The Ruin of All Witches

Life and Death in the New World

By: Malcolm Gaskill

Narrated by: Kristin Atherton

A gripping story of a family tragedy brought about by witch-hunting in Puritan New England that combines history, anthropology, sociology, politics, theology and psychology.

“The best and most enjoyable kind of history writing. Malcolm Gaskill goes to meet the past on its own terms and in its own place…Thought-provoking and absorbing." —Hilary Mantel, best-selling author of Wolf Hall

In Springfield, Massachusetts in 1651, peculiar things begin to happen. Precious food spoils, livestock ails, property vanishes, and people suffer convulsions as if possessed by demons. A woman is seen wading through the swamp like a lost soul. Disturbing dreams and visions proliferate. Children sicken and die. As tensions rise, rumours spread of witches and heretics and the community becomes tangled in a web of distrust, resentment and denunciation. The finger of suspicion soon falls on a young couple with two small children: the prickly brickmaker, Hugh Parsons, and his troubled wife, Mary.

Drawing on rich, previously unexplored source material, Malcolm Gaskill vividly evokes a strange past, one where lives were steeped in the divine and the diabolic, in omens, curses and enchantments. The Ruin of All Witches captures an entire society caught in agonized transition between superstition and enlightenment, tradition and innovation.

Critic reviews

“Malcolm Gaskill shows us with filmic vividness the daily life of the riven, marginal community of Springfield, where settlers from a far country dwell on the edge of the unknown. His attention to their plight—material, psychological, spiritual—goes far to explain, though not explain away, the alien beliefs of a fragile, beleaguered community, torn between the old world and the new. The clarity of his thought and his writing, his insight, and the immediacy of the telling, combine to make this the best and most enjoyable kind of history writing. Malcolm Gaskill goes to meet the past on its own terms and in its own place, and the result is thought-provoking and absorbing.” —Hilary Mantel, best-selling author of Wolf Hall

“Riveting.” –Caroline Fraser, The New York Times Book Review

“This is one of those rare history books that stays with you and haunts you long after you have turned the last page. Superb.” –Christopher Hart, The Guardian

“Gaskill combines first-rate historical research with a driving narrative in this captivating study. A riveting reading. This portrait of early America fascinates.” –Publishers Weekly

“[Gaskill]] creates an immersive atmosphere by describing in raw, visceral detail how these people actually lived . . . An outstanding achievement, haunting, revelatory and superbly written — a strong contender for the best history book of the year.” –Andrew Lynch, The Irish Independent

“Incredibly detailed . . . with such a convincing voice that the text bears a fictionlike quality.” –Kathleen Townsend, Booklist

“Contextually rich. Gaskill presents a meticulous, multilayered snapshot of this smoldering society, combining history, theology, and psychological speculation ... An elucidating study on the forces that fed witchcraft hysteria in early America.” –Kirkus Reviews

Love this book

This book was truly delightful to listen to. The readers voice has a slight accent and I felt like she took me back to Springfield. The author paints such a vivid picture of the period. Interesting book and glad it was in audible.

Refreshing to hear more on this subject from places other than Salem

I really enjoyed this book, and the narration as well. I wasn’t sure how much this would delve into the witch craze outside of Salem in the greater New England area, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it focused mainly on other areas, mainly the Springfield area.

Witch Trial in New England Pre-Salem

This is a compelling book focused on Springfield Massachusetts, its origins, and witch trials there. There is also an interesting parallel study of Puritan theology particularly as it relates to the meaning of the Crucifiction.

It was ok

It was good but just not exactly what I thought it was. Story was a little slow getting started also.

An incredible History and storytelling

Loved this book! It was an incredibly detailed history of this period and of a town in Massachusetts. The narrator was perfect her voice is evocative abs beautiful