The Minister's Daughter

By: Julie Hearn

Narrated by: Heather O'Neill

Conceived on a May Morning, Nell is claimed by the piskies and faeries as a merrybegot, one of their own. She is a wild child: herb gatherer and healer, spell-weaver and midwife . . . and, some say, a witch.
Grace is everything Nell is not. She is the Puritan minister’s daughter: beautiful and refined, innocent and sweet-natured . . . to those who think they know her. But she is hiding a secret–a secret that will bring everlasting shame to her family should it ever come to light.
A merrybegot and a minister’s daughter–two girls who could not have less in common. Yet their fates collide when Grace and her younger sister, Patience, are suddenly spitting pins, struck with fits, and speaking in fevered tongues. The minister is convinced his daughters are the victims of witchcraft. And all signs point to Nell as the source of the trouble. . . .
Set during the tumultuous era of the English Civil War, The Minister’s Daughter is a spellbinding page-turner–stunning historical fiction that captures the superstition, passion, madness, and magic of a vanished age.©2005 Julie Hearn; (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

a mild recomendation

I have read a lot better, but this is not a total waste of time. Entertaining but forgetable

Enjoyed this book

This book takes you to 1640s England during a time of witch hunts. It is historical fiction with a twist of magic (fairies and peskies). The themes are very mature and dark (maybe not appropriate for some young adults) – such as women getting dunked or hung for practicing witchcraft. What I really liked about the book was it showed two perspectives – one of the so called “witch” and one of the accuser. You can see how this tangle unfolded and see how the accuser needed a scape goat for her own sins. It was a trying time to live in sin-free puritan England. I would recommend this book but I should say that I started out not liking it for about the first hour. The minister was the clear villain and such a vile man. I did not like that the minister was painted as such an evil man and thought the book would paint Christianity just as black. In the end it showed more of how the minister might have become the way he was and gave more insight into his life. What a tragic time to live in when the fear of sinning or being different was so overwhelming. I love the narrator, though it took some time to get used to her many thick accents. Very well done and the ending has a delicious surprising twist!

Very Enjoyable

This was a sweet story. The life and times of a merry begot and a cunning woman's daughter. There are extremely fascinating details about fairies and pixies. Lots of descriptions of the way a herb gatherer, midwife, and healer was treated in the 1600's. I love historical fiction and this story did not disappoint me.

LOVED IT!

Just a great book. It was actually difficult to stop listening to. It left me wanting to know what happens next....

Hearing for the first time was great!

If you get the chance to read or listen to this book, I think you will totally understand why I like it so much.