The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

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 tenth generation descendant of Martha Carrier. 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.



This was such a moving story, but I will be completely honest...it took me 150 pages to really get into it. But now that I am done with book, I have a greater appreciation for the first portion of the book that took such care and time to develop the characters that are strongly represented in the end.

I have always had a weird fascination with the Salem Witch Trials, but it wasn't until reading this book that I came to fully realize what was happening to the accused. Children were arrested of witchcraft and imprisoned in extremely harsh conditions. The youngest being a 4 year old little girl. It only took the accusation of an angry neighbor or a spiteful young girl to get a person arrested of witchcraft. If they stood firm to their innocence, they were hung. If they confessed they put in a cell to rot. There was no way to prove one's innocence and once you were accused, there was no turning back.

I love how historical fiction inter-twines real life events and people with a fictitious story. The author does a beautiful job of painting what life was like during these times. I highly recommend this book.