Condemn Me Not

Accused of Witchcraft

By: Heather B. Moore

Narrated by: Nancy Peterson

Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

In Condemn Me Not: Accused of Witchcraft, USA Today best-selling author Heather B. Moore brings the life of her 10th great-grandmother to center stage.

Susannah North Martin, accused of witchcraft in 1692, joins five women in the Salem Jail, all sentenced to death for their crimes. Amidst tragedy, Susannah finds hope and compassion as she remembers a well-loved life, and listeners discover that love reaches far beyond the grave as Susannah faces the magistrates in Salem.

©2018 Mirror Press (P)2018 Mirror Press

Wow!

Ms. Moore brought the Salem Witch trials to life in stunning detail. Yet, throughout the story, a thread of hope remained.

Great job!

Heather B. Moore did a great job writing this historical story. It was super interesting getting a first person look into the life of Puritans and the Salem Witch Era. I’ve never read a story in that time or setting and it drew me in almost immediately. The narrator did a great job, and I was amazed it was the same woman both for Savannah’s young voice and her old woman voice too. Very impressive. I really appreciated the ending. So tasteful. Sad, but happy. You’ll have to read it to understand. Well done! Fun read.

Being on the Wrong Side of Righteousness

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

When a group of insecure individuals has in its hand the fate of powerless victims, the world becomes dark and ugly. So much for being innocent until proven guilty... In that autocratic and ignorant environment even the innocents are declared guilty of crimes that cannot be proven. The real and unfair witch hunt is revealed in all its squalor and viewed from the eyes of the terrified victims. It's done with pathos and understanding of the situation in which all of the irrational accusations brought terror and death in quaint New England villages and all in the name of hysteria and fanaticism.
The writing is excellent as is the narration. I was transported in a faraway time when to be shunned and accused you only had to be a little different or cross someone in power.

Sad but good

I was skeptical about reading this book but turn out to be an excellent account. Of what happened to the author ancestor when she was falsely accused of witchcraft in a very sad time in history. This book is excellent research, excellent narrated sad but beautifully presented I recommend this book whole heartedly.

This book makes you feel like you are right there

Such an amazing book. It really puts you right there in the jail cell. you can almost smell and touch what they feel. Susannah was my Great Great .... Grandma and this book gave me mew insite to what the women in Salam went through. Such an amazing writter and the Narrator was amazing as well.

Excellent

Some obvious and necessary liberties have been taken but the author did an excellent job of humanizing the victims of the witch trials.

A must listen audiobook!

Powerful, romantic and tragic. The Salem Witch Trials have fascinated me for years. It’s so hard to imagine how so many innocent people were condemned to die solely on the faulty testimony of mainly unscrupulous young women. Condemn Me Not is based on the engaging true story of Susannah North Martin, the author’s 10th great grandmother who was falsely accused of witchcraft.

I loved the way the author approached this story. It’s told from two different time periods: the romantic courtship of Susannah and George beginning in 1646, and Susannah’s imprisonment and trial in 1692. It switches back and forth between Susannah’s & George’s passionate love story, and the horrendous prison conditions and trial of Susannah and her fellow inmates as they await their fate. Interspersed between the two narratives are excerpts from the actual transcripts of the Salem Witch Trials.

The audiobook version was fantastic. Nancy Peterson did an amazing job distinguishing between the young, vibrant Susannah and her elderly 70 year old self. The narration was so well done that at first, I thought there were two separate narrators because the voices were so different. I loved the way she voiced all the characters giving them each a unique personality and really bringing the story to life. The story was even more powerful as an audiobook.

I loved George, the handsome, roguish widower who captures Susannah’s heart. His charming, teasing personality completely won me over. I also enjoyed getting to know Susannah as a young, hopeful woman experiencing the first throws of love and marriage and the mature woman going through the horrors of false accusations, degradations, starvation, and awaiting death. Even though I knew the outcome, I was hoping somehow there was an alternate ending and Susannah could be saved. Despite the bleak circumstances, the author delivers a heart wrenchingly, beautiful ending.

This is definitely a must listen/must read book that will captivate historical fiction and historical romance fans alike. I received an advanced complimentary audiobook from the author but also purchased the ebook version. All opinions are completely my own and voluntarily given.

Cw: clean with some passionate kissing and intimate touches (non graphic), fade to black scenes between a married couple, historically accurate portrayal of prisoners stripped naked and private parts discussed (non graphic)

Beautifully written about a very difficult subject

Such a beautifully written book with such a difficult subject. Heather takes a horrific subject and horrible time (but important to examine since it repeats disguised as a different subject.)

Oh my goodness! What a story!

My gosh I don't know where to begin. Another great book by Heather B. Moore. I liked that it was based on the author's 10th great-grandmother so the things that happened were based on actual events. I like that it was kind of in two parts: 1) chapters that are Susannah remembering how she met the man she would marry (George), their wedding and the early months of their married life, and 2) chapters that take place in the Salem jail. Honestly there wasn't anything I disliked about the book, except that it had to end. I was so caught up in the story I finished the book in a couple of days.

Heather does a wonderful job describing each of the women who share a cell with Susannah. I can't believe this actually happened in our history--that people could accuse others of witchcraft just because they didn't like them, their animals died or they couldn't explain how something happened. I found it hard to believe that a 4 year old child could've been accused of witchcraft. Even though Susannah is found guilty and is put to death at the end, I love how Heather wrote the ending and included Susannah's husband George.

I would highly recommend this book. The audiobook and it's amazing!! Nancy Peterson is one of my favorite narrators. I don't know how she does it but she makes each of the women sound different.

Historical details mesmerize

I appreciated the research integrated throughout the narrative. The juxtaposing of the younger Suzanna's life w the events of the elder condemned prisoner in Salem 1692 effectively creates dramatic tension. Incorporating Puritan mores and pettiness demonstrated by historical facts make these characters believable.
I'd hoped the emotional excitement and yet thought processes of her inexperience during Suzanna's first sexual encounter would have been depicted more intricately, as in so many other incidents she revealed to the reader.
Nancy Peterson's masterful voicing of these characters delighted this listener. Pacing was easy to follow and kept this listener eager to hear more.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.