The Heretic's Daughter

Title: The Heretic's Daughter                                                              
Author: Kathleen Kent

Genre: Historical Fiction, Family Saga

Edition: Back Bay Books, 2009 (345 pages)

From the Cover:

In 1752, Sarah Carrier Chapman, weak with infirmity, writes a letter to her granddaughter, revealing the secret she has closely guarded for six decades. Her story begins a little more than a year before the Salem witch trials, when she and her family arrive in a New England community already gripped by superstition and fear. Hysteria escalates as neighbour is pitted against neighbour, friend against friend, until more than two hundred men, women, and children are swept into prison - Sarah's mother, Martha Carrier, among them. 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.

My Thoughts:

The Heretic's Daughter is written from the perspective of a 9 year old, Sarah Carrier Chapman. Sarah is the third child of Thomas Carrier and Martha Allen. Sarah's mother, Martha was a strong-willed woman who had a certain contempt for the men of church. In December 1690, Sarah and her family travelled by cart from Billerica to neighbouring Andover, Massachusetts in a desperate attempt to escape the pox that had plagued their hometown. Little did they know that they had brought the disease with them. This did not sit too well with the people of Andover. In a time where superstition was rife and independent women were feared, the Carrier family suddenly found themselves under extreme scrutiny.

Martha Carrier was later accused of witchcraft and was thrown into jail with her two sons and daughter, Sarah. The first half of the book focused on the characters within the Carrier family, whilst the second half was an account of the family's life in imprisonment and the ensuing court trials. It is a truly heart-wrenching tale that provided a realistic impression of what really happened to the victims of the Salem Witch Trials - a point that was a real eye-opener for me since I know very little about the subject.

What I loved most about this book was Martha Carrier's resolve. Despite the perilous situation she was in, Martha continued to show strength and dignity all the way to her death. She was a source of strength for her husband and children, especially little Sarah. 

This is a gripping family saga of despair, family love and one woman's refusal to bow down to the powers that be. A great read and highly recommended, especially to those who wish to know more about the Salem Witch Trials.  

Footnote:

Kathleen Kent is a tenth-generation descendant of Martha Carrier. The Heretic's Daughter was written based on family stories passed on from her grandmother and mother, as well as historical facts of the Salem Witch Trials.

Dead and Gone

Title: Dead & Gone (Book #9)

Author: Charlaine Harris

Genre: Paranormal

First Published: 2009, 312 pages

Challenge: The Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge


From the Cover:

The vamps have been out for years, and now the weres and shifters have decided to follow the lead of the undead and reveal their existence to the ordinary world. Sookie Stackhouse already knows about them, of course - her brother turns into a panther at the full moon, she's friend to the local were pack, and Sam her boss at Merlotte's bar, is a shapeshifter.

The great revelation goes well at first - then the horribly mutilated body of a were-panther is found in the parking lot of Merlotte's, and Sookie agrees to use her telepathic talent to track down the murderer. But there is a far greater danger than the killer threatening Bon Temps: a race of unhuman beings, older, more powerful and far more secretive than the vampires or the werewolves is preparing for war. And Sookie is an all-too human pawn in their ages-old battle...

My Thoughts:

Of all the books in the series, this has to be the most chair-gripping one todate. As usual, Harris throws in a few plots all at once; there's one on the mysterious were-panther murderer, one on the power struggle between the two fairy clans and last but definitely not least, an insight into the complex love life of Ms Sookie Stackhouse.

I have to say that Harris just topped herself this time with the chilling account on the fairy war. Harris managed to dispel the idea that fairies were all pretty and glowing inside. Who would've thought fairies could be so sinister and scary?! I loved it. It was completely intense; thrilling to the very last drop and quite emotional. What was a little disappointing though (just a teeny bit), was the unfinished business of Sookie's love life. Though it sounded like Eric might have been THE ONE, the sudden re-introduction of Bill Compton in a big way completely threw off that idea. So, who will be the lucky Vamp? Or will Sookie leave both of them in the dark and settle with someone more of her own kind? Questions I'm hoping will be answered real soon...guess we'll just have to wait and see then.  

This book completes my Sookie Stackhouse Challenge, hosted by Beth at Beth Fish Reads. First Challenge for the year over and done with. Hurray!

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

“I could not have what I wanted most: Mr. Harvey dead and me living. Heaven wasn’t perfect. But I came to believe that if I watched closely, and desired, I might change the lives of those I loved on Earth”.

From the cover: “My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973. My murderer was a man from our neighbourhood.” Watching from her place in heaven, Susie Salmon sees her suburban family devastated by her death, isolated even from one another as they each try to cope with their terrible loss alone. Over the years, her friends and siblings grow up, fall in love, do all the things she never had the chance to do herself. But life is not quite finished with Susie yet…

  

My thoughts on the Book:

I absolutely LOVED this book. I finished it in 2 days (a record considering my hectic schedule) and I think Sebold is a genius. Her writing style is completely engaging and it was so beautifully written that it had somewhat of an emotional impact on me. This is without doubt one of those stories that would stay with me for a long, long time. In The Lovely Bones, Sebold managed to play-down the dreadful notion that most people have of the afterlife, and made it sound both surreal and plausible at the same time. The character development was fascinating and believable, and her account of Mr Harvey, the murderer, was chilling to the bone. This is not a suspense/thriller though, despite the premise being set on murder. It’s more of a beautiful account of how a dead girl deals with her death, how her family deals with her death and how her death has affected the other people in her life.

