The Ruin of All Witches: Life and Death in the New World
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- Create Date：2022-10-25 17:21:50
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Malcolm Gaskill
- ISBN：B09QPN1GYZ
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Summary
*A TIMES， SUNDAY TIMES AND BBC HISTORY HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021*
'The best and most enjoyable kind of history writing' Hilary Mantel
'A bona fide historical classic' Sunday Times
Simply one of the best history books I have ever read' BBC History
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 agonized transition between supernatural obsessions and the age of enlightenment。 We see， in short， the birth of the modern world。
'A great story， exquisitely told。 This book is history at its illuminative best' The Times
'As compelling as a campfire story 。。。 Gaskill brings this sinister past vividly to life' Erica Wagner， Financial Times
'The best and most enjoyable kind of history writing' Hilary Mantel
'A bona fide historical classic' Sunday Times
Simply one of the best history books I have ever read' BBC History
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 agonized transition between supernatural obsessions and the age of enlightenment。 We see， in short， the birth of the modern world。
'A great story， exquisitely told。 This book is history at its illuminative best' The Times
'As compelling as a campfire story 。。。 Gaskill brings this sinister past vividly to life' Erica Wagner， Financial Times
Reviews
Sophie （bookshire。vellichor）
，
a very good nonfic， witty and full of interesting facts
Jordan Risebury-Crisp
，
A bit too dense for me。
I'
，
DNF at 50%And this was listening to the audio book which is a passive action。 I do not think i would have managed to get this far reading the actual book。 It is very interesting in terms of what is telling but the way it is written makes me unable to engage with the story or with the people。
James Stewart
，
Gripping account of Witchcraft accusations and trials of Springfield， Mass。 in 1651。
Victoria Justice
，
Actual rating: 3。5 starsThe Ruin of all Witches is a fascinating portrayal into an unknown history of witches within America， focusing solely on the case of Hugh and Mary Parsons within Springfield。This book deals a lot with the history of Springfield and the residents within， which creates this baclstory and intrigue as to how Hugh and Mary succumbed to their fate。At times， this book reads almost like a dark fairytale， but at others it's very fact driven， almost rattled off like a list。 This di Actual rating: 3。5 starsThe Ruin of all Witches is a fascinating portrayal into an unknown history of witches within America， focusing solely on the case of Hugh and Mary Parsons within Springfield。This book deals a lot with the history of Springfield and the residents within， which creates this baclstory and intrigue as to how Hugh and Mary succumbed to their fate。At times， this book reads almost like a dark fairytale， but at others it's very fact driven， almost rattled off like a list。 This didn't necessarily deter from my enjoyment， but definitely halted the reading process。The authors ability to put feeling and compassion into a literal witch-hunt was however exemplary！ 。。。more
Joshua Hutchinson
，
One of the best books in witch trials I've ever read， and I've read scores of them。 One of the best books in witch trials I've ever read， and I've read scores of them。 。。。more
Sean Farrell
，
This is exactly the kind of history book I like - immersive， engagingly written， and about a specific series of events。 Almost novelistic。 As much a frontier story as it is a study of the persecution of witches， the main thrust of the book nevertheless is an effort to try and understand and show clearly where the fear of and belief in witchcraft came from and the answers proved to be all too human。I thought this was a terrific history book and one I will highly tecommend to anyone who simply wan This is exactly the kind of history book I like - immersive， engagingly written， and about a specific series of events。 Almost novelistic。 As much a frontier story as it is a study of the persecution of witches， the main thrust of the book nevertheless is an effort to try and understand and show clearly where the fear of and belief in witchcraft came from and the answers proved to be all too human。I thought this was a terrific history book and one I will highly tecommend to anyone who simply wants a great read and a fascinating story， with a complex and compelling cast of characters。 。。。more
Emily Stensloff
，
woo boy！ that was dense！ but utterly fascinating。 i was totally drawn in。 this may not be for everyone， but i was super interested。 i would say that it definitely rides the line between academic texts and narrative nonfiction。 i was really reminded of readings that i did in undergrad while studying for history。 so if you're a reader looking for something more accessible or pop nonfiction-y， this may not be for you。 i enjoyed the contextual bits surrounding the actual accusations and trials of hu woo boy！ that was dense！ but utterly fascinating。 i was totally drawn in。 this may not be for everyone， but i was super interested。 i would say that it definitely rides the line between academic texts and narrative nonfiction。 i was really reminded of readings that i did in undergrad while studying for history。 so if you're a reader looking for something more accessible or pop nonfiction-y， this may not be for you。 i enjoyed the contextual bits surrounding the actual accusations and trials of hugh and mary parsons。 it felt really fleshed out。 and i also enjoyed the touches of humor and drama that were presented。 gaskill knows how to tell a story without sensationalizing。 because it is somewhat dense， it is a little difficult to get into and find your bearings （at least it was for me） but i would definitely recommend checking this out if you're interested in histories of religious oppression， colonial america， or just witchcraft trials in general。thanks to netgalley and knopf doubleday for an ARC in exchange for review。 。。。more
Selena
，
"There， once， stood the little house， beside a great river at the edge of a forest， where， as in so many folktales， demons closed in and desire ended in death。"This is a well-researched account of how Springfield， New England， became established and how hardships， superstitions， petty arguments， prejudices and jealousies grew into a case for witchcraft with tragic consequences for many involved， including the accused in the case - brick maker， Hugh Parsons and his wife， Mary。The case is set in t "There， once， stood the little house， beside a great river at the edge of a forest， where， as in so many folktales， demons closed in and desire ended in death。"This is a well-researched account of how Springfield， New England， became established and how hardships， superstitions， petty arguments， prejudices and jealousies grew into a case for witchcraft with tragic consequences for many involved， including the accused in the case - brick maker， Hugh Parsons and his wife， Mary。The case is set in the 1600s。 Gaskill gives us a real sense of difficulties of life in the New World。 He spends time setting the scene and the key characters， going through the rhythm of the seasons in this new life。 It's relentless and harsh for everyday folk。 A lot of work for what seems like little return: sickness， cold winters and dwindling food resources are constants。 However， there are quite a lot of characters to get to know and I did initially find it tricky to keep track of everyone although there are maps and a character list at the front of the book。 However， it's worth sticking with the scene-setting as it gives the environmental and societal context that leads to the accusations of witchcraft （not just against the Parsons）。 When life is hard， people want someone to blame - something we see in history time and again and which still goes on today。Hugh Parsons is not a sympathetic character。 Gaskill mentioned in a podcast discussing the book that if he'd been writing a fiction， it would have been easier to have more likeable protagonists。 Parsons rubs people up the wrong way， they resent having to deal with him because he provides a service they need， even his own wife turns against him。 Mary Parsons has her own flaws too。 But being unlikeable isn't a crime and it's fascinating to see how loose words feed on each other to build a situation where lives literally hang in the balance。The book was also surprisingly amusing in places。 For example， one couple are convinced their steamed meat pudding is bewitched， when some might conclude that maybe they just aren't any good at making meat puddings。 Accounts of witchcraft range from terrifying （demonic snakes） to mundane （spoiled meat puddings， disappearing trowels）。 Standard treatments for illness include drinks made from boiled toads， which sounds more witchcraft than actual witchcraft！I won't spoil the detail of the trial itself but Gaskill ends the book with his own experience of Springfield during a couple of research visits and it's interesting to see the legacy of those original settlers。An important and interesting read which resonates today but I did lose my way in parts so 3。8 from me。 。。。more
Tom Martland
，
Astonishingly well done。 Weaving fact together into something that feels so much like fiction， but only because it feels so immediate and real。
Loricha Honer
，
