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    Trouble the Water: A Novel
    Trouble the Water: A Novel
    Trouble the Water: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    Trouble the Water: A Novel

    Written by Jacqueline Friedland

    Narrated by Kirsten Potter

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Abigail Milton was born into the British middle class, but her family has landed in unthinkable debt. To ease their burdens, Abby's parents send her to America to live off the charity of their old friend, Douglas Elling. When she arrives in Charleston at the age of seventeen, Abigail discovers that the man her parents raved about is a disagreeable widower who wants little to do with her. To her relief, he relegates her care to a governess, leaving her to settle into his enormous estate with little interference. But just as she begins to grow comfortable in her new life, she overhears her benefactor planning the escape of a local slave-and suddenly, everything she thought she knew about Douglas Elling is turned on its head.

    Abby's attempts to learn more about Douglas and his involvement in abolition initiate a circuitous dance of secrets and trust. As Abby and Douglas each attempt to manage their complicated interior lives, listeners can't help but hope that their meandering will lead them straight to each other. Set against the vivid backdrop of Charleston twenty years before the Civil War, Trouble the Water is a captivating tale replete with authentic details about Charleston's aristocratic planter class, American slavery, and the Underground Railroad.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateOct 9, 2018
    ISBN9781541445864
    Author

    Jacqueline Friedland

    Jacqueline Friedland is the USA Today best-selling and multi-award-winning author of He Gets That From Me, That's Not a Thing, and Trouble the Water. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and NYU Law School, she practiced briefly as a commercial litigator in Manhattan and taught Legal Writing and Lawyering Skills at the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law. She returned to school after not too long in the legal world, earning her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College. Jacqueline regularly reviews fiction for trade publications and appears as a guest lecturer. When not writing, she loves to exercise, watch movies with her family, listen to music, make lists, and dream about exotic vacations. She lives in Westchester, New York, with her husband, four children, and two very lovable dogs.

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    Reviews for Trouble the Water

    4/5

    34 ratings10 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Sigh... This novel had so much potential, but I struggled to get through it. I really wrestled with the characterization of the secondary female characters - Gracie and Cora Rae, both of whom felt like two-dimensional clichés. I kept wondering why they didn't have more to do with their lives than to scheme and plot to marry particular men. I would have liked more of the book to have been about Clover, the pregnant woman who escapes slavery with a little help from the hero Douglas, but she mostly disappears midway through. The central romance between Douglas and Abby dominates the plot, but I was more intrigued by Douglas's activities connected to the Underground Railroad and wished more of the story had focused on that. Overall, I found this book a bit disappointing, mostly because I thought the story had the potential to be so much more.
    • 3/5
      Trouble the Water by Jacqueline Friedland is a historical romance that does not sugarcoat the realities of life in pre-Civil War Charleston.

      Abigail "Abby" Milton's family has fallen on hard times and in order to ease their financial burden, she is sent to Charleston to live with family friend, Douglas Elling. Following an arduous and long sea journey, she is dismayed by her benefactor's disheveled appearance and gruff demeanor. Uncertain of what the next year will bring for her, Abby nonetheless settles into life on Douglas's estate and forms a friendship with Gracie Cunningham who lives on a neighboring plantation.  Douglas slowly emerges from his grief and anger from his wife and daughter's tragic death three years earlier but considering her experiences before leaving England, can Abby bring herself to trust these changes?

      Abby is  a prickly young woman who is not overly outspoken despite her independent thinking. She  has good reason to mistrust men but she is quick to jump to conclusions and she is somewhat immature. Abby is smart and capable but she easily conforms to society's expectations of acceptable behavior for women in the time period.

      With freedmen working for him, Douglas is a bit of an aberration in pro-slavery Charleston yet his experiences lead him to carefully adhere to society's rules when dealing with Negroes. After the deaths of his wife and daughter, he retreats from society and he lives a quiet, low-key life.  Douglas remains withdrawn and brusque even after Abby's arrival but he is eventually charmed by his houseguest.

