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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I know this book is highly rated, but I found it to be simplistic and it reminds me of something my teacher may have read aloud to our class when we were young. It's a first-person narrative with a storyteller who desperately wants the reader to appreciate how sassy, spunky, and special she is in every way, while so many of the other characters in this novel are simple caricatures. Ughhhh.
And I REALLY HATE IT when authors use creative spelling for the dialogue of some characters and not others. The white characters in this book speak very proper, formal English. The black characters, however, have their speech spelled creatively to show how different they are. JUST NO.
The fact that Eliza Pinckney is a real woman who left her mark on history does not make this a good book.
And I REALLY HATE IT when authors use creative spelling for the dialogue of some characters and not others. The white characters in this book speak very proper, formal English. The black characters, however, have their speech spelled creatively to show how different they are. JUST NO.
The fact that Eliza Pinckney is a real woman who left her mark on history does not make this a good book.
This book had been on my TBR list for a while, so I was happy that one of my book groups chose it to read. It did not disappoint. Natasha Boyd has painted a vivid portrayal of Eliza Lucas’s life. I did not realize until the end of the book that it is based on an actual person. Although it started out a little slow for my liking, the characters and story came to life through her writing. I appreciated Eliza for the strong woman she was and all that she was able to accomplish and achieve during a time period when women rarely could do so much. I also have a love of textiles so the information about growing indigo to be used as a dye was fascinating to me. In addition to learning about the plant growing, and the learning more of the struggles of a woman trying to achieve in a mans’ world, the plight of slaves and racial issues was also depicted. I was glad to see that it appears she was supportive of the slaves in her care and taught some to read. One small complaint I have is that although there is always some author invention in historical fiction, it appears that there was more than you might typically find. I was disappointed to learn that some of the main characters were totally fictional. Also, her mother portrayed heavily in the book although her mother died before the time period covered in the book. Those details, however, did not take away from the enjoyment of the book. I would recommend this for lovers of historical fiction.
This was a well written work of historical fiction. Set in South Carolina well before the revolution, a young girl set about to grow indigo in order to harvest the plants and make the distinctive dye. It was very interesting, and I especially appreciated the historical facts including a slave uprising, trade in the colonies, as well as the treatment of women during this era.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this book and worked through it very quickly because of the exciting plot and wonderful characters. And Eliza was just an incredible woman, both of her time and at any point in history. The hardest part was, of course, so much of the story revolved around slavery. Eliza seems to have been a product of her time, not quite understanding how it was right to "own" people and yet relying on their support and work for her livelihood and well-being.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I'm sure it's hard to write a novel around the skeleton of a real person's life. But this one, with its melange of gender empowerment and a romance plot that resolves itself in a way that is both icky and telegraphed from a mile away, didn't really reward that effort. The broader narrative thrusts-- woman working toward autonomy, trying to grow indigo, and to resolve her romantic concerns while the book also flirted with Austen-esque elements of balls and flirtations, made this novel lurch and groan with its explicit themes too often for me.
And I don't want to think about the racial politics. I appreciate the way that Boyd wants to talk about this topic from a contemporary, enlightened perspective, I think that's kind of impossible, given that Lucas owned slaves. Sure, Eliza has compunctions about their treatment, but she is so progressive hat when she stops short of explicitly manumitting all of them, it feels contradictory. I don't think that side of the character, and the story, can stand up to scrutiny or a test of consistency. My suggestion would be to let her be as progressive as she could be in her time and let the chips fall as they may, but Boyd wants, I think, for Lucas to be admirable to us today, and that reads like a bridge too far.
And I don't want to think about the racial politics. I appreciate the way that Boyd wants to talk about this topic from a contemporary, enlightened perspective, I think that's kind of impossible, given that Lucas owned slaves. Sure, Eliza has compunctions about their treatment, but she is so progressive hat when she stops short of explicitly manumitting all of them, it feels contradictory. I don't think that side of the character, and the story, can stand up to scrutiny or a test of consistency. My suggestion would be to let her be as progressive as she could be in her time and let the chips fall as they may, but Boyd wants, I think, for Lucas to be admirable to us today, and that reads like a bridge too far.
This book started off a little slow for me, but definitely ended up picking up. I really enjoyed learning more about a time period that frankly I don't know enough about. I did not know this was about the a real person, but Eliza Lucas is a really great character despite the times she was living in. If this wasn't about a real person I'm not sure how much I would have believed. There were times in this book that just seemed a little extreme/unlikely for me, but overall I enjoyed it. The biggest misses for me were her relationships with both Charles and her mother. I know she does marry Charles in real life, but it just felt a little stretched for me and I didn't like how rushed their marriage was at the end. And her mother was just annoying...I really especially liked reading the author's note at the end about the real Eliza Lucas' personality being known for being stubborn, friends with who she wanted, etc.