"Weave a Web of Witchcraft" by Jean M. Roberts

263 pages; Published by Jean M. Roberts © 2018

I narrated the audiobook version of this work, so I get paid if you purchase it.

Tales of arriving in a new land are numerous. History books tell students of all ages about people who left everything behind in order to make a better life for themselves and their family. The dangers they encountered were both exciting and harrowing.

For people like Hugh Parsons, the dangers came from the wild of an untamed land and the very community he lived in. "Weave a Web of Witchcraft" by Jean M. Roberts details the struggles of a man who is forced to learn a trade despite wanting to farm and live off the land. After learning his trade, Parsons travels to the New World in hopes of better opportunities, only to find himself accused of witchcraft by his own family.

Roberts' book begins in the 1630's. Parsons is working on his family's farm when his father informs him an apprenticeship has been arranged with a local brickmaker. Despite his pleas, Hugh's fate has been arranged in an agreement between his father and the master brickmaker. Hugh spends the next seven years learning the trade and business under Master Lawrence. At the end of his apprenticeship, he is convinced by his brothers that America is the place to be for a young brickmaker fresh off his apprenticeship.

Hugh makes his home in the western Massachusetts town of Springfield, where he builds his house and establishes a shop. He meets Mary Lewis, a servant of a nearby family. Hugh is immediately infatuated with her and begins calling on her. The blossoming relationship faces difficulties as Mary has been previously married, and the town government is just one of the hurdles faced by Hugh and Mary.

During Hugh's acclimation to the new town and life, he finds himself accused of witchcraft by, of all people, Mary. People he once counted on as friends suddenly turn their backs on him and shun him. A promising life in a new land soon turns into a harrowing trial where that grips the small town. As if that weren't enough, a child is murdered, causing more shock and gossip in the village.

"Weave a Web of Witchcraft" has all the elements of a Puritan New England village gripped by the hysteria of witchcraft. People trying to live their lives find themselves needing to answer to charges based on nothing but gossip and jealousy. Roberts tells a tale of simple people who are easily duped and neighbors being forced to choose sides. Either choice will come with consequences. The book is based on actual events and predate the Salem Witch Trials by decades. History buffs will appreciate the authors attention to facts and details. Anyone who enjoys a good story will appreciate just that.

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