Thank you to @netgalley and @doubledaybooksfor the early gifted copy of Hour of the Witch by @chrisbohjalian. It publishes on May 4, 2021!
In Massachusetts, in the year 1662, divorce is essentially unheard of. Women are seen, but not heard. A young Puritan woman named Mary Deerfield is a woman wise beyond her years. A victim of abuse at the hands of her husband, she secretly plots her escape from a violent home. Unwittingly, she becomes the center of attention of the magistrates, under the suspicion of practicing witchcraft. Mary must figure out not only how to escape her husband, but also the gallows.
I only needed two words to sell me on this book: Massachusetts and witchcraft. Born and raised in Massachusetts, the Salem witch trials are a deep part of our history, and so close to home. Stunning and intense, this book checks all of the boxes we have come to expect from the master storyteller, Chris Bohjalian. Definitely add this to your TBR!

I liked Bohjalian's take on historical fiction with "Hour of the Witch." There were parts of the story that did not read as very realistic to me at times and due to that, I was happy to give this 5 stars, but not name it a favorite. A favorite to me is a book I will happily read over and over again. And even though I enjoyed my first read through, I don't see me reading this over the years.

"Hour of the Witch" follows 24 year old Puritan, Mary Deerfield. Mary is married to an older man named Thomas, and has to deal silently with his rages and taunts. When Thomas ends up stabbing Mary in her hand, she is determined to petition for a divorce. The book follows the ins and outs of the testimony of friends and neighbors.

The book takes place in Boston, Massachusetts in 1662. Of course your first thought is going to be the Salem Witch Trials. This book takes place before the Salem Witch Trials which started in 1692. So Mary's story is in essence of things to come to the state of Massachusetts with many women in communities accusing each other of being witches either for nefarious means, or just because they were forced to do so in order to prevent anyone accusing them.

Mary's different than the other women in her community. Probably because her family used to live in England (the Old World) and they are used to finer things than most in the community have. Mary is clever and seeks out an older woman who is considered a "witch" by some. When Mary can finally not take Thomas's beatings and cruelty anymore, she starts to realize that some in the community have been whispering her name as a witch. Mary you realize is not aware of the damage that is being done quietly to her and deals with her parents, even her terrible husband, and others trying to come in and save her from being hanged.

I liked the other characters that get introduced in this one. Mary's family (father and mother) are supportive and are focused on keeping her safe. Mary has a stepdaughter (Thomas was married before her) who is torn between doing what a good Puritan woman should do (support her father and husband) and not wanting to call Mary a liar about being abused by her husband.

I also liked the overall mystery of who set up Mary to make it appear that she was a witch.

The dialogue was great and Bohjalian writes in the dialect of the times. I found it easy to understand and follow along. But some readers may have an issue with that.

There were a couple of false notes I thought in this one. I can't say much without spoiling, but I think it would have been a stronger ending if Bohjalian had the story go to what I think was not only a foregone conclusion, but also the truer one.

I have enjoyed every book that I've read by Chris Bohjalian, and "Hour of the Witch" was no exception. Set against the backdrop of Puritan New England, Mary Deerfield is married to a man who abuses her terribly. She plots to leave him, as the mysoginstic men and gossipy women defend him and accuse her of witchcraft. There are some brilliant parallels to today's world with the Me Too movement, and over focus of social media, as happened in Mary's small community when she didn't fit the mold of model wife and rumors ran rampant.

I enjoyed reading about a strong woman, community, and life during the Puritan Era. tend not to enjoy historical fiction but this was a must.
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a solid 4-star historical novel. It is obvious that a lot of research was done for authenticity. The language used had me looking up a few words or terms I'd not heard before, but it also kept me in the world of mid-1600s Boston, which was great.

I felt like the reader got to know Mary's character very well, right down to her internal dialogue when trying to figure out if motivation was from the devil or from God. I wish there had been a little more depth to the other characters, but that probably would have made for a much longer book.

Mary and her parents left England for Massachusetts and the restrictive rules of Puritan Boston. She is married to a widower (who is old enough to be her father) who is physically and emotionally abusive to her. She files for divorce and is denied, all the while hints at witchcraft are made due to people she has associated with. Her servant found her burying forks and a pestle outside the house at night. And there’s her strong attraction to another man in town, and a witness to their kiss. Mary really is dealing with a lot.

I have read non-fiction and fiction about this time and this novel really brought it all to life.

My thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great read! This book is about Mary who lives in Massachusetts in the 1600s. She is married to a violent man who is smart enough to hide this from those around them. This historical fiction touches on the oppression of the time as Mary seeks to divorce her husband. Witchcraft is involved in the story as well, and I truly enjoyed the suspense. Would definitely recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

Impeccably researched, Hour of the Witch is an illuminating look at the difficulties women endured in 17th century America, centering around the real attempt of a woman to divorce her husband. Chris Bohjalian takes history and weaves a rich, supernatural tinged story that ends in a way that I didn't find surprising, but definitely, absolutely made the book! Recommended for the author's many fans as well as historical and women's fiction readers.

Mary is living in a dangerous time and place. Its 1662 in Massachusetts and she is married to a violent man. She however is determined to leave and divorce him. Using all her witts and insightful ways, she does manage this during a time when women are very oppressed.
I had a hard time reading this book, mostly because it's not my favorite genre. However most do enjoy this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced copy for my honest review.
#HOUROFTHEWITCH#NETGALLEY

Set in the 1600s, this book did not hook me in. The language was old fashioned. I'm sure it was a good book, but I didn't get very far.

The fate of a woman living before her time is at the center of this gripping drama set during a point in our history where a woman's voice did not count. Hour of the Witch is a fascinating inside look at one of our country's most shameful periods where the prosecution of innocents was rampant.

"A young Puritan woman--faithful, resourceful, but afraid of the demons that dog her soul--plots her escape from a violent marriage in this riveting and propulsive historical thriller."

The tag line says it all. Massachusetts in 1662 was a dangerous place to be for a woman. Mary is an outsider who is married to an abusive alcoholic. When she seeks to divorce her husband, she attracts the wrong kind of attention. Hour of the Witch is hard to put down and will hold you until the very end.

Book #10 from this author for me - yes, I am a fan. After writing a pandemic-mystery (The Red Lotus), Bohjalian returns to historical fiction, setting his latest tale in Puritan Boston, where a young woman, Mary Deerfield, is suing her husband for divorce, using claims of abuse. And of course because it's the Puritans, we see accusations of adultery, heresy, and of course, witchcraft. Admittedly, this is not my favorite time period to read about, as let's face it, the Puritans were all-around fairly awful people. Judgmental, hypocritical, preaching about love yet acting with hate, it unfortunately reminded me of how people today use their religion as a cudgel instead of an invitation. Perhaps that was Bohjalian's point? It's a looooong book, with drawn-out courtroom scenes and too much repetition, ending with my feelings of slogging through to the somewhat-explosive ending. Ultimately, it was 400 pages of 'meh' for me.

Hour of the Witch is another amazingly well-written book by Chris Bohjalian, who is one of my favorite authors. When I saw that Bohjalian had written a book about a woman seeking a divorce and touching on witchcraft in 1600's America, I couldn't wait to read it. I was once again impressed with his writing, character development and research.

Mary Deerfield is the second wife of a horrible and much older husband who treats her with disdain. When he goes too far one night, she actually seeks a divorce, which I was surprised to learn was even an option in 1662 Boston. This "trial" eventually leads to Mary being tried for witchcraft, which, apparently, was a common way to deal with strong women who pushed the boundaries of society's rules for them.

The characters in the book were very well developed and I found myself empathizing with Mary as I hoped for a good outcome for her. The women (and men, too) who supported her were great examples of how human beings can pull one another up even when all seems to be against them.

The suspense was intense; I was nearly gasping at some plot points. The story was so well researched and well told that is now ranks as ​my second favorite Bohjalian book, behind only Midwives.

I will recommend this book to readers who enjoy suspenseful historical fiction featuring strong women.

Many thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

We know that early English settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony were very religious and thought a lot about the state of their souls and the devil. The historical record tells us so. According to Chris Bohjalian, they were concerned about the devil a lot. A good chunk of the first third or so of the book has them thinking about little else.

Things start to get more interesting when Mary Deerfield sues her husband for divorce on the grounds of cruelty. Even here, though, the question soon becomes more about whether she's been consorting with the devil (much of the evidence has to do with a three-tined fork, which is, as we all know, the devil's own instrument) as much as it does about whether her husband abuses her.

And there is intrigue as well. It is clear that someone is trying to cast a spell on someone in the Deerfield house, or trying to frame Mary for doing so. But who? And why? Though Mary's ruminations on whether she is unknowingly the devil's tool quickly become tiresome, Bohjalian is quite deft at drawing the reader into this mystery and in making the reader care about Mary's fate, both in life and after.

