Book Review of "The First Witch of Boston" by Andrea Catalano

 

I just finished reading a new release from historical fiction writer, Andrea Catalano, "The First Witch of Boston". This book is currently available on Kindle Unlimited. Keep reading this blog post for all of my favorite moments from the book and to find out whether or not you should read it, too.

The First Witch of Boston

by Andrea Catalano

My rating : ★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

A gripping and intimate novel based on the true story of Margaret Jones, the first woman to be found guilty of witchcraft in seventeenth-century Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1646. Thomas and Margaret Jones arrive from England to build a life in the New World. Though of differing temperaments, cautious Thomas and fiery Margaret, a healer, are bound by a love that has lasted decades. With a child on the way, their new beginning promises only blessings.

But in this austere Puritan community, comely faces hide malicious intent. Wrong moves or words are met with suspicion, and Margaret’s bold and unguarded nature draws scorn. Soon, Margaret is mistrusted as more cunning woman than kind caregiver. And when personal tragedies, religious hysteria, and wariness of the unknown turn most against her, even the devotion Margaret and her husband share is at risk.

Inspired by actual diary entries and court records, The First Witch of Boston is at once the riveting story of a woman unjustly accused and a love story set amid the political and social turmoil of both Old and New England. Harrowing, and with a deep understanding of the human heart, history is brilliantly imagined.

- from amazon.com

Book Review and Discussion of
"The First Witch of Boston" by Andrea Catalano

What Worked For Me

Relationship dynamics 10/10

The interplay between the husband and wife was one of my favorite parts of reading "The First Witch of Boston". Maggie is establishing her practice and building confidence as a midwife and herbalist. Modern medicine is hundreds of years away, and so opening a window to let out "bad humors" is as real a treatment as most anything else she has to offer. The witch accusations come at a cost that is justified to Maggie by the care she provides her patients. Thomas, on the other hand, is vulnerable and frustrated. He sees exactly how the townspeople view his wife. He is concerned for Maggie but also hamstrung by her inability, or rather lack of interest, in filtering how she describes her work.

The push and pull of their relationship was engaging to read. Maggie would at times attempt to mince her words, or Thomas would stand up for his wife during an attack, knowing that she was skilled in helping others regardless of the perceived link to witchcraft. Thomas and Maggie could be tested from within and without because the author, Andrea Catalano, did a great job of building a relationship that was both respectful and loving, but also reflective of the times. 

Setting for Fall

"The First Witch of Boston" has an excellent vibe for spooky fall reading, particularly if you enjoy historical fiction. Not only is the story set in the Northeast, which is the epitome of fall, but there are countless moments in the book that feel dark and ominous.  In particular, there are excerpts from journals of judges who were there at the trial. The callousness of their decisions and the implausibility of their accusations, combined with the old-timey language, really add to this immersive, spooky fall read.

Excellent Historical Notes at the End

One of my historical fiction pet peeves is walking away from a book not knowing the author's source materials. I am forever curious when reading historical fiction about how much of what happened in a novel is really known, especially when the historical fiction is based around real people and their very real, and often tragic, lives.

Andrea Catalano included several pages of notes at the end of the book that add context to Maggie and Thomas's lives, and also her decisions as a writer when adding in the unknowable details that flesh out the novel. 

What I Struggled With

This book is steamier than my typical read

There is a lot of sex in this book. At a certain point, probably about a third of the way through, it felt like a very repetitive plot device, my prude reading tastes aside. As stated before, I love the interactions between Thomas and Maggie, but their sex life would frequently take an explicit and dark turn. Instead of romance, there was a big dose of violence mixed in with the explicit sexual content, and I'm not a fan of my reading mixing those two together, frankly.

Final scene between Thomas and Maggie

There is a scene in the last 10% of this book that was so awkwardly disjointed from both what fit emotionally and also how the characters interacted with each other, typically, that I really struggled to get through it. Thomas is yelling at Maggie as she waits in her jail cell to be executed. He repeatedly tells her to "hold her tongue" as she calmly attempts to respond to his outburst. I think that his emotions are supposed to be caring, but they are anything but. Thomas and Maggie are allowed in the jail cell the night before execution ostensibly to have a final night together, and it was just so bizarre tonally given the circumstances. 

Comment down below if you have read "The First With of Boston" by Andrea Catalano. Let me know what worked for you in this book and what you struggled with while reading!