Some of us LOVED this book, and the rest still thought is was very good. We read a lot of Historical Fiction, and this is the best depiction of the Trials we felt since THe Crucible. It has a lot to discuss. As the treatment of the prisoner's and the scantness of the evidence used to try the victims is shocking from a historical and legal perspective (we have a lawyer).

Our book club enjoyed the book, but would have liked a bit more on the actual witch trials. However, she is wonderful as describing scenes. You can actually picture what is going on. Overall we liked it.

What a time period. I really appreciated reading this book. What a difficult and loving life story even though it is written under fiction. Family stories are amazing and the author's are incredible. Thank you, Ms. Kent, looking forward to your next book.

A compelling read. The best fiction based on historic facts about the Salem Witch Trials that I have read.
A must read!

If you love history, you will love this book. I love how the author took stories she heard about her family and made it into a novel about a time that holds a lot of interest for many Americans.

This gave a fascinating look at the Salem witch trials, and how people in America lived in the late 1600s. It was great for discussion because there were so many different aspects to the story--family life and relationships, disease and public health, the witchcraft craze, the judicial system, bullying, and more! Of course, as several members pointed out, it was not a particularly uplifting or cheery story--but well-worth reading, nonetheless.

This book was nicely written and the plot line carried the reader comfortably to its conclusion. I would suggest it for younger, possibly tween readers. It was not quite challenging enough for adults

A great read for historical fiction. At times disturbing and sad.

Have not finished the book, but most of our book club liked it. They said it was somewhat slow, but interesting.

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent could have been a real gem of a tale about the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692, but instead is riddled with historical inaccuracies that could have been avoided by more careful research.

I really enjoyed this book, although I have to say at times the book is downright depressing with all the things this family has to endure.

A great read. It was especially interesting because we have been to Salem and toured all of the locations.

The book had great insight into the daily life of the time period. The writing is rich in figurative language. Experiencing the Salem witch trials towards the end of the book through the eyes of a child brought life to what was a terrible time in history. The book makes you think of situations today where certain groups are ostracized and how the beliefs of some can become a misery to others.

Tragic that innocent women were victimized!

I have always been very interested in the Salem Witch Trials and was excited to see a novel of historical fiction written by one of the direct descendents of a woman accused. I would say the strongest feature of this book would the fact that it brings the history of this event to life in a very vivid and moving way. Also, the characters are well-drawn and fully fleshed out. Often character studies of those accused of witchcraft tend to be a little shallow, but this novel shows Martha Carrier as a complex and interesting person. The only weakness might be that it is a little slow at the beginning (especially if history is not your strong point), but about halfway through it picks up and becomes a very fast read.

Kent leads the reader into a dark time in American history. She skillfully weave's family stories and history together to give insight into this dar4k period of American history. I couldn't put this book down.

we had a very good discussion about this book but agreed that this was a very dark time in our country's history that we don't like to hear bout.

Not my usual genre, but it was very interesting, and enlightening. I can't imagine living in a world like that - where people could be condemned, and killed, based off of ridiculous and/or unsubstantiated accusations. Then I realized, we still live in a world where fairness and justice are completely foreign concepts to so many people - women, children, people of colors. And now, the opposite is true, too. People have come out of the shadows to speak up, but they are ignored. Overall, the book was engaging and a good read. By the time I got to the end of the book, I had forgotten that it was based on a letter from a grandmother to a granddaughter.