Martha Carrier was hanged on August 19, 1692, at the height of the Salem witch trials. Her family story is told from the perspective of her daughter, Sarah, and the author is a tenth generation descendant of Martha herself. The harshness of farm life, the arrogance and ignorance of the Puritan clergy and the gullibility of their flock is all brought sharply into focus.
Neither old age nor extreme youth are protection from the extremists and the hysteria and doubt engendered by them soon have the prisons bursting at the seams with so-called witches. When Martha Carrier is taken, her young daughter, Sarah, knows that in order to escape the gallows, she must denounce her own mother.
This is an excellent first novel with wonderful descriptions of the countryside, acute observation of character and a timely reminder of how easily religion can be corrupted to suit personal ambition and belief.
