Hour of the Witch is a beautifully written historical thriller. Chris Bohjalian has long been an author whose work I love. His books never fail to give me an escape into another world for a while. This one hooked me in right away and I enjoyed every minute!
The year is 1662. Mary Deerfield is a twenty-four year old Puritan woman and second wife to Thomas Deerfield. Thomas is a cruel man especially when he drinks and most often his rage is directed at Mary. Now Mary isn’t your typical obedient wife of the times. She knows it’s wrong to be treated as she is and she isn’t happy. Then Thomas takes it much too far and stabs her with a three-tined fork in her hand. Mary has had enough and proceeds to getting herself a divorce. Well we know what happened in those times. It didn’t take long for women to be accused of witchcraft if they stepped out of line in the slightest. Mary must not only fight the cruelty of the man she married but also of the society in which she lives.
The audio is absolutely amazing and the cast of characters even more so! It is narrated by Grace Experience, Saskia Maarleveld, Danny Campbell, Cassandra Campbell, Arthur Morey, Mark Deakins, Julia Whelan, Kaleo Griffith, Kirby Heyborne, Rebecca Lowman, and Mark Bramhell. Several of these narrators are my favorites and I’ve listened to them numerous times but really they were all great. What an awesome listening experience! You are literally taken back in time because they talk just as they would have then. Hour of the Witch will be in my top ten list for this year. I really enjoyed it!
Review copy provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.
I’m glad you liked the audio. I read the eGalley and although I liked the story, the use of the Old English throughout, drove me a bit nuts.
Diane, the language did bother me at first but as I went further it just seemed normal. It could be that it came across better on audio too.