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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.
literaryjunarin's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
4.5
"Guilt is a ghost that takes the shape of the body it inhabits and consumes all that is tender within its shell."
A book worth 40 pesos from Booksale turned me bawling at the last pages.
You know that feeling when you read a historical book and you can't quite believe that humans can be so cruel, it's maddening. And then see the news and think that wow, humans are really capable of that insanity.
This book is about the Salem witch trials from 1692 but it started slowly with the day-to-day life of Sarah Carrier, daughter of Martha Carrier who would be hanged after being accused as a witch. Kent's storytelling is so vivid that I felt I was with the Carrier family on that farm. I was harvesting wheat, milking the cow, and later on, I was with them in the prison, starving, filthy, living in palpable horror knowing what was to come.
I cried while reading the book and cried some more after turning the lights off to sleep.
A book worth 40 pesos from Booksale turned me bawling at the last pages.
You know that feeling when you read a historical book and you can't quite believe that humans can be so cruel, it's maddening. And then see the news and think that wow, humans are really capable of that insanity.
This book is about the Salem witch trials from 1692 but it started slowly with the day-to-day life of Sarah Carrier, daughter of Martha Carrier who would be hanged after being accused as a witch. Kent's storytelling is so vivid that I felt I was with the Carrier family on that farm. I was harvesting wheat, milking the cow, and later on, I was with them in the prison, starving, filthy, living in palpable horror knowing what was to come.
I cried while reading the book and cried some more after turning the lights off to sleep.
asnyder331's review against another edition
3.0
I just couldn't get into this. I really wanted to, but it started too slow and the chapters were too long. It did pick up once the trials and accusations started so that bumped it up a star.
yuliyono's review
3.0
dari gaya menulisnya, it is not my cup of tea. paragraf-paragraf panjang, narasi yang berliku, dan dialog minim, sebenarnya menjadi faktor yang bikin saya turn off pas baca. namun, unsur sejarahnya tentang penyihir salem cukup membuat saya menguatkan diri untuk menyelesaikan baca. tentu saja, saya menunggu penggambaran unsur-unsur dan praktik sihir yang ternyata nggak ada (ya, ya, ya, saya memang belum punya banyak gambaran tentang sejarah salem). novel ini justru menunjukkan bahwa ada banyak cacat sejarah dalam isu praktik sihir, khususnya di salem waktu itu.
jika seluruh unsur benar-benar dari fakta, saya sangat bersyukur lahir dan besar di Indonesia di masa sekarang/modern. penggambaran kehidupan di salem pada masa terjadinya kisah ini begitu luar biasa sulitnya. beberapa gambaran adegannya bikin ngilu.
jika seluruh unsur benar-benar dari fakta, saya sangat bersyukur lahir dan besar di Indonesia di masa sekarang/modern. penggambaran kehidupan di salem pada masa terjadinya kisah ini begitu luar biasa sulitnya. beberapa gambaran adegannya bikin ngilu.
irenetrexqueen's review against another edition
4.0
Heavy is what sums up this book.
The Salem Witch Trials is often a lightly glossed over in history or English classes. We read a book written by a decendant of a man who ran the trails. Then, watch the movie that adds only more drama. Little is examined about those who actually were accused, what they lost, what they went through, and what daily life in these small-towns was like.
Many of those gaps are filled in this book. Portrayals of historic events with a lack of added flare can be very dry, but this book does well to give detailed pictures without feeling like 5th period history class.
The story is that of a girl whose family was accused of witchcraft during the trial. It does give details that may be a bit hard for some to read but gives a much fuller picture of what those accused had to live through. It also shows how hard the life of early New England settlers was.
The Heretic's Daughter is dark but really should replace other books in schools used for this time period.
Note about the audiobook: The reading is perfect, but this is one of those books where someone felt it needed music. It is a bit weird and out of nowhere at times. Very much reminds me of when a show would shift to commercials. I will not lie, I did try to skip the music as much as possible. If you can get passed that it is really good.
The Salem Witch Trials is often a lightly glossed over in history or English classes. We read a book written by a decendant of a man who ran the trails. Then, watch the movie that adds only more drama. Little is examined about those who actually were accused, what they lost, what they went through, and what daily life in these small-towns was like.
Many of those gaps are filled in this book. Portrayals of historic events with a lack of added flare can be very dry, but this book does well to give detailed pictures without feeling like 5th period history class.
The story is that of a girl whose family was accused of witchcraft during the trial. It does give details that may be a bit hard for some to read but gives a much fuller picture of what those accused had to live through. It also shows how hard the life of early New England settlers was.
The Heretic's Daughter is dark but really should replace other books in schools used for this time period.
Note about the audiobook: The reading is perfect, but this is one of those books where someone felt it needed music. It is a bit weird and out of nowhere at times. Very much reminds me of when a show would shift to commercials. I will not lie, I did try to skip the music as much as possible. If you can get passed that it is really good.
thehutonfowlslegs's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25