Wonderful historical novel set during a very fascinating time in Colonial America...

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	• A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials Ann Rinaldi Gulliver Books Paperbacks, 2003 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 112 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Wonderful historical novel set during a very fascinating time in Colonial America...

Salem, Massachusetts, 1692. This was a terrible time for the families of those who were executed at the Salem Witch trials. If only one of them, one who had a family member in peril, even if done in private, had the power to prevent further tragedies...

And that is what Susanna English does, or at least according to Ann Rinaldi's fascinating retelling of this historical occurrence. Her brother William is lost at sea, and she wants news about his return from any source. And that is what brings her to Tituba, a slave at Mr. Parris's parsonage. It has been rumored that Tituba deals with the black arts and is a fortune teller, and even though visiting with such person is a sin, Susanna is so desperate to hear about her brother that she throws propriety aside and pays her a visit. Little had she known the chains of events that would occur afterwards. She witnesses the members of the circle, including Ann Putnam, the youngest and most mean-spirited of them all, attending the parsonage while the reverend is gone. She knows all of the things that would make the girls' stories and accusations seem inconsistent, and yet she keeps quiet, for Ann Putnam has threatened to accuse her family of witchcraft if she says a word. But when her mother and father are taken anyway, it is time to take action...

Rinaldi's version of the events is well written, well researched and well crafted -- except for the part about Susanna staying behind when her family flees to New York and she stays with Joseph Putnam. I find it hard to believe that her parents would simply leave her behind, even if it is with people they trust. I know this plot turn is necessary for the story, but still. Other than that, I very much enjoyed this insightful and wonderful historical novel. The Salem Witch trials have always fascinated me, and I have always wanted to read a fictional account on life as a Puritan. Were those people happy with the rules placed upon them? Rinaldi does a wonderful job giving her take on the subject. Historical novels, good and accurate ones, set in the middle to late seventeenth century America are few and far in between. I am so glad I found one by an author who knows her American history quite well.

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A favorite from when I was young

I was addicted to historical fiction for young adults when I was growing up, and this was probably my favorite. I read it at least four times more than a decade ago. I recommend it to any young adults who are interested in learning a little bit more about historical topics and the events surrounding them.

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A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials

I read this book as an independent lit circle book, and I really think that I will read more of this author. Even though this type of book usually doesn't appeal to me, I really thought that the accuracy with history of the Salem Witch Trials tied in really well, while still providing a fictional but moving story about a girl who struggles to speak the truth in a time when it seems like everything is at stake.

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The best historical fiction I've read in a while!

"A Break With Charity" is definitely a historical fiction I would recommend to anyone interested in the Salem Witch Trials. When I studied the Salem Witch Trials in school, not much was covered, so I was curious to learn more.
Learning about this historical event in a history textbook isn't enough, as can be said about any other historical event. Taught through the eyes of a witness and great mind behind the witch hunts, I truly learned what evidence and guilt Susanna English held to herself for a very long time before telling someone.
Ann Rinaldi made this story seem almost like an autobiography, the way she spoke and described each happening.
"A Break With Charity" is a book that I will always remember and recommend to others.

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A Break with Charity

A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi is a historical-fiction novel. It is about Susanna English wanting to join a group of girls who do things that are forbidden in the Puritans laws. Susanna ginves up joining when she discovered a secret that could save lives is she told but if she did tell people then her family would be accused of being witches. Susanna keeps this secret while watching people being trailed as witches and getting killed. When her parents were accused of being witches, Susanna decides to tell Joseph. Susanna and Joseph worked with other friends to stop the witch madness that is killing people in Salem and other towns. Joseph sends a letter to people writing that all this is madness and that there is no such thing as witches. Reverend Pike believes them and word spreads. People are aware that this could be just a trick, a make-believe lie. Will the word spread so that people will stop accusing innocent people as witces? Read and find out yourself.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Susanna desperately wants to join the circle of girls who meet every week at the parsonage. What she doesn't realize is that the girls are about to set off a torrent of false accusations leading to the imprisonment and execution of countless innocent people. Susanna faces a painful choice. Should she keep quiet and let the witch-hunt panic continue, or should she "break charity" with the group--and risk having her own family members named as witches?
Reader's guide included.

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