Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Horribly fascinating, October 31, 2001
Inspired by a field trip with my students to Salem, I browsed a little through Amazon's selections about the witch trials to find a good book to teach me more about what happened. I settled on this one, and was not disappointed."A Delusion of Satan" is both well-written and well-researched. Frances Hill has used evidence from many primary sources to back up her descriptions of what happened in Salem in 1692. She is careful to present all of the information accurately, and has changed nothing except to modernize some of the grammar to make it easier for the reader to understand. The large bibliography at the back of the book attests to the amount of effort that went into researching the book, and also provides suggestions for further reading about the subject. Although historical accuracy is one of the most important aspects of a book like this, to earn five stars it also has to be readable. Hill's writing is clear and insightful, and many of the people in the story are made very real. The backgrounds of both the accused and the young girls doing the accusing are given in as much detail as is available. Hill's psychological analysis of the mass hysteria is believable and makes sense, at least to this layperson. The story of the Salem witch trials is chilling. We'd like to think that such a thing could *never* happen today. And yet, as Hill makes clear in her introduction, such modern "witch-hunts" *do* occur, though many of us are unaware. Reading this book reminds you that open-mindedness and willingness to embrace the unknown should be traits that we all share. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about this horrible period in our history.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Gripping Analysis of the Salem Witch Trials, January 8, 2003
Having been to Salem, Mass. several times, and visited the historical sites and museums there, I felt that I had a good knowledge of the witch hysteria of 1692. After reading A Delusion of Satan, however, I have found that my knowledge was basic at best.
In A Delusion of Satan, Frances Hill provides a rich retelling of the events that draws from court documents, eyewitness accounts, and other primary sources. Also, Hill places the trials into their historical contexts; explaining the Puritan experiences leading up to the trials and the dangerous situation in which the colonists lived. This context also serves to help Hill hypothesize about what drove the original accusers into a frenzy. Hill's arguments about psychological opression and fear being the impetus for the hysteria are well developed and convincing. Astutely, Hill frequently points out that these are only theories. No one can ever know for certain what afflicted the girls. Equally convincing evidence is presented that suggests that treachery among the community may have fanned the flames of the witch hunt and helped guide the course of events.
A Delusion of Satan introduced me not only to details I had never read about before, but also to the personalities of those involved. Hill gleans this information mostly from court documents, written statements, and testimonies. The condemned, as well as the other key players, become vividly human and relatable.
While no modern writer or historian can declare to know the "truth" about every aspect of this frightening chapter in American history, A Delusion of Satan certainly serves as a useful, chilling, and entertaining witch-trial history. Readers (and some other reviewers) of this book should keep in mind that Hill's arguments and opinions are of course merely that. I have found no place in the book where she claims to have "the final answer" about the Salem witch trials. However, I find her positions sufficiently supported and highly plausible.
I highly recommend this book to readers interested in Salem, witch-trials, or early American history. You will not be disappointed!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Straight Ahead, Recommended Narrative Account, August 26, 2002
Frances Hill does what her subtitle (A Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials) promises. In a Delusion of Satan, the author tells the grippping and horrifying story from beginning to end in a fast-paced narrative that takes the reader through every pertinent detail. Along the way, she discusses motives, both psychological and material, that may have influenced the participants, as well as briefly glancing at the number of theories that have arisen in our more modern times. The author does not provide a large historical context in which to slide the events into, perhpas, but she does give just enough details to keep this story comprehensible and fascinating. The book does not dwell on modern analogies (they are too painfully obvious, at any rate). A recommended look at this terrible time.
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