The Heretic's Daughter

by Kathleen Kent

Book Overview

A courageous woman fights to survive the darkest days of the Salem Witch Trials in this "heart-wrenching story of family love and sacrifice" (USA Today).

Salem, 1752. Sarah Carrier Chapman, weak with infirmity, writes a letter to her granddaughter that reveals the secret she has closely guarded for six decades: how she survived the Salem Witch Trials when her mother did not.

Sarah's story begins more than a year before...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031602449X
• ISBN13: 9780316024495
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

In great condition. Good read.

This book seemed to have a lot of historical facts in it. Was an easy to follow story line. Absolutely heartbreaking and made me cry. You should definitely read it.

Read it all

I read this in a day or so. One of the best books I've read in a long time.

One of the best new authors

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.

Engrossing historical narrative centred around the Salem Witch Trials

"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 h

A Cautionary Tale on Religion and Fear

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.

Historical Fiction at its finest!

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.

Masterfully written historical novel about the Salem witch trials

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.