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A review by bookish_words
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
5.0
Although I love this book and would like to think it has no flaws, I think it lacks a bit in the “world building” department. Since The Crucible is considered Historical Fiction, it heavily relies on the readers knowledge of the real world events that happened in that time period, the 1953 Salem witch hunts, to set up most of the world building. Even if you know absolutely nothing about this particular moment in American history I still think the overall story comes across nicely but a little brushing up on the history would definitely help too, just to make the world feel a lot more complete.
Aside from that, the pacing is good, the plot is great and the characters are developed perfectly. I particularly like what Miller did with John Proctor’s character, I enjoyed analyzing his actions in comparison to his concept of himself and the switch from the beginning of the book to the end. Abagail is also interesting to analyze but I found her to be a less complex character and I was content with what happens to her in the end. John Proctor also got a fitting end but in a different way than Abigail and I really liked that it was completely unexpected the first time I read the play. The second read through, I knew how things were going to go down for him but I was still hanging on to his every word – and that’s on good writing.
5 out of 5 stars, I recommend 100 percent! Also, there is a movie based on the play. Arthur Miller was still alive when it was in the works in 1996 and from my understanding he did have some input on the production of the film, but I could be wrong. He did for sure get to see it be made, he wrote up an interesting reflection on seeing his play come to life for the New Yorker, which is also a great read I recommend.
Aside from that, the pacing is good, the plot is great and the characters are developed perfectly. I particularly like what Miller did with John Proctor’s character, I enjoyed analyzing his actions in comparison to his concept of himself and the switch from the beginning of the book to the end. Abagail is also interesting to analyze but I found her to be a less complex character and I was content with what happens to her in the end. John Proctor also got a fitting end but in a different way than Abigail and I really liked that it was completely unexpected the first time I read the play. The second read through, I knew how things were going to go down for him but I was still hanging on to his every word – and that’s on good writing.
5 out of 5 stars, I recommend 100 percent! Also, there is a movie based on the play. Arthur Miller was still alive when it was in the works in 1996 and from my understanding he did have some input on the production of the film, but I could be wrong. He did for sure get to see it be made, he wrote up an interesting reflection on seeing his play come to life for the New Yorker, which is also a great read I recommend.