-----------Recommended by AuntiePam - also fan of authorJennet Stearne, the main character of the novel, is a stubborn, inquisitive natural philosopher - not the most appropriate profession for a woman in the early 1700's. A loss early in her life makes her determined to disprove witchcraft with science in order to save lives.Her adventures take her from England to America, from Native American bride to mistress of a future Founding Father, while matching wits with the likes of Sir Isaac Newton and John Hathorne (magistrate at the Salem Witch Trials), as well as pirates and a freed slave king.Oh yes - and Philosophae Naturalis Principia Mathematica occasionally puts in its 2 cents worth as a narrator.It's not an easy read (Morrow never is), but if you're a fan of historical fiction & challenging the status quo, I'd highly recommend it.Recommended co-reading (covering similar topics/timeline)Quicksilver - Neal StephensonThe Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing Traitor to the Nation Vol. 1: The Pox Party - M.T. AndersonNotes and QuotesBook as narrator = sentience. Also books begetting/writing other books/literary endeavors: "Mein Kampf can claim credit for most of the Hallmark cards printed between 1958 and 1967... after Waiting for Godot acquired a taste for writing Windows software documentation, there was no stopping it." Books also go to war - Newton's Principia Mathematica (the narrator) vs Malleus Malificarium."She [Jennet] pictured God as a pregnant woman, wincing and gasping as lovely Eden spilled from her womb... Whereupon the great messy placenta came forth, Eden's afterbirth, inferior to Paradise in every way save habitability, and God called it America."[From a discussion on modern-day Salem MA's attitude towards its past --> tourism:] Suggestion of other activities:* Cat Pressing on the Green * All Night Noose Dance* Dorcas Good Memorial Leg Iron RunAlso presented potential for "Holocaust Happenings at Nuremberg"."I needn't remind you that readers have always been a minority in your species... I salute you all, as do my fellow books.""I see the best counter to a malicious idea is a bon mot, not a bonfire."-------------------Thoughts after my re-read Jan 2012 I find myself drawn to historical fiction where the main character interacts with actual people from history (see Carter Beats the Devil and On Stranger Tides) so I enjoyed revisiting this novel. Jennet Stearne is a strong protagonist whose adventures are an entertaining read; tho I don't know if I'd really care to spend any time with her. Morrow's version of Benjamin Franklin, on the other hand... :^) And I'd forgotten how cleverly Morrow presented the transitions between the story and the Principia Mathematica's commentaries! The Last Witchfinder is probably the most accessible and least philosophical of Morrow's works that I've read (I would say "least preachy", but considering his anti-religious views, it seems inappropriate) and I'd recommend it as a good starting point for exploring his work. Now I want to go re-read Quicksilver!
This one took what seemed like forever to read (but since it spans the onset of the Enlightenment through to today, that's perhaps to be expected). I dipped in here and there, reading a section--a chapter--an hourglass at a time (if you've read it, that will make sense). The black humour, the delightfully anachronistic voice, the historical characterizations...I found it all utterly charming and compelling and altogether unique.It's tempting to draw comparisons to Vonnegut and Tom Robbins (Jitterbug Perfume springs to mind, in particular), not just in the whimsy of the prose and unlikelihood of the story's events, but also Morrow's ability to combine sardonic humour with a deep rational humanism. But mostly, Morrow's voice appears to be solely his own and the parallels exist primarily in an ability to condemn religious hypocrisy, ignorance, injustice, and brutality all the while painting scenes rich with humour, complex characters and quirky details.Of course, I'd be remiss not to mention the device of the narrator--Newton's Principia Mathematica--cleverly deployed to timeshift the reader through historical events and keep the story galloping along. It's a book written by a book that pays the deepest respect to booklovers and the pursuit of knowledge. (The book war thing--silverfish? egyptian moths? a vacant lot in NYC?--seemed a bit unnecessary and odd, but that was just one off-note in nearly 600 pages of otherwise exhuberantly solid writing.)The whole thing requires the suspension of disbelief on more than a few occasions, but it's truly remarkable how well the story holds together and makes sense, despite its more outlandish plot twists and turns. Mostly, I think this has to do with the grounding provided by Jennet Stearne's life's mission and her single-minded desire to avenge her Aunt's horrific death by proving, through scientific enquiry, logic and evidence, the fallacy of witchcraft, and the hypocrisy and unspeakable cruelty of the witchhunters. The courtroom scenes are simultaneously gripping and jaw-clenchingly angering, exactly as they should be. Despite Morrow's lilting prose and wide ranging topics (law, government, the founding of America, the laws of physics, the slave trade, Newton, Voltaire, Montesquieu, Ben Franklin ... you name it, it's in here), never does he stray too far from the tragic, real-life events that inspire the novel and its heroine. And let me finally comment on the ending--a more satisfying one I've not encountered in a novel in some time. Not only is the plot tied up neatly and justice served, but it provides a satisfying denouement, and never seems too neat or contrived. Solid 4.5 stars from me.
