Silence

by Julia Park Tracey

“I am no witch, nor adulteress, thief, nor murderer. They say I have lost my reason, but I know only that my heart is shattered, and in crying it aloud, now I must pay the cost….” 

After three grievous losses, Puritan woman Silence Marsh dares to question God aloud in the church, and that blasphemy lands her in trouble—she is silenced for a year by the powers that be. Broken in heart and spirit, Silence learns to mime and sign, but it isn’t until a new Boston doctor, the dashing Daniel Greenleaf, comes to her backward Cape Cod village that she begins to hope again. Rather than treating Silence with bleeding or leeches, Dr. Greenleaf prescribes fresh air, St. John’s Wort, long walks—and reading. 

Silence has half a hope of getting through her year of punishment when the cry of witchcraft poisons the village. Colonial Massachusetts is still reeling from the Salem Witch Trials just 20 years before. Now, after demanding her silence, she is called to witness at a witchcraft trial—or be accused herself. 

A whiff of sulfur and witchcraft shadows this literary Puritan tale of loss and redemption, based on the author's own ancestor, her seventh great-grandmother.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Grief, Historical

248 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 24, 2024

About the author

Inspired by a mysterious train receipt in her family’s scrapbook, Julia Park Tracey researched her Orphan Train roots and wrote The Bereaved about her found relatives.

Julia has ancestors—or should we say an-sisters? In digging through her family history, she has uncovered a trove of powerful women who break rules and stand tall against whatever dares to oppose them. Another such heroine is the Puritan woman named Silence Nichols Greenleaf; look for Silence: A Novel from Sibylline Press.

Julia took a pause between historicals to write a contemporary romance about a lonely librarian named Nelly who found comfort in the Little House books through childhood trauma. On a whim, she takes a train journey to DeSmet, SD, on a literary tour, and on this journey, she finds her HEA. A provacative fanfic and slightly spicy romance for nerd-girl-bookworms! Whoa, Nelly! comes out in November 2025.

Watch this space for more news!

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silence is a moving, beautifully written book. I just loved this book! It’s a wonderful way to start the new year.

Julia Park Tracey has elegantly used words to portray what silence feels like to one bright, lovely woman. Silence Marsh.

Her story is one of perseverance under great emotional and mental abuse. She grows up in New England shortly after the Salem Witch Trials ended. Her Puritan pastor sentences her to a year of silence after she questions God due to grief.

I was shocked to learn of the inhumane ways people, almost exclusively women, were treated. And all because they dared to question the men that led their church.

I love that Tracey wrote this book using her real life ancestor as inspiration. She made Silence March come alive for me. I could imagine what she saw and felt and was overcome by emotion as I contemplated her life experiences. Having lived in Ipswich,Massachusetts and having read the poetry of Anne Bradstreet I was delighted to have that connection.

I am so glad that I won this book as a giveaway from the Historical Fictionistas Group! If you like historical fiction full of emotion that truly brings the past alive, I think you will enjoy this book!

[Danielle Apple · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brought the puritan people to life for me.

It's usually hard for me to get immersed in books this far back in American history (I know we as a nation are not that old, so it's kind of silly). At any rate, I occasionally get a pleasant surprise, whether it is fiction or nonfiction. This is one such surprise!

One thing that strikes me is that humans don't really change. There will always be people carefully structuring their lives and those of the surrounding people. Rebels will always show up and face the consequences of breaking the carefully constructed social rules. Sometimes they are remembered fondly centuries later. Sometimes they triumph right away.

The other thing that strikes me is that Silence's community seems so large, so in control of her entire world, the author reveals that it is just drop in the bucket of culture. So many other communities and ways of thinking existed in early America. Sometimes they collide.

[Sherry Sharpnack · Rating 5 out of 5]

