I was so excited to read the new Bohjalian, having loved virtually everything I've read by him. He is a vastly talented author who has taken on so many different narrative structures and genres successfully. He's even made me appreciate some genres I had previously not liked. However, I think that challenge was too much for me in this book. I really, truly dislike courtroom dramas, in the same way that I don't appreciate authors who have one character tell another character what happened "in the end." It feels sloppy, as though the author can't figure out how to write the real action and leaves it up to exposition. That said, however, Bohjalian is a fabulous writer and if you like being transported into a courtroom (especially a historical one with different legal standards than those of today), you will probably really enjoy this book.

The action takes place in the mid-1600s and has to do with women's subjugation by men. Mary is married to a brute of a man who presents a godly front to Puritan Boston. There are two trials, related to one another, with the first being her suit for divorce and the second a trial for witchcraft. The characters are well drawn and their actions fit the times. Bohajlian also does a terrific job with the historical setting. Perhaps Mary's thinking is a bit too modern, but who is to say that young women in the 1600s didn't feel the same physical longings that they do today.

After a plot that takes its time developing, moving between Mary's experiences and the courtroom nightmare she endures, the ending seems out of context in its intensity and pace. The resolution is nonetheless gratifying and in some ways redeems the puritanical feel of the book leading up to it.

I continue to be a Bohjalian fan and will look forward to his next book, even though this one was not quite my cup of tea.

I became a fan of Bohjalian when I read the “Guest Room.” He is back with an incredible piece of historical fiction. Mary Deerfield, a Puritan living in 1690’s Boston, desperately wants to leave her abusive husband. Her forthrightness is not welcomed and she manages to anger many in her community.

When her request for a divorce is not granted, someone in the community is out for revenge. Will Mary find the happiness she so desperately desires?

Bohjalian explores the ways in which society kept women in submission by removing any control they might have over their own destiny. This novel left me also exploring the ways women are still lack that control - especially with regard to domestic abuse.

This is a gut wrenching thriller written by one of the best. Who knew a story about Puritans could keep you on your toes?

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for allowing me to read and review this book. Published May 4, 2021.

As is expected of Bohjalian, this was another stellar book. Each page you turned took you a little deeper into Boston in the year 1622. Women were chattel, to be corrected and punished by their fathers or husbands. So marriage needed to be a very good choice - least you be abused. When Mary married, it was to the wrong man. After years of cruelty Mary petitioned for a divorce - mostly unheard of at that time. During her 'trial' she was suspected of being a witch. How does Mary get out of this - both her marriage and the aura of being a witch? Who will be there to help her? Anyone?

Chis Bohjalian is one of my favorite authors. His books are always well researched, full of facts, and always always different. From parasomnia in the Sleepwalker to WWII in Skeletons at the Feast to a murdered man in The Flight Attendant to Vietnam in The Red Lotus and now a trip back to the era of the witch. His writing is crisp, his characters well developed and his attention to detail puts you right smack in the corner of his novels - sharing every word and action - as though you were sitting right there. He can't write fast enough for me. 😁 🤩

Though things aren't perfect for women now, they are much better than they were in colonial America. Hour of the Witch tells the story of 24 year old Mary, a Puritanical woman living in Boston. She is in an abusive marriage to a much older man and is troubled by her inability to conceive a child and her desire to escape her marriage. She seeks a divorce and things don't go quite as she'd hoped. She comes under suspicion for being a witch.

This was gripping historical fiction that tells of the peril women were in if they dared to try to be independent. This is about the 5th book that I've read by Bohjalian and he has a special knack for depicting families in crisis. Mary was in a difficult situation and while she made some good choices, she also made some that ended up working against her case. She did find some allies through her plight and it was good to see others willing to help her.

I'm always up for historical fiction, and this novel did not disappoint. Set in New England in the mid-1600s, the story of Mary, the dutiful but barren wife of a drunk, abusive husband, Thomas Deerfield, is a tough but compelling read. The story has the expected dreadful atmosphere one might imagine of a novel set in that time and place: the trappings of Puritanical patriarchy, the constant fear of the devil's real and physical presence, the preeminence of religion in every aspect of daily life, from the courtroom to the bedroom, and the close-knit communities where conformity is protection and failing to conform brings on suspicion of the devil's influence. Under all of these burdens, Mary has an unbounded sense of optimism that she will gain freedom from her husband's tyrannical rule and that the justice system will, in fact, deliver justice. I thought the author made this world come alive, and while it seemed incredibly authentic in the characters' speech and actions, I didn't feel that this was a turn-off for a modern audience. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is that the violence and brutality of the Deerfields' marriage could be a trigger for anyone who has been in a domestic abuse situation. Personally, that was not an issue for me, but it could be for some.

