Journal Entry 1 by CrazyDutchwoman from Heemstede, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Friday, November 13, 2009

Wishlist book which I ordered through Aphorhead and arrived yesterday November 12.

From Publishers Weekly:

Starred Review. A family's conflict becomes a battle for life and death in this gripping and original first novel based on family history from a descendant of a condemned Salem witch. After a bout of smallpox, 10-year-old Sarah Carrier resumes life with her mother on their family farm in Andover, Mass., dimly aware of a festering dispute between her mother, Martha, and her uncle about the plot of land where they live. The fight takes on a terrifying dimension when reports of supernatural activity in nearby Salem give way to mass hysteria, and Sarah's uncle is the first person to point the finger at Martha. Soon, neighbors struggling to eke out a living and a former indentured servant step forward to name Martha as the source of their woes. Sarah is forced to shoulder an even heavier burden as her mother and brothers are taken to prison to face a jury of young women who claim to have felt their bewitching presence. Sarah's front-row view of the trials and the mayhem that sweeps the close-knit community provides a fresh, bracing and unconventional take on a much-covered episode. 

Journal Entry 2 by CrazyDutchwoman from Heemstede, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Saturday, November 21, 2009

What a story. I for one do not know so much about the Salem witch trials except that it was ludicrous and before I started to read this book I wasn't sure what it was about (I like it that way) so I discovered it during reading.
The first part was indeed slow but such beautiful woven story I understand why the author wrote it that way. The second part got me on the verge of tears, especially cause you know this really happened.
Once i finished it I immediately went to do a search on Google and found the court trials, also the one from Martha Courier, really interesting. I had planned on giving it 4 stars. well 4.5 but I will go for 5 cause if a writer can make me interested in a subject and I still think of the book once I've finished it and want to know even more she did a great job!