What would it be like not to be allowed to use one's voice for an entire year -- even inside one's own home?
Silence Marsh had a good life for a Puritan woman in the early 18th century. She is married to the town constable, earning her the title of "Mistress" instead of "Goodwife." She seems a bit proud of this fact... Silence's life comes crashing down around her in a series of incredible losses of loved ones, and she does the unthinkable: she cries out her grief in church, including questioning God's reasoning. Obviously, this blasphemy cannot stand. Of course, Silence must face civil penalties, b/c Church and state are as One in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She knows the penalty will be severe, as she has spurned the sexual predation of Sir Fellows, the local Administrator from the Crown. She is sentenced to ten lashes; an hour in the pillory, w/ the cleft stick forced into her mouth; ten days in the gaol; fined ten pounds and her father FIFTY -- and then the entire YEAR of silence.
As a good Puritan woman, Silence follows her punishment to the letter; her father wouldn't have let her talk at home anyway, after his onerous fine. So, Silence learns to live in silence, wrapped up in her grief and wasting away.
Silence finds solace in unexpected places: another ostracized woman in town; the Parson's young daughter; and a doctor visiting from Boston, who recommends radical treatment, such as outdoor exercise and books! In these books, Silence encounters a radical idea: does God actually want people to be -- happy? Not terrified of his wrath? Of being lost? Still really radical ideas in certain churches.
The end of Silence's punishment year brings new terrors, and real danger for Silence.
We know that Silence survived this last ordeal, b/c she is the author's many-times great-grandmother. She therefore obviously lived, married, and had children -- I hope all happily.
As all good novels should, this one brings up really profound thoughts, especially in this election season where it really looks like a portion of the poliitical powers-that-be would like to "silence" 51% of the population of the USA. It also presents the radical idea that God wants us to live "more abundantly" (to quote the Good Book), not in fear of Hellfire. 5 full stars.

[The Starry Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silence by Julia Parker Tracey is a Puritan story about a young woman named Silence Marsh who is persecuted for her grief and punished to one year of silence. Through her muted sentence, Silence comes to learn a lot about herself, life, love, and healing.

I have always enjoyed reading books about the Puritan’s as there are many connecting threads from their time to our world today. This book did not focus on witchcraft, although it was a bygone threat that still found ways to permeate the community. Silence Marsh was an admirable woman, who honoured her morals, values, and rights even in the face of danger and death. This story explored the unspoken, what is said, what is unsaid, and how choosing to speak or not speak the truth can have dire consequences. I thought the author did a terrific job at writing an authentic story, with its language and historical details that I am sure required a lot of research. It felt as though I were reading an archival diary.

I found it fascinating that this story is based on one of the author’s ancestors. I hope in writing this story, Silence Marsh can know that she has not been forgotten, that she matters, and that we the readers can understand just how powerful silence, whether forced or chosen truly is.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free arc via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[Carolyn Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful historical fiction book that explores a woman’s life in a Puritanical community in pre-revolutionary New England. The character development of a woman who has been silenced is excellent. Watching her growth after she loses her mother, husband, and child in a short period of time is relatable and inspiring. The book includes a good feel for life in a rural village during that time, as well. Highly recommend.

[Teresa A. Mauk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was an inside view of the Separatists/Puritan colonists and their punishment-based society. Told from Silence's viewpoint, I could relate to her struggles with and ultimately the inner peace she found in not speaking. The courtship with the doctor was sweet and even more so because it was based on the author's actual family history.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

You think you’ve got problems?

Silence Marsh is condemned to a year of silence after being whipped, pilloried and shorn, for crying out her grief during the strict Puritan Sabbath service. This brilliantly written story evokes all the cruelty and hysteria of a Separatist village in Massachusetts Colony in the 1750s. But it does it with uncanny warmth, honesty, and not a drop of the prurience that so often colors tales of witchcraft and punishment. It is a story of honor, stubborn strength and resilience in the face of despair, and it holds you in its thrall even through the Afterword. Well done.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silence is the richly imagined story of a young Puritan woman named Silence Marsh living in 1720s Massachusetts. Based on the author’s own “seventh great-grandmother”, Silence was such an engaging story that I was eager to get back to.

Park Tracey uses the language of the time and I was a bit thrown off in the beginning but quickly found a rhythm and came to appreciate her use of the vernacular of the time. Flush with wonderful historical details, I could vividly picture how life was for Silence and other women.

After a series of devastating blows, Silence is too outspoken one day in church and gets the full punishment of her Puritan community. I was shocked by how horribly she was treated but loved how she developed friendships and overcame her sadness in spite of her punishment.

Exploring issues of gender inequality, religious doubt, and grief, this story of resilience is one that will stay with me. I also enjoyed the author’s thoughts on the name Silence.

Thank you to Sibylline Press for the ARC. I loved it.

[Lora Chilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silence by Julia Park Tracy is a page turner of historical fiction! It is the story of a Puritan woman named Silence Marsh who was harshly punished for voicing her grief after losing her mother, husband and infant daughter within months of each other. The hypocrisy of the Separatists who judged her feels ominously close to what is happening in our world today. I could not put this book down until I knew the ultimate fate of Silence Marsh. Thank you Sibylline Press for the ARC.

[Lorraine Devon Wilke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t typically seek out historical fiction, more often drawn to contemporary work, but I was moved by the description of this story and decided to jump in. What a wise decision that was!