The Puritan era fascinates me. From my first read of Miller's The Crucible in high school, this has been one of my favorite time periods. Chris Bohjalian is a master of deep research, and it shows in Hour of the Witch. It's a great summer read, but I can also see it on lots of shelves come this fall.

This book isn't altogether east to read. It's a story of a woman looking to assert her autonomy from her abusive husband, but in a world with entrenched misogyny, that comes at a very high price. While taking place in 1662, there are many modern-day parallels.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

If thou art delighted by reading old-time speech, perhaps thou might find thyself enjoying this book, moreover, thou wilt appreciate the visible research.

I enjoyed this historical fiction novel about Mary Deerfield attempting to divorce her cruel husband and being tried as a witch in Boston in 1662. I didn't mind the language and felt it gave an authentic feel to the setting. However, for all of the potential dramatic tension, I did not find it to be a compelling page-turner. I always wanted to know what would happen next, but I could easily set it down between readings.

Chris Bohjalian is an excellent writer. His dedication to research shows in his meticulously detailed stories. Unfortunately, Hour of the Witch is not what I would consider one of his better novels. I appreciate the use of "original" court documents to pique interest and throw a reader's suspicion off the main plot. Unfortunately, the story itself is yet one more about a strong, independent woman stuck in an abusive relationship and out of sync with the society in which she lives. There are some fascinating historical details, but I feel the ending is a bit too pat for the reality of the times. That being said, I do love the term "devil's tines" and try to incorporate it into everyday conversation.

Young Mary Deerfield is the daughter of a powerful merchant of imported goods in the early colony of Massachusetts. She is married to Thomas Deerfield, an older well-off mill owner that likes his drink too much and his wife’s intelligence too little. He is also fond of using his fists when drunk, which is fairly often. When in one of his drunken bouts Thomas sticks a three-tined fork into Mary’s hand, she decides she has had enough and sues him to dissolve the marriage.

But there are worse fates in the early colony than being an abused wife, namely being fingered as a witch. Already there have been instances of witch trials in the neighboring Hartford. During Mary’s divorce proceedings, the three-tined forks frequently are cited as instruments of devilry. Mary is believed to have powerful motivations to use the much-maligned tools for a spell: she has no children but deeply desires to become a mother; also, her maid—whose brother died after Mary’s ministrations with herbs— saw her burying the forks in the garden. The doubt is planted, and soon the zealot magistrates on the bench will have Mary defending herself of witchcraft.

Gorgeously written, Hour of the Witch is a historical thriller that keeps the pages turning fast and puts a different spin into the witch trials anywhere. Bohjalian did his research well, for life in the early colony of Massachusetts is rendered in minute detail, as do the intricacies of legal proceedings.

Every character is deliciously fleshed out, from the evil Thomas—who is portrayed in all his human complexity (his lighthearted moments, his instances of doubt, and his most perplexing and terrifying malevolence)—to secondary characters such as Mary’s parents, the scribe, and the healer, a woman that matches Mary’s wits tic for tac. Mary is a strong, worthy heroine, a modern woman of sorts, one who believes she is the master of her own destiny—call it witchery or industry.

I enjoyed every bit of this narrative and was pleasantly surprised by the ending. Hour of the Witch is an original, refreshing entry in the topic of witch trials anywhere.

Disclaimer: I received from the publisher a free e-book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This got too ridiculous for me. Even if it was the time, it lost me at the satan forks. I guess I was hoping this might be similar to a woman reclaiming her own kind of story, and it started that way, but then just got too absurd.

In the 17th Century, crimes are viewed quite differently than in the 21st. Women are not considered capable of identifying cruelty (which is the term for spousal abuse). And those who are, or who deign to question the cruelty of their husbands, are more likely to be accused of witchcraft. Rarely are there fair or impartial juries. Lawyers are scorned. This is the reality in which Mary Deerfield must try to survive.
This story was well researched and realistically presented. Highly recommend it.

The Hour of the Witch, by Chris Bohjalian, takes place in Boston in 1662. The young Puritan girl at the heart of this work of historical fiction, Mary, is trapped in a marriage with a cruel, violent man and in a community where neighbors are quick to label her a witch when a boy she treats with herbs dies, and strange objects are found buried in her garden.

