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A review by jessicafacchinigould
Property by Valerie Martin
5.0
I had to read Property for my Perspectives on Politics course and it was shockingly good. It's the kind of novel that stays with you and makes you think about how times really were back when slavery was so common.
Manon Gaudet is married to a sexually sadistic sugar plantation owner who rapes his slaves. One of his slaves, Sarah, had his baby shortly before he married Manon. From the beginning, the marriage was full of tension and animosity. Manon quite frankly hates her husband and was never attracted to him to begin with. Manon's animosity is so intense to the point where her husband was never actually named in the novel. Manon is the narrator, so the whole novel has a very selfish, careless point of view. Manon barely cares about her slaves and knows nothing about them. Delphine, another indoor slave, barely is known about throughout the novel, she just appeared. Although Manon is self-centered and spoiled, you really have to feel for her struggles. She has to live every day seeing a child in her home which was the product of rape due to her husband.
Property is a fast-paced, beautifully written novel. It may be set in a different period of time, but it certainly isn't a dry read.
Manon Gaudet is married to a sexually sadistic sugar plantation owner who rapes his slaves. One of his slaves, Sarah, had his baby shortly before he married Manon. From the beginning, the marriage was full of tension and animosity. Manon quite frankly hates her husband and was never attracted to him to begin with. Manon's animosity is so intense to the point where her husband was never actually named in the novel. Manon is the narrator, so the whole novel has a very selfish, careless point of view. Manon barely cares about her slaves and knows nothing about them. Delphine, another indoor slave, barely is known about throughout the novel, she just appeared. Although Manon is self-centered and spoiled, you really have to feel for her struggles. She has to live every day seeing a child in her home which was the product of rape due to her husband.
Property is a fast-paced, beautifully written novel. It may be set in a different period of time, but it certainly isn't a dry read.