Julia Park Tracey is a writer of incredible talent, able to capture another time, place; moment in history with such depth and detail that the story feels as real and tangible as present life. Her grasp of the time’s vernacular and cadence is expertly conveyed; the sense of place, tone, and attitude so fully realized we’re pulled into literary immersion with each page and plot turn.

Her afterword tells us the character of Silence is based on her seventh great-grandmother; the basic foundation of that woman’s life, and the narrative that Park Tracey weaves from that history and connection is both profound and powerful, drawing parallels (in terms of the “silencing” of women and their voices) between that troubled era and our own times of theocratic oppression and misogyny, making the story all the more relevant and important.

When young Silence, living in a small, insular Puritan village years after the Salem witch trials, loses the essential core of her family in heartbreaking succession, her life tumbles into a darkness she cannot transcend. A grief-impelled outburst at the village church sparks heinous retribution in the form of public humiliation and violence, as well as a mandate that she be completely silent for a year, turning her life into a twisted, torturous routine of work, caring for her father, and suffering her loss in heartbreaking isolation. When a well-educated doctor from Boston comes into the picture, bringing a spark of hope and light into her existence, she begins to see possibilities she couldn’t have imagined prior, pulling her slowly from her protective shell even while keeping her silence.

It's when an unexpected trial in town demands she once again present herself to the harsh judgments and criticism of the community that another heinous punishment is meted out, one that almost kills her. It is this doctor and his loving family who step up to not only save her physical life but offer her an alternative to the oppression and dark religion she has been imprisoned by.

A captivating, page-turning narrative expertly told by a masterful storyteller.

[Kate W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truth: I’m not a big reader of historical fiction. I need characters to face challenges that are familiar to me…ones that I also face. And yet…

Julia Park Tracey’s Silence transcends my difficulties with historical fiction by creating a character who faces - in her own way and in Puritan Massachusetts - one of the most significant obstacles women face today: being silenced by those who are unwilling to confront truths of the human condition: grief, doubt, anger, and a need to speak a personal truth that refuses to be confined in the tiny box of allowable behavior. We aren’t perfect, and neither are those who would punish us for our missteps.

After Silence Marsh loses her mother, her beloved husband, and her infant daughter within months of one another, her grief erupts in the midst of church, leading to a punishment of one year of silence. While this strong and courageous woman might not have kept her silence under some circumstances, the fact that her father is punished for her transgression keeps her lips sealed, allowing her to discover all the ways in which silence allows her to see more clearly and to understand her own thoughts and feelings. Ultimately Silence finds happiness, but not until after a dunking…a punishment so vividly told that I doubt I’ll ever forget it.

More honesty: I kept thinking of past workplaces as I read of the interpersonal dynamics of Hingham. The setting of Silence may be historical, but the themes are very relevant to today’s world.

The author’s adherence to the cadence of the times and keen eye for accurate detail create a book that is heard and felt as well as read. Silence is both beautiful and important.

[Susan McAulay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love historical fiction about the times of the Salem Witch trials and it has been a long time since I have read one. This one was well worth my time. This is a very economically written novel about a woman named Silence who suffers loses that no one should have to face in a Puritan community in the 1700's. The author captured the essence of what Puritan life feels like, especially for women. The language seems authentic for the time period, which is importance since this is a first person narrative. While the language takes a little getting used to, it is not difficult. Silence, as a result of her losses, questions life, and God, in particular, which results in her being censured. She is literally not allowed to speak. The book tells readers how women who are rebellious are perceived and what can happen as a result. It is a story that most of us who remember our early American history know, so the events that unfold are not surprising. However, the story is told so well that it doesn't matter if the content feels familiar because it is taken from the pages of history.
By the way, this book was published by Sibylline Press, which is a publishing company that specializes in female authors over the age of 50. I am providing my unbiased opinion of this book in exchange for a free copy of this book, although I am a bit bewildered as to how. I did not, as far as I could tell, request this book; it just showed up at my door one day.

[Sandi Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a historical fiction book based on the author's seventh great-grandmother.

This novel is set in the early 18th century Massachusetts, where a young Puritan widow named Silence Nichols Marsh, widowed wife of the town constable, is sentenced to a year of silence.

