The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs
A Novel
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4.3 • 55 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A magical bloodline. A family curse. Can Connie break the spell before it shatters her future?
A bewitching novel of a New England history professor who must race against time to free her family from a curse, by Katherine Howe, New York Times bestselling author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane.
Connie Goodwin is an expert on America’s fractured past with witchcraft. A young, tenure-track professor in Boston, she’s earned career success by studying the history of magic in colonial America—especially women’s home recipes and medicines—and by exposing society's threats against women fluent in those skills. But beyond her studies, Connie harbors a secret: She is the direct descendant of a woman tried as a witch in Salem, an ancestor whose abilities were far more magical than the historical record shows.
When a hint from her mother and clues from her research lead Connie to the shocking realization that her partner’s life is in danger, she must race to solve the mystery behind a hundreds’-years-long deadly curse.
Flashing back through American history to the lives of certain supernaturally gifted women, The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs affectingly reveals not only the special bond that unites one particular matriarchal line, but also explores the many challenges to women’s survival across the decades—and the risks some women are forced to take to protect what they love most.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this slow-moving follow-up to her bestselling The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, Howe continues the tale of Connie Goodwin, a descendant of a Salem witch. The story is told through alternating timelines, one in Massachusetts in 2000, the other stretching from 1661 in England to 1816 Massachusetts. In 2000, 34-year old Connie is an assistant history professor at Northeastern University finishing a book on the history of witchcraft and putting together her tenure application. Once that's accomplished, she plans to marry her longtime boyfriend, Sam Hartley. Shocked by her unplanned pregnancy, Connie's startled when her mother, Grace, advises her to break up with Sam. It's the only way to protect his life, Grace reminds Connie the husbands in their family die young. Both women believe it's a family curse connected to their female ancestors' magical proclivities. But Connie decides to find a witchcraft recipe that will save Sam's life. A mysterious key and a portrait of relative Temperance Hobbs whose husband, Obadiah, lived to a ripe old age may provide Connie with the answers she seeks. The earlier timeline traces the lives of Connie's female forebears, including Deliverance Dane, who was accused of witchcraft at the Salem witch trials. The story lacks tension, however, and the witchcraft angle doesn't do much to elevate it. Fans of the first book might enjoy catching up with Connie, but those encountering her for the first time won't find themselves bewitched.
Customer Reviews
I loved this
I fell right in to this continuation of the Deliverance Dane story! I loved the slow build up and the lavish, detailed descriptions of the people, places, and things in this book. Most of all the witchy things! I also loved the time hopping back and forth between Connie and her many descendants. Howe’s attention to detail honestly makes you feel like you are right there in the story. Great plot and characters. I loved it as much as the first book! I can’t wait to see what comes next from this author!!!
Interesting story!
The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe has readers traveling to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2000. Professor Connie Goodwin is up for tenure and working on a book which leaves little time to spend with Sam. Things have been tense between Sam and Connie since he mentioned marriage and Connie told him that she does not believe it is the right time. After a visit to her mother and a chat with Liz, Connie is gobsmacked with unexpected news. When Connie’s research reveals that Sam’s life is in danger, she teams up with Zazi to save him from a deadly curse that has affected her family for centuries. The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs begins ten years after The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane ended. While The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs can be read alone, I believe it would have been beneficial if I had read The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (it is in one of my TBR piles). Katherine Howe is a detail oriented writer. Her comprehensive descriptions allowed me to visualize the people, places and items. I especially enjoyed the depictions of Granna’s cottage and the libraries. I could tell that the author did thorough research for this book especially with the inclusion of the Latin names for plants. There was also a cipher in Latin. We learn about the world of academia as Connie teaches her classes, helps doctoral students with their dissertations and navigate the doctoral program, deals with students who need extensions (there are always a few) on assignments, grades papers, talks with fellow faculty members and prepares her tenure packet. While Connie is the narrator for most of the novel, there are chapters that take us back in time. Those flashbacks allow us to learn about Connie’s ancestors and their magical abilities. The pacing is slow in the beginning with it increasing later in the story. There was a section or two that I found a little confusing and would have liked more clarity. Those who wanted more of Connie’s story after reading The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, will enjoy delving into The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs. I appreciated the epilogue at the end with the surprising reveal. The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs has a fatal curse, a concealed spell, an antique skeleton key, a spellbinding tome, a magical lineage, and daring witches.