What happens when a woman is condemned by her entire community? Condemn Me Not by Heather B. Moore is the powerful story of Susannah North Martin.
Ms. Moore brought the Salem Witch trials to life in stunning detail. Yet, throughout the story, a thread of hope remained.
The five women accused of witchcraft have every reason to be angry and to rail at God, but they remain hopeful, sharing stories about their lives and the few resources they had.
Ms. Moore did a fabulous job of blending fact and fiction, giving the reader a glimpse of what life may have been like for
Susannah North Martin.
In this split-time novel, the reader spends time with Susannah in the present as she sits in jail awaiting trial and sentencing but also details her courtship and marriage to George Martin.
Though the author imbued the story with the characters’ faith and hope, it was a sad story. Sad, because it was inspired by true events. I couldn’t help feeling heartsick by the lengths people would go to destroy people they disliked or to protect themselves.
Readers of Condemn Me Not will be reminded that it is possible to hold on to fear in the midst of the most heinous situations, knowing that God will never leave us nor forsake us.
I listened to the audio version of this book and enjoyed narrator Nancy Peterson’s portrayal of the characters.
I received a copy from the author. A positive review was not required.
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About Condemn Me Not: Accused of Witchcraft
“This woman was one of the most impudent, scurrilous, wicked creatures of this world; and she did now throughout her whole trial discover herself to be such a one. Yet when she was asked what she had to say for herself, her chief plea was that she had led a most virtuous and holy life.” —Reverend Cotton Mather, 1692
USA Today Bestselling author Heather B. Moore brings the life of her 10th great-grandmother to center stage. Susannah North Martin, accused of witchcraft in 1692, joins five women in the Salem Jail, all sentenced to death for their crimes. Amidst tragedy, Susannah finds hope and compassion as she remembers a well-loved life, and readers discover that love reaches far beyond the grave as Susannah faces the magistrates in Salem.
With exquisite sensitivity, narrator Nancy Peterson channels the complex character of Susannah Martin, one of 14 women hanged for witchcraft during the infamous Salem witch trials. Susannah waits for months in abysmal conditions for her execution, repeatedly playing back memories of her long-ago courtship with her handsome beau.
Peterson’s depictions of both Susannahs–the young, unwed girl and the elderly, world-weary widow–are picture-perfect, and her ability to seamlessly shift between the two is extraordinary. The youthful Susannah speaks sweetly and clearly, although the steeliness of her character is plainly evident.
In contrast, the widow Susannah is achingly poignant, filled with rage, grief, and piercing compassion. Supporting characters are skillfully portrayed as well, but it is Susannah’s strength and grace that truly make this audio shine. S.A.H. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2019]
About Heather B. Moore
Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than ninety publications. Heather writes primarily historical and #herstory fiction about the humanity and heroism of the everyday person. Publishing in a breadth of genres, Heather dives into the hearts and souls of her characters, meshing her love of research with her love of storytelling.
Her historicals and thrillers are written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes women’s fiction, romance, and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore, and . . . speculative fiction under Jane Redd. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt and the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel. Despite failing her high school AP English exam, Heather persevered and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in something other than English.
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Literary honors: 2020 Goodreads Choice Award Semi-Finalist, Foreword 2020 INDIES Finalist, ALA Best New Books – September 2020, 6-time Best of State Recipient for Best in Literary Arts, 2019 Maggie Award Winner, 4-time Whitney Award Winner, and 2-time Golden Quill Award Winner.
About Narrator Nancy Peterson
Nancy Peterson, winner of the prestigious Audio Publishers Association Audie Award, is a veteran actor and voice-over artist. Nancy has a penchant for dialects, diving deep into the study of language. Her narration style, summed up by AudioFile magazine, “creates the sense of listening to a play instead of a straightforward reading.”
She began her narrating career with petty theft. As a precocious eleven-year-old, the allure of her dad’s brand-new cassette recorder she was strictly forbidden to touch, was too tempting to bear. With an Encyclopedia Brown paperback and the recorder, she began a journey she continues to love.