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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
The most amazing part of this book is that it is mostly fact. Multiple times I felt like it was a delightful piece of romanticized fiction, yet the story was, as Natasha Boyd states in her end note, "based on true events and historical documents."
At the young age of 17, Eliza Lucas Pinckney took over the management of her family's plantations in South Carolina while her father returned to Antiqua in his quest to be the colonial governor. Eliza's two brothers, both younger than her, were off being schooled in England; her mother, who disapproved of most of Eliza's initiatives, and younger sister remained with her in South Carolina.
During Eliza's time the standard life for a young girl was to find a husband. Eliza was intelligent, forward thinking, an early riser who made full use of her day, an avid reader on many topics including botany, and an entrepreneur, which is why her father entrusted her to oversee his plantations until such time as her brother was old enough to take her place. Eliza set out to prove her father's faith in her, and in the process she saved his estate and found a way to turn a profit not just for him but for South Carolina through the laborious art of growing and harvesting indigo for making dye.
Along the way she taught her slaves to read, believed in setting them free - which she eventually did - and, despite her mother's sense that it would never happen, managed to meet someone who appreciated her for who she was, fall in love and marry.
I refer you to this article for a quick overview of her life. As with my previously read book, American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic, this is an example of how history can be made to come alive!
At the young age of 17, Eliza Lucas Pinckney took over the management of her family's plantations in South Carolina while her father returned to Antiqua in his quest to be the colonial governor. Eliza's two brothers, both younger than her, were off being schooled in England; her mother, who disapproved of most of Eliza's initiatives, and younger sister remained with her in South Carolina.
During Eliza's time the standard life for a young girl was to find a husband. Eliza was intelligent, forward thinking, an early riser who made full use of her day, an avid reader on many topics including botany, and an entrepreneur, which is why her father entrusted her to oversee his plantations until such time as her brother was old enough to take her place. Eliza set out to prove her father's faith in her, and in the process she saved his estate and found a way to turn a profit not just for him but for South Carolina through the laborious art of growing and harvesting indigo for making dye.
Along the way she taught her slaves to read, believed in setting them free - which she eventually did - and, despite her mother's sense that it would never happen, managed to meet someone who appreciated her for who she was, fall in love and marry.
I refer you to this article for a quick overview of her life. As with my previously read book, American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic, this is an example of how history can be made to come alive!
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Fascinating history.
I looove learning about the lost stories of history, and this one fits the bill. Eliza was an amazing woman and her story should be told. It was very interesting and I’ve added South Carolina to my list of “book tours”. She helped change the course of history—or HERstory!
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked The Indigo Girl much more after I finished the book and learned just how much of it was a true story. So, my initial review would have been that it was too fantastic and far-fetched to be believable turned 180 into a "holy crap, this chick really LIVED?" reboot review. I was intrigued by Eliza's self-reliance and rebuff of all norms expected of her in that time. She was truly a one of a kind pioneer woman! Expect to be blown away with her contemporary relationships, indigo making tenacity and tradition-bucking spirit. This is a fast-read 4/5 star novel.
Based on a true story! Taking place in the 1700’s where women weren’t allowed to own property, were expected to marry and not have a voice but Eliza Lucas pushes those boundaries with her stubbornness. After her father leaves her in charge of their plantation while he is away she comes up with this idea of planting indigo. Many are against her but with help from the slaves who she considers her dearest friends and people who believe in her she ends up triumphant, making South Carolina rich in the indigo trade.
4+ This was a quick, enjoyable read, and I love that it is based on a true story.
4.5 stars. Very exciting. I just loved the way this real person was turned into such a strong character. The only criticism I have for this is that there wasn't too much focused on the aspect of teaching the slaves to read, by which I mean that we didn't have any scenes of them learning, just them being mentioned in the background in passing.
3.5. An interesting bit of history [herstory?] I didn't know about, which was fun. The writing is quite lovely in parts. The "fill-in" bits of the story not covered by actual historical record were a little soapy for my taste but she did have a decent explanation for them in the epilogue.
The book was made better at the end knowing it was all true! I think because I read The Book of Negroes first, it gave me the perspective of making indigo as a slave in SC which just made me feel like this book was so sugar coated....