In 1651, the town of Springfield, Massachusetts had some unfortunate incidents that were attributed to witchcraft which led to a married couple going on trial. Already a short book, the incidents and trial probably make up about 30 pages of the book. Most of the rest of the book reads like a biography of Springfield’s founder, William Pynchon, who published a book during the same time period that was declared heretical. While the account of colonial life is detailed quite well by Gaskill, it’s very dry reading. Gaskill seems to be making a point about Pynchon’s enlightened thinking and how it relates to trial and conviction of witchcraft, but I was never clear exactly what that point was. 🤷🏻‍♂️