Drawing on newly available sources, Schiff brilliantly chronicles the international intrigues and the political backbiting that surrounded Franklin during his mission. ) eloquently adds to our understanding of Benjamin Franklin with a graceful, sly and smart look at his seven-year sojourn in France in his quasi-secret quest to secure American independence by procuring an alliance with the French.

'Fans of Stacy Schiff's meticulous research of The Witches: Salem, 1692 and Oliver Pötzsch's solemn tone in The Hangman's Daughter will relish this well-imagined personal journey.Numerous bestselling volumes have been written recently on the man one biography called 'the first American.' Pulitzer Prize–winner Schiff (for Véra.

“Crane Pond is fascinatingly engaging and thought provoking, the best kind of storytelling.” - Shelf Awareness.'The paralysing effect of mob psychology and the shocking passive acceptance of brutality make Crane Pond a profoundly thoughtful, gripping, at times harrowing reading experience.' - Bookanista.'In Crane Pond, Richard Francis creates a nuanced, compassionate and fascinating portrait of Samuel Sewall, the unwilling hanging judge.taking us beyond the complacency with which we often view this iconic moment in American history.' - Historical Novel Society.'Crane Pond succeeds wonderfully, conveying mania without condescension and honoring decency without any suggestion of cynicism.' - Open Letters Monthly.Affable, He Convicted Salem Innocents - The New York Review of Books.Richard Francis, Sewall's most lauded biographer, seamlessly marries rigorous research and an astute understanding of a deeply complex character to a compelling dramatic framework sure to enchant the wide readership of quality historical fiction. The novel brings to life Sewall's efforts to piece together a new perspective from shattered preconceptions-illuminating his search for atonement, peace, and ultimately a renewal of hope. It humanizes an unflinching portrait of political hysteria that is as relevant today as it was in the seventeenth century. He was the only judge to later admit his terrible mistake, and ask for forgiveness.Īt once a searing view of the Trials from the inside out, an empathetic portrait of one of the period's most tragic and redemptive figures, and an indictment of the malevolent power of religious and political idealism, it is an absorbing new telling of one of our founding stories.Ĭrane Pond explores the inner life of a well-meaning man who did evil.

Richard Francis's stunning novel Crane Pond is the story of Samuel Sewall, loving father and husband, anti-slavery advocate, defender of Native American rights, and presiding judge at the Salem Witchcraft trials in 1692, where he sentenced twenty innocent women to death. The great success last year of Stacy Schiff's The Witches proves, once again, that abiding interest in the Salem Witch Trials remains high.

The witches stacy schiff sparknotes