I really enjoyed reading Sister Witch: The Life of Moll Dyer. I lived a long time in St. Mary's County, Maryland. I really enjoyed how the author took a famous Maryland legend and entwined historical places, local families, and legend with fictional story telling. I highly recommend this book. Being familiar with the real life setting of only enhanced my enjoyment. ( )

Excellent Historical Fiction with Some Paranormal Spice

Sister Witch is the story of perhaps Maryland’s most famous witch, Moll Dyer. The novel portrays her as a courageous and determined woman with opinions and beliefs far ahead of her time. I found myself cheering when she took an unpopular, progressive stand, but also cringing when she took another step toward what I knew to be her fate. Certainly, she had some unusual beliefs, such as in her ability to create love potions or protection spells. But they were harmless … at least until other people discovered she held those views. And when that happened, the woman became the target of suspicion and then, hatred. Over the course of the story, she was held accountable for everything from still births to season-long droughts.

The first two-thirds of the book is a chance to study the psychology of a unique individual and the sociology of a superstitious and sometimes violent society in which she lived. And lest I make the novel sound dry and academic, author Thompson makes you feel Moll’s determination and dedication to family as well as her isolation, pain, and finally, her tenuous grasp on reality. And while I’m no expert on language, the more formal wording of Moll’s speech and thoughts felt realistic to the time and I enjoyed listening to her. For example, while this observation is still made today, I appreciated the way she (via Thompson) phrased it. “Men are such poor custodians of the heart, its language is foreign to them.” It is historical fiction at its best.

In the last third or so of the book, the flavor shifts and the supernatural plays a much more prominent role. The ‘twist,’ if its possible to have one in a story so well-known is that in her need to secure a future for her family, she called upon dark powers. She no longer sought only protection from her enemies; she desired their downfall. And in the end, she had to pay the price for those wishes. Personally, I didn’t need this aspect of the book, but I fully understand why it was included. To write about the folk legend that is Moll Dyer without reference to the paranormal is to leave the story half told.

Overall, the book is excellent historical fiction, rich in the language, thoughts, and beliefs of the time and the life of one strong, courageous woman wronged by society. And if you like your historical fiction with a bit of paranormal spice, you’ll love Sister Witch. ( )

Moll Dyer was, according to Wikipedia, “...a legendary 17th-century resident of Leonardtown, Maryland, who was said to have been accused of witchcraft and chased out of her home by the local townsfolk on a winter night... Stories say her spirit haunts the land, looking for the men who forced her from her home.”

David Thompson's book, Sister Witch: the Life of Moll Dyer, is written from the point of view of Moll, with a couple of chapters from her son, Zachary's, perspective. It begins in Kinsale in County Cork, Ireland, but moves for the majority of the story to Newtown, Maryland. (I assume this is the same place Wikipedia refers to as Leonardtown.) Moll is a typical young woman who makes the mistake of trusting the wrong person and is soon forced to flee her home. She joins her Uncle Sean, who has his own set of problems, on a boat headed to America. Here's an excerpt:

Her name was the Mary Regina, and she carried four masts with square rigging. With multiple decks below, she carried 120 tons of cargo. Uncle seemed impressed describing her, but Father said she was just a foreign galleon, and little more than a low riding carrack built for speed.

The scenes in America provide an excellent picture of life in the colonies, not only for the new arrivals, but also the Native Americans of the Conoy, Chaptico, and Susquehannock tribes. There's also a supernatural side to the story with spells and demons. I won't get into this aspect of the book for fear of giving too much away. Suffice it to say this makes the novel a fun read.

Steve Lindahl – author of Hopatcong Vision Quest, White Horse Regressions, and Motherless Soul ( )