The Heretic's Daughter

Critics

• Book Review: The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent Share

  If you are interested in one of the most fateful chapters of early American history and want to experience the Salem witch trials from the viewpoint of a young girl, there is much to like in The Heretic's Daughter . It's hard to fail with a story abo ... (read full critics)

  blogcritics published on Sun, 23 Jan 2011

• Trials and tribulations in a time of persecution

  The story of the Salem witch trials was made notorious by Arthur Miller, who used the mass hysteria of 17th-century Massachusetts to hold up a mirror to the McCarthyism of the early 1950s in The Crucible. Kathleen Kent's exceptionally accomplished de ... (read full critics)

  guardian.co.uk published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

2 Reviews

• 

  Emotional story worth a read through

  Never has a book given me so many strong emotions as this one. It’s amazing how mass hysteria can produce such irrational, mind baffling ideas that make the impossible become reality. I just couldn’t believe they could get away with accusing these innocent people (even children) with the most ridicu ... (continue)

  Never has a book given me so many strong emotions as this one. It’s amazing how mass hysteria can produce such irrational, mind baffling ideas that make the impossible become reality. I just couldn’t believe they could get away with accusing these innocent people (even children) with the most ridiculous charges. I could actually feel myself get angry at such injustices. Especially towards Sarah and her mother. It made me want to go in there and give everybody a good slap and wake up call. Nevertheless, I thought the book was a good read. A book that stirs such emotions is definitely worth a read. There was a point in the book (the trial part) where it literally made my blood boil and I had to set it down a couple of times, to me, that just means the book was good. Really good.

  The characters in the book were very well written. I loved the relationship between Sarah and her mother. Although strained, and even cold, it’s a lot like the mother-daughter relationships today. When Sarah comes to terms with her mother, it’s sad and quite possibly filled with regrets but it changes Sarah from a naive young girl to a mature one, who now sees the world in a very different way. I also thought her relationship with her father was interesting as well and it’s an eye opener when she realizes that her parents are loving and caring even if they don’t display it openly. I really did like reading this through Sarah’s point of view. It’s amazing and I really enjoyed her character development. I also liked Martha (Sarah’s mother) as well. She was so strong willed and strong minded, she was an extremely admirable woman and her actions while in jail were extremely brave.

  This book also got me to hate certain characters far more than usual. Mercy and her little sidekick Phoebe were absolutely hateful and are just as bad as present day bullies at school. Mercy really got to me though, if it wasn’t for her, Sarah’s life might have been different. Argh. Horrible hateful Mercy!

  The only real complaint I have is the ‘red book’ mentioned. It is given to Sarah yet the contents within the book were never revealed. That was a bit of a disappointment for me, I was curious and wanting to know what secrets it might have, and to have it never discussed made the ending lacking. Also, the focus on Sarah’s moments in prison were a little too long winded and dragged for a bit. It could have been slightly shorter.

  Pick this book up and be ready for the emotional ride. The book is well written and generates a lot of feeling from the reader. Don’t expect any happy feelings from this one though. It covers tragic events and is an eye opener on how mass hysteria can run amok, and how easily people (even family) can turn against one another.

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  Sensitivemuse said on Jan 12, 2011 | Add your feedback

• 

  A very well written account of the Salem Witch Trials, one of the black marks on the history of the this country. First time author Kent is a direct descendant of one of the women tried, convicted and hung.

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  Rameycreek said on Feb 24, 2009 | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
  (13)
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• English Books
• Hardcover 352 Pages
• ISBN-10: 0316024481
• ISBN-13: 9780316024488
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
• Pub date: Sep 03, 2008
• Also available as: Mass Market Paperback, Audio CD, Others and eBook
• In other languages: other languages 繁體書, Libros en Español, Libri Italiani

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