"Listen carefully. Never be ashamed of our cause. I wish that my funeral attendants not be any of these policing Pharisees but the barefoot and impoverished slave children of Virginia. Hold them close to you, my dears. Be their angels. The abolishment of slavery does not end with me. You must carry on. I have given this same revelation to your living brothers by letter. You girls, Ruth, and little Ellen are the mothers of the next generation, which I pray will know no nation that places shackles on another man and stands on his back.....Promise me, daughters."
-John Brown at the time of his execution, from the novel
A friend loaned me this book, knowing my love for historical fiction. It was an uncorrected proof which may have had something to do with my lack of enjoyment at first. By the middle of the novel I was more involved with the characters and ended up appreciating the story. I will rate it 3.5.
Sarah Brown is the daughter of John Brown, the abolitionist martyr of Harper's Ferry fame. She is a talented artist who discovers she can use her skills to make escape maps to help in the efforts of the Underground Railroad (UGRR).
Alternating with Sarah's story (1859) is that of Eden Anderson who, along with husband Jack, has just moved into an historic house in New Charlestown, WV in 2014.They soon make a few discoveries, like a secret space and a doll's head, that lead them to the conclusion that the home was a station on the UGRR.
The connection of Sarah and Eden seemed predictable but it was actually more intricate than I had thought. The reader really doesn't know all the who's who and what's what until near the end.
One of my favorite characters is Chloe, the dog "nanny." She is an 11-year-old going on 30---very perceptive for her age. I taught kids of that age for many years so I was impressed by her intelligence and maturity.
Recently I heard of a novel called Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks which apparently involves the story of John Brown as remembered by his son. Sounds like the perfect companion book for this one! I'm putting it on my longggg to-read list.
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