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chapita4's review against another edition
4.0
As someone who grew up in New England and went to college in Salem MA, I was interested in reading this book. I have been to the "Witch Museum" and the historical grounds and had difficulty understanding how/why this happened. I thought it was well written and highlighted the perfect storm of politics, religion, family disagreements,illness, greed, jealousy and beliefs about the roles of women that fanned the flames of hysteria. It's another historical period of time where people stood by and watched those that were "different" be persecuted and killed. It's interesting that a people who left England because of a desire for religious freedom so quickly used religion to persecute and destroy. Good job of describing the "mean girls" mentality of young girls and women gaining power and authority by tearing each other down and a cautionary tale of being mindful of history.
jennrocca's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. It's one thing to know that the Salem witch trials happened - it's another to really see what that meant to an individual and to a family. A great story though dark and hard in places. Definitely recommend.
(Read in print. Crazy for me, I know!)
(Read in print. Crazy for me, I know!)
alternativehippy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
eggjen's review against another edition
4.0
This book, though often slow going, was a truly fascinating story that I am sure will stay with me for a very long time. A perfect fall read, I'd recommend this to any lovers of historical fiction or those with interest in the Salem Witch Trials. Very good.
suvata's review against another edition
4.0
Read in March 2011
Read again in August 2011 (book club pick)
I don't know what it is with me and the Salem witch trials books. I'm just fascinated by that time period and those events. I've read several books about this topic and have enjoyed most all of them. The Heretic's Daughter is no exception. It tells the tale of the Salem witch trials but more importantly, it records how these injustices affected generations of families. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this subject matter.
Read again in August 2011 (book club pick)
I don't know what it is with me and the Salem witch trials books. I'm just fascinated by that time period and those events. I've read several books about this topic and have enjoyed most all of them. The Heretic's Daughter is no exception. It tells the tale of the Salem witch trials but more importantly, it records how these injustices affected generations of families. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this subject matter.
labunnywtf's review against another edition
4.0
I was really annoyed with the beginning of the book, because it took so long to get to the meat of the story. But once I was finished with it, I understand why she took so long explaining Sarah's life, and her mother's life, before the trials.
This was extremely interesting, and well written. I like that it doesn't focus on the trial of the mother itself, but on the family, what happens to them. The pain the children felt was so very real, and their father with his stoic and intimidating nature just made the entire story.
Really quite enjoyable, if not a little slow in the beginning.
This was extremely interesting, and well written. I like that it doesn't focus on the trial of the mother itself, but on the family, what happens to them. The pain the children felt was so very real, and their father with his stoic and intimidating nature just made the entire story.
Really quite enjoyable, if not a little slow in the beginning.
rustynailsfullset's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bethsponz's review against another edition
4.0
It was very slow going the first half, but picked up once the Salem witch trials started. I've always been interested in these historic trials and glad that I found a book that really showed the emotional agony of the families involved.
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
3.0
The Salem Witch Trials. That's really the only summary you need for this book.
If you want to finish a book and feel like you hate pretty much the entire human race, pick this up. I was in a foul mood when I finished. There are so many rants I want to go on, I just don't even know where to start. I guess I'll content myself with saying that if you want another strong defense for the separation of church and state, this will give you some pointers. What an absolute travesty in our country's history.
Aside from that, the book was just okay. I think the author, who is related to the "witch" in the book, did what she set out to do, and taught me a few things about the witch trials and made me feel pretty strongly about it. But the story just moved too slow for me. I got too bogged down in the details of everyday life. In another book, I might have been interested. In this one, where I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen already, I just didn't care. I wanted to get on to the real meat of the story, rather than all the build-up. And then once we got to the point, there wasn't a whole lot there that I didn't already know. I read Arthur Miller's [b:The Crucible|17250|The Crucible|Arthur Miller|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166805388s/17250.jpg|1426723] back in high school, and I actually remembered some stuff from it. There was very little actual trial here and a lot of sitting around in the dark. I was disappointed in that.
But if you don't know anything about the trials, or if you know just a little bit and you want to know more, give this a try. You'll definitely learn something. I just can't help but wonder if there is better historical fiction about the Salem Witch Trials out there.
If you want to finish a book and feel like you hate pretty much the entire human race, pick this up. I was in a foul mood when I finished. There are so many rants I want to go on, I just don't even know where to start. I guess I'll content myself with saying that if you want another strong defense for the separation of church and state, this will give you some pointers. What an absolute travesty in our country's history.
Aside from that, the book was just okay. I think the author, who is related to the "witch" in the book, did what she set out to do, and taught me a few things about the witch trials and made me feel pretty strongly about it. But the story just moved too slow for me. I got too bogged down in the details of everyday life. In another book, I might have been interested. In this one, where I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen already, I just didn't care. I wanted to get on to the real meat of the story, rather than all the build-up. And then once we got to the point, there wasn't a whole lot there that I didn't already know. I read Arthur Miller's [b:The Crucible|17250|The Crucible|Arthur Miller|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166805388s/17250.jpg|1426723] back in high school, and I actually remembered some stuff from it. There was very little actual trial here and a lot of sitting around in the dark. I was disappointed in that.
But if you don't know anything about the trials, or if you know just a little bit and you want to know more, give this a try. You'll definitely learn something. I just can't help but wonder if there is better historical fiction about the Salem Witch Trials out there.
yelah250's review against another edition
4.0
Loved it! Give me a good witch trial book and I’m in. This one was especially interesting to me because the author was related to the accused women in the story. The conditions of the jail and the torture used to obtain confessions, even from children, will stay with me for a long time. I’d definitely recommend this book but do know it’s a dark, intense read.