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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Wow, oh my gosh. I had never even heard of Eliza Lucas, and oh my word, Natasha Boyd has done an incredible job of telling her story, and I’m so glad to know it.
While the plot is interesting and the book itself is well written, it is definitely a very white perspective on slavery. Oftentimes I felt the author was trying to equate being a white woman and dealing with marriage to slavery, which is apples to oranges. While I understand, women were controlled by male relatives at the time, they did not contend with the horrors of slavery. The book makes it seem like Eliza was a “good” slave owner because she wasn’t physically abusive, but there is no such thing as a “good” slave owner. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it didn’t seem like it was trying to romanticize slavery.
Learn why the state flag of South Carolina is navy blue--and the real-life story of Eliza Lucas, who was the first white person in the American colonies to grow and successfully extract dye from the indigo plant. In a few short years, SC's indigo dye manufacture would eclipse that of France, with the state exporting more than a million pounds of dye annually.
There are no pictures or descriptions of Eliza Lucas, but her letters remain extant. The author uses them here to help fill out the details of this remarkable entrepreneur's young life, albeit narrowly fictionalized. The novel covers just over five years, from age 16 when she first began overseeing her father's three plantations while he was away in Antigua--a remarkable charge for any woman, never mind one still a minor-- to age 21, when she married lawyer Charles Pinckney. She began her endeavor in a futile attempt to save the home her father had mortgaged to its maximum value, at a time when no woman was accepted into the business world, or even made privy to the financial affairs of her husband's--or father's--estate. In 1742, women were by law not even permitted to own real property.
She began with no experience in the making of dye, or even in the growing of the nondescript, weedy plant that produces such glorious, saturated color. But she saw that some slaves knew the secrets of indigo, from long centuries in Africa; some wore clothing in that conspicuous hue. And Eliza understood the deepest yearnings of human nature to grow in knowledge and thrive independently--she craved it for herself.
So she forged a deal. If her slaves would teach her about indigo, she would teach them to read, ostensibly defying SC's 1739 amendment to the Negro Act. The law made teaching slaves to write punishable by a fine of 100 pounds and 6 months in jail, but oddly failed to mention reading. Eliza grasped the loophole, knowing that reading would naturally evolve into writing. It turned out to be a sweet deal not only for Eliza's fortunes but for the entire state. Revenues from indigo soon surpassed those of sugar and cotton; when the dollar collapsed during the revolution nearly thirty years later, indigo dye cakes were traded as currency.
Sadly, she's been all but lost to history, overshadowed by the success of her two sons, one of whom was a signatory to the Declaration of Independence.
Thank you, Natasha Boyd, for breathing life into 16-year old Eliza Lucas again. She is well worth remembering and should be celebrated.
(If the citizens of South Carolina don't like the palmetto tree on their new state flag, I recommend they design a profile image in memorial depiction of this remarkable 18th century girl.)
There are no pictures or descriptions of Eliza Lucas, but her letters remain extant. The author uses them here to help fill out the details of this remarkable entrepreneur's young life, albeit narrowly fictionalized. The novel covers just over five years, from age 16 when she first began overseeing her father's three plantations while he was away in Antigua--a remarkable charge for any woman, never mind one still a minor-- to age 21, when she married lawyer Charles Pinckney. She began her endeavor in a futile attempt to save the home her father had mortgaged to its maximum value, at a time when no woman was accepted into the business world, or even made privy to the financial affairs of her husband's--or father's--estate. In 1742, women were by law not even permitted to own real property.
She began with no experience in the making of dye, or even in the growing of the nondescript, weedy plant that produces such glorious, saturated color. But she saw that some slaves knew the secrets of indigo, from long centuries in Africa; some wore clothing in that conspicuous hue. And Eliza understood the deepest yearnings of human nature to grow in knowledge and thrive independently--she craved it for herself.
So she forged a deal. If her slaves would teach her about indigo, she would teach them to read, ostensibly defying SC's 1739 amendment to the Negro Act. The law made teaching slaves to write punishable by a fine of 100 pounds and 6 months in jail, but oddly failed to mention reading. Eliza grasped the loophole, knowing that reading would naturally evolve into writing. It turned out to be a sweet deal not only for Eliza's fortunes but for the entire state. Revenues from indigo soon surpassed those of sugar and cotton; when the dollar collapsed during the revolution nearly thirty years later, indigo dye cakes were traded as currency.
Sadly, she's been all but lost to history, overshadowed by the success of her two sons, one of whom was a signatory to the Declaration of Independence.
Thank you, Natasha Boyd, for breathing life into 16-year old Eliza Lucas again. She is well worth remembering and should be celebrated.