For as long as I can remember， I have been fascinated by witchcraft， eventually studying the european witch trials at university。 Naturally， therefore， this new title was a must-read！ For those with an already existing base-knowledge of the witch trials， this is an interesting new case study to dive into。 It is worth noting， though， that this book almost spends more time on the founding of Springfield and its founder than it does the witches。 At least in the beginning。 The build up to the trials For as long as I can remember， I have been fascinated by witchcraft， eventually studying the european witch trials at university。 Naturally， therefore， this new title was a must-read！ For those with an already existing base-knowledge of the witch trials， this is an interesting new case study to dive into。 It is worth noting， though， that this book almost spends more time on the founding of Springfield and its founder than it does the witches。 At least in the beginning。 The build up to the trials is initially fairly slow but the pace picks up half-way through once formal accusations start being made。 In short， if a collector of stories about the witch trials like myself， you will likely enjoy this book。 If seeking a good introduction to early modern witchcraft， however， there are other more introductory texts that would serve as a better educational tool。 If just interested in early colonial life in America and the tensions of puritan life in New England then this is definitely the book for you！ 。。。more
Katie
，
28。09。2022A really vivid and concise history！ Gaskill explores this overlooked witch trial from 17th Century New England and retells all its intricacies and complex social webs with impressive clarity。 We get an incredibly rare look into a small community on the brink of a witch trial。 Taking place around 50 years before the infamous Salem witch trials， the Springfield take on demonic activity is so fascinating。 Paced like a Stephen King novel， Gaskill tells this history in a narrative style - m 28。09。2022A really vivid and concise history！ Gaskill explores this overlooked witch trial from 17th Century New England and retells all its intricacies and complex social webs with impressive clarity。 We get an incredibly rare look into a small community on the brink of a witch trial。 Taking place around 50 years before the infamous Salem witch trials， the Springfield take on demonic activity is so fascinating。 Paced like a Stephen King novel， Gaskill tells this history in a narrative style - making it easy to follow and really humanising the Springfield community。 Mary and Hugh Parsons are such intriguing people to learn about， with their complicated relationships - both with each other and their wider community - and their reaction to the witch hunt unfolding around them。My main critique is that I think there's a lot of tangents of context at the beginning of the book。 I understand that there is a lot to set out in such an overlooked piece of history that not all readers will be familiar with， but the flow was often interrupted when Gaskill jumped from the intimate society in Springfield to the wider context of New England and the British background。 It just felt a little muddled and hard to follow in the first 50 or so pages。 But once it got going it was hard to put down！A brilliant and fascinating read for October！ 。。。more
Katy Wheatley
，
Springfield Massachusetts in 1651 and the community created by William Pynchon is under increasing pressure。 Tensions are rising due to the extremely tight controls exerted on the people by the weather， religion， politics， rule at home and abroad back in England and the naturally closed nature of the community in general。 Rumours of witchcraft come tumbling over the waves from England and soon， grievances， resentments and grief bubble up from under the surface of the town and explode into accusa Springfield Massachusetts in 1651 and the community created by William Pynchon is under increasing pressure。 Tensions are rising due to the extremely tight controls exerted on the people by the weather， religion， politics， rule at home and abroad back in England and the naturally closed nature of the community in general。 Rumours of witchcraft come tumbling over the waves from England and soon， grievances， resentments and grief bubble up from under the surface of the town and explode into accusations of witchcraft at home。 The focus of attention is on Hugh and Mary Parsons， a bricklayer and his wife， who， unhappy in their domestic sphere and bereaved of their children are not able to control the misery they feel and start spreading it around the town。 They become the scapegoats for everything that is wrong in the town and soon they are arrested as witches。Gaskell uses this case to look at the larger issue of why witchcraft was such a popular accusation in these times and what that meant for society both large and small。 。。。more
Hamid
，
