The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare is a heart-warming
love story for young adult set amidst the prejudice, hardship, and superstition
of colonial Connecticut. I read this book as a teenager, let’s just say that
was more than 25 years ago, and it stands the test of time for being as
enjoyable today as it was for me then.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George
Speare is set in 1687 in
the settlement of Wethersfield in the Connecticut Colony. As the novel opens,
16-year-old Kit Tyler is getting her first glimpse of Connecticut. It is cold and
barren and very unlike her lush tropical Barbados, but Kit had few options. She
is an orphan since the death of her grandfather with her only living relative
her mother’s married sister, Rachel Wood whom Kit has never met. Kit’s
unheralded arrival at her aunt’s home is not exactly welcomed. Her dour uncle
Matthew Wood has been worn out by the hard work of farming in the harsh New
England climate. Her once beautiful aunt Rachel has rapidly aged and is care
worn. Her cousins, the haughty Judith and meek, physically challenged Mercy,
are intrigued by the arrival of their strange and colorful cousin with seven
trunks of fancy dresses. Matthew, however, makes it clear to Kit that her fine
ways and fancy clothes are unbecoming in Wethersfield and she will have to
learn to dress and work like the rest. Kit tries and the Woods suffer her
attempts with a mix of frustrated hostility and tolerant acceptance. Meanwhile,
romance is in the air. While Judith had set her cap for the wealthy William
Ashby, his head quickly turned to Kit who is the most suitable match in
Wethersfield for his elegant manners and breeding. Not to be undaunted,
however, by the turn of events, Judith readjusted her cap for the quiet and
scholarly seminary student, Tom Holbrook who arrived on the ship from Saybrook
with Kit. Tom, however, finds himself attracted to the quieter and studious
Mercy and she secretly to him, but Judith wants what she wants and Mercy
convinced that she cannot compete with her vivacious sister refuses to voice
her feelings for him. Kit, for her part, is hardly interested in William or his
plans for building his fancy new home for his bride-to-be. Kit finds her escape
in the meadows by the swamp and the aged Quaker, Widow Tupper. The widow, like
Kit is an outcast and it is not long before the Widow introduces her to another
social outcast Nat Eaton, the son of captain who piloted the vessel from
Barbados. Kit reciprocates by introducing the Widow to Prudence, newly arrived
and poorly cared for Kit befriended the child on shipboard. Unfortunately,
times are hard and getting hard. Governor Andros is eager to void the Colony’s
charter – if he can get his hands on it, that is. (Note: this was a real
historic event!) The Indians are attacking the northern settlements and in a surprising
plot twist, Tom enlists to fight the Indians. As winter draws on, a strange
disease devastates the children of the settlement and cries of witchcraft can
be heard. Who will fall under the charge of witchcraft? What will happen to
Tom? Who will finally marry and to whom?

The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a
wonderful blend of historic fact and romantic fiction. Speares, a born and
raised New Englander, took great care in accurately using historic facts in her
works. She makes sure that along with a dollop of romance and adventure the
reader also gets a hearty helping of colonial history. Her portrayal of
colonial life with all its predictable hardships (hard work, repression,
prejudices, etc.) and the unpredictable disasters (Indian raids, bad weather, illness,
etc.) and the resultant superstitions toward anyone or anything that is
different is very accurate and telling. The novel does a good job to illustrate
the diversity in education levels, political views and religious affiliations,
and views about witchcraft.

Elizabeth
George Speare (1908-1994) was born in Massachusetts. She was educated at Smith
College and Boston University. She was trained as a high school English
teacher.
She moved to Connecticut when she married in 1936. "One day I stumbled on
a true story from New England history with a character who seemed to me an
ideal heroine. Though I had my first historical novel almost by accident it
soon proved to be an absorbing hobby." Speare published Calico
Captive, her first novel, in 1957. She won the 1959 Newbery Medal for The
Witch of Blackbird Pond, and the 1962 Newbery Medal for The Bronze Bow.
The Sign of the Beaver received a 1984 Newbery Honor
Citation, the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and the Christopher
Award. In
1989 she was presented with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for substantial and
enduring contribution to children’s literature.

"Mary Beth Hurt is an American
actress. She was trained for the theater at New York University’s School of the
Arts. She then spent a year in London, where she performed with the Questers, a
well-known amateur theater troupe. In 1972 she made her professional debut with
the New York Shakespeare Festival, then went on to a very successful stage
career on Broadway and elsewhere; she won two Obie awards (one for her work in
the play Crimes of the Heart) and was
nominated for a Tony for Trelawney of the Wells. Her theater work impressed
filmmaker Woody Allen, who cast her in a supporting role in her screen debut,
Interiors (1978), Allen’s first non-comedy. Hurt has remained primarily a stage
actress, appearing in films every two years or so. From 1972-82 she was married
to actor William Hurt. She is now married to writer-director Paul Schrader, and
co-starred in his film Light Sleeper (1992).

The Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth
George Speare is a historic novel about young love, witchcraft,
and coming-of-age in colonial Wethersfield. Mary Beth Hurt brings a wonderful
sense of the Britishness of the early American colonies. It filled my heart with
longing at some of her evocative descriptions of warm cloaks, crackling
fireplaces, and the smell of candle making. It is a harsh warning about the
devastation played by prejudice and superstition that is as current today as it
was in 1687. This book won a Newbery Medal Book, An ALA Notable Children’s Book, A Child
Study Children’s Book Committee: Children’s Book of the Year, and the New York
Public Library–Books for the Teen Age. This book is rated "Ages 9 and
older". I highly recommend it.

© 2003 Su Terry

Su Terry: Education: B.A. in History
from Sacred Heart University, M.L.S. in Library Science from Southern
Connecticut State College, M.R.S. in Religious Studies/Pastoral Counseling from
Fairfield University, a M.Div. in Professional Ministry from New Brunswick
Theological Seminary, a Certificate in Spirituality/Spiritual Direction from
Sacred Heart University. She is a Licensed Minister of the United Church of
Christ and an Assistant Professor in Library Science at Dowling College, Long
Island, NY. Interests in Mental Health: She is interested in the interplay
between psychology, biology, and mysticism. Her current area of research is in
the impact of hormonal fluctuation in female Christian mystics.

Categories: Children