Jodi Picoult

Title:	Salem Falls
Author:	Jodi Picoult
Publisher:	Washington Square Press
ISBN:	0-7434-1871-7
Copyright:	2001
Reviewer:	Mike Gleason
Contact Information:	gleason.mike@verizon.net
Category:	Fiction
Review:	This is a novel which is only marginally involved with Wicca. My daughter picked up a copy, and loaned it to me. In less than 10 pages, I had already run into one glaring error: "Giles Corey, the only man who has been a casualty of the Puritan witch hunts." He wasn’t. John Proctor, John Willard, Andrge Burroughs were executed on August 19th and Samueal Wardwell was executed on Septermber 22nd. Checking these facts took me less than five minutes with The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft by Rosemary Ellen Guilley (an easily obtained book). This book is a textbook example of what can go wrong when young people become involved with Wicca for all the wrong reasons, and without competent guidance. Fortunately, this forms a minor part of the plot of this novel. I would not recommend it to anyone who does not have a good, working knowledge of Wicca. The characters are exaggerations of what Wiccans are. The girls are flighty and self-centered and the "good Witch" is completely flaky. If you want a good novel with a few unexpected twists, you will probably enjoy this book. If you are looking for background on Wicca, however, forget it. It will probably sell reasonably well among general fiction and some mystery fans, but that is about it. My daughter said, however, "This has feature film, or made for TV movies written all over it." I hope she is wrong. You should be aware that this book is out there, and you will, sooner or later, get people asking you about its accuracy when it comes to Wicca. Trust me, there isn’t any. Be prepared to explain how it is wrong. You might want to borrow a copy from your local library, but I wouldn’t recommend it for inclusion in your library.
Review submitted:	20 December 2002