The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel
Sep 2008 · Sold by Little, Brown
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33 reviews
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352
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About this ebook
A spellbinding story of family, love, and betrayal set during the Salem witch trials as a mother is condemned by the truth—and her daughter is saved by a lie.
Salem, 1752. Sarah Carrier Chapman, weak with infirmity, writes a letter to her granddaughter that reveals the secret she has closely guarded for six decades: how she survived the Salem Witch Trials when her mother did not.
Sarah's story begins more than a year before the trials, when she and her family arrive in a New England community already gripped by superstition and fear. As they witness neighbor pitted against neighbor, friend against friend, the hysteria escalates—until more than two hundred men, women, and children have been swept into prison. Among them is Sarah's mother, Martha Carrier. In an attempt to protect her children, Martha asks Sarah to commit an act of heresy—a lie that will most surely condemn Martha even as it will save her daughter.
This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.
Salem, 1752. Sarah Carrier Chapman, weak with infirmity, writes a letter to her granddaughter that reveals the secret she has closely guarded for six decades: how she survived the Salem Witch Trials when her mother did not.
Sarah's story begins more than a year before the trials, when she and her family arrive in a New England community already gripped by superstition and fear. As they witness neighbor pitted against neighbor, friend against friend, the hysteria escalates—until more than two hundred men, women, and children have been swept into prison. Among them is Sarah's mother, Martha Carrier. In an attempt to protect her children, Martha asks Sarah to commit an act of heresy—a lie that will most surely condemn Martha even as it will save her daughter.
This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.
A spellbinding story of family, love, and betrayal set during the Salem witch trials as a mother is condemned by the truth—and her daughter is saved by a lie.
Salem, 1752. Sarah Carrier Chapman, weak with infirmity, writes a letter to her granddaughter that reveals the secret she has closely gua...
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Ratings and reviews
33 reviews
A Google user
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March 12, 2011
A fascinating fictional account of life during the Salem witch trials based on facts and family folklore from the author's ancestry. Written from the point of view of the 10 year old daughter of an accused woman sentenced to death, the book provides a eerily realistic peek into what life with the Puritans must have been like during one the most haunting historic events in our country.
A Google user
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June 17, 2011
This book makes history human. It was so descriptive, I felt the frustration, the anger, the hopelessness, and the horror of the inhumanity of man. Those who were hanged displayed true Christianity. They did not sin in order to save their mortal lives. The Heretic's Daughter has made an everlasting impression on me.
Ted Froats
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July 12, 2026
Enjoyable. It always amazes me that someone can write a book for their first book that is so well written. This book had excellent character development, great description of time period and place. Her story of the Salem witch trials is a worthy read.
About the author
Kathleen Kent is the author of the Edgar Award-nominated The Dime, as well as the bestselling historical novels The Heretic's Daughter, The Traitor's Wife, and The Outcasts. Kent lives in Dallas, TX.
Kathleen Kent is the author of the Edgar Award-nominated The Dime, as well as the bestselling historical novels The Heretic's Daughter, The Traitor's Wife, and The Outcasts. Kent lives in Dallas, TX.
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