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triscuit807's review
3.0
2.5-3 stars. The story was pleasant, the characters were interesting, the different cultures were interesting, but very little happens in spite of Meggy travelling from Edinburgh to the N. Carolina colony. Meggy is the orphan daughter of a minor Highland laird who fought for Bonnie Prince Charlie. She becomes the unnoticed ward of an aunt & uncle (in lowland Edinburgh) and sometime confidante to her beautiful cousin Veronica. When that girl makes a thoughtless decision to accompany one of her beaus to the Colonies, Meggy takes her place - much to the young man's surprise. Meggy's ultimate goal is meet her heroine Flora (Flory) MacDonald, who had helped the prince escape from Scotland and who had been exiled to the colonies, I found the description of the ship journey interesting, specifically the conditions in the hold where various Highland families had booked passage - as dreadful as that was, how much more dreadful would a slaver be? Many of those Highlanders were destined to be indentured servants, selling themselves for a number of years to pay for their passage (Meggy ends up buying the indenture of one of those young women). Also this is set in the Carolinas where slavery was normal and the book was published in 1930. Of course, it's racist. The slaves are depicted as happy, lazy, and dishonest, and one young boy is described as a "black monkey". After an initial reaction of not wanting to be touched by someone so black, it's somewhat amazing how quickly Meggy adapts to having such servants. Meggy is everyone's friend, whether tutor/governess, planter, or Highlander, and is freely hosted wherever she goes, and this is the most unrealistic thing about the book. I read this for my 2018 Reading Challenge and for my Newbery Challenge (Honor Book 1931).
scaifea's review
4.0
Meggy is a young orphan living with her aunt, uncle and cousin in Edinburgh, feeling unwanted, lonely and restless, until a random opportunity to jump a ship to North Carolina gives her the chance at a new life, even if it is amidst colonies on the brink of war with England.
A nice little read, with a strong female lead who had me rooting for her from the start.
A nice little read, with a strong female lead who had me rooting for her from the start.
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