Reviews

When I was younger, I used to have these amazing dreams of living on a big plantation and rolling down the green hills. Maybe a little far off of reality, but it has always sparked my interest in plantation life. Yes, my reality was a bit skewed in my happy little bubble of suburbia... Truly, as a child, I never imagined anything more than the hill and the big white house. (Maybe some iced tea and a big 'ol hat?)

Kathleen Grissom cleverly pointed out to my imagination, the other side of plantation life. She focuses her novel on the servants and their relationships with those in "the big house." Her storylines take you from times that you want to cheer to times that you want to personally take out some of the nasty characters yourself!

I have to say, as much as I HATED the character of Marshall, Grissom did an incredible job with him. He is a truly evil person and it's through her descriptions of his unspeakable deeds do you really, really want to get rid of him. Truly well written...

You can't help but fall in love with the other characters. All of them. There's enough of a twinge of reality thrown in to remind you of the injustice that took place during this time (approximately 1800) with slave trading. I'm reminded of truly how far we've come in this world.

Wonderful, wonderful read (or listen - I read via audiobook). More like a 4.5 star book, instead of a 4.

gnomeo's review

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

This was appallingly predicted. Stereotypical of the interpretation of thesituation during the time of slavery into sentimental pap. I picked this book up in error. If you want to know about black history, this historical fiction will not give it to you. Of course, lovely happy ending for the black slaves and ‘effectively’ whites burned at the stake.

Content Warnings

jmcowling's review

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3.0

I should have just re read Gone With the Wind. The end if this story was so rushed and unsatisfying.

hlflosser's review

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4.0

To be honest I almost DNF this book because of the anxiety it gave me in the beginning. I am glad that I kept with the story as I fell in love with the author’s writing and the characters. It is similar to other books set in this historical setting but I love to always hear of good findings in the end. I did cry and not all ended happy but that is true to real life.

readingonmountains's review

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4.0

This was a difficult book for me to read, though it was very well written. The slavery, rape, domestic violence all contributing to a difficult read. I found myself sickened, uncomfortable & angry many times throughout the book.

I loved reading about the main characters Lavinia & Belle and their unbreakable family bond.

nichughes's review against another edition

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3.0

I did actually enjoy much of this book and stayed up to finish because I wanted to see what happened to the characters. Reading the author’s note and learning a lot of the circumstances/drama were pulled from historical accounts is appalling. But it felt like a soap opera in the pacing. And there were too many times the plot hinged on very overt misconceptions or lack of communication. Lots of pivotal points that seemed glossed over for too long or things ignored because an antagonist was away or didn’t say them directly… a lot of unrealistic turns of events happen throughout because of one sentence left unspoken many times. It felt like a horrific Hallmark movie at times.

jcaballero0725's review

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5.0

I couldn't imagine anyone reading this without a tear or many in their eyes. The author's storyline invoked so many feelings of pure sadness. It's not a book is rainbows and butterflies but I couldn't stop turning the pages! Amazing book

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