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A review by emma_behrens_
Iola Leroy: Or, Shadows Uplifted by Frances E.W. Harper
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I read Iola Leroy for an undergraduate course I'm taking on nineteenth-century literature, and I must say, it was the most engaging book on our syllabus thus far.
The novel follows the titular Iola from childhood to adulthood alongside a vibrant cast of characters. The daughter of a plantation owner and a mixed-race freed slave, Iola grew up thinking that she was white, even claiming in the novel's twelfth chapter, "Slavery can't be wrong." However, her tune changes when upon her father's death, a conniving relative sells Iola and her mother into slavery. While Iola is the novel's chief protagonist, the narrative follows a number of lead characters before, during, and after the Civil War. Its heavy reliance on dialogue and short, somewhat-punchy chapters keep the narrative moving at a rather fast pace, at least in comparison to other nineteenth century pieces. The text delves deep into the themes of racism, religion, temperance, and similar late-nineteenth-century American political issues, all while remaining rather optimistic.
While on the whole I found the prose very engaging, there were a handful of moments in the piece that really threw me. As readers learn in the Broadview edition's wonderfully informative introduction, Harper was an abolitionist orator long before she was a novelist, and there are times when her narrative devolves into lectures on morality that (at least to me) take readers out of the story. All in all though, Iola Leroy is a fantastic read, informative and inspiring.
The novel follows the titular Iola from childhood to adulthood alongside a vibrant cast of characters. The daughter of a plantation owner and a mixed-race freed slave, Iola grew up thinking that she was white, even claiming in the novel's twelfth chapter, "Slavery can't be wrong." However, her tune changes when upon her father's death, a conniving relative sells Iola and her mother into slavery. While Iola is the novel's chief protagonist, the narrative follows a number of lead characters before, during, and after the Civil War. Its heavy reliance on dialogue and short, somewhat-punchy chapters keep the narrative moving at a rather fast pace, at least in comparison to other nineteenth century pieces. The text delves deep into the themes of racism, religion, temperance, and similar late-nineteenth-century American political issues, all while remaining rather optimistic.
While on the whole I found the prose very engaging, there were a handful of moments in the piece that really threw me. As readers learn in the Broadview edition's wonderfully informative introduction, Harper was an abolitionist orator long before she was a novelist, and there are times when her narrative devolves into lectures on morality that (at least to me) take readers out of the story. All in all though, Iola Leroy is a fantastic read, informative and inspiring.