Jennet is the daughter of the Witchfinder of Mercia and East Anglia. Whilst her father roams the countryside with her brother Dunstan in search of heretics, Jennet is left behind to be schooled by her aunt Isobel in the New Philosophy principally expounded by Isaac Newton. But her aunt's style of scientific enquiry soon attracts the attention of the witchfinders. To save her aunt, Jennet travels to Cambridge to seek the help of Newton himself. On the way she meets Dr Barnaby Cavendish and his 'Museum of Wondrous Prodigies ...
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Jennet is the daughter of the Witchfinder of Mercia and East Anglia. Whilst her father roams the countryside with her brother Dunstan in search of heretics, Jennet is left behind to be schooled by her aunt Isobel in the New Philosophy principally expounded by Isaac Newton. But her aunt's style of scientific enquiry soon attracts the attention of the witchfinders. To save her aunt, Jennet travels to Cambridge to seek the help of Newton himself. On the way she meets Dr Barnaby Cavendish and his 'Museum of Wondrous Prodigies' including the Bird-Child of Bath, The Lyme Bay Fish Boy and the Sussex Rat Baby. What they haven't bargained on is being hoodwinked by Newton's great rival Robert Hooke. Isobel is burned at the stake but in her dying moments, begs Jennet to devote her life to overturning the Parliamentary Witchcraft Act.This is a huge rollercoaster of a novel as Jennet travels to America and witnesses the Salem witch trials; is abducted by Indians; begins an affair with Benjamin Franklin; travels back to England and finally meets the real Newton; is shipwrecked; then ends up back in America where her brother is now the Witchfinder Royal. In a great final showdown between old superstition and new science, Jennet decides to have herself accused of witchcraft in order to disprove its existence. What makes this novel even more unusual is that Jennet's story is narrated by a book, the Principia Matematica, making this a hugely original, witty, clever and utterly unique novel. It's very tongue in cheek, as the book engages in a battle of paper-eating insects with the Malleus Maleficarum, the key 'witchfinding' text.
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Add this copy of The Last Witchfinder: Na to cart. $15.23, good condition, Sold by Goldstone Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ammanford, CARMS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2006 by W&N.
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Add this copy of The Last Witchfinder: Na to cart. $20.55, like new condition, Sold by Bestsellers Returns rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hereford, HEREFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2006 by W&N.
James Morrow's The Last Witchfinder is an extremely well researched historical novel that continually surprises, delights, and, even, amazes the reader. A page-turner that also demands reflection with characters we come to care about--all portrayed against a very broad canvas spanning two continents and almost 100 years. I would highly recommend it along with Morrow's brilliant satire The City of Truth.
cheryl59
May 12, 2007
Salem with a twist
Having studied 'The Crucible' at school in my teenage years and more recently watching the film version, I was immediately intrigued by the title and jumped into the novel wholeheartedly. I wasn't disappointed ! I immediately connected with most of the characters, recognising the Salem witch trial protagonists and shuddering at the vivid details described by the author. Aunt Isobel and the central character, Jennet, are both captivating timeless heroines, grounded in their historic setting but with a feminist feistiness which wouldn't be out of place in today's "chicklit" novels ! The story was a real page-turner, by turns uplifting and poignant. However, I had trouble reconciling myself to a couple of the author's techniques - he appears to be a chronic name dropper , intertwining countless historical celebrities' lives into the narrative, which left me wondering at times whether I was supposed to be reading a work of fiction or something more historically accurate. I had difficulties drawing the line between the factual and the fantastical, particularly when the narrative was at times "hijacked" by a talking book, and I must admit that the final mention of the book partaking in physical lovemaking with Jennet took the suspension of disbelief a little too far !! All in all, it was an entertaining read, possibly educational but with the reader left questioning the factual basis of the scientific and biographical elements !
