Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
The Indigo Girl is a historical fiction based on the real life of Eliza Lucas, a 16 year old girl who takes over running her father's plantations in 1739 in South Carolina, where she works to bring the practice of growing and extracting indigo to the mainland colonies.
What I liked: learning about Eliza's life and her contribution to history! Really great story and interesting to read, Eliza was a very impressive lady and it's cool her story is being told.
What I didn't like: the unnecessary romance. The writing style was not the greatest either.
Overall, medium book. Awesome to learn about both Eliza and what life was like at that time, but the writing didn't have the depth or quality that pulls me in.
What I liked: learning about Eliza's life and her contribution to history! Really great story and interesting to read, Eliza was a very impressive lady and it's cool her story is being told.
What I didn't like: the unnecessary romance. The writing style was not the greatest either.
Overall, medium book. Awesome to learn about both Eliza and what life was like at that time, but the writing didn't have the depth or quality that pulls me in.
Well, I didn't hate this book, but I couldn't really like it either. This book was really well-researched. By all accounts, Eliza Lucas' life played out nearly exactly the way it's portrayed in this book. She really was a 16-year-old girl whose father trusted her to take charge of his South Carolina plantations while he was away in the military - very unusual for the mid-1700s. So her merit as an interesting protagonist lies in the fact that she was a smart, ambitious, strong young woman who rebelled against her so-called place as a woman, scoffed at marriage for marriage's sake, and succeeded in growing indigo and making it South Carolina's number two export at the time. But so much of her success was gained off the labors of her slaves. And for that, I can't put much support into this book. Maybe it's because I'm reading this in the midst of mass protests supporting Black Lives Matter. I just have a bad taste in my mouth reading a book that, while it doesn't glorify Eliza Lucas as a slaveowner, it sure doesn't make any anti-slavery statements, and makes her seem just weakly apologetic. In several instances in this book, she expresses lukewarm internal conflict about the rightness of owning people, but it's very fleeting and not a main theme. Yeah, yeah, yeah - she was just a product of the times, everyone in the South had slaves, and just look at how strong she was! Great, that doesn't mean I have to like how she made her fortune. I think it will be a long time before I read another novel where the protagonist is the oppressor.
What a fantastic story! I literally read this in one sitting. I haven't done that in ages.
Highly recommend!!
Highly recommend!!
Great historical fiction that makes you want to learn more about Eliza. Great female lead.
I had read a book called "Founding Mothers" and quite a bit is about Eliza Lucas. To think the history text books forgets such a driving force in our country's foundation is a sin. Yes, this book does change around a few facts for sake of story; but, it is an entertaining and educational read. It touches heavily on sexism and racism showing the beliefs held by most that women and black and native people were treated as property. It is worth the read.
I found myself being angry as I read this book. Everything back then was so anti-girl and pro-slave and it just makes me angry. I know it’s historically accurate, but it still made me mad every time someone spoke to Eliza as if she were just a child. Good story, but the whole book made my blood boil.
All too often it is the Civil War that defines the South and its slaves. Set just before the revolutionary war, The Indigo Girl shows the life of the south before the war. You have all the usual antebellum tropes but there is an additional historical anchor in the rebellions and the Spanish freedom and subsequent re-enslavement of slaves in their colonies. On the surface, this is a fun strong girl taking over her father’s plantation to gain her own freedom.
It was the relationships between the slaves and the plantation owners that I found interesting. While the sheer idea of a “good” master makes me cringe, I couldn’t help but wish that the author's depiction of the masters was true. It definitely played on white guilt a bit. It was okay for them to be slaves because they were happy slaves and that sort of idea. It was hard to take seriously the abolitionist speak of equality and rights when all the while she owns slaves and makes her living off of their backs. The story was definitely painted in a good light and to dive to deeply into this story would do it no real good. As a light story about the transplant of indigo to South Carolina, it is a good story. As a story about master and slave relations, it falls short.
*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing in exchange for honest feedback*
It was the relationships between the slaves and the plantation owners that I found interesting. While the sheer idea of a “good” master makes me cringe, I couldn’t help but wish that the author's depiction of the masters was true. It definitely played on white guilt a bit. It was okay for them to be slaves because they were happy slaves and that sort of idea. It was hard to take seriously the abolitionist speak of equality and rights when all the while she owns slaves and makes her living off of their backs. The story was definitely painted in a good light and to dive to deeply into this story would do it no real good. As a light story about the transplant of indigo to South Carolina, it is a good story. As a story about master and slave relations, it falls short.
*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing in exchange for honest feedback*
2.5-3 stars
I am a fan of historical fiction and Natasha Boyd but I’m afraid this book didn’t thrill me in the way I was hoping it would. I will keep this fairly short but also aim to explain my thoughts and feelings. This is not romance, I would consider this straight historical fiction which might confuse other Natasha Boyd fans as she is known for successful contemporary romance. This wasn’t a problem for me per se, but there were two different strands of suggestion of romance and both of these storylines lacked depth and execution for my taste.
The story of a strong young woman coming of age with huge responsibility was an interesting concept and I wanted to be engaged but a slow start made investment difficult. I felt more pulled in at 25% and I found Eliza’s botanical endeavours initially interesting but eventually less so in the long run. The stories of the slaves were the most interesting narrative about this book. On the whole, I wanted more excitement in terms of storyline and a little more in character development.
Whilst this book wasn’t eventually what I expected or wanted, I’m sure some will enjoy this tale, the setting and the depth it conjures. THE INDIGO GIRL excels in description and painting the landscape. I remain a fan of Natasha Boyd and just wish my review could have been more favourable.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through netgalley, in return for a honest review.
I am a fan of historical fiction and Natasha Boyd but I’m afraid this book didn’t thrill me in the way I was hoping it would. I will keep this fairly short but also aim to explain my thoughts and feelings. This is not romance, I would consider this straight historical fiction which might confuse other Natasha Boyd fans as she is known for successful contemporary romance. This wasn’t a problem for me per se, but there were two different strands of suggestion of romance and both of these storylines lacked depth and execution for my taste.
The story of a strong young woman coming of age with huge responsibility was an interesting concept and I wanted to be engaged but a slow start made investment difficult. I felt more pulled in at 25% and I found Eliza’s botanical endeavours initially interesting but eventually less so in the long run. The stories of the slaves were the most interesting narrative about this book. On the whole, I wanted more excitement in terms of storyline and a little more in character development.
Whilst this book wasn’t eventually what I expected or wanted, I’m sure some will enjoy this tale, the setting and the depth it conjures. THE INDIGO GIRL excels in description and painting the landscape. I remain a fan of Natasha Boyd and just wish my review could have been more favourable.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through netgalley, in return for a honest review.
So amazingly told I thought it was historical fiction. I couldn’t believe how much of it was true when I read the epilogue!
Eliza Lucas Pinckney is a well known name in the Carolina Low Country, and it was a real pleasure to read this historical fictionalization about her life and career. She was a brilliant and bold woman who pushed the limits imposed by her time, and Boyd does her justice. Boyd has taken a historical framework and created characters who will stay with me for a long time.