The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel [Hardcover]

Kathleen Kent (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 3, 2008

Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.
Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendent of Martha Carrier. She paints a haunting portrait, not just of Puritan New England, but also of one family's deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. A family's conflict becomes a battle for life and death in this gripping and original first novel based on family history from a descendant of a condemned Salem witch. After a bout of smallpox, 10-year-old Sarah Carrier resumes life with her mother on their family farm in Andover, Mass., dimly aware of a festering dispute between her mother, Martha, and her uncle about the plot of land where they live. The fight takes on a terrifying dimension when reports of supernatural activity in nearby Salem give way to mass hysteria, and Sarah's uncle is the first person to point the finger at Martha. Soon, neighbors struggling to eke out a living and a former indentured servant step forward to name Martha as the source of their woes. Sarah is forced to shoulder an even heavier burden as her mother and brothers are taken to prison to face a jury of young women who claim to have felt their bewitching presence. Sarah's front-row view of the trials and the mayhem that sweeps the close-knit community provides a fresh, bracing and unconventional take on a much-covered episode. (Sept.)
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From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—Told from the point of view of young Sarah, the daughter of one of the first women to be accused, tried, and hanged as a witch in Salem, this novel paints a vivid and disturbing picture of Puritan New England life. Based on fact and the author's family history, the story portrays Martha, Sarah's mother, as a strong-willed nonconformist who knows she is a target of the zealots who pit family members against one another with their false accusations. All but one of the siblings end up imprisoned with their mother, and much of the story is told from the inhumane and corruptly run jail. When Martha is finally executed, her husband "would stand for all of us so that when she closed her eyes for the last time, there would be a counterweight of love against the overflowing presence of vengeance and fear." History is brought to life as readers learn of the strength of Martha's convictions and the value she places on her conscience. They will also appreciate the themes of family love, repression, intolerance, and persecution in this beautifully written and compelling first novel.—Jane Ritter, Mill Valley School District, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (September 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316024481
• ISBN-13: 978-0316024488
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (229 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #636,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathleen Kent, a national bestselling author and a tenth-generation descendent of Martha Carrier, hanged as a witch in Salem in 1692, was awarded the David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction. In her first book, The Heretic's Daughter, which has been published in over a dozen countries, she paints a haunting portrait of Puritan New England and one family's deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution. Her second novel, The Traitor's Wife, chronicles the life of Thomas Carrier, Martha's husband, who was a soldier for Cromwell and was, some believe, one of the executioners of King Charles I of England.

The author's third book, titled The Outcasts, is set in Texas in 1870 and will be published October 1, 2013, by Little Brown Publishing.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

175 of 176 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Scary reading on several levels September 2, 2008

By Robert Busko TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

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.

65 of 67 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Salem Witch Trials from a Child's Perspective September 3, 2008

By Karen Marie

Format:Hardcover

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.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A heartbreaking story well told. August 29, 2008

By G. Dawson

Format:Hardcover

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.