Customer Reviews

The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel

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The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent is one of the best novels I've read this year; certainly in the top five. The fact that Kent is a descendent of the Carriers adds an emotional connection to the story that makes the account even more personal.

Sarah Carrier, the ten year old narrator of the story, lives with her parents Thomas and Martha, along with three brothers and a younger sister Hannah. They live a bleak existence on a small farm near Salem. Kent's ability to bring the toughness of these people to the forefront is interesting, though I think letting Sarah be the narrator limits the impact of the story for the reader. Still, the novel moves quickly with crisp prose and a well rounded plot. There is an element of terror in the pages of The Heretic's Daughter. Knowing that others may be conspiring against you with rumors and innuendo, half truths, and out and out lies may be vaguely familiar to some of the readers. The insanity of it all is that those in charge, those who are relied upon for leadership and for guidance in living our lives, have given up reason and submitted blind fear and in doing so removes Sarah's ability to defend her self.

The Heretic's Daughter is also a story about love. One can't always judge by exterior signs the depth of love and devotion people have for each other. This is especially true in the love between a mother and daughter.

Most readers are familiar with the Salem witch trials of 1692, though having an intimate knowledge of the historical facts isn't required to enjoy The Heretic's Daughter. In fact, having only a sketchy understanding might be an asset.

I found The Heretic's Daughter to be an engaging and worthwhile read.

I was intrigued with the idea of this book but once I got it I wasn't sure I wanted to read it. It is a period in history that doesn't particular interest me. For some reason, however, possibly because Martha Carrier was a real woman, hanged as a witch at Salem, I picked this book up then read for the sheer enjoyment of Kathleen Kent's writing.

An introductory letter, penned in 1752, is from Sarah Carrier Chapman to a granddaughter, giving her the document about the witch trials. Sarah, Martha Carrier's daughter, wants her to understand her family and what really happened.

The language of this book is lyrical yet simple, reflecting the lives of the people living in New England in the 1690s; bound by the seasons, the hard work of a farm, and the religious prejudices and fears.

The setting is Andover, near Salem, in the time period 1691-1693. We learn of Sarah's early life and of her family and the strife between her family and that of her aunt and uncle. We experience Martha's trial, the tribulations of the prisons, the deaths of the people accused of being witches, and the freeing of the children and ultimately the freeing of the rest of the accused. There is a last chapter that carries us through 1735 and tells what happened to some of Sarah's family members and neighbors.

It is amazingly well written and flows beautifully. The characters are vividly drawn. Sarah reveals in anecdotes the traits that eventually earn her mother a place on the hanging tree - her intelligence, her assertiveness, her unwillingness to lie and give in, her strength of conviction and will. Martha Carrier was an admirable woman. So, too, is Sarah.

I highly recommend this book to anybody interested in Puritan America, the witch trials of Salem, and farm life in the late 17th century. It is very good historical fiction.

The Heretic's Daughter tells the story of the Salem witch trials from the perspective of 10-year-old Sarah Carrier, whose family becomes a target of her community's hysteria. Kent's unadorned prose captures the immediacy and emotion of Sarah's story and evokes an authentic setting by using old-fashioned phrases and metaphors drawn from familiar tasks (scything grass, harvesting wheat) and materials (beeswax, homespun cloth) of the era. The quick-moving plot and well-developed characters make this an easy book to get caught up in.

Because Sarah is a young narrator, she doesn't fully understand the horrible events unfolding around her. This perspective adds an agreeable innocence to the tale, but also creates a bit of distance between the action and the reader's experience of the action. As a narrator, Sarah is incapable of stepping back from the events at hand and considering the frightening implications of those events for human society in general. Overall, The Heretic's Daughter is a heartbreaking story well told.

"The Heretic's Daughter", the debut novel of author Kathleen Kent is a gripping piece of historical fiction weaved in with fact. The story centers around the Carrier family and is narrated by 10-year-old Sarah Carrier whose family is made up of father Thomas, mother Martha, brothers Richard, Andrew and Tom and little sister Hannah. Sarah's relationship with her mother is fraught with tension and hostility as Sarah yearns for a more empathetic and outwardly loving mother, whereas Martha Carrier is a strong woman who takes care of her family, but is not prone to outward shows of affection.

