This is an absolutely fascinating story written in a style I haven't come across before. If you're a reader who likes reading about the Salem witch trials, you need to add this to your list pronto.Forbes wrote this book back in the late 1920's, but the style and "voice" she used for the narrative is so authentic to the 17th century that it's almost like reading a 350 year old manuscript. It's written in 3rd person, almost like a moral/religious text primer, with elaborate and long-sentenced chap [...]

A Mirror for Witches (1928) - Esther ForbesDark, powerful and wonderfully wrought! You're probably familiar with the author for her book Johnny Tremain, but i did not know of this book written 15 years earlier for older readers. Highly recommended. There is much here to discuss when read in a book group.========================================================================What follows aren't spoilers, but if you want to read thisbook knowing nothing before you start, then go do that.========== [...]

Why is The Crucible the story of choice in HS? This is SO much better! I love how the author gives thoughts and feelings from various characters so it is not just a one-sided glimpse into this part of history.

I found this novel more psychological than historical. Was Doll actually a witch, or was she led to believe it by jealous and superstitious people? Did she take a dæmon lover, or were unscrupulous men abusing her? This book is rich in horror and tragedy and interpretation. I recommend it highly. It gets better with each read.

I found an original copy from 1928 in an Antiquarian book store. It's absolutely incredible how graphic it is for a book written in 1928. Esther was a well educated woman. I plan on seeking her other writings out.

I re-read this on one sitting- I could not put it down. Nothing short of a work of genius- a lively, vivid and strange use of an unreliable "omniscient" narrator. Why is this book not more widely read?

I'd like a copy of this but it is very difficult to find.

A dark, atmospheric, psychological tale with a vividly crafted sense of time and place.

The story is interesting. It is a little hard to get past the archaic language, I often had to re-read a paragraph to understand the gist, but that also added to the authenticity of the story.

This is a superb and curious novel, set in Salem, 1600s. Written in the style of a 17th century tract, the book tells the story of Doll Bilby, an orphan whose parents were both burned as witches. Is Doll a witch? Does she become the witch her accusers believe her to be? Or is everything explainable in modern terms so obvious to us now? The genius of this thought-provoking book is to provide a narrative in which each episode sustains multiple interpretations: psychological; demonic; sexual. Told [...]

I gave this book such a high rating because I could not put it down. I had a running commentary in the back of my head based in modern ideology, but it was an interesting look into a world-view completely different from my own.

paperback

Great read, historical as well as deeply though-provoking.

another book I got from QPBC in high school.

A compelling story. Forbes' skills get the reader to like the main character despite the narrator's prejudices.