The Witch of Blackbird Pond

The historical fiction novel The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare has become a very popular read—for good reason. If you’ve ever read this book, you know about the lovable people, realistic lifestyle, intensifying plot line, and overall great story. Here’s my review of it!

Characters

Personally, my favorite parts of this book were the characters. It felt like they came up out of the pages…each person was distinct and authentic, from little Prudence to blustery Dr. Bulkeley. I loved getting to know Judith, Mercy, Hannah, and Nat right along with Kit, the main character.

Nat was definitely my favorite. Him and Kit’s relationship arc had me on the edge of my seat, cheering for them, and the way it ended with the two of them was perfect.

I also liked Hannah, the old “witch”. She was spirited and kind, despite her circumstances, and the way her cure for everything was “blueberry cake and a kitten” just made me wish I could meet her in real life.

Sweet, humble Mercy was also a favorite of mine. She was so selfless. She deserved John Holbrook much more than Judith did.

I did NOT like William. He just seemed so undoubtedly sure that he could marry Kit without so much as asking her. He was presumptuous and awkward. He got a bit better by the end, admittedly, but I still was not a big fan of him.

Critique

Another thing I didn’t like very much were the school scenes and political discussions. I found the school scenes sad and dull. As for the politics, they were…well, like politics: boring, overly complicated, and dry. I definitely skimmed those parts, if I’m being honest.

It was also difficult to truly relate with many of the Puritan characters. I don’t fully understand everything they do, so obviously there were some parts—like Uncle Matthew’s hatred of beautiful clothes—I disagreed with.

I loved the comfortable, homey scenes, when they’re all sitting by the fire or eating dinner, and when Kit, Nat and Prudence are at Hannah’s cottage, laughing and feeling “as light as air”.

The writing style was absolutely enchanting. Ms. Speare’s descriptions, conversations, and wording will pull you in immediately, and you won’t want to stop. I enjoyed the way she compares things, with similes and metaphors. Some old books can be dry and difficult to read. The Witch of Blackbird Pond is NOT one of those—it’s a soft, bright, captivating masterpiece.

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Trust me, if you haven’t read this book yet, you should. Besides all the delightfully fictional parts of it, I learned a lot about Puritan lifestyles in the 16 and 1700s. There are good life lessons and christian themes inside, too. It’s a wonderfully informative, but charming, novel. Not many of those left in today’s literary world.

I’d give this book a 4/5 stars. It really was an amazing read.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope you found it helpful!