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`Absorbing, and satisfyingly rich in historical details'
--The Bookseller
--The Bookseller
Review
'The richness of the text...the intimate characterisation lends itself to a perfect "curl up by the fire " read'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This is a stunning book. It is the last of three books on the witchhunts I have read back to back and it is by far the best.
The narration is real and honest, making you believe that this is the actual voice of Sarah Carrier. She (narrator) describes her experiences vividly and bluntly and had me gasping aloud at times with the brusque and forthright style. There were times I had to check the dustjacket to ensure that this was indeed a work of fiction and only based on actual events as it is so convincing.
The depiction of the troubled and flawed mother/daughter relationship provoked empathy and frustration in me as I willed them to understand each other better. Finally, the healed relationship is one of the most touching I have read. The prison scenes were unforgettable.
I also felt this book allowed me more access to the Puritan psyche than others I have previously read on this subject. It also offered a form of explanation for the atrocities that occurred without forgiving them. The powerful revelation of the horror, brutality and injustice was shocking as other writers have tended to glamorise and minimise, focusing instead on the entertainment value. Ultimately, however, the book was uplifting.
I thoroughly recommend this book if you are interested in this period of American history. Kathleen Kent is an extremely clever and talented writer in my opinion and I am sure that this book will be very successful. I certainly couldn't put it down and it will stay with me for a long time.
The narration is real and honest, making you believe that this is the actual voice of Sarah Carrier. She (narrator) describes her experiences vividly and bluntly and had me gasping aloud at times with the brusque and forthright style. There were times I had to check the dustjacket to ensure that this was indeed a work of fiction and only based on actual events as it is so convincing.
The depiction of the troubled and flawed mother/daughter relationship provoked empathy and frustration in me as I willed them to understand each other better. Finally, the healed relationship is one of the most touching I have read. The prison scenes were unforgettable.
I also felt this book allowed me more access to the Puritan psyche than others I have previously read on this subject. It also offered a form of explanation for the atrocities that occurred without forgiving them. The powerful revelation of the horror, brutality and injustice was shocking as other writers have tended to glamorise and minimise, focusing instead on the entertainment value. Ultimately, however, the book was uplifting.
I thoroughly recommend this book if you are interested in this period of American history. Kathleen Kent is an extremely clever and talented writer in my opinion and I am sure that this book will be very successful. I certainly couldn't put it down and it will stay with me for a long time.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a great story in the best sense of the word. The story wraps itself around the witch trials which took place in New England, Salem, Massachusetts in the seventeenth century and is told through the voice of a child, the daughter of a so-called witch. What is so stunning about the writing is the clarity and brilliant description. It strikes the reader as true to the time and place. And, unlike many modern novels today, it does not jump from voice to voice or place to place. It is an old-fashioned sort of book in its progression through the days in a straight line. It reads fluidly and realistically and does not rely on shock tactics or anything else sometimes contrived by authors. Even though I am very familiar with this period of history in America and have also read The Crucible, I found myself unable to put this book down. Reading it was a delight and created such a vivid picture in my mind that I was sad when it ended. After the trials the story jumps forward quite a bit and it might be worth another book by Kathleen Kent to give us more about the aftermath of the trials. She is so good in the period voice it would be well-worth a try.
Even if you know nothing about this historical period it is atmospheric and creates all you need to know to delve deeply into the troubling world of this time. Other reviewers give more details about the story and they do a very good job. I only want to add to their positive voices and encourage you to read this book.
Even if you know nothing about this historical period it is atmospheric and creates all you need to know to delve deeply into the troubling world of this time. Other reviewers give more details about the story and they do a very good job. I only want to add to their positive voices and encourage you to read this book.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This is a detailed historical fiction about a young girl's experiences of being caught up in the Salem Witch trials in Massachusetts.
It chronicles the tale of Sarah Carrier and her family and how their refusal to conform to the standards of the puritanical society in which they live effectively condemn them. Sarah's voice seems very authentic, although there are times when it is clear that the author needs to set the scene and for me there are too many explanations of things which at the time would have been not worthy of comment because they would have been every day occurences and thus taken for granted. This is one of the issues that a historical novelist has to deal with however, and Kathleen Kent does her best not to render the narrative too clunky. Certainly once it gets into its stride and she deals with the imprisonment and trial of the poor unfortunates swept up in the mass hysteria, the narrative whips along nicely.
Having said that I thought the ending was disappointment. There is a sub plot which weaves its way through the novel regarding Sarah's father and the mysterious part he played in the English Civil War and Cromwell's rise. It percolates along quietly in the background and I kept waiting for the story line to develop. It really doesn't and just kind of gets finished off at the end in quite an unsatisfactory way. I feel the book should have either developed this story more or just left it out altogether.
My other gripe is that if you have read and/or studied Arthur Miller's The Crucible, it does in less than a hundred pages what this book does in three hundred. On the other hand, if you are not comfortable with reading play texts, then this is a very good novel about a very interesting period in history.
It chronicles the tale of Sarah Carrier and her family and how their refusal to conform to the standards of the puritanical society in which they live effectively condemn them. Sarah's voice seems very authentic, although there are times when it is clear that the author needs to set the scene and for me there are too many explanations of things which at the time would have been not worthy of comment because they would have been every day occurences and thus taken for granted. This is one of the issues that a historical novelist has to deal with however, and Kathleen Kent does her best not to render the narrative too clunky. Certainly once it gets into its stride and she deals with the imprisonment and trial of the poor unfortunates swept up in the mass hysteria, the narrative whips along nicely.
Having said that I thought the ending was disappointment. There is a sub plot which weaves its way through the novel regarding Sarah's father and the mysterious part he played in the English Civil War and Cromwell's rise. It percolates along quietly in the background and I kept waiting for the story line to develop. It really doesn't and just kind of gets finished off at the end in quite an unsatisfactory way. I feel the book should have either developed this story more or just left it out altogether.
My other gripe is that if you have read and/or studied Arthur Miller's The Crucible, it does in less than a hundred pages what this book does in three hundred. On the other hand, if you are not comfortable with reading play texts, then this is a very good novel about a very interesting period in history.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Well researched and well written
The Heretics Daughter is told from the point of view of Sarah Carrier, a young girl who's mother is accused and tried for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. Willis
Dark history brought to life
`The Heretic's Daughter' is one of those books that will captivate a reader from the initial page. The story is simple, but beautifully told. Read more
Published 9 months ago by J. Cooper
Interesting and revealing
I enjoyed this book a great deal. The book is based on a time that has always interetsed me but I knew little about. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Keeley
Dark, poignant and compelling
Compellingly told, The Heretic's Daughter is the tale of brave Martha Carrier who was accused, convicted and eventually executed for witchcraft in late 17th century Massachusetts. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Butterflylady
Great read
Intially when I bought this book, my intention was that i would mainly be reading about the witch trials in Salem. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Modupe Oriyomi
Slightly disappointed
I couldn't wait to read this book when I bought it, espeically after reading all of the reviews on here. Read more
Published on 2 May 2010 by Mrs. J. L. Beal
Slow at times but well worth it!
Set in Massachusetts in the late seventeenth century, this novel is based on the Salem witch trials which were prominent at that time. Read more
Published on 17 April 2010 by C. Colley
Great read
This is a great read giving an insight into a period of history I have to admit ignorance of before and whilst it is fiction the background surronding the book is based on research... Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2010 by Frank and open
Salem Witch Hunts
I first came across the Salem witch-hunts referred to in The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry. The Heretic's Daughter was an excellent follow-up, filling in a lot of the detail that I... Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2010 by DubaiReader
Fascinating story
As a big fan of historical fiction, this book fascinated me as it was about a subject I knew little about and by a female author. Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2010 by chuckles
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Nothing of the greater good comes without struggle and sacrifice in equal measure, be you man or woman, and in this way are we freed from tyranny.
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