(If the citizens of South Carolina don't like the palmetto tree on their new state flag, I recommend they design a profile image in memorial depiction of this remarkable 18th century girl.)
I would give it 0.5 stars
I wish I had good things to say about this book but this is one of the most bull crap historic fiction I have read. Eliza Lucas is portrayed holier than Mother Mary, more innocent than a little baby yet smarter than Einstein, could have easily abolished slavery, just such a perfect human the likes we have never seen before nor will we ever see one in future (and mind you all this for a 16 year old). Books like this irk me so much, it is so whitewashed that will leave you wondering what slaves (who are conveniently referred to as servants) ever complained about. In real life she never gave them credit and owned so many; if the story is even remotely true she could have freed them; she used them or rather abused their knowledge for her own gain. . The fictional plot of Eliza and a slave Ben(oit) love story is barf worthy. Why? Why even write about something that was so far from truth. The whole book exalts Eliza in such a light that it is so grating. I wanted to know if the actual indigo story instead I got total BS. At 16-17 Eliza did accomplish quite a bit and wish it would have given a realistic story rather than this book.
Ughhh.
I hate giving such a bad review but just couldn’t understand why was it written so poorly so as to distort truth soooo much.. Does the white washing, white savior attitude appeal to so many??
Just the serenity prayer by the real Eli(te)za was enough for me but I let myself go through the torture of reading the whole book. It doesn’t redeem itself from the revisionist version till the very end, alas!
I wish I had good things to say about this book but this is one of the most bull crap historic fiction I have read. Eliza Lucas is portrayed holier than Mother Mary, more innocent than a little baby yet smarter than Einstein, could have easily abolished slavery, just such a perfect human the likes we have never seen before nor will we ever see one in future (and mind you all this for a 16 year old). Books like this irk me so much, it is so whitewashed that will leave you wondering what slaves (who are conveniently referred to as servants) ever complained about. In real life she never gave them credit and owned so many; if the story is even remotely true she could have freed them; she used them or rather abused their knowledge for her own gain. . The fictional plot of Eliza and a slave Ben(oit) love story is barf worthy. Why? Why even write about something that was so far from truth. The whole book exalts Eliza in such a light that it is so grating. I wanted to know if the actual indigo story instead I got total BS. At 16-17 Eliza did accomplish quite a bit and wish it would have given a realistic story rather than this book.
Ughhh.
I hate giving such a bad review but just couldn’t understand why was it written so poorly so as to distort truth soooo much.. Does the white washing, white savior attitude appeal to so many??
Just the serenity prayer by the real Eli(te)za was enough for me but I let myself go through the torture of reading the whole book. It doesn’t redeem itself from the revisionist version till the very end, alas!
Fabulous book, historical fiction, but heavy on the history, particularly primary source material. What an excellent read, 10 out of 10 highly recommended! What a delight to read about a strong woman in American history who had such a major effect on her colony.
Set between 1739 and 1744, this historical fiction account centers around Eliza Lucas, the mature, British-educated, 16-year-old South Carolina daughter of George Lucas. His aspirations for success in the military bring him back to Antigua, where she was raised. In his absence, he puts her in charge of three inherited family plantations with many slaves. The book covers the escalations with the French and Spanish in nearby Florida, and the growing restlessness of the slaves who threaten a revolt.
In her position of authority, she is challenged, not just by the daily operations, but by the overseers and advisors of the plantations, as well as by a few of the slaves. She’s also under pressure from her mother, who wishes her to be married off and the crops to fail so the family could return to England.
Eliza is determined to make the plantations successful and is convinced that growing indigo for blue dye is her path toward that end. The book chronicles her failures and successes in her quest to raise what would turn out to be a very successful indigo growing business which positively affected the long term economy of South Carolina.
The story did drag on in parts, and would have benefited by more historic detail, such as the fact that George Washington was a pallbearer at her funeral. This was mentioned only in the epilogue. All in all, an illuminating story of a widely forgotten heroine of the South.
In her position of authority, she is challenged, not just by the daily operations, but by the overseers and advisors of the plantations, as well as by a few of the slaves. She’s also under pressure from her mother, who wishes her to be married off and the crops to fail so the family could return to England.
Eliza is determined to make the plantations successful and is convinced that growing indigo for blue dye is her path toward that end. The book chronicles her failures and successes in her quest to raise what would turn out to be a very successful indigo growing business which positively affected the long term economy of South Carolina.
The story did drag on in parts, and would have benefited by more historic detail, such as the fact that George Washington was a pallbearer at her funeral. This was mentioned only in the epilogue. All in all, an illuminating story of a widely forgotten heroine of the South.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Strong and determined main character. Loved the narrator.