The Heretic's Daughter

A Novel

By: Kathleen Kent

Narrated by: Mare Winningham

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

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 10th generation descendent of Martha Carrier. She is also a natural-born storyteller, and in her first novel, 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

©2008 Kathleen Kent (P)2008 Hachette Audio

What An Amazing Book!

Growing up near Salem, MA, I've always been interested in the witch trials. I've taken the tours and read books about the events that actually happened. Reading this book was so great because although it's adapted from the author's ancestry, it's as if she was actually there. Her writing is impeccable. Her history is as well. Really captures the religious beliefs and fears of the Puritans, as well what their daily life might have been like back then. Mare Winnngham is SO perfect for the reading of this book! Love her acting, now I love her reading! I've listened to this book once all the way through, and I've continued to play it at times while I am doing other things. Mare's voice is very soothing, and her inflections and different character's voices are on point. I cannot recommend this book any higher!

The Heretics Daughter

Great story, and historically accurate. However, I found the music distracting, annoying, and maudlin. I do not want music in my books.

Salem witch trials.......

What did you love best about The Heretic's Daughter?

A different perspective coming from a 10(ish)-year-old. Lots of information and seeing things from differing points of view.

Any additional comments?

Good story, I enjoyed it a lot and would recomend it if you are interested in that type of book.

Great Book!

I loved hearing about this interesting family. I'm actually directly related to Martha and loved hearing her story. It's heart wrenching what they had to go through. Loved the narrator!

Great read

This was a great book to listen to. Mare Winningham did a fantastic job. Loved the story and info about the Salem Witch Trials.

More Day-to-Day Life... Less Witch Trials

Funny story. I actually bought this book the last time I was in Salem this past February. My friend and I visited the Salem Witch Museum where after a bit of a presentation and a historical depiction of witches and witch hunts trickling into our modern era, I was able to browse the gift shop where they had a small collection of books. I grabbed this as well as a copy of The Penguin Book of Witches and couldn’t wait to read. With the witching hour approaching, I thought I’d give this a go on Audible while at the office.

Honestly, I wish I loved this book. I wanted so badly to love it. I love American History and learning from aspects of our dark, tragic pasts, but this book somehow made learning about the Salem Witch Trials boring.

This story is told from the perspective of Martha Carrier’s young daughter, Sarah, and for the majority of this book, the plot is nothing short of mechanical as it moves through life in day-to-day Massachusetts via 1690-1692 and later. Every time I thought the book was finally going to pick up and begin with the accusations and the unfolding of the trials, the mundane life just continued. No wonder everyone got so nuts and started pointing fingers. They all must’ve been bored to death.

If you’re interested in the goings on of Puritan life in Salem; planting crops, bringing escaped cows back to your neighbor’s house, small pox epidemics, attending church for hours on end, and more, then this is a perfect book for you.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s well-written and the author has done her research and must’ve had interesting stories passed down through her family as to the fate of her ancestors, but out of 10 chapters in this book, I think at least 6 & 1/2 or 7 are fairly uneventful.

The end of the book is where the dark chapter in history seeps its way into the pages. Countless people are jailed and put on trial for crimes they aren’t guilty of committing. The evidence is staggering in that in modern day, we all know it’s an absurd stretch to try to grasp and build a solid case against the condemned with such obscure information. Relying on young girls having spontaneous fits, or invisible spectres soaring around the courtroom didn’t exactly present an open-and-shut case by 2019 standards. in 1692, however, hearsay was enough to convict and kill 20 people and lock up even more. Listening to the information being read just made it really hit home and I felt similar to how I felt when I actually spent time in Salem, like I was bogged down with emotion. This tumultuous time really caused a severe fall out in our early society and has morphed into its own beast in our more current days.

If you’re interested in a purely historical depiction of Puritan Massachusetts or you’re looking to get in that Halloween mood, this story might be a decent (but SLOW) segue into the season. If you’re seeking a creepy or even terrifying account of how demons and the paranormal changed the courses of 20 innocent lives that were ended unjustly and abruptly, then this isn’t the book for you.

very enjoyable and interesting

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was a very interesting perspective on the Salem witch trials. It also gave more understanding to how this affected the surrounding towns during this time and what life was truly like. I would highly recommend it.

Brilliant!

Such a well written story and character development engaged me from the beginning. The brilliant writing was equaled by the brilliant Mare Winningham’s reading. The story’s content tells of events that occurred nearly four hundred years ago yet the lessons are as current as today’s news. Past and present meet as a warning that fear of the other and superstition could cause us, once again, to turn on neighbors without remorse. I highly recommend this book.

blew me away

so well written. first time I've read this author and I'm very impressed. probably the best book I've read this year... and I read a lot

Spellbinding

Easily one of the most mesmerizing books I have listened to. Beautifully written with well developed characters. It is a haunting tale of mass hysteria and how easily it can spread in times of fear and unrest