This is a well-researched book that brings the hardships and daily chores of that era to life. It also reminds us how terrible and dangerous society's judgments can be as Mary desperately tries to escape her marriage.

If you're familiar with other accounts of witchcraft hysteria, some of this will feel familiar and predictable. If you're looking for a story of an abused woman who has to find the strength to help herself, you'll probably enjoy this. It's well written, if not the thriller I quite expected it to be.

The paranormal meets historical fiction in Chris Bohjalian's Hour of the Witch, a thrilling tale of one woman's fight for survival.

The year is 1662, Boston. Mary Deerfield is the wife of Thomas Deerfield, a cruel and brutal man. One night Thomas takes his cruelty too far, forcing Mary to decide that she must divorce him to save her life.

However, she lives in a time when it doesn't take much to be accused of being a witch. Suddenly, instead of fighting for freedom, she's fighting for her life as the village turns against her.

“I have heard it argued that prayer does not change God’s mind; rather, it changes us.”
“The act.”
“Yes, the act.”
“I will ponder that idea.”

In many ways Hour of the Witch feels like the perfect Salem Witch Trial novel. It shows how easily people turned on one another. I was going to add back then to the end of that sentence, but I have changed my mind on that.

Bohjalain perfectly captures the horrifying brutality that comes with societal pressure, and the pain that can so easily be inflicted from one human to another. There's cruelty in the casualness of it all, and especially in the supposedly intimate acts, such as a husband being allowed to beat his wife in that era.

I really enjoyed Mary's character, and I think that made everything that happened here all the more horrifying because of it. We never want to see people suffer – especially when they're people we care about.

Overall, this is a good – yet very intense – read. If you love reading about this time period then I imagine you will thoroughly enjoy this read.

Thanks to Doubleday Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian is a historical thriller set in Boston in 1662. Mary Deerfield is married to Thomas Deerfield. After dealing with his abuse for long enough, Mary tries to get a divorce. However, the people of Boston during that time period are very afraid of witches. Due to some vicious rumors, Mary ends up fighting for her life. I really enjoyed this book and thought it was historically accurate. I would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys historical fiction. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

So there are things I liked about this book: the setting, the time period, the plot was okay. I think it boils down to the way they talk that I just cannot deal with right now. I’m sure tons of readers won’t get bothered by it but personally, the dialect of that time period is not enjoyable for me to read. I’ve read other book by Bohjalian and they’re always good so imagine this one will continue to be a good story but thee cannot continue to subject thyself to the simplest annoyances of thy dialect at this time.
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I love almost everything by this author. I especially loved this very sassy, spunky character who was not like her peers. She was smart and confident and almost of another era. She was brave and not afraid to go against the norm of expectations.

I loved the historical content of this book, and usually am a fan of Chris Bohjalian, but I felt like the plot dragged quite a bit in the middle.

Chris Bohjalian is one of the more prolific contemporary writers who is truly dexterous in his writing. In his career that spans more than 25 years, he has demonstrated a unique ability to pivot between contemporary settings and historical fictional (and in at least one case, the future) as well as ethical or societal quandaries. Many readers of my generation came to know him because of Midwives, (a book that happens to be on my Top 100 list) a story of a midwife caught in the aftermath of a decision she made in the heat of a life and death healthcare emergency. 

In Hour of the Witch, Bohjalian takes us to 1662 Puritan Boston where Mary Deerfield wants a simple divorce from her abusive husband, who most recently drove a fork into the back of her hand. But a woman who believes she deserves such independence is suspect, and the evidence of witchcraft is pliable in the hands of many in her colony - powerful men and female rivalries alike - who would rather see Mary burn or hang than set such a scandalous precedent.

The narrative follows Mary through her impossible circumstances including two trials. She understands what’s at stake, how narrow her chances are for success, and yet she doesn’t give up on her quest for personal freedom - however and wherever she can find it. In this, Bohjalian demonstrates his true gift - that regardless of time, place or circumstances, he is expert at presenting the plight of women, including the strength and ingenuity it takes to survive.

And while the setup for Hour of the Witch feels familiar, the ending is anything but common. For contemplative readers and book clubs, Hour of the Witch will provide much for discussion - the primary topic, a handful of unusual relationships and of course the surprise and (perhaps) controversial ending, not to mention Mary herself.

Prithee I urge thee, heed my warning. This book dost flow like the stagnant waters. It hath no intrigue. Thou time will be best spent elsewhere. And beware the devils tines for thou wilt see an excessive usage of the words

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.