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

The book I read was a Break With Charity by Ann Rinaldi. It was about the Salem Witch trials. The main characture is Susanna English who really wants to join a circle of girls at the parsonage. The girls in the parsonage gather in the circle every night to have their fortunes told by the reverands slave ,Tituba. When Susanna finally gets the courage to go inside she witnesses terrible things that are about to occur in the town of Salem Village.
I choose to read this book because I never learned about the witch trials that took place long ago and I thought by reading this book I could learn about it in a way that would be more fun than out of a textbook. People who enjoy non-fiction books and books about the past would enjoy reading this book. This book provides the reader with just enough suspense needed to keep the reader interested in the story. Overall I give this book a 9 because it was really good but, the context was challenging to understand.

I found this book a bit boring. In the beginning, the book is a little slow, and then the adventure picks up, and then slows down again at the end. I also thought that the book was on the harder side; there are lots of characters to remember and some of them have the very similar names, so sometimes it can become just a little confusing. I would not recommend this book to others because it wasn't interesting and it wasn't a page-turner. Historical-fiction lovers would probably find this to be okay though.

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.

I had to read this book for school, and i have to admit and i wasnt so sure about it when i read the back of it. Once you get passed the first 20 something pages, it is a fascinating books, with twists and turns. I would no recommend this book to young readers as some parts are more complicated than others, i would reccommend 12+

This book is definitly worth reading.

This book takes place in Salem, long ago when they were having trials on the trials of alleged witches. Susanna being the heroic person she was, was havin a hard time with this because she was in some part of the witch things. Although she wasnt a witch, she knew some things that could help out with a major problem there. I recommend this book to those who like stories about witches or something like it.

Susanna English knows something, but she dares not tell. In Salem, a circle is formed, and wiches are named. But who are the real witches? This is a very interesting take on the Salem Witch Trials. Whether it is really the way it happened or not is the beauty of historical fiction. This is Ann Rinaldi's point of view, and it seems realistic to us.

The one thing I have against it is the way Rinaldi seems to attack the Puritan's religion, without offering another hope. For example, Rinaldi leads the reader to wonder if her opinion of religion is "Maybe God is real, maybe He is not". Is Christianity wrong because of what some MEN have done? Indeed, the Puritans were repressive of other religions, even to those who remained true to the Gospel of Christ. The Puritans were not "pure". No man can be. But Rinaldi fails to lead us to the only One who is pure--Jesus Christ, Who is our hope. Rinaldi comes to her story with certain 21st century perspectives instead of the eternal truths of God's Word.

However, I do enjoy Rinaldi's writing style and the exciting way she tells her story. Also, she includes a lot of historical facts and characters, although she weaves them meticulously to make it still seem like fiction. If you want a unique look into the Salem Witch Trials, "A Break with Charity" will certainly be one.

I read this book for a historical fiction book report, and I fell in love with it. It had great facts about the Salem Witch Trials, but still held a wonderful and interesting plot the whole way through. I very much recommend this book for all ages, because it is just so interesting, and everyone in your family will love it as much as I did.

This is a really good book. It is about the salem witch trials and it as always has a little romance thrown in. The main character is watching her town fall apart because of the lies a few little girls are telling. I would recomend it to anyone who likes historical fiction.

This book is only one of Ann Rinaldi's strikingly accurate historical novels. She is a compelling author whose writing is some of the best I've read (and I've read A LOT). I would definitly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a face-paced tale with historical roots.

I usually dislike any book that isn't fantasy of sci-fi but i really liked this. it is like you are actually there. you really hate the horrid girls that made those innocent people die. the dilemma to tell about knowing the girls were faking was really good. i couldn't put it down

I am 14 and I love this book. It is superbly written and exquisitly

researched. I have written two reports on it and read it 23 times. It is a thoroughly enjoyable book. I have adored it since I was 9.

Buy it.

Having just read Kathleen Kent's debut novel, The Heretic's Daughter about the Salem Witch Trials, I had to go back and re-read "A Break with Charity" by Ann Rinaldi, also centering on the Salem Witch trials. Both works are fictionalised accounts of those dark and dreary days, but both novels are based on facts. Though Ann Rinaldi's novel is categorised as a Young Adult novel, it is well-written and the narrative appealed to me as a mature adult.

The story centers around Susanna English, daughter of a rich couple, termed 'the gentry'. Phillip English, Susanna's father was rather enlightened for his time and did not strictly subscribe to the harsh strictures of Puritan laws and customs. He put his wealth to good use and so did his wife. Together, they were generally held in high regard in society. Susanna's brother, William was feared lost at sea, and her determination to find out what has happened to William compels her to seek out the counsel of Tituba, a black slave in the employ of Reverend Parris, a harsh man who carries the mantle of a preacher but is anything but charitable. It is in Parris' house that a circle of girls gather during the dark winter days of 1692 and commit unspeakable acts such as conjuring, reading of tea leaves, palm reading and other 'sorcerous' things - an act that carries harsh punishments in those times.

Susanna is not admitted into the circle as she is deemed too rich and of the gentry - yet, she seeks out Tituba and pleads with her to foretell William's whereabouts. When the girls in the circle come to find out that she also knows about their heretical activities with Tituba, she is warned by Ann Putnam, the leader of the circle to stay out of their business, keep silent or suffer the consequences. Susanna soon realises what those consequences are for as the girls attract attention for being 'afflicted by the Devil [they throw fits and decry others as witches - all based on old family quarrels and petty disputes with their neighbors]- she finds her silence no longer guarantees her family's safety.

Things quickly spiral out of control as more and more people are 'outed' as witches by the circle of adolescent girls and worse is to follow as some of the innocent are found guilty and hanged. Throughout all these events, Susanna struggles with her conscience and how she attempts to make things right despite her reservations make up the rest of the story.

Ann Rinaldi convincingly posits an alternative view of what brought about the Salem hysteria and uses a real-life character, that of Susanna English to spin a riveting yarn about the Salem events. It makes for a gripping historical narrative, rich in descriptions of Puritan life, and of what transpired during those dark days between 1691-92. Highly recommended for anyone interested in historical fiction, and especially those who are keen on stories to do with the Salem Witch Trials.

Ann Rinaldi is a GREAT author who writes graphically and that helps you to understand it. This book was a pleasure to read and if only I had read it before I did my report on The Salem Witch Trials, I would've understanded it better (I GOT AN A though!!) SHE DESERVES AN AWARD FOR THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!1 :)

I thought A Break With Charity was one of Ann Rinaldi's best works. This novel was filled with much detail. It explained what happened during the Salem Witch Trials, and what it was like for the people who accused others. This book wasn't filled just with facts about the Salem Witch Trials, it told a story about a young, fictional character, whoose family was accused of being witches. In my personal Opinion this was a excellent piece of literature...

I usually dislike any book that isn't fantasy of sci-fi but i really liked this. it is like you are actually there. you really hate the horrid girls that made those innocent people die. the dilemma to tell about knowing the girls were faking was really good. i couldn't put it down

I am 14 and I love this book. It is superbly written and exquisitly

researched. I have written two reports on it and read it 23 times. It is a thoroughly enjoyable book. I have adored it since I was 9.

Buy it.

While a good read, for those who have read "The crucible" play by Arthur Miller may find it tough to delv too deep into this work. The character's names in this book have been taken from the play but re-arranged in the story plot. Ann Putnam is a teenage michief maker, Abbigail Williams is eleven years old, and the Proctors are nothing to be found.

Overall a great literary work, but when trying to read a book after reading a play that says the complete opposite, it's hard to enjoy.