Mini Review: Six Women of Salem

Title: Six Women of Salem: The Untold Story of the Accused and Their Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials
Author: Marilynne K. Roach
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: September 3rd 2013
Source: Netgalley & Da Capo Press

★★★★

Four stars.

Six Women of Salem: The Untold Story of the Accused and Their Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials delivers exactly what the title promises. Roach focuses on the witch trials of (arguably) the six most famous women of Salem: Tituba, Rebecca Nurse, Ann Putnam, Mary Warren, Bridget Bishop, and Mary English. The groups is a mixture of the accused and those doing the accusing.

I think this is a great book for someone who already has an interest in history or specifically the Salem witch trials. Because of the nature of the topic, there are a lot of dates, connections, and courtroom talk that does give this book a "textbook" type feel throughout. But it's all relevant if not important information that paints a more detailed picture of this point in our country's history.

One thing that really helped to break up this sometimes monotonous book was the use of fiction. At the start of introductions of characters and throughout the book, there are short fictional passages of how their life could have been like. This writing was really detailed and dramatic- I'd actually be happy to read a fiction book set in Salem if Roach ever decides to publish one.

All in all, this book is chock full of information and offers new insight into these trials. Historians and those with an interest in Salem would find this book particularly helpful. To those who have no prior history or interest in this subject, this book throws a lot of information at you and is a bit dry in parts. Because I study Salem in my free time, I found this to be a solid and informative read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Da Capo Press for my copy.