The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Vanessa · Post by **Vanessa** » Tue October 7th, 2008, 7:15 am

There's a giveaway of 50 copies of this book on the Newbooks website (UK book magazine which I subscribe to), which I've applied for. Hope I'm lucky.

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Tue October 7th, 2008, 1:42 pm

Misfit can say if it has happened to her or not also cause she's given a few one or two star reviews

I've never had any negative reviews disappear and I don't pull any punches, Vine or not. It's more common in the romance genre -- the DebMac scandal being one of them. If interested PM me and I'll send a link so we don't go OT on this thread.

michellemoran · Post by **michellemoran** » Tue October 7th, 2008, 5:04 pm

the DebMac scandal being one of them

Yes... I read about that debacle. What a foolish thing to do on so many levels. And it's obvious when an author is having their friends review their book en masse or cut down their negative reviewers. Seriously shady...

Vanessa · Post by **Vanessa** » Tue November 4th, 2008, 3:52 pm

Here's my review:

Compellingly told, The Heretic's Daughter is the tale of brave Martha Carrier who was accused, convicted and eventually executed for witchcraft in late 17th century Massachusetts. It is vividly narrated, with a rich use of similes, by her daughter, Sarah. The descriptions took me straight to the time and place depicted in the book. I liked the voice of Sarah and found her a very convincing story teller.

There is a slow build up to the arrest of Martha which was reminiscent of a 'slice of life' story. I felt I got to know the characters quite well and about how they led their lives at that time. The tale after the arrest is shocking and shows just how manipulative and superstitious the powers that be were. I felt saddened and sorry for all those wrongly convicted people which came about mainly due to ignorance.

I found it a dark, poignant and fascinating story. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to someone who is interested in this era in history. I think it would make a very good choice for a reading group as there is much to talk about.

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It does seem to have mixed reviews - another Marmite book, I think! The reviews sent to the magazine who sent me a proof copy seem to be fairly mixed.

Amanda · Post by **Amanda** » Tue November 4th, 2008, 9:59 pm

I've been pretty keen to read this one! I was all excited the other day when I saw it on the shelf in Borders. But I nearly screeched when I saw the price! It was nearly A$37 for a trade paperback! Book prices in Australia are absolutely ridiculous! This title must of been bought in as an import rather than a local release at that price!

I think that I will wait for better days, like when the library gets it in, or if I manage to snag a copy from a blog contest (though most of them are not for international delivery).

diamondlil · Post by **diamondlil** » Wed November 5th, 2008, 8:51 am

My library has this on order at the moment Amanda, so hopefully it won't be too long a wait until yours gets it.

Erika Mailman · Post by **Erika Mailman** » Sat November 8th, 2008, 7:07 am

I just read it and found it absolutely compelling and with a lovely writing style. I had met the author recently --- we were on a witchcraft panel at a Book Group Expo with Brunonia Barry --- and I loved finishing it while thinking of her (I had tried to speed-read it, getting the book the night before, but couldn't finish in time).

I emailed her that one of my favorite images was the young girl stubbornly saying, "I made a jail of my teeth" so that she wouldn't speak. It corresponds so well to that New England sense of guilt and punishment. Many of the metaphors in this book work this way, organically accurate.

When she writes of the prison conditions, I was grateful for the education. My own ancestor was imprisoned for three months awaiting one of her trials (yup, accused twice), and the historical record said something vague about the hardships associated with it. Reading Kathleen's wonderful novel allowed me to see what her experience had been like.

I heartily recommend this novel!

Kelly Hewitt · Post by **Kelly Hewitt** » Sun November 23rd, 2008, 12:09 am

Hi Everyone,

Hello Erika! I was thinking of you when reading Heretic's Daughter this week, wondered what you thought about it and am glad to see that we came to the same conclusion. I enjoyed this book and think that Kent's connection to the Carrier family have spurred her to do a good deal of quality research and inevitably write a book with quality characters that she was very much connected to.

I just posted my interview today with Kathleen Kent at Loaded Questions. We talked about her childhood memories of hearing about the Salem Witch Trials, her research and her next book, a prequel to The Heretic's Daughter. Here is a link to the interview.

Hope you enjoy.

Kelly Hewitt
Loaded Questions

Divia · Post by **Divia** » Sun November 23rd, 2008, 12:15 am

Cool interview. But I will confess that I have no interest in reading about Tom's life.

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Sun November 23rd, 2008, 12:24 am

[quote=""Kelly Hewitt""]Hi Everyone,

Hello Erika! I was thinking of you when reading Heretic's Daughter this week, wondered what you thought about it and am glad to see that we came to the same conclusion. I enjoyed this book and think that Kent's connection to the Carrier family have spurred her to do a good deal of quality research and inevitably write a book with quality characters that she was very much connected to.

I just posted my interview today with Kathleen Kent at Loaded Questions. We talked about her childhood memories of hearing about the Salem Witch Trials, her research and her next book, a prequel to The Heretic's Daughter. Here is a link to the interview.

Hope you enjoy.

Kelly Hewitt
Loaded Questions[/quote]

Enjoyed reading the interview!

Historical Fiction Online

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

It's wonderful