The Minister's Daughter by Julie Hearn

The Minister's Daughter by Julie Hearn

Hearn, Julie. The Minister’s Daughter. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005. 263 pages. $17.99. ISBN 0689876904

Readers Annotation: After frolicking with a boy in the village, the minister’s daughter finds herself with child. She cons her sister into helping her blame the cunning woman’s granddaughter Nell of witchcraft.

Plot Summary: Grace and Patience are seen as the well-behaved daughters of the new town minister. No one but Patience knows of her sister’s frolicking with Sam, a boy in the village. Soon, Grace finds herself with child and realizes that Sam will never be honorable and marry her. She must get rid of the child, so she goes to the village cunning woman. Nell knows her grandmother’s mind slowly slipping away, even more so when she gives the wrong ingredients to a man in need of a purge. When Grace comes looking for a way to rid herself of her child, Nell turns her away when she learns the child is a sacred Merrybegot. To get her revenge for Nell’s refusal to help, she cons her sister into helping her make quite a scene. They scream, thrash, spit pins and remain bedridden all in the name of Satan and his helper, Nell. Going back and forth between Nell’s narrative, and Patience’s confession many years later, the reader learns both sides of the story when the sisters accuse Nell of witchcraft.

Critical Evaluation: The first time I read this book I listened to the audio book. Maybe it was the way the narrator read and the voices she gave to the characters, but I didn’t like it. I decided to give it a second chance for this project however. Reading it again I decided it was an excellent reflection of what a cunning woman’s trade is like, and the risks involved. I was not expecting the fae to be mixed into a period piece about witchcraft, but for some reason it didn’t seem to take away from the reality of the story. After thinking about Nell’s point of view, I realized she would have fully believed in faeries, and would have many beliefs that Christians of the time would have taken as superstitions. The ignorance of the minister’s daughters was frustrating in contrast to the simplicity and happiness of Nell’s life despite her grandmothers deteriorating mind, at least before their accusations began. I appreciated Hearn’s attempt to bring light to the other side of the witch trials. She attempted to give a voice to those who did live as Nell and her grandmother, and the reality of the Christian influence of the time forcing Pagans to practice their beliefs in secret, often times forcing them to abandon it altogether.

Reading Level: This book, due to the subject matter, best suits high school age readers although the reading level would suit that of a middle school reader.

Book talk ideas: I would read a selection of the book; one of the girls’ “episodes” would reflect the book well. I would discuss that many of the women accused of being witches were falsely accused. I would suggest Newes from the Dead to as an alternative.

Challenge Issues: The portrayal of the cunning woman and her granddaughter, as well as other pagans, could cause some people to take issue with the book. In response to this I would argue that these were beliefs of people not only at the time the book takes place, but also in modern times. It is unfair to exclude such beliefs just because one religion disagrees.