{"product_id":"crane-pond-a-novel-of-salem-paperback","title":"Crane Pond: A Novel of Salem - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRichard Francis\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis novel of the Salem Witch Trials from the point of view of a judge is \"leavened with wit  and] finely crafted\" (\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a colony struggling for survival, in a mysterious new world where infant mortality is high and sin is to blame, Samuel Sewall is committed to being a loving family man, a good citizen, and a fair-minded judge. Like any believing Puritan, he agonizes over what others think of him, while striving to act morally correct, keep the peace, and, when possible, enjoy a hefty slice of pie. His one regret is that months earlier, he didn't sentence a group of pirates to death.\u003cbr\u003eWhat begins as a touching story of a bumbling man tasked with making judgments in a society where reason is often ephemeral quickly becomes the chilling narrative we know too well. And when public opinion wavers, Sewall learns that what has been done cannot be undone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eCrane Pond\u003c\/em\u003e explores the inner life of a well-meaning man who compromised with evil and went on to regret it. At once a searing view of the Trials, an empathetic portrait of one of the period's most tragic figures, and an indictment of the malevolent power of idealism, it is a thrilling new telling of one of America's founding stories. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \u003cem\u003eCrane Pond\u003c\/em\u003e] goes straight on to my (small) list of historical novels that draw out the capacities of the form and allow readers to brush against the pleasures and terrors of the past.\"--Hilary Mantel, author of \u003ci\u003eWolf Hall\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Deftly crafted . . . perfectly balances issues of religion, faith, and law.\"--\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRichard Francis \u003c\/b\u003ewas educated at Cambridge and Harvard. He has written 17 books, both fiction and\u003cbr\u003e nonfiction, including a number of books on American history and thought. His award-winning novels and books of nonfiction have been published by leading houses in London and New York, including Fourth Estate, Simon \u0026amp; Schuster, Harper Collins, W.W. Norton, Faber \u0026amp; Faber, and Pantheon. He and his wife live in Bath.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 326\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 8.2 x 5.3 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 04, 2016\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51770796671264,"sku":"9781609453510","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/68b174fadf32133221c95baa4f2db654.webp?v=1780378338","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/crane-pond-a-novel-of-salem-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}