Sorceress FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
In a continuation of her popular novel Witch Child, author Celia Rees fuses Native American magic with colonial history in an engrossing book that links Mary Newbury, the self-proclaimed witch, with a present-day American Indian girl.
When Alison Ellman -- a Boston researcher who's fascinated with Mary Newbury's diary entries -- sends out a request for more information about the girl, she's stumped for a decent lead. That is, until Agnes, a Mohawk, responds with a message that stories in her culture have mentioned "a white woman who joined the people," and that her aunt might have some of Mary's belongings. After Alison drives the girl to the reservation to speak with Aunt M, Agnes soon learns that she's to go on a vision quest, a spiritual journey to connect with the universe and the soul. It is on Agnes's journey that Mary's history is revealed: her rescue from exile and acceptance into an Indian tribe, her new family and development as a sorceress, the destruction of her people by colonial settlers, and the life she discovers as a powerful healer. Along with the rest of Mary's story, background journal notes about Elias Cornwell are provided, as well as information about Beulah's fate, the Morse Quilt, Jack Gill, and more.
A mystical and powerful book, Sorceress brings the supernatural out of the clouds and mixes it with historical fiction, creating a memorable novel that doesn't let you go. The rest of Mary's epic story will quench readers' hunger left over from Witch Child, while the remarkable insight that Rees provides into Native American culture and spirituality will inspire people to learn more. An impressive follow-up created after Rees decided to split Witch Child into two separate books, this generation-spanning tale will transfix and satisfy.
Matt Warner
ANNOTATION
Eighteen-year-old Agnes, a Mohawk Indian who is descended from a line of shamanic healers, uses her own newly-discovered powers to uncover the story of her ancestor, a seventeenth-century New England English healer who fled charges of witchcraft to make her life with the local Indians.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
It came to Agnes unbidden -- a vision of Mary Newbury, alone in the snow, dying of the cold. A visitionof a young woman who had lived in the 1600s, an unusual young woman who had been driven from her Puritan settlement, accused of being a witch.
Mary's and Agnes's lives have been separated by almost 400 years, but they are inextricably linked by more than blood. Like Mary, Agnes has special powers -- powers that Mary now seeks to ensure that the rest of her story is told.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
A Native American teen experiences a life-altering encounter after reading about Mary Newbury, the 17th-century protagonist of Rees's Witch Child, who may be connected with one of her own relatives. Ages 14-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
VOYA - Roxy Ekstrom
Agnes Hearne, a Mohawk and college freshman in Boston, has just finished the novel Witch Child (Candlewick, 2001, (c)2000/VOYA October 2001), and it is about to change her life. Descended from a strong line of medicine women, Agnes suspects that the central character, Mary Newbury, might be her legendary ancestor. At the urging of Alison Ellman, the researcher piecing together Mary's life, Agnes returns to the reservation and the ministrations of Aunt M, the tribal shaman. Mary's story must be told, and Agnes becomes the voice. In a trance state, Agnes becomes Mary, as subsequent chapters move flawlessly from the past to the present. Mary, having fled the Puritan village of Beulah, is rescued from freezing by Jaybird. They wed, settling into the gentle rhythm of tribal life. When King Philip's war erupts, Mary is forced to flee to Canada. Her personal attributes, including her skill as a medicine woman, assist her survival, and lead to her fame as a healer. Rees's technique of telling Mary's story through Agnes works well. The first-person voice is strong and offers compelling insight into the People's view of early American history. This sequel to Witch Child can stand alone, but the fullest reading experience would include both titles. Keeping with the historical research tone ending the first book, Sorceress ends with twenty-nine pages of "Background Notes" from Alison Ellman. Rees did her homework-the notes read as if they really were primary source materials. Pick up this fast-paced novel that effortlessly offers a good dose of history. VOYA Codes: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; JuniorHigh, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2002, Candlewick, 344p,
KLIATT - Claire Rosser
To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, November 2002: Witch Child is set in Colonial New England, and is about intolerance among the Puritans who were quick to call any woman who was at all insubordinate a witch. The book was selected as an ALA Best Book for YAs. Sorceress captures every eye with the cover photograph of a proud young woman, a Native American. This photo introduces the novel about how a modern Mohawk woman, Agnes, is able to connect with Mary, from Witch Child, and tell the story of what happened to Mary after she escaped from the New England village many generations ago. This is possible because in Agnes's tribe the history of her people is preserved through stories told from one generation to another. Also, the legacy of Mary, as a healer and a spiritual leader, is preserved in the women who have come after her, down through the centuries even to Agnes's immediate family. We learn through Agnes's visions that Mary is rescued by the Native Americans she had befriended in the forest, the old man and his grandson who taught Mary about the healing properties of the plants all around her. Mary and Jaybird are married and have two children. But their happiness is disrupted by the wars between the Indians and the white settlers, beginning with King Philip's War and continuing into the French and Indian War. They are frequently escaping from terrible danger, facing hardships, and making difficult decisions. Throughout is the excitement of discovering Mary's story. Agnes works with a college professor in modern times who is trying to verify the information found in Mary's diary, discovered hidden in an antique quilt. Using the Internet as well as artifacts in museumcollections and in the treasured historical collections of the Mohawk tribe, they pursue a research trail and find more and more information about Mary and her life and legacy. This book would not stand alone, but is meant as a companion work to Witch Child. (Sequel to Witch Child). KLIATT Codes: JS*ﾽExceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2002, Candlewick Press, 342p.,
School Library Journal
Gr 7-10-This sequel to Rees's Witch Child (Candlewick, 2001) is a much more complex story, taking readers into a mystical plot that crosses time and place. Agnes, a Native American, is starting college in Boston. She reads part of a diary about 17th-century Mary Newbury and realizes that she has a connection with her from a story passed down in her family about a white woman who had settled with the Mohawks. Contacting the researcher who found Mary's diary leads to experiences that Agnes could not have imagined. While visiting the reservation, her aunt leads her into a vision quest where she "becomes" Mary. She sees a peaceful period, followed by years of death, forced migration, and constant conflict with settlers. Her final role as a respected healer is passed down through Agnes's ancestors, creating the link between the two women. The book ends with a series of historical notes written by Alison, the researcher. Rees manages to carry all of this off through her strong writing style and well-developed characters, using the artifacts that have been preserved in Agnes's family to add to the credibility of the story. The book not only gives readers a view of life 400 years ago and a look at one Native American culture, but also helps them understand what draws someone to historical research by showing that history is the story of people's lives and the events that shape them. While it can stand alone, the novel will be enjoyed more by those who have read Witch Child.-Jane G. Connor, South Carolina State Library, Columbia Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
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