If there was one teeny-weeny thing that I would pick on, it would be the part where Susie’s little sister attended the Gifted Symposium, in which that year’s annual challenge was titled “How to Commit the Perfect Murder”. Although I could understand the relevance/importance of having this part fitted in to the storyline, I really didn’t like the subject matter and I don’t think that any rational school principal would have picked such an inappropriate topic (assuming the intention was to inspire creativity amongst children).

Despite the little aversion I had on the above, I really think this is an amazing novel and I would highly recommend this to just about anyone.

Book Rating:

My thoughts on the Movie:

Overall, I’m finding it really hard to review the movie without spoiling it for those who haven’t read the book. There were quite a few aspects of the movie that didn’t really thrill me, mainly because it lacked the depth and intensity that I experienced from reading the book. I guess in most cases, it is quite difficult to put together a solid 2.5 hour show based on a 328 page novel, but I seriously believe that the script could have been improved by showing less of Susie’s heaven and more of the on-goings on earth following her death, and how she had been observing it. Basically, there really wasn’t enough content on the murderer and it lacked the drama required to show the audience the extent of the heartache that the family went through. As a result of this, I found the movie slow and boring, plus my hubby said that I fell asleep half-way through for a good 20 minutes (I eventually replayed the missed parts the following day just so that I could give a thorough review).

On the positive side, there were some features of the movie that are worth mentioning. The role of Susie’s grandmother, played by Susan Sarandon was definitely top-notch. Also, Reece Ritchie, the guy who played Ray Singh (Susie’s secret admirer), is just to die for – watching him is as good as devouring a delicious hershey’s cookies and creme chocolate bar. I also thought that Peter Jackson did an amazing job in portraying Susie’s heaven, especially the in-between, which was breathtaking. I also liked it that he didn’t change Susie’s monologue, and stayed true to the exact words being used in the book, which were once again, beautifully written by Sebold.

Movie Rating:

 
 
 

Anybody Out There?

Author: Marian Keyes

First Published: 2006

Pages: 593 pgs.

Challenge: Romance Reading Challenge 2010

“Men who didn’t eat red meat were Feathery Strokers. Men who used post-shave balm instead of slapping stinging aftershave on to their tender skin were Feathery Strokers. Men who noticed your shoes and handbags were Feathery Strokers. (Or Jolly Boys). It was only when I realised how anxious I was that Jacqui might dismiss Aidan as a Feathery Stroker that I saw how much I liked him…”

Anna Walsh is a 30-something Irish gal who works in New York. She has The Most Fabulous Job In The WorldTM  and she also has Aidan; a non-Feathery Stroker who’s all the man a girl could ever wish for. A life-changing event suddenly turns Anna’s marvellous world upside-down and the only person who can fix it is Aidan. As she struggles to reclaim the life she once knew, Aidan seems to move further and further away from her grasp.

I love, love, love this book. It’s funny (I must’ve laughed outloud more than 5 times, even my husband wanted to know what I was reading) and at the same time, it touches on real issues that some women may have to face in their lifetime. It definitely took me on an emotional roller-coaster ride: At one point I was laughing my brains out and at another point I was feeling so sad and depressed that I needed to have a good girly chat with a BFF. Despite all the chick-lit humour, there is definitely a strong message that can be taken away as solid guidance. This is a great Marian Keyes book to start with and I would highly recommend it to all MK virgins out there (ehem…just like me). I’ll leave you with a snippet of one of my favourite passages from the book:

‘Jacqui’. I was staring between her legs, in high alarm. ‘Something’s happening!’ ‘What?’ ‘It’s the head,’ the midwife said. Oh, yes, the head. Of course. For a minute I’d thought Jacqui’s insides were coming out. More and more of the head appeared. Oh, my God, it was a human being, an actual new human being! It happens every day, millions of times, but when you see it happening with your own two eyes, it’s nothing short of miraculous. And then its face appeared. ‘It’s a baby,’ I yelped. ‘It’s a baby!’ ‘What were you expecting?’ Jacqui gasped. ‘A Miu Miu handbag?!’

Club Dead & Dead to the World – The Sookie Stackhouse Series

These two books are my favourite in the series so far. In the first 2 books of the Series (see my reviews here and here), the main characters were centered on Sookie (of course) and Bill, due to their budding romance. In Club Dead however, the romance gets a nip in the bud when Bill disappears mysteriously. In her attempt to find Bill, Sookie unexpectedly finds an ally in Alcide, who coincidentally is a werewolf. What I love most about this book is the emphasis on Alcide. Unfortunately, I’m not much of a Bill fan so I sort of welcomed the author’s shift in focus to other characters. I liked the portrayal of Alcide’s strong-yet-gentle demeanour and how Sookie actually sees a future in the two of them being together. I think Alcide is a really sweet guy…

In Dead to the World (Book 4), Bill and Sookie’s relationship is almost non-existent. (Next part is a spoiler so quickly skip to next paragraph if you can). They eventually breakup at the end of Club Dead, so Sookie starts off the new year in Book 4 a single and free woman. But not for long…

On her way home from Merlotte’s (the bar that Sookie works at), she finds Eric (the really really hot vampire) running naked (whoa..) in the middle of the road. It turns out that Eric was cursed by a witch and can’t remember anything about himself, his past or his surroundings. His vulnerability appeals to Sookie, and before you know it they develop a romantic relationship. I’ve always liked Eric. Despite his superior and occasionally pompous character (before he lost his memory that is), Eric is quite a funny guy vamp. Plus, he is the epitome of yumminess…

Overall, I’d give both books the two thumbs-up. The storyline has definitely improved from the first 2 books and I am so very hooked.

These books are part of The Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge.