The Ruin of All Witches
Life and Death in the New World
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The Ruin of All Witches
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Narrated by:
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Kristin Atherton
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By:
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Malcolm Gaskill
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
A Time, Sunday Times and BBC History History Book of the Year 2021
In the frontier town of Springfield, in 1651, peculiar things begin to happen. Precious food spoils, livestock ails and property vanishes. People suffer fits and are plagued by strange visions and dreams. Children sicken and die. As tensions rise, rumours spread of witches and heretics, and the community becomes tangled in a web of spite, distrust and denunciation. The finger of suspicion falls on a young couple struggling to make a home and feed their children: Hugh Parsons, the irascible brickmaker, and his troubled wife, Mary. It will be their downfall.
The Ruin of All Witches tells the dark real-life folktale of witch-hunting in a remote Massachusetts plantation. These were the turbulent beginnings of colonial America, when English settlers' dreams of love and liberty, of founding a 'city on a hill', gave way to paranoia and terror, enmity and rage. Drawing on uniquely rich, previously neglected source material, Malcolm Gaskill brings to life a New World existence steeped in the divine and the diabolic, in curses and enchantments, and precariously balanced between life and death.
Through the gripping micro-history of a family tragedy, we glimpse an entire society caught in agonised transition between supernatural obsessions and the age of enlightenment. We see, in short, the birth of the modern world.
©2022 Malcolm Gaskill (P)2022 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"A bona fide historical classic." (Sunday Times)
"Simply one of the best history books I have ever read." (BBC History)
"A great story, exquisitely told. This book is history at its illuminative best." (The Times)
What listeners say about The Ruin of All Witches
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jane
- 13-01-23
Fascinating
Interesting insight into the lives of early New Englanders. How their jealousies and suspicions led to accuse of witchcraft. Follows the relationships in the Town of Springfield. Good narration
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- C. R. Broadhead
- 16-08-22
This is surprising quite interesting
An interesting book about America, who knew. Actually more about the English colonists. Fascinating insight into moving to a new country with no back up. Would highly recommend
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ife
- 07-02-23
enchanting history of suspicion and strained hope
this book reads like a spellbinding grimm fairytale and is just as thrilling and haunting.
it is the history and tale of humankinds need for understanding, overwhelming fear, pressure of society and the burden of maintaining its suffocating tenants for the sake of control.
i was transported back into springfield and walked alongside the townsfolk and those accused of witchcraft. it is a reminder of what we can do to eachother when bankrupt of compassion, and how prejudice can cloud our minds and lead to tragedy.
it is a perfect book. thank you Malcolm for reviving this history and retelling this story for us all to enjoy, learn from and carry the ghosts of it into time going forward.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. C. Turnbull
- 13-02-23
A fantastic book!
A fascinating and detailed history of the witch trials in Springfield, colonial America which tells the story of the families of Springfield and the accusations and subsequent trials for witchcraft. This is carefully woven story of the destruction of the lives of those accused of witchcraft in Springfield which reads just like a story. I especially liked the epilogue where Malcolm Gaskill recounts his research visits to Springfield and explains life on modern day Springfield and his work in the archive. Highly recommend!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Melmo25
- 23-07-23
What a gem of a book
Fabulous. Not just a dry telling of historical events but a detailed description and recreation of people and their lives. We know what they wore, ate, who they were friends with etc.
Particularly touched by the epilogue when the author revisits Springfield and tracks down the long forgotten homes of the people in this story.
Just wonderful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Matt h-e
- 06-06-23
Great listen
Well read and very interesting and engaging book. Very interesting for those wanting know more of the history of North American.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- kathryn campbell
- 06-06-23
Engaging and beautifully read
Beautifully narrated, such an interesting and detailed piece of research - feels like a true labour of love.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 07-01-24
A Real Slog
This was an interminable listen and one I struggled to return to as it bored me so and the narration was slow with annoying voices. This says more about me and my tastes as I recognise how accomplished this book is. Maybe if I read it instead of listening to it, I might’ve enjoyed it more…
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ms. L. L. Pemble
- 08-12-22
I really tried
I was so excited to listen to this book but I really couldn't get into it. The book is well researched as it takes you on a non fictional journey about Hugh and Mary Parsons. However I think the pacing of the book is what made it difficult for me. One minute it's like a story, the next very fact driven. I enjoyed the narration but did find the pacing quite slow. Perhaps if I read the book myself it could be different?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ms. M. Quinn
- 29-01-23
An absolutely fascinating micro history
I absolutely adored this book and couldn’t stop listening. I am so impressed at the level of detail presented for the lives of the people of Springfield. My only gripe is that on audio book I can’t see the bibliography and references as I am so curious about the source material used. I also loved that this book have a general history of settlements in New England at the time and juxtaposed it with what was happening in “Old England”. Highly recommend.
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