SARAH WITCHER'S STORY

by Elizabeth Yates ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 30, 1971

The fact that it is based on a supposedly true account, discovered by the author in an 1870 History of Warren, New Hampshire, adds a certain sentimental heft to this otherwise unlikely story of a child who is lost for four days in the woods, sheltered at night by a bear whom she mistakes in the dark for her pet dog, sought by forty men from neighboring villages and farms, and finally found by a stranger who walks thirty miles from Plymouth after seeing the child, her bear, and her pine-tree haven in a dream. The story begins with Sara's father reading to the family from the Book of Job and counseling them to trust in God; it ends with the family and search party singing ""Praise God from whom all blessings flow."" The intervening, often tense four days demonstrate impressively the centrality of religion in the lives and thoughts of early New Englanders but readers for whom Sarah's rescue smacks more of myth than miracle will find her story less stirring than it seemed in 1870.

Pub Date: April 30, 1971

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1971

Categories: FICTION