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kamin8882's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
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
5.0
What a beautiful ending to an amazing trilogy. Being the last book of the "Lilac Girls" Trilogy, I have to say this one was probably my favorite. I am so used to reading historical fiction based on WWII or in Europe, but this was such a beautiful story told during the Civil War from the POV of Caroline Ferriday's ancestor Georgiana, or Georgey, Jemma- a slave in Maryland on a tobacco farm, and her owner Anne May. Martha Hall Kelly really does such an amazing job with her characters and I loved most and really hated others, which was a perfect combination.
Georgey Woolsey is part of the family of very strong women, with 6 sisters and a little brother who do everything they can to help with the war and to help everyone, including the slaves they encounter. Georgey is a very strong willed woman and wants to be a nurse and open a women's training hospital, which is highly looked down upon during these times. But she is not giving up and will do anything she can. Her family is just as passionate about helping in anyway they can and I love it.
Jemma is owned by Anne May on a tobacco plantation with her family. She goes through so much, getting beaten, watching horrible things happen to the ones she loves, while also dealing with pain herself. Finally she gets the chance to get free and gets mistaken as a boy and "taken" up in the army, to fight for the Union. This is where she meets Georgey and her mother, and they help her get on her feet and become even stronger than she was before.
Ann May is the WORST!! She is the inheritor of the Peeler plantation and treats her slaves HORRIBLY!! She also is just snobby and the worst kind of character, who you definitely won't have any problem hating. She becomes invested with a man who is not her husband, selling secrets to the enemy against the Union. She made the mistake of having Jemma write it all down for her (since she can't write) and panics when Jemma is gone and she can't find this book. She goes through all the hoops to get Jemma back and hide her secrets, even if they will hurt everyone in her path.
This book was beautifully written and I loved all the different POV and how they all intertwine eventually. This is was slightly different than the other two books in the series as there was not a dual timeline going on here. I loved all the relationships in this book, being romantic or friendships. It was sooo good!! It definitely is a long one, but so worth it. The narrators were great..really bringing to life the characters and making you really feel them with you. What made it even more beautiful, it that it is based off a true story-- these beautiful strong Woolsey Sisters really did exist and were extraordinary women. I would definitely recommend reading this book, along with Lilac Girls and Lost Roses.
Thank you to Netgalley, Martha Hall Kelly and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC copy of Sunflower Sisters.
Georgey Woolsey is part of the family of very strong women, with 6 sisters and a little brother who do everything they can to help with the war and to help everyone, including the slaves they encounter. Georgey is a very strong willed woman and wants to be a nurse and open a women's training hospital, which is highly looked down upon during these times. But she is not giving up and will do anything she can. Her family is just as passionate about helping in anyway they can and I love it.
Jemma is owned by Anne May on a tobacco plantation with her family. She goes through so much, getting beaten, watching horrible things happen to the ones she loves, while also dealing with pain herself. Finally she gets the chance to get free and gets mistaken as a boy and "taken" up in the army, to fight for the Union. This is where she meets Georgey and her mother, and they help her get on her feet and become even stronger than she was before.
Ann May is the WORST!! She is the inheritor of the Peeler plantation and treats her slaves HORRIBLY!! She also is just snobby and the worst kind of character, who you definitely won't have any problem hating. She becomes invested with a man who is not her husband, selling secrets to the enemy against the Union. She made the mistake of having Jemma write it all down for her (since she can't write) and panics when Jemma is gone and she can't find this book. She goes through all the hoops to get Jemma back and hide her secrets, even if they will hurt everyone in her path.
This book was beautifully written and I loved all the different POV and how they all intertwine eventually. This is was slightly different than the other two books in the series as there was not a dual timeline going on here. I loved all the relationships in this book, being romantic or friendships. It was sooo good!! It definitely is a long one, but so worth it. The narrators were great..really bringing to life the characters and making you really feel them with you. What made it even more beautiful, it that it is based off a true story-- these beautiful strong Woolsey Sisters really did exist and were extraordinary women. I would definitely recommend reading this book, along with Lilac Girls and Lost Roses.
Thank you to Netgalley, Martha Hall Kelly and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC copy of Sunflower Sisters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Violence
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