Sep 12 2008
The Heretic’s Daughter
I finished The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent this morning, early, before the kids woke up. I picked it up on Monday, as soon as it arrived, because I wanted to read something I had chosen for myself and had no pressure to read, unlike the stack of ARCs and publisher copies that is waiting for me. It was a good choice; I couldn’t put it down.
Sarah Carrier, the title character is a nine-year-old girl living in Puritan New England. It’s a time of disease, hard labor, superstition, and suspicion. She is the daughter of a strong-willed and sharp-tongued woman, Martha Carrier. Her father, a Welshman, fought with Cromwell in the English Civil War. There are rumors about his role in the execution of King Charles. Now, he just wants to be left alone to raise his family and carve a homestead out of the rugged and unforgiving New Englad landscape.
The Puritans are plagued with fears: Indian attack, diseases like smallpox, inclement weather that can destroy a year’s livelihood in the fields - and witchraft. Sarah is raised against the backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials. Although Sarah and her family live outside Andover, the hysteria and accusations soon fly the bounds of Salem proper, and devastate everyone she cares about.
Kathleen Kent is a brilliant wordsmith, painting pictures with the words she chooses. Because the novel is in first person, I felt I became little Sarah Carrier as I read. I could see what she saw, smell what she smelled, feel what she felt. The most astonishing thing is that this is Kathleen Kent’s first novel. I highly recommend The Heretic’s Daughter to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
5 out of 5 stars
