CATCHING A WITCH by Heidi Eljarbo

CATCHING A WITCH
A Novel of Loyalty, Deception and Superstition
by
Heidi Eljarbo

 Clara Dahl, an educated and upstanding minister's daughter, returns to her childhood home in Norway after several years abroad. She’s excited to reconnect with her lifelong friend, Bess and to spend some time becoming reacquainted with the townsfolks. But before long, Clara realizes her sleepy, little, picturesque corner of the world has been invaded by evil.  AMAZON BUY LINK


HEIDI ELJARBO grew up in a home filled with books and artwork and she never truly imagined she would do anything other than write and paint. She studied art, languages, and history, all of which have come in handy when working as a freelance writer, magazine journalist, and painter.
After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She and her husband have a total of nine children, ten grandchildren—so far—in addition to a bouncy Wheaten Terrier and a bird. They love to have the munchkins come and visit at the Duck and Cherry, their family dwelling.
Their favorite retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summertime and ski the vast, white terrain during winter.
Heidi’s favorites are family, God's beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.
 
MY THOUGHTS
Sometimes all it takes is one person and what they say, right, wrong or indifferent,  to spread like wild fire.  The story of witches spread like that wild fire.  What could possibly cause everything to go wrong?   Witches and their powers must have caused people's lives to go downhill, their livelihoods dissolve, and their animals to die.  IT had to be witches.  Someone or something had to be causing these things to happen.  It doesn't take but a couple of words and those words spread farther and farther.  It wasn't what some thought. It wasn't witchcraft.  It was sometimes just simple herb remedies and all of a sudden that person was a witch.  Does anyone want to stand up and voice what they believe to be the truth?   No.  They may be seen as a witch themselves so they stayed quiet.   But in a quiet little place lives a woman, Clara, who isn't afraid to speak out.  She knew those women who were often proclaimed as being witches and sent to trial, were not witches.  SO she spoke against these trials of innocent people. 

I found the historical aspects of the book to be in detail. It told of so many who were completely innocent being sent to the gallows. Why, because there are those who want to believe in the bad in people.  The hysteria took hold and it caused others to be blinded by that hysteria.  All because the town leaders decided to rid the town of evil and evil doers. People of the town who had known each other for years turned on each other..   Neighbors turned on neighbors, friends turned on friends and family turned on family. Much like today.  So many are turning on each other, only believing the gossip they hear and not taking time to find the truth.  So they decide to have a witch hunter come and do away with the witches and their evil.  That would certainly make their town perfect, without any bad left.  

These kind of things, accusations, persecutions are not just a thing of the past.  It could and does happen today.  Some don't want to stand up and say, yes I did that. Everyone else is to blame.  They didn't do anything wrong.  Some don't want to have anything to do with people who are different, but aren't we all different? Often times it's because of a lack of understanding, or should I say, a lack of trying to understand others.   So it happened then, it happens now.  Just as in this book, everyone has their good point and everyone has their bad points.  The characters in this book each have points that were proud points about them. 

 IT brought forth emotions and a lot of thinking.  We need to stand up for what is right. Not go with the flow simply because of fear.  Is it not better to know you're doing the right thing instead of following the cries of the weak. Whatever happened to, "innocent until proven guilty"?  I did find something I didn't know.  The  sign of a witch is a mole.  I had never read that before.    I enjoyed the part at the end of the book where the author told of the different parts of the book that were historically correct.   Interesting!

If you like the stories of witchcraft and the Salem witch trials then read this one and do a little thinking, but do enjoy also.


I received a copy of this book from the author and decided to review it.

I would give this book 5  STARS. 

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