Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Last Witchfinder

The Last Witchfinder
The Last Witchfinder
Author: James Morrow
Jennet Stearne's father hangs witches for a living in Restoration England. But when this precocious child witnesses the horrifying death of her beloved Aunt Isobel, unjustly executed as a sorceress, she makes it her life's mission to bring down the Parliamentary Witchcraft Act. A self-educated "natural philosopher," Jennet is i...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780739474655
ISBN-10: 0739474650
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 526
Rating:
  • Currently 4.4/5 Stars.
 4

4.4 stars, based on 4 ratings
Publisher: HarperCollins
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
Read All 2 Book Reviews of "The Last Witchfinder"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

curledupwithabook avatar reviewed The Last Witchfinder on + 169 more book reviews
Interesting, but quirky, this book took me a VERY long time to complete. While in no way shape or form a history buff, I am interested in that dark time in our collective past where people were tortured and put to death out of ignorance and fear and a belief in witchcraft. So, this book provides an interesting story, partially based in fact, focused on witchfinding and the beliefs of the time. I read those portions with relish.

What's quirky about the book is that it is authored by another book (not literally, of course). I enjoyed this concept and liked the "author/narrator" and "his" sarcastic and witty dialogue. Morrow is quite creative in giving life to this "author" and building an entire history including wars and "discussions" between old and modern literature.

The "author", however, has a tendency to be verbose and go off on tangents that have little to do with the witchfinding that interested me and more to do with some historical event that I found boring or tedious. That being said, I did enjoy most of the escapades and personalities that were introduced throughout the book.

I believe this book will be enjoyed most fully by those who are interested in this era of our history, including and beyond the witch craze of the time. An aside, I loved the language - old English - that's used throughout. The author was successful in creating a sense of time and place so that you had to sort of clear your head after reading for a while in order to tolerate the far cruder manners and language of today. : )


Genres: