only? Because sometimes they seem honestly bewitched, which makes me wonder if there was some other psychological issue.

Anyways, certainly a strange book on a different topic then I normally read.

[Marci · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't all I thought it would be. It was choppy in the beginning, jumping back and forth between places, and characters, never really getting to know any character in depth. It started to get interesting about halfway through. Finally delving into some of the relationships between characters. I really felt it was missing something though,... I just didn't get "lost in it" as I have in other reads ( a quality I look for). The author paid great attention to historical details and accuracy. I feel I learned a bit about the life and times of 1692-Salem, and the witch trials through the author's details. I am torn between 2 1/2 stars and 3. It did pick up halfway through, but I still felt the story and characters lacked depth. I'll settle for 2 and 1/2 stars I think. Great historical accuracy once again!

[Susan Clark-cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first picked up this book I didn't expect much, another book on a very familiar subject. However, by the end of the book I was sobbing, and wondering, yet again, over how we humans can be so cruel to one another, and how easily we believe folly or ill of others, often in the name of "God". It is sad to the extreme that so much death, destruction, torture, harm, evilness, and hatred has come in the name of religions and how sad that this is still, today - going on and that we are watching our own time's "witch hunts" still go on. It makes me feel that we never learn. This book made the witch hunt, the trials, the inhumanity of what happened very, very real. You just feel it. This is a good book to read, but a hard one, interlacing facts, history and enough story telling to make it compelling.