Do You like book The Last Witchfinder (2007)?
Really enjoyed this book, not least of all because despite its 500 pages, I had the leisure read it in a relatively short time. Historical novel with a great narrator - up there with Bartimaeus and Humbert, and I kept hearing Stephen Fry in the book-on-tape in my mind - and even when you feel the author might have stacked the deck a little, he's still talking about witch-hunters, universally recognized as difficult to defend. I mean, anybody out there feel like they'd love to have hung out with Abigail Williams?
—Greg
It has NEVER taken me 3 weeks to read 240 pages of a book.This book was too wordy. (I had to sit with a dictionary for some of the words.) The initial premise was good, and I did wonder how it all was to turn out...HOWEVER, by the 230th page (of 400 +) I found Jennet's, the main character, life so preposterous, I just couldn't read any more. Jennet was born the child of one of England's last "witchfinders." Mom died in the birth of her brother. She educated each summer with a science loving Auntie. She worshipped Auntie and her scientific experiments. Her last days in England brought her beloved own Aunt to the stake, by her dear ol' dad. Then they were shipped off to the Massachusetts colonies, where witchfinding was about to take hold (a-la-Salem-Witch-Trials). In the colonies they live a poor life until dad is 'discovered' for his talent. Shortly thereafter, Daddy-o is slain in a battle with the Nimacook Indians. Brother-dear is presumed dead in a ghastly house fire (set by the Indians, of course). Jennet is taken prisoner and lives peacefully as one of the Nimacooks for many years. After she is "rescued" by a distant admirer, she comes to live in Boston and marry her knight in shining mail armor. Her postal-hubby's career advances eventually land them both, and their child, in Philly. Then hubby leaves her and takes kiddo with. After years of solitude, she crosses life paths with a very young, handsome, Ben Franklin... all this time she was preparing her life's work - a thesis on how unscientific Witchfinding was and how spirits, enchantments, and other phenomenon could be explained through science, not spirituality.This is where I stopped. I couldn't take it anymore. She was 42 and rolling in the hay with a founding father - - and I was only halfway through the book. If anyone got to the end and can convince me it is worth picking this back up, I will. Otherwise, this one is as good as a dust collector to me.
—Leah
This was, no argument, a well written book. What grabbed my attention initially was the idea that it was a book written by a book--namely the Principia Mathematica by Isaac Newton. On the whole it reminded me of Moll Flanders...a picaresque novel. While this is a long tradition for novels and writers to follow, the original picaresque novels followed rogues and other sundry sorts of villains/troublemakers. That's what made them interesting. In this case the novel suffers because the main character is too good and righteous. She causes no real trouble except to really bad dudes--one of them her father and the other is her brother. So, a series of random adventures (including witch burning in Restoration England, attending the Salem witch trials, kidnapping by Native Americans, a love affair with Ben Franklin, attacks by pirates, and desertion on a tropical island) lacks real interest because it just seems, well, random.However, the language is fantastic. The conceit of the book writing a book interesting and well-pulled-off. I also enjoyed the history involved...though the math and science got a tad tedious, especially if you recognize that a lot of the hypotheses that the characters are working off of are antiquated now...ruins some of the suspense.
—Jenny Maloney