Absorbing account of a low-key 'witchcraft' case through which Gaskill unfolds various aspects of life in a mid-17th Century British colony in the Americas。 Religion， fear， hope， health， jealousy， petty revenge， money， mental health， coping mechanisms: all are part of what led a small community to accuse the remnants of a family - Hugh and Mary Parsons of Springfield Massachusetts - of witchcraft。 The trial itself and its aftermath are sideshows。 The meat here is the tapestry of life。 Dark and f Absorbing account of a low-key 'witchcraft' case through which Gaskill unfolds various aspects of life in a mid-17th Century British colony in the Americas。 Religion， fear， hope， health， jealousy， petty revenge， money， mental health， coping mechanisms: all are part of what led a small community to accuse the remnants of a family - Hugh and Mary Parsons of Springfield Massachusetts - of witchcraft。 The trial itself and its aftermath are sideshows。 The meat here is the tapestry of life。 Dark and filled with pathos。 。。。more
Sara Aldebe
，
（3，5）
Cadi
，
This book was really enjoyable， I whizzed through it， a well fleshed-out history of witch trials in 17C New England with great characterisations。 Well researched too。 I think I liked it because the narrator of the audiobook was great， shout out Kristin Atherton I will look up what else they’ve done。 Reader beware: the epilogue / last chapter is a bunch of unwelcome opinion from the author and the archivist in Springfield about poverty and drug use in the area， irrelevant and unnecessary bad take This book was really enjoyable， I whizzed through it， a well fleshed-out history of witch trials in 17C New England with great characterisations。 Well researched too。 I think I liked it because the narrator of the audiobook was great， shout out Kristin Atherton I will look up what else they’ve done。 Reader beware: the epilogue / last chapter is a bunch of unwelcome opinion from the author and the archivist in Springfield about poverty and drug use in the area， irrelevant and unnecessary bad takes。 Skip it 。。。more
Katie。dorny
，
Incredibly engaging and well written about a huge popularly section of American history whilst managing to keep the topic intimate。
Ashley
，
I received this as an ARC from Netgalley。com。First line: Once， beside a great river at the edge of a forest， there stood a small town。Summary: It is 1651 in Springfield， Massachusetts。 This young town in the New World has been experiencing troubles。 Food is spoiling， tools are missing， animals are dying and people are suffering from fits。 It appears that something sinister is happening and it looks a lot like witchcraft。 The town begins to turn on the local brick maker and his wife。 My Thoughts: I received this as an ARC from Netgalley。com。First line: Once， beside a great river at the edge of a forest， there stood a small town。Summary: It is 1651 in Springfield， Massachusetts。 This young town in the New World has been experiencing troubles。 Food is spoiling， tools are missing， animals are dying and people are suffering from fits。 It appears that something sinister is happening and it looks a lot like witchcraft。 The town begins to turn on the local brick maker and his wife。 My Thoughts: I recently heard the author speak on a podcast and was instantly intrigued by the story。 Ever since reading A Break With Charity by Ann Rinaldi， I have been fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials。 As a young person it seems impossible that people could believe these accusations but as I have grown up I understand how prejudice and fear can make rational people do irrational things。 Even though this is a lesser known and much milder witch hunt than Salem it still has many important points and insights into life on the frontier of a new country。As I read I was amazed by the amount of research and information the author was able to gather。 He created a narrative that was almost like reading a novel。 I was impressed with his passion for the topic and his handling of the material。 As well as giving information about the case he also filled in the reader about life at the time including church， politics and family dynamics。 By including these it made the story more real。 I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in early colonial history or the history of witchcraft。 It is not as sensational as the trials of Salem but still fascinating to discover。FYI: Death and witchcraft。 。。。more
Ellie Rose
，
Might be my favourite historical read of 2022 so far。 I found this a wonderful micro-history and so reminiscent of my thesis （although， of course， far better）。 What an amazing read; not an area I read about much， but has certainly got me very interested in reading more！
Eric Anderson
，