Of course, the reason that Mary faces such troubles from her community is, of course, that she's a smart woman who occasionally speaks her mind. That truth is lurking behind almost every word in the book, but Bohjalian is subtle in reinforcing it. So don't read this expecting a great deal of outrage about the subservient state of women in 17th century Boston. Do read it for an immersive look into one woman's life and attempt to be more than just a Goodwife to a cruel man.

In 1662, people living in Boston had come for a better life and the ability to practice their religion. Sounds good, but for for our twenty-four year old, educated heroine, Mary, who is in a loveless marriage as the second wife of an abusive drunkard twice her age. Mary longs for a child even though her husband’s “lovemaking “ feels more like rape. They have an indentured servant who pines for her master and is not privy to his abuse.

This is the time of Puritans and of witch trials happening in New Haven. Neighbors and her servant keep looking for signs that Mary is bewitched. Mary has suffered at her husband’s hand once too often and after a disturbing incident she flees to her parents home and petitions for divorce and then, this is following by a witch trial.

Bohjalian does an excellent job of writing women’s voices and writing them with an internal source of power that will not be silenced. He shows the inner struggle for good versus evil, the ability to be heard. His writing is universal and the issues he grapples, feminism, domestic abuse, male chauvinism, progressive thinking and women’s independence are crafted with care. We root for Mary, yet feel her pain and doubts. This book will stay with you for a long while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for and advance copy of the book. The opinions depressed are my own.

Boston, 17th century. Mary is young, beautiful, smart, free thinking and headstrong. She's also married to Thomas, a brute of a man, who abuses her both physically and mentally. She's desperate to get away. But this is no time for a woman , let alone a strong willed one, to exert her independence, especially with the hysteria of the witch trials occurring in Massachusetts. It seems like she's down to two choices: to die at the hands of her husband or at the end of a hangman's noose.

WOW! What an excellent read! I could not put this down!! I was riveted by Mary's character. You can not help but root for her and fear for her at the same time. I wanted more even as the story came to an end. I loved it!

This was slow moving and somewhat predictable but well-researched and interesting. The author makes the reader feel as if they are in 17th century Massachusetts and living with the rules and regulations of the town. So many times I wanted to scream how unfair it all was! And it made me thankful to live when and where I do. 3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Very well written ad engrossing. It was hard to put down. If you are a fan of the salem witch trials I would recommend this book.

The review will appear on IG 6 April.. Currently live on Goodreads.

If you’re a fan of historical fiction, pick up Hour of the Witch! It’s 1662 and Mary Deerfield is an English colonist living in Boston. Her parents immigrated to the New World when she was a child, and even though she’s older now, the quality and quantity of husband material is slim. Divorce is almost unheard of at the time, yet Mary seeks one to escape the verbal and physical abuses of her powerful husband. Through the process, she finds how similar Boston really is to her homeland; it’s not the saintly, fresh start everyone claims it to be. When questions arise around Mary’s behaviors, friendships, and claims suspicions and rumors about her possession by the devil also arise. All Mary knows is that she has to escape, one way or another.

The mystery and suspense are strong in this story! In a city full of “saints” everyone seems to be lying and harboring secrets to save face. Women were truly second-class citizens at the time, not formally owned by their husbands, but they might as well have been for all the control they were under. It was a harsh reminder of how a woman could be slapped with a label of hysteria, possession, or witch - and even killed - just by having a voice, speaking up for herself and others, or behaving even the slightest bit different than social norms.

In 1662 Boston, Mary Deerfield tries to escape her physically abusive husband by filing for divorce after he stabs her hand with a fork. Divorce is not unheard of, but Mary is soon fighting against the accusation of witchcraft. Someone buried the "devil's tines," forks imported by Mary's merchant father, in her yard and Mary is determined to find out who did it. Is it someone looking to frame her for witchcraft or someone casting their own evil spell. Was it her husband? Could it have been their servant girl? Every move she makes brings her closer to the truth and the noose. It is a dangerous world wherein a strong outspoken woman in trying to escape domestic abuse may find herself hung as a witch. The historical details and setting ratchet up the suspense until the very end. Highly recommended!

This started off slow for me, but picked up nicely and ended excellently. As a fan of witchy reads and historical fiction, I sometimes find Witch Trial books to be a little too text book and factual, but Chris Bohjalian created an fast-paced, relatable, and accurate novel in Hour of the Witch that I’d certainly recommend to readers hoping to dip their feet into the witchy waters and avid witch readers alike. The dialogue is easy to understand and Mary, the main character, is so likeable with her youthful innocence and (potentially troublesome) curiosity that I couldn’t wait to find out her fate. A witchy, soon-to-be classic and a must read by fall!