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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I am truly conflicted about my review for The Indigo Girl. It was a beautiful story based on an incredible woman in history. However, there were glaring problematic issues with the story as well.
Let's start with what I loved about the book. Boyd is an excellent storyteller. Her words flowed effortlessly and kept me intrigued and wanting more from the beginning until the very end. I try not to find out too much about a book before I read it. I go on recommendations of trusted sources. So, I had no idea until the very end that Eliza Lucas was a real person. I loved learning about her and it's clear Boyd thoroughly researched for the story.
Trigger Warning: slavery, racism, brutality, sexual assault
However, there were some issues that I had a very hard time overlooking. While the story of enslaved people is presented as something bad, I felt like it was also a white washed romanticized version of a horrific time in our nation's history.
There were several instances when enslaved people were shown to love their masters. Quash, who is owned by Lucas' family, is the son of an enslaved woman and her previous owner's son. Quash tells Eliza that his mother and father loved each other. I have serious reservations about portraying love this way. The power dynamic between a slave owner/their children and the people they enslave leaves little to no choice for the enslaved person. To present a relationship between the two as equal is incorrect and does a huge disservice to the women that were assaulted by their owners.
When Eliza's indigo harvest is successful, she says that not only is it a win for her, but also for the enslaved people who worked the fields and processed the indigo. They were said to all be proud and joyous. Is that possible? Can you feel those things when your work is forced upon you?
There is also so much racism in Eliza that is seemingly overlooked because she has brief moments of doing something good for a few of the people she enslaved. Yes, she teaches some to read, yes, she stops a man from hitting a woman. But she doesn't free the people she owns. She doesn't even think to free her "best friend," Ben, until it is too late. She doesn't free Quash or any of the other people she "loves." In fact she's resolved to sell them to another master when it looks like she'll be going back to Antigua with only the hope that the new master will treat them well.
So, my thoughts on this book are muddy. I really loved the writing and getting to know Eliza, but I can't get past my concerns with how the stories of the enslaved peoples are told.
Let's start with what I loved about the book. Boyd is an excellent storyteller. Her words flowed effortlessly and kept me intrigued and wanting more from the beginning until the very end. I try not to find out too much about a book before I read it. I go on recommendations of trusted sources. So, I had no idea until the very end that Eliza Lucas was a real person. I loved learning about her and it's clear Boyd thoroughly researched for the story.
Trigger Warning: slavery, racism, brutality, sexual assault
However, there were some issues that I had a very hard time overlooking. While the story of enslaved people is presented as something bad, I felt like it was also a white washed romanticized version of a horrific time in our nation's history.
There were several instances when enslaved people were shown to love their masters. Quash, who is owned by Lucas' family, is the son of an enslaved woman and her previous owner's son. Quash tells Eliza that his mother and father loved each other. I have serious reservations about portraying love this way. The power dynamic between a slave owner/their children and the people they enslave leaves little to no choice for the enslaved person. To present a relationship between the two as equal is incorrect and does a huge disservice to the women that were assaulted by their owners.
When Eliza's indigo harvest is successful, she says that not only is it a win for her, but also for the enslaved people who worked the fields and processed the indigo. They were said to all be proud and joyous. Is that possible? Can you feel those things when your work is forced upon you?
There is also so much racism in Eliza that is seemingly overlooked because she has brief moments of doing something good for a few of the people she enslaved. Yes, she teaches some to read, yes, she stops a man from hitting a woman. But she doesn't free the people she owns. She doesn't even think to free her "best friend," Ben, until it is too late. She doesn't free Quash or any of the other people she "loves." In fact she's resolved to sell them to another master when it looks like she'll be going back to Antigua with only the hope that the new master will treat them well.
So, my thoughts on this book are muddy. I really loved the writing and getting to know Eliza, but I can't get past my concerns with how the stories of the enslaved peoples are told.
I really enjoyed this book. And to find out at the end they took excerpts from her actual Letters made it all the better. To see how she had an idea and worked hard and at a time when women were not looked at to be able to do these things.
3.5 stars. I have so many thoughts and there were definitely things about this story that didn't work for me, but overall I enjoyed it. I heard Eliza Pinckney's story recently on a podcast, she's fascinating and I enjoyed the excerpts of her writing throughout this book.
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The book has a slow start, but really picks up halfway through. I enjoyed it being based on a true story, even if there was a lot of embellishment.
DNF....I read 51% and just couldn't do it anymore. It was so boring and tedious. I had to force myself to pick up the book. There are too many books out there for me to waste my time on smething I just did't care about.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this story. I didn’t realize it was based on real people and events with some fictionalization until the end. So good.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes