2.5 * - I keep wavering between 2-3 *, but ultimately selected 2, because the book was honestly a bit of a slog.
I bought this on a visit to Salem because I wanted an educational souvenir that would allow me to learn more in detail about the historical events, and it served that purpose. However, it is a rather dry account of the accusations and proceedings.
Furthermore, the author frames the historical actors in terms of Freudian psychoanalysis throughout the book. Now, I am no psychologist, but haven't Freud's principles largely be debunked?
That being said, I still find much of of Hill's analysis persuasive and useful, it's just that it's a relatively small part of the book, compared to the lengthy lists of who accused whom, who was subsequently arrested, then questioned in the presence of the writhing accusers, then sent to jail, later tried, sent to jail …
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Voracious reader of fiction, sci-fi, romance, historical fiction... I read in English, German and Dutch.
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Chaostheorie rated Bienes historie: 3 stars

Bienes historie by Maja Lunde (Klimakvartetten, #1)
English Edition Translation 2015 by Dianne Oatley
Chaostheorie rated Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982: 3 stars

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo
A fierce international bestseller that launched Korea’s new feminist movement, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 follows one woman’s psychic deterioration in …
Chaostheorie rated Triumph of Injustice: 5 stars
Chaostheorie rated Red Pill: 4 stars

Red Pill by Hari Kunzru
After receiving a prestigious writing fellowship in Germany, the narrator of Red Pill arrives in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee …
Chaostheorie rated The Radical Element: 3 stars

Jessica Spotswood: The Radical Element (Hardcover, 2018, Candlewick Press)
The Radical Element by Jessica Spotswood
"Respect yourself," she says. "Respect, and perhaps, one day, even love yourself. It's the most radical decision you can make." …

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen
An engaging exploration of what it means to be asexual in a world that’s obsessed with sexual attraction, and what …
Chaostheorie rated Mein Cape Cod: 4 stars
Chaostheorie rated Girl Meets Boy (Canongate Myths): 4 stars

Girl Meets Boy (Canongate Myths) by Ali Smith
Girl meets boy. It's a story as old as time. But what happens when an old story meets a brand …
Chaostheorie rated Slaughterhouse-Five: 3 stars

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time, Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is …
Chaostheorie rated Afterparties: 4 stars
Chaostheorie reviewed A delusion of Satan by Frances Hill
Review of 'A delusion of Satan' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
2.5 * - I keep wavering between 2-3 *, but ultimately selected 2, because the book was honestly a bit of a slog.
I bought this on a visit to Salem because I wanted an educational souvenir that would allow me to learn more in detail about the historical events, and it served that purpose. However, it is a rather dry account of the accusations and proceedings.
Furthermore, the author frames the historical actors in terms of Freudian psychoanalysis throughout the book. Now, I am no psychologist, but haven't Freud's principles largely be debunked?
That being said, I still find much of of Hill's analysis persuasive and useful, it's just that it's a relatively small part of the book, compared to the lengthy lists of who accused whom, who was subsequently arrested, then questioned in the presence of the writhing accusers, then sent to jail, later tried, sent to jail again... I think leaving more of this to the timeline at the end and focus more on the overarching process and analysis would have made for a much more readable book.
Summary: Serviceable, but not brilliant.
Chaostheorie rated Exit wounds: 4 stars
Chaostheorie rated Hark! A Vargrant: 4 stars

Hark! A Vargrant by Kate Beaton
"Hark! A Vagrant" takes readers on a romp through history and literature--with dignity for few and cookies for all--with comic …
Chaostheorie reviewed The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik (The Scholomance, #2)
Review of 'The Last Graduate' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I'm too overwhelmed to say much at this stage, except that I expected exactly this cliffhanger ending all while hoping that it wasn't coming. Very Greek tragedy in that way. Can't wait for the final book.
Otherwise I'll just say again how refreshing it is to have a main character in a wizarding school story who recognises the injustices in wizard society, and then instead of just trying to restore the status quo and feeling vaguely sorry for themselves, she does something to fundamentally make things better. (Yes, that's a subtweet.)