Reviews

Daughters of Nantucket by Julie Gerstenblatt

rochelleweinstein's review against another edition

5.0

The days leading up to the Great Fire of 1846 find three extraordinary women fighting individual battles. Meg, Eliza, and Maria struggle with identity, equality, and forbidden love, and when the fire descends upon their beloved island, they are thrown together, left with hard-hitting decisions: what to save and what to let go. Tragedy can change the course of anyone's life. It can also teach one to prioritize. As this trio withstands the flames, they uncover truths about each other, and themselves, valuable lessons extending way beyond the material. Gerstenblatt writes a gorgeous novel rich with history and memorable characters, and while this tiny nugget of history spans over the course of a few days, the story packs a powerful punch. Loved! TY to Get Red PR for sharing an advance copy.

christinavarela's review against another edition

3.0

Audiobook. Interesting history. Once again all the limitations of being a woman in the 1800’s, especially a Black woman.

lisafrancine's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

lupalionessa's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was such a quick and engrossing read. This author does a great job at juggling three POVs in storylines that are different enough to be interesting in their own ways but similar thematically (love, identity, and agency) that it was a largely tight and cohesive narrative.

A couple chapters in, I was distracted by some of the reviews of this book. Frankly, most of them are a bit high and mighty, some bordering on uninformed. Covering race politics and queer relationships is not woke and were distinct issues of the times, albeit not as widely and outwardly discussed. I do agree that some of the dialogue is a bit modern and melodramatic but nothing that was overtly distracting to me.

For a bit I was worried the ending was going to be tied up too neatly but it ends just how it needs to - with Hope.

Pros: Author has clearly put in a lot of love and research to this time period and event. Love a queer romance. Love how infuriating yet pitiable Eliza was.  Topics of race were handled carefully and realistically.

Cons: Some silly dialogue a bit out of place. Some plot beats felt rushed while others felt unnecessarily elaborated on. 

Verdict: Read it, I liked it. It won’t change your life but it will entertain and educate you. Also, read the Authors Note so you can see how much homework this author did. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Sexual content, Infidelity, and Racism

Historically accurate racist micro aggressions

karenreads1000s's review against another edition

3.0

Tragic story. Amazing more people did not die in the fire. Reminder that living remotely can be dangerous! The abolitionist sections were upsetting. I did not know these things about the Quakers either. Eliza is a terrible character, but needed to get the point across, I guess.
Joseph Allen was probably my favorite character.

martasbooktherapy's review against another edition

4.0

Nantucket just lends itself to being a magical setting. Going back in time to the whaling days, Gerstenblatt takes readers on a wild ride of what it meant to be present on the island during some of its biggest tragedies amongst its heyday.

Eliza Macy is struggling to keep her children fed and clothed even though she's married to a wealthy sea captain. His current voyage is lasting longer than expected with serious financial consequences to the family he leaves behind each time. Other strong women living on the island have lives that weave in and out of Eliza's orbit, and they all find themselves entangled when faced with the massive tragedy of a major fire on an island jam-packed with wooden buildings.

Full of the tales of struggle and triumph and the power of coming together, Daughters of Nantucket is bright, clear historical fiction with a focus on the women behind the stories.

gtsheedy's review against another edition

fast-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

3.75

dorigray's review against another edition

Can’t go on, it isn’t capturing my interest and reading it feels like a chore. DNF

mikaylaslibrary's review against another edition

4.0

A little slow, but a great story.  Super interesting, and covers a lesser known part of history that is so interesting.

jessicasilfenroy's review against another edition

4.0

Daughters of Nantucket is a historical fiction story set against Nantucket’s Great Fire of 1864. It follows three women and the challenges they faced leading up to the fire, during the disaster and immediately after. While each of them live different lives (Eliza Macy- whaling captain’s wife, Meg Wright- free black business owner, Maria Mitchel- successful astronomer/ librarian) their stories intersect in a way that shows the true inner strength of women during that time period.

If anyone has ever visited Nantucket before or loves reading about stories set on the island, this book is a must. It was well-researched, compelling, atmospheric and perfectly paced, never feeling too long despite being 400+ pages. I particularly enjoyed how the book went into issues of race, education, religion and equality on the island, which taught me a lot. I also liked how the ending didn't neatly tie up all loose ends, making the story feel more realistic.

Read if you like:
-US Historical Fiction
-Female centered stories
-Alternating POVs
-LGBTQ+ rep
-Nantucket setting

Thank you GetRed PR and HTP for the ARC. Pub date 3/14/23