In 1721, Silence married David Marsh in the village of Hingham, Massachusetts, and within a six-month span, her mother, her husband, and her 2 month old infant daughter Elizabeth all die. Being distraught at a Separatist Sabbath meeting where parson Hobart seemed to be preaching to her about loss and sin, she loses her composure out of grief and begins screaming and cursing God, who seemed to punish her with such tragedy. Because of her outburst, on October 31, 1722, she receives several punishments, with the final one being that she must not speak for a year. As the time goes by, Silence questions her faith and if this isn't enough, the parson's wife, Aphra is accused of witchcraft by her stepdaughter Zuriel and Silence is requested as a witness but is unable to speak and so she is punished along with Aphra.
Silence is one of the puritan women who endured a life of suffering, doubt and made to think that women are worthless.

[Greg Houle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silence is a novel about many things: loss, grief, injustice, doubt. But above all else, this novel is about resilience and redemption. Based on author Julia Park Tracey’s own eighteenth-century ancestor, the novel tells the story of Silence Marsh, a young Puritan woman from a provincial Massachusetts village who, after suffering a series of devastating losses, breaks down in church one day, raising a series of questions that don’t sit well with her conservative Puritan neighbors.

As a result of her outburst, Silence is, well, silenced. She is forbidden to speak for a year by the authorities. Ultimately, her punishment proves to be redemptive. At least until she’s ensnared in the witchcraft hysteria that begins to bubble up in the village at the climax of the novel.

Tracey’s writing is sumptuous and absorbing, and while it takes a moment to get used to her early-eighteenth-century style, once you do it is difficult not to be enamored by the richness of her storytelling and the empathy that she gives to her characters.

It’s a page-turner for sure. If you like well-constructed and richly-written historical fiction you’ll love this novel.

Thank you Sibylline Press for providing an ARC.

[Emily - whatemilysreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a totally different vibe than what I’ve been reading and I really enjoyed it! Little hints of witch trial made this a good one as we creep into spooky season.

This was a fast paced book about grief and resilience. I liked Silence right from the beginning. I felt every bit of her sadness as it slowly transformed into rage and, eventually, defiance. Alexa, play Mad Woman by Taylor Swift. Her friendship with Zuriel was a bright spot in her otherwise pretty bleak situation, and I loved seeing their bond grow.

It took me a second to get used to the writing style - the author went true to the time period here - but after a bit I fell into it. I did feel like some of Silence’s inner monologue felt a bit repetitive at times, but the plot itself was fascinating.

One of the coolest aspects is that the book is inspired by real people in the author’s family. Despite being a quick read, I’ll be thinking about it for a while.

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced eBook through PW Grab a Galley!

[Karin Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful and poetic. This novel offers a poignant contemplation of the many ways in which women navigate or fail to navigate the limitations imposed on their lives by society and religion. Silence, the protagonist, a woman married to a man of status, descends from the calm happiness of someone near the peak of her village's social structure to someone utterly vulnerable and then reviled when she is suddenly widowed and questions her religion's harsh interpretation of why bad things happen and its judgment of her feelings. She is literally silenced, and her transformation from profound grief and self-loathing to acceptance and then to overcoming with the help of a perceptive physician and female allies is nuanced and poetic. Another character, Goodwife Hobart, illustrates an alternative path, one of bitter spitefulness and jealousy. I initially struggled with the historical language style, but I soon grew accustomed to it. I truly enjoyed this story of interior transformation and the historical details that were interwoven.

[Angela Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine being dropped into a small village in Puritan New England, a woman in a man’s world, a member of a religious sect that distrusts women, who has been silenced simply for grieving. Julia Park Tracey makes you feel as if you have been transported into that world, with the richness of the language and details of description. It’s a remarkable feat, and you won’t be able to put this book down because you’ll want to know Silence’s fate as she endures so much hardship and reveals such strength of character. The time and place and characters are so well-drawn, and reading the book is an emotional experience. I absolutely loved Silence – the book and the character. I am envious of anyone who hasn’t read this book yet – what a reading experience awaits you! I was moved to tears. I will never forget Silence or her story. One of my absolute favorites of this year, and that includes Jane Eyre. :)

[Linda Edmonds Cerullo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical novel based on the author’s family history. Taking place in Massachusetts many years after the nightmare of the Salem witch trials, this is the story of a young woman named Silence who is a Separatist, a devout member of an ultra strict Christian sect, who suffers great loss which leads to a crisis of faith. Instead of extending a loving hand and support, her pastor and the members of the church punish her and order her to be silent for a year. A dutiful woman, living with her father and caring for him after he is widowed, she bears her punishment with grace and dignity. She meets a doctor who is reasonable and rational and he takes her under his wing aided by his mother who is a practitioner of common sense based natural treatment. A beautiful story filled with great moments of heartbreak but ultimately proof that at times religion can do more harm than good and that compassion can heal a lot of pain.

[P Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

 With elegant prose and a light touch, Julia Park Tracey has created a rare and timeless novel. Silence is the story of a young woman mistreated by life and her own community. Her unique voice is charged with simplicity, love, and the truth. Set several centuries ago, before America was America, this fascinating but uncomplicated story weaves a cautionary tale around intolerance, small-mindedness, and self-righteousness—universal themes that travel well across the centuries.

      The author brings the reader into the tale in a measured way in this convincing and compulsively readable book. The engaging characters unspool the story so that it slowly settles into the reader's heart and mind, building in power and tension until barreling forward like a locomotive, rushing to the powerful climax and satisfying ending. A stealthy, stunning gem of a book.

     

[Ava Teedro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julia Park Tracy’s writing transports readers to the heart of Puritan Massachusetts in 1720, a place still haunted by the Salem witch trials just thirty years prior. Tracy’s storytelling goes beyond historical detail, immersing readers in a world where women’s voices are muted by society, creating an atmosphere of palpable tension. Tracy’s meticulous writing brings to life the quiet rebellions, everyday struggles, and hidden resilience of women in the early 18th century, making the setting both vivid and intense. This novel is more than historical fiction; it explores the concept that silencing women can be a double-edged sword. The voice of Silence Marsh and the hauntingly vivid world she inhabits has left an indelible impression. I highly recommend this book to all women as a powerful reminder to never forget what our foremothers have endured.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this a lot. Silence is both the name of the main character and the punishment she receives after a public outburst. Silence is a puritan outside of Boston who, after three terrible losses, has spoken out loud about her doubt of God's mercy in church. She's charged with blasphemy, and her punishment is terrible, and part of it is that she is not allowed to speak for a year.

I really cared about this character and appreciated the writing. I like it when historical fiction shows a lot of interesting details about how people lived in the past, and I particularly liked how this one goes fairly deeply into bee-keeping, which was fascinating. This novel would appeal, I think, to readers who liked Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silence is a women living in a 17th century colonial America in a separatist Puritan community. At first, her life is idyllic with a loving family and a nice young husband she's in love with. But tragedy ensues, of course, and because Silence is an intelligent and sensitive person overwhelmed with grief she makes the mistake of emoting her feelings. Her punishment for this crime is to be true to her name and remain silent for a year. I found this novel to be fascinating in terms of the main character as well as the attention to historical details. The story and characters all felt very real to me and I appreciated the author's sense of making things accurate but not trop-ey in terms of the olden days feel.

[Beverly Diehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Silence was her name, and Silence was her sentence. This fictionalized account of a real Puritan woman's story is many things rolled together. Horrifying - what was done to her, the conditions in which she had to live, and the free reign the despicable "leaders" of the community had to prey upon the vulnerable. (Not too dissimilar to modern times in the USA, actually.) And yet, she found ways to express herself and to reclaim/rebuild her life and emotional freedom. Even to find love again.

It's very well told, and while I didn't love all the abuse that she, and others, suffered in this period, I was happy when it seems that justice (mostly) prevailed in the end.

[Laura Bonazzoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with the main character, Silence, within the first few pages--her integrity, intelligence, wit, and courage. The plot is unforced, seamless, completely believable given the setting and time period, and the writing is gorgeous, lyrical, at times approaching poetry. The author's research into the period, including the foods, clothing, medicines, technologies, religious beliefs, and customs, was impressive, but always revealed in service to the plot. Brilliant and beautiful.

[Paul Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Julia Park Tracey has left me in tears and wanting more. Her writing brings you back in time, exploring ageless issues in an age none of us have experienced. Her research is meticulous and allows you to slip comfortably into the 18th century British America exploring issues of gender, grief, class and more.

[Russell Ricard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silence: A novel. Powerful. Historical fiction. A woman’s perseverance against the puritanical forces of her time. Impressively researched details—based on real members of the author’s lineage—wedded to visceral, poetic prose. Fans of Margaret Atwood will be satiated by this read. Brava, Julia Park Tracey.

[Lisa Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julia Park Tracey's latest is a beautifully written account of loss -- and love -- set against the backdrop of Puritan-era Massachusetts. Her writing is exquisite, and her keen eye for detail and knockout ability to tell a story make this an absolute gem!

[Glennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was excellent. Hard to put down. Definitely recommended.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book, I have very strong feelings about the religious oppression women had to put up with. I wonder if it will ever go away.

[Margie Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was astonishing historical fiction and a terrific story.