Every year I look forward to browsing through the list of books nominated for The Wolfson History Prize。 It's fun to pick a nonfiction book to dive into as I primarily read novels and this year is special as it's the award's 50th anniversary。 In the past I've read some great titles such a biographies of Toussaint Louverture and Oscar Wilde as well as John Barton's absolutely fascinating account of “A History of the Bible”。 This year I avidly read a true tale of mid-17th century puritanical fervo Every year I look forward to browsing through the list of books nominated for The Wolfson History Prize。 It's fun to pick a nonfiction book to dive into as I primarily read novels and this year is special as it's the award's 50th anniversary。 In the past I've read some great titles such a biographies of Toussaint Louverture and Oscar Wilde as well as John Barton's absolutely fascinating account of “A History of the Bible”。 This year I avidly read a true tale of mid-17th century puritanical fervour and paranoia in Springfield， a frontier town in New England。 Malcolm Gaskill's “The Ruin of All Witches” is a fascinating account of a couple named Mary and Hugh Parsons who seemed set to start a flourishing family in the New World， but whose personalities and misfortunes led them to being marked as targets and tried as witches by their own neighbours。 My only previous knowledge of this area and time period comes from accounts of the Salem witch trials and acting in a production of Miller's 'The Crucible'。 I mostly think of those horrific events as being the result of bouts of mass hysteria， but Gaskill gives an interesting elaboration on the economic， social and religious factors which contributed to the spate of witch trials that occurred during these decades in both England and the American colonies。 The author gives a well judged overview of how large scale transformations in society directly contributed to the extreme actions of individuals。 Though people in the small， rapidly-growing communities in New England had to rely on one another there was also a lot of envy and mistrust。 Gaskill's research dramatically places us in the psychological mindset of these figures by drawing upon historical records and their testimonies。 Read my full review of The Ruin of All Witches by Malcolm Gaskill at LonesomeReader 。。。more
Nicola Hall
，
This book！！！ This book is fantastic！！！I love the depth that Gaskill goes into to tell the story of these women （and men） who were accused of Witchcraft h in the New World。 The history comes to life and jumps off the page as you travel through the Witch Craze and meet the players on the Puritan Stage。Gaskill weaves a good story while staying true to the history of the time。 Excellent Book， definitely will be a reread for me！！！
Tristan
，
Great book
Lauren Olmeda Moore
，
“Perhaps Satan made real monsters of the righteous by deceiving them into fighting imaginary ones。” ！！！！！！！！
Christine
，
The work;research and study that went into this book is impressive。However， I found myself just hoping for it to end。 So much detail， it felt dense in places。 I didn’t find myself having much empathy for the couple who were two of the main characters。 The detail distracted I felt。 I did enjoy the epilogue when the author travels to Springfield to see it as it is now。
Bookwormthings
，
Excellent， the preliminary before Salem
Sandra
，
Great historical account of a witch hunt。 Lots of information and facts told in a really interesting way。Great if you like history。
Carla Senior
，
3 and a half stars
aster
，
Absolutely fascinating！ Loved it， couldn't stop reading it。 It's a historical account of a witch hunt in 1650s colonial Massachusetts。 It's really captivating - the book tells a story rather just dry facts。 I can easily picture what Springfield looked like， what the day was like for a villager， what they wore， what food they ate etc， because this book is so wonderfully detailed。 and I love hearing about all the details。 Like how they'd clean chimneys by dropping a flapping chicken down there！The Absolutely fascinating！ Loved it， couldn't stop reading it。 It's a historical account of a witch hunt in 1650s colonial Massachusetts。 It's really captivating - the book tells a story rather just dry facts。 I can easily picture what Springfield looked like， what the day was like for a villager， what they wore， what food they ate etc， because this book is so wonderfully detailed。 and I love hearing about all the details。 Like how they'd clean chimneys by dropping a flapping chicken down there！The book is passionate and well-researched。 There's excellent context to explain why people left Britain， the situation in the colony， the intricacies of Puritanism and the different religions in play at the time。 You can understand why the main people involve made the choices that they did。I really enjoyed reading this and will probably re-read it again in the future。 I have the Kindle version but I want the paperback too。 。。。more
Robin
，
A deeply tragic story， beautifully told。
Pauline
，