The Carrier family move from their homestead in Billerica to Martha's mother's farm in Andover, and when Andrew Carrier contracts smallpox, the family is quarantined and Sarah and Hannah are covertly smuggled over to the home of Marha's sister and her family. Sarah comes to love her aunt and uncle and forms an especially close friendship with her kindred spirit, Margaret, a little girl around her own age. Their open displays of affection contrast sharply with Sarah's own family and she is reluctant to leave when the time comes. Unbeknown to Sarah, all is not as it seems and there are much greater tensions and animosity between her own family and her uncle's.

At the same time, strange and disturbing events begin to unfold in Salem Village, with a group of young girls going into fits, and accusing others of witchcraft. Trials are convened and many innocent victims are wrongly accused of practising the Devil's work, all at the whim of the young girls. In Andover, Sarah finds her own family being suspected of unholy alliances, especially given Martha Carrier's sharp tongue and rebellious nature. When Martha is arrested on the accusation of practising witchcraft, Sarah is forced to do the unthinkable in order to preserve her own life.

The narrative flows smoothly as the events unfold - from the day-to-day description of life amongst the Puritans, to the unsettling accusations and repercussions on the Carrier family and the settlers in general. The descriptions of farm life are vivid and paint a harsh life for the Puritans. Domestic life too is portrayed as being dreary with cramped living conditions etc. Spiritual life is also described in great detail with attendance at church or 'meeting house' being deemed a social necessity in order to keep one's good standing amongst the community, though politics play an integral part here with the 'good' pastor vs 'diabolical' pastor portrayed credibly.

Family ties is a central theme in this book, especially in exploring the relationship between daughter and mother. Sarah and Martha Carrier are both strong-willed, independent-minded individuals and their tenuous relationship is very well-portrayed - the mother seemingly harsh yet possessed of a great love for her children, and the daughter unrelenting in thinking the worst of her mother until events prove otherwise.

The witch trials themselves are compelling - the author has done her research well and readers get a clear picture of the miscarriage of justice during the trials, the pathetic living conditions of the accused [in prison], and of the politics and corruption underlying the trials and treatment of prisoners.

This is an excellent piece of historical fiction centred around an infamous period of American history, peopled with characters that are compelling, some we come to care about, and others are plain repulsive. Kathleen Kent has done a wonderful job of bringing the period to life and I look forward to her next effort with great anticipation. Also, for those who would like to delve deeper into the Salem Witch Trials, I would highly recommend "The Salem Witch Trials: A Day by Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege" by Marilynne K. Roach and " A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials" by Ann Rinaldi [YA novel].

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent is a stunner of a debut novel. Kent is a descendant of Martha Carrier who was hung as a witch during the Salem Witch Trials. She takes Martha's story and tells it through the eyes of Martha's daughter Sarah, who was forced to testify against her mother and confess to witchcraft at the age of eight. The book is an incredibly powerful historical novel with plenty of accuracy along with dynamic characters. Sarah (who in the book is a bit older than the real child) lives a hard life working beside her taciturn parents and three older brothers on their hardscrabble farm. She is responsible for caring for her one-year old sister Hannah when the two are forced to live with her aunt and uncle during an outbreak of smallpox in the home. Her aunt and uncle are loving and friendly and Sarah's hard heart slowly blossoms under their care. This only hardens her heart even further toward her mother when she's returned to them several months later. But things are changing in their Andover, Massachusetts home. Witches have been discovered in Salem, and whispers and rumors are sweeping the countryside like wildfire. Kent carefully lays the case for Martha's charge of witchcraft: a jealous nephew, an angry neighbor, a humiliated serving girl. Each person becomes a strand in the noose around Martha's neck. Kent does a masterful job of portraying the suspicion and dread as more and more neighbors are arrested, including Sarah's kind uncle, who isn't who she thought he was. She makes a promise to her mother that both imprisons and frees Sarah. The descriptions of the horror of the jails the accused (including infants and small children) inhabited are unspeakable, and yet Sarah endures to learn what real love is. Of her mother's quiet, unfathomable, deep, unspoken love versus the shallow, easy, uncomplicated love of her aunt and uncle, Sarah learns which one stands in the face of adversity and so Sarah learns to stand and love as well. The ending alludes to a secret story in Sarah's father's past, one I hope Kent tackles with her next book. This book will change the way history remembers the Salem Witch Trials when seen through the eyes of a child.

