Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Salem holds a strong place in the American psyche. In part, this is due to making students read Arthur Miller’s the Crucible. Perhaps it is the stories that surround the town of Salem itself. The story itself has been examined a variety of ways. Thomas Gilbert’s feminist take is not the first such.

Though it might be the best fictional take.

Gilbert’s story focuses on the young girls in the town of Salem, in particular Abagail, and how the women are controlled by the male dominated society. He also works in the culture clash between the Native Americans and the European colonizers.

It is a harsh story, but the way Gilbert tells it, it becomes a more powerful story. It tackles the issues of how a society views those who are different. The focus on the fear of the other as well as a woman’s ability to reproduce make this story and graphic novel timely.

The Daughters of Salem is a first part in a retelling of the events that let up to the witch trials in Salem and focuses on the misogynistic atmosphere that was around in the puritan times. While this initially sounded like an interesting take on a well known story, it fell a bit flat for me.

The struggles of the women come across, but all of them seem overly done and I didn't care for any of the characters really. There was a part one easily might consider racist. The art was very modest, which fit the puritan themes but was not really my cup of tea either. I don't think I will be continuing this series, especially since I already know where it is heading.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I don't think there is one person in the world that doesn't know the show I Love Lucy. They can imitate her laughter and her whine, she has people around the world that even impersonate her and go to conventions just to celebrate her laugh out loud comic television personality.
What a lot of people didn't know is that comical style didn't come naturally to her and that laugh riot personality wasn't how she was in the real world once the cameras were turned off.
Lucille Ball's life wasn't a barrel of laughs at home or on the stage.
Lucy had to cope with a very difficult marriage to her on screen partner and real life husband Desi, and a very difficult case of stage fright every time she stepped into the studio.
Despite Lucy's natural beauty from the beginning she was forced to hide her natural beauty behind the make up, play the role given to her and was more often than not type cast a certain roll because of the show I Love Lucy even though she really wanted to be in more series rolls in film.
But no matter what she went through Lucy held herself and her family together even when tabloids would tear at her marriage and Desi's drinking problem lead to many affairs that Lucy would be then left to discover on front page newspapers.
Despite I Love Lucy's long run on the tv screen things were cut short as both her marriage came a part and the times began to make an impact on what people watched on television.
Lucille Ball was a woman who didn't get enough credit for the strength she had inside of her.
The Story of Desilu is a well written book that delves into not just the lives but the business relationship of the company and what it had to go through to grow and change to stay in every persons home.