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Witch Child Celia Rees Books

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Witch Child Celia Rees Books

Mary Nuttall was just sixteen years old when her grandmother Eliza - the only family she'd ever known - was murdered. Accused of practicing witchcraft, the old woman was tortured, stripped naked, bound, and "floated" - tossed into a river to sink or swim. Her buoyancy taken as a sure sign of guilt, Eliza was pulled from the water only so that she could be hanged in public. Once trusted to heal their loved ones, Eliza's friends and neighbors in this rural English town proved eager witnesses to her execution.

Rescued from similar persecution by her long-lost mother, Mary is sent away to the "New World" in search of a better life. She's to travel with a group of Puritans bound for Salem, where they'll join their brethren and pastor. Upon arrival, the group is dismayed to discover that their kin have moved on, to the isolated town of Beulah. After much deliberation they decide to follow, forging ahead into the wilderness with two Natives - of the Pennacook tribe - acting as their guides.

Unsurprisingly, Beulah couldn't be further from the safe haven Mary's mother envisioned for her child. Ruled by a Puritan preacher so strict and demanding that he proved unwelcome in Salem, Mary is in constant danger, just by virtue of being a newcomer to the community. Though she tries hard to stay under the radar, her "transgressions," real and imagined - which include befriending members of the opposite sex; spending time alone in the forest to gather food and herbs; harboring anything more than uncharitable thoughts about the "heathen" natives; and proficiency in transcription - don't escape the notice of Reverend Johnson. When items suggestive of witchcraft are discovered in the forest and several of the town's teenage girls start exhibiting strange behavior, Mary's worst fears are realized.

All of this we learn from Mary's journal, which spans roughly a year from 1659-1660. Urged to burn it by her protector/surrogate mother Martha - its opening sentences ("I am Mary. I am a witch.") alone being sure proof of guilt - Mary instead hides its pages inside a quilt. Discovered more than three hundred years later by one "Alison Ellman" (one of Mary's descendents, perhaps), Mary's journal stands testament to the horrors she and her kind endured.

In WITCH CHILD, Celia Rees has created a work of historical fiction that's perhaps more honest about the misogyny, racism, and religious bigotry of the time than are many high school textbooks. Women who threaten the patriarchal power structure - those who have special skills or knowledge, such as healing or above average literacy, or who are independent and live outside the bounds of marriage - are threatened with the specter of witchcraft to ensure compliance. Likewise, Puritan attitudes about the native inhabitants of the land are every bit as cruel and barbaric as they accuse the indigenous people of being. Where Reverend Johnson sees the land that will become Beulah and thinks that God has set it aside especially for him, Jaybird and White Eagle recognize it as the summering lands of their people, cleared and cultivated by them and ransacked and stolen by the Puritans while it lay vacant in the winter.

Chilling and captivating, WITCH CHILD is suitable for readers young and old. Though the story drags a little at the beginning - the slowest part being the voyage - the pace picks up once the colonists reach America. While the reader has a vague idea of how the story will end (Mary must survive to have at least one child), this doesn't detract from the feeling of suspense and urgency. In fact, Mary's narrative ends rather suddenly, in a jarring conclusion that left me wanting more. Luckily, there's a sequel (SORCERESS) - which I ordered not a half hour after finishing WITCH CHILD.

Trigger warnings for copious amounts of racism, misogyny, and speciesism. In particular, the scene in which Mary sees the whales for the first time broke my heart. Her friend Jack's reaction to this magnificent sight?

"'One day, I mean to hunt them.' He mimed picking up a harpoon and flinging it over the side. `I mean to have my own ship and I will hire men to go after them, for they are here in abundance and there is great wealth to be made from them....' [...] Maybe it was the sea glittering beneath him, but his eyes seemed full of coins." (page 78)


Tags : Amazon.com: Witch Child (0732483008296): Celia Rees: Books,Celia Rees,Witch Child,Candlewick,0763618292,Historical - United States - Colonial & Revolutionary Period,Horror,Massachusetts;History;Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775;Fiction.,Massachusetts;History;Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775;Juvenile fiction.,Witches;Fiction.,Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Fiction,Frontier and pioneer life,General,Historical Fiction (Young Adult),Horror Ghost Stories (Young Adult),Massachusetts,Puritans,Witches,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Historical United States Colonial & Revolutionary Periods,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Horror