As other reviewers have already outlined, this book takes place during the Salem Witch Trials, and the author is a tenth-generation descendant of Martha Carrier, one of the first women to be tried under the trials. The book is told from the perspective of her pre-adolescent daughter Sarah.

The author has done her research, and she does a beautiful job of depicting the harsh realities of life during this time, including plagues, crop failures, and attacks by indigenous tribes. This harshness is partly what fuels the trials' momentum, as a fearful community struggles with the causes of their suffering. Surely there must be some offense, some sin, that God is punishing them for? In their desperation, they seek out the 'sinners' amongst them, literally demonizing their own neighbors for the smallest of offenses. They seek to scapegoat and purge - as so many have done in the name of religion throughout history.

From there, the paralysis of fear takes over, with each new charge silencing more people within the community, all seeking to protect their own lives and families. Children as young as four are taken into custody - since the 'devil' is behind it all, and can take over anyone's mind, no one is considered innocent. Quite the contrary, during the trials the defendants are most definitely considered guilty until proven innocent. And their innocence is in the hands of several hysterical, adolescent girls no less (I'll let you read the book to learn more about this.)

One of the most touching aspects of the book is how Martha gets Sarah to save herself, helping Sarah to realize that behind her mother's stern exterior lies the greatest of maternal loves. While Sarah at first despises her mother's difficult personality, wishing she would just capitulate to others, she comes to realize her mother's seeming obstinance is actually born of tremendous faith and wisdom. This is exactly the opposite of what her community elders teach - that strict obedience is the foundation for faith. As Sarah observes, that obedience, along with fear, is what allows the madness to continue for so long.

And so The Heretic's Daughter works on at least three levels. First, as a gripping historical novel that masterfully depicts a certain setting and time period. Second, as a personal story of a mother and adolescent daughter struggling to understand each other. And third, as a cautionary tale about how religion can be twisted when a society is ruled by fear.

I've always been fascinated with the era of the Salem Witch Trials and the people involved. In "The Heretic's Daughter" Kathleen Kent tells the story of a survivor of the trials, one of her ancestors, Sarah Carrier. Sarah is 11 years old when she and her mother are accused of witchcraft. Martha Carrier, Sarah's mother, is one of the few accused who refused to compromise the truth. She held up under torture and never confessed to witchcraft.
Kent tells a quiet but powerful story of a distressing time in American history and a family that rises above their tragedy.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading others by this author. My one disappointment in the book is the lack of notes. I can tell that the author has done lots of research for this book, and I'd love to know her sources. However, my copy is an uncorrected proof. Maybe a notes section will be included in the finished volume.

The Heretic's Daughter is a wonderful read set in Salem Mass during the witch trials. The book is about the author's ancestor, Martha Carrier, who was accused of witchcraft. It's told from POV of Martha's daughter Sarah, who was forced to testify against her mother at only eight years old.

This is a heart-wrenching story about the consequences of greed, jealousy, and emotional neglect (Sarah finds a more loving family with her aunt and uncle than she does with her mother and father). It is also very much a story of early American hardship. Living in Salem was not an easy prospect at the time, not just because people were superstitious, but because life itself was hard: people had to contend with extreme poverty, extreme weather, and possible starvation.

Highly recommended, especially for those interested in American history.

As an avid historical fiction reader, this book sits high on my top 10 list. I could not put it down. Metaphorically rich, frightenly real and exceptionally well written, I cannot wait for more from Kathleen Kent.

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent chronicles the life of Sarah Carrier, a young girl whose mother Martha Carrier is accused and condemned in the Salem Witch Trials. The story is beautifully painted with rich historical details and the realism of the novel is quite astounding.

Told through Sarah's perspective of youth and innocence the horrors of the Witch Trials become the impetus for her maturity. As her character develops through the novel, a poignant story of friendship, family ties, love and betrayal is woven around her.

Kathleen Kent is a descendant of the Carriers so her emotional attachment to the characters and real events add great impact to the plot. Although this is her first novel, her talent as a writer is clearly showcased and I will be seeking out her name in future works.