The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Speare, Elizabeth George (January 10, 2011) Paperback

Suspicious about the politics & actual history of this but it is a very good read. The "witch" is a Quaker woman who lives alone in a cabin in a meadow. The real witch is a Puitan woman living in town. Men play supporting parts.

“What a pity every child couldn't learn to read under a willow tree...”― Elizabeth George Speare, The Witch of Blackbird PondA book from my childhood and one of the best pieces of Historical fiction..one of the best BOOKS..I have ever read.PLEASE do not go into this..if you have not read it..thinking it is only for children or young adults. Do you know how many people I know who read this in adulthood? So have I although my first reading of it was in my childhood.So Kit is a newcomer to the United States. She has come here from Barbados. She knows nobody. She knows nothing of the Puritan culture. Her grandfather has died and her only family left is her Aunt Rachel. She has come in the hopes of living with Rachel and her family as she is bereft and is leaving little behind.Kit is used to the free spirited way of living that she has always embraced in Barbados. She knows nothing of the customs that guide New England. She knows nothing about how the village people regard women. She does not know that women here don't know how to read, do not know how to swim and most of all she does not know about witch trials and about the rules governing the lands.It isn't long before Kit befriends two people. One of them is Prudence, a scared little child whose family thinks she is "dumb" and as a result she does not go to school. The other is Hannah. Regarded with deep suspicion and mistrust Hanna is a widow and a Quaker who lives alone. Nobody in the village will speak to her. There is a deep certainty amongst the villagers that Hannah must be a witch.So this is a bit of what the book is about but I have not even scratched the surface. It is considered a classic and I reread every few years especially when I want to go back in time and touch my childhood. I cannot think of a piece of writing better in the Historical Fiction genre and if you missed it as a kid or an adult, it is one that will stay with you.Now I have some SPOILERS..just about the ending..so if you have not read it, stop here.The last scene is among the most romantic and satisfying I have ever read. Likewise the trial and the testimony of Prudence are also written so flawlessly. I often think of Kit and Nat and Mercy and Judith and John Holbrook and Aunt Rachel and Mathew and Prudence and Hanna. They all stepped off the pages and became my friends. Sometimes the smell of New England will bring me back to the book as will apple pie, kittens, boats and the sound of the ocean. Please read this book.

Folllowing the death of her grandfather, sixteen year old Kit is forced to leave her home in Barbados and move to Connecticut to live with her aunt, whom she had never met. Here she finds a very different world. Seventeenth century New England is often cold and dark. Its residents work hard and have very little time for leisure. Kit is Independent and spoiled. Her uncle, a Puritan elder, is suspicious of Kit and her carefree ways. Her uncle's suspicions of her are shared among other members of the community. They worsen when Kit befriends Hannah Tupper, a woman suspected of being a witch.The Witch of Blackbird Pond Is the winner of the 1959 Newberry Award. It is an exceptional book of historical fiction addressing questions of love, loyalty, faith and being true to oneself. Ages 10-adult ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #thewitchofblackbirdpond #elizabethgeorgespeare #newberryawardwinner#newberrybookcollector #historicalfiction #emptynestreader