Witch Child Celia Rees Books Reviews

Was well-written and smooth. Left you wanting more. Enjoyed Ms. Rees writing very much.
Will be reading more of her writing.
I absolutely loved this book. The ending isn't what I thought it would be, surprising, in fact. but, I highly recommend reading the sequel to this, "Sorceress."
I had been hunting for this book for several years when I found it by chance on . It tells the amazing story of a colonial girl named Mary and is worth the read. The book itself is a light weight paper back with a strong spine binding and high quality pages. I can say for sure that the binding will hold up to being thrown pretty well.
I didn't think I would like this book when I first saw the title in my sister-in-law's stack of books. I hadn't read the author before, but the cover intrigued me. Now I bought my own copy and I have read Witch Child three times and shared it with two friends who also loved it. She tells a very touching story. I am hooked on her books and the sequel was excellent. I enjoy reading Ceila Rees because her books are geared to younger readers so the words flow with appealing characters and heart-felt and intriguing plots.
I couldn't put it down. I love reading historical novels and especially about early America. This book leaves you wanting more. Sure you could write several possible extended endings for this story in your own imagination...and I have. But I can't wait to see what the author gives us with Sorceress.
I read Sovay, followed by Pirates. Loved them both. Celia Rees can spin quite a tale, her style of writing easy to read. So I thought I'd try Witch Child and was not disappointed. I was dreading it was going to be too much of that Puritans in Mass. for me - I've read a couple others where it was so redundant & too much to wade thru. But Rees handles this part of the story well, just enough to get the drift of what life was like during that period. The main characters were likeable, the story line moved right along. Now I'm going to read Sorceress which is a sequel to Witch Child - hoping it will be as good as the other Celia Rees I've read.
Novel was written as a gripping diary with well-developed characters. Rees paints an excellent story that makes you happy you are not living in the 1600s experienced by Mary. Despite her best efforts, Mary can never escape the suspicion of witchcraft by neighbors - past and present. This is an excellent portrait of religious intolerance as well as how people fail to accept those who are different than them or refuse to conform to current norms. Sadly, some things don't change.
I really liked this book! The only reason for the 4 star review instead of 5 is because of the ending. Which does not reflect on the author, herself. Since this is a story taken from an original journal from a young girl in the 1600's time period the author had to end this story where the main character finished in her journal.

From the first page to the last page I was captivated by the story of a young girl (a witch). This girl has to hide her true self from everyone, escape the world she knows, and become Mary (a puritan). She thought she was escaping to be free, not afraid of what people might do if they found out, however, she was escaping to the same world of fear, as well as, accusation that she left.

I enjoyed reading this book, in fact most of the time I found myself not wanting to put it down. This time period interests me, as I have read many books in regards to witches and the 1600's. I like how this book was not predictable at all, how the characters were written, as well as, the story line.

I will be reading more of author very soon!!!!
Mary Nuttall was just sixteen years old when her grandmother Eliza - the only family she'd ever known - was murdered. Accused of practicing witchcraft, the old woman was tortured, stripped naked, bound, and "floated" - tossed into a river to sink or swim. Her buoyancy taken as a sure sign of guilt, Eliza was pulled from the water only so that she could be hanged in public. Once trusted to heal their loved ones, Eliza's friends and neighbors in this rural English town proved eager witnesses to her execution.

Rescued from similar persecution by her long-lost mother, Mary is sent away to the "New World" in search of a better life. She's to travel with a group of Puritans bound for Salem, where they'll join their brethren and pastor. Upon arrival, the group is dismayed to discover that their kin have moved on, to the isolated town of Beulah. After much deliberation they decide to follow, forging ahead into the wilderness with two Natives - of the Pennacook tribe - acting as their guides.

Unsurprisingly, Beulah couldn't be further from the safe haven Mary's mother envisioned for her child. Ruled by a Puritan preacher so strict and demanding that he proved unwelcome in Salem, Mary is in constant danger, just by virtue of being a newcomer to the community. Though she tries hard to stay under the radar, her "transgressions," real and imagined - which include befriending members of the opposite sex; spending time alone in the forest to gather food and herbs; harboring anything more than uncharitable thoughts about the "heathen" natives; and proficiency in transcription - don't escape the notice of Reverend Johnson. When items suggestive of witchcraft are discovered in the forest and several of the town's teenage girls start exhibiting strange behavior, Mary's worst fears are realized.

All of this we learn from Mary's journal, which spans roughly a year from 1659-1660. Urged to burn it by her protector/surrogate mother Martha - its opening sentences ("I am Mary. I am a witch.") alone being sure proof of guilt - Mary instead hides its pages inside a quilt. Discovered more than three hundred years later by one "Alison Ellman" (one of Mary's descendents, perhaps), Mary's journal stands testament to the horrors she and her kind endured.

In WITCH CHILD, Celia Rees has created a work of historical fiction that's perhaps more honest about the misogyny, racism, and religious bigotry of the time than are many high school textbooks. Women who threaten the patriarchal power structure - those who have special skills or knowledge, such as healing or above average literacy, or who are independent and live outside the bounds of marriage - are threatened with the specter of witchcraft to ensure compliance. Likewise, Puritan attitudes about the native inhabitants of the land are every bit as cruel and barbaric as they accuse the indigenous people of being. Where Reverend Johnson sees the land that will become Beulah and thinks that God has set it aside especially for him, Jaybird and White Eagle recognize it as the summering lands of their people, cleared and cultivated by them and ransacked and stolen by the Puritans while it lay vacant in the winter.

Chilling and captivating, WITCH CHILD is suitable for readers young and old. Though the story drags a little at the beginning - the slowest part being the voyage - the pace picks up once the colonists reach America. While the reader has a vague idea of how the story will end (Mary must survive to have at least one child), this doesn't detract from the feeling of suspense and urgency. In fact, Mary's narrative ends rather suddenly, in a jarring conclusion that left me wanting more. Luckily, there's a sequel (SORCERESS) - which I ordered not a half hour after finishing WITCH CHILD.

Trigger warnings for copious amounts of racism, misogyny, and speciesism. In particular, the scene in which Mary sees the whales for the first time broke my heart. Her friend Jack's reaction to this magnificent sight?

"'One day, I mean to hunt them.' He mimed picking up a harpoon and flinging it over the side. `I mean to have my own ship and I will hire men to go after them, for they are here in abundance and there is great wealth to be made from them....' [...] Maybe it was the sea glittering beneath him, but his eyes seemed full of coins." (page 78)