      The relationship between Douglas and Abby follows a very predictable path. Initially wary, after circumstances put them in close contact, their unexpected friendship leads to romance. However, underhanded machinations lead to the obligatory misunderstanding and both Douglas and Abby's reactions to the situation are (unfortunately) exactly as expected.

      Trouble the Water remains true to the time period which adds authenticity to the plot. Jacqueline Friedland's research is absolutely impeccable and her depictions of the slave owners' attitudes toward their slaves is realistic. The storyline also briefly highlights the Underground Railroad as one of the slaves makes the very dangerous journey to freedom.

      An overall enjoyable read despite the slow pacing and clichéd romance.
    • 4/5
      Bought this on a whim and turned out to be worthwhile. It peeks into the pre-Civil War history, slavery, abolitionism, redemption, life renewal, and Charleston society.
    • 5/5
      I thought this was a good read. The story is about a young woman in England living with her family and barely getting by. She works to help support her family and she has an uncle that she works for some but he is abusive to her and she can't tell her family since this uncle helps support her family. Her family decides to send her to America to live with a family friend in the hopes she will be happy. Abigail has trouble trusting men and so goes to Charleston to live but with a "wall" surrounding her.Douglas Elling, the family friend, has his own nightmares. His wife and young daughter were killed when their home was set on fire due to Douglas supposed abolitionist involvement. Two troubled souls. The story deals with slavery, rich plantation owners and the need to marry off their daughters. Romance and misunderstandings with the setting in Charleston, SC.
    • 5/5
      Seventeen-year-old Abigail Milton is sent from England to live with family friend Douglas Elling in Charleston. Abby’s family is struggling financially and they hope that she will benefit from living in an upper-class home. Douglas is a widower who runs a shipping company and his role as an abolitionist has made him a loner in the pre-civil war South. He introduces Abby to a different society full of wealth & debutante balls. Douglas does little to help Abby acclimate to her new surroundings. He delegates her education to a governess who resides at his mansion and avoids her company. Abby finds him unlikable but is appreciative of his home and financial assistance. Her opinion of Douglas quickly changes when she overhears a private conversation. She learns that he is secretly working to help slaves escape to the North. Abby makes a bigger attempt to involve herself in Douglas’ life after discovering that they share similar beliefs and morals.This is a debut novel by Jacqueline Friedland. Trouble The Water is a wonderful historical fiction read with an interesting assortment of characters. I applaud the amount of research invested in this novel which helps brings readers back in time.
    • 4/5
      Douglas Elling has been secretly helping to do what he can to halt the slave trade in his adopted home town of Charleston, S.C. He thinks he can walk a fine line with his neighbors but soon learns that it’s not as easy a thing to do as he first thought and he pays a heavy price for his abolition work. His life changes and so does he but his life will soon change again when the daughter of a childhood friend comes to stay with him.Abby was sent away from England by her parents. Her family has fallen on hard times. She has been working long hours, taking care of her siblings. Her temperament is changing and it worries her father so he has turned to his old friend for help. Abby is not happy about the exile but she cannot disobey.Her arrival in America and first meeting with her new guardian is less than auspicious. He basically hands her off to a governess and ignores her. Until she is injured and he realizes he’s been well, an ass. After that point they start to slowly connect. But forces conspire to keep them apart.This was a intriguing take on a romance novel to be sure. The familiar themes are there but surrounded by a very serious issue – slavery. The inclusion of that makes the tale rise above the typical boy meets girl tale. The story shows a little of the arrogance of slave owners and their thoughts on “their people” without getting too graphic. The side plot of a trip on the Underground Railroad was a thrilling part of the novel and I would have loved more of it.Ms. Friedland knows how to set a scene and do it well. As a reader you feel like you are there with the characters whether there is at a coming out ball at a Charleston plantation or a slave running in fear from that same place. It’s a real skill for an author to bring her reader into time and place like that and I always appreciate the ones that do it well.No matter the dark underpinnings this is a love story at its heart and that aspect follows the expected path of the romance novel; boy meets girl. boy and girl hate each other, boy and girl realize they love each other, boy does something stupid, blah blah – you know the routine. I will say that Trouble the Water rises above the routine even in this aspect as the characters are more than caricatures for the most part and the plot is entertaining.
    • 5/5
      Most of this book takes place in the 1840’s in Charleston South Carolina and we meet slavery head on, but there are so many other stories going on here, a bit of romance, unrequited love, jealousy, abuse, and more.The author has given us a man who has suffered greatly from the hate of others, and we find him rebounding back to life, and then it seems to be snatched away from him.There is also a young woman who is sent to live from England to an unknown place in South Carolina, she goes away from her family in hopes that life will be easier for them, but there is another reason she leaves.You will need tissues handy when you get to the epilogue, has a happy, but very sad ending. This is a compelling page-turner, and you won’t be able to leave it until you have all of the answers.I received this book through the Publisher SparkPress, and was not required to give a positive review.
    • 5/5
      This well researched historical fiction novel is a debut for the author. She did a fantastic job of creating very real characters in the historical setting of Charleston, SC, twenty years before the civil war. Abigail was born into the middle class in England but when her family fell on hard times they decided to send her to Charleston to live with an old friend Douglas. Because she was only 17, Douglas had hired a governess to teach her in both book learning and how to be a proper young lady in Charleston society. Abigail quickly learns that Douglas is a disheveled very unlikable man who hadn't gotten over the death of his wife and daughters two years earlier. She kept her distance from him until she overheard a conversation about helping a slave escape to the north. Once she learned that they had the same opinion about slavery, their relationship improves and we begin to hope for happiness for both of them.The author did considerable research on the South before the Civil War with her information about slavery, the Underground Railroad and the Abolitionists. This was a fantastic historical fiction and I highly recommend it.Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
    • 5/5
      Kudos to Jacqueline Friedland , Author of “Trouble the Water” for writing such an intriguing, intense, captivating, and riveting novel. I love the vivid descriptions of the times, the landscape and colorful cast of characters. The Genres for this novel are Historical Fiction, Fiction, with an essence of Romantic Adventure. The timeline for the story is about twenty years before the Civil War, taking place in Charleston, and England. The story centers around the time of American Slavery, the early Abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad.The author describes her characters as complicated and complex. Douglas Elling is a wealthy British, serious, and aloof widower, now residing in Charleston. His wife and young daughter perished in a fire that is suspect as retribution against Douglas for his beliefs. Douglas lives in a mansion with lots of space.Abigail Milton is seventeen years old, living in England,and her once middle class parents are now in poverty. Her parents send Abigal to live at Douglas’ house and work with a governess . Abigail’s father is friends with Douglas. The parents are hoping that Abigal will benefit, and they can recover their losses.Both Abigail and Douglas come from England, and aren’t familiar with slavery. The wealthy neighbors have slaves and don’t treat them well. The wealthy in Charleston are having parties and balls. Abigail has left secrets and betrayals behind and is having difficulty showing trust. She is having a difficult time adjusting to the new way of life. The author has a wonderful way of describing the homes and fashion of the times.There are twists and turns and some tense dangerous events. There is deception and lies. In Charleston, for those people who feel that there should be freedom, there can be devastating consequences. I recommend this wonderful novel for those readers who appreciate Historical Fiction.
    • 3/5
      A young English woman lands on Charleston’s docks after a three month sea journey looking for the benefactor who had offered a year of protection. When she finds herself alone for hours waiting for her escort she is determined to find her way to the offices of this benefactor. and comes upon a scene that is troubling and unexplained. Douglas Elling, owner of Elling Exports and a large inherited estate is to be Abigail Milton’s guardian for a year commencing sometime in 1845. The setting remains in Charleston for much of the book and there is more than adequate description of southern society and the differentiation between races. It is at its core a love story with a few twists but ultimately an inordinate amount of handwringing and mental haranguing. The writing was admirable but the repetitiveness of the mental anxiety was exhausting. Had I realized the depth of description of the pre civil war Charleston setting I probably would have passed on this book. The descriptions of the slavers and treatment of the slaves was revolting but all too realistic.Thank you NetGalley and SparkPress for an ARC