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The Abolitionist's Daughter
The Abolitionist's Daughter
The Abolitionist's Daughter
Audiobook9 hours

The Abolitionist's Daughter

Written by Diane C. McPhail

Narrated by Kirsten Potter

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

On a Mississippi morning in 1859, Emily Matthews begs her father to save a slave, Nathan, about to be auctioned away from his family. Judge Matthews is an abolitionist who runs an illegal school for his slaves, hoping to eventually set them free. One, a woman named Ginny, has become Emily's companion and often her conscience-and understands all too well the hazards an educated slave must face. Yet even Ginny could not predict the tangled, tragic string of events set in motion as Nathan's family arrives at the Matthews farm.

A young doctor, Charles Slate, tends to injured Nathan and begins to court Emily, finally persuading her to become his wife. But their union is disrupted by a fatal clash and a lie that will tear two families apart. As Civil War erupts, Emily, Ginny, and Emily's stoic mother-in-law, Adeline, each face devastating losses. Emily-sheltered all her life-is especially unprepared for the hardships to come. Struggling to survive in this raw, shifting new world, Emily will discover untapped inner strength, an unlikely love, and the courage to confront deep, painful truths.

In the tradition of Cold Mountain, The Abolitionist's Daughter eschews stereotypes of the Civil War South, instead weaving an intricate and unforgettable story of survival, loyalty, hope, and redemption.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 30, 2019
ISBN9781684417834

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Reviews for The Abolitionist's Daughter

Rating: 3.968749975 out of 5 stars
4/5

16 ratings4 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Emily Matthews grew up in Mississippi in the 1850's.  Her father, the town Judge is an abolitionist.  Judge Matthews owns slaves and teaches the children alongside his own.  One of the slaves, Ginny has grown up raising Emily after her mother's death. Recently, at Emily's insistence Judge Matthews bought a family that was going to be broken up at auction. Nathan arrived with a broken arm, prompting Judge Matthews to call the town doctor, Charles Slate.  After the visit, Charles takes a liking to Emily and asks for her hand in marriage.  As their relationship progresses, so do tensions in the Slate and Matthews families as well as between the North and South.  Emily, Ginny and Emily's mother-in-law, Adeline forge out new relationships during the war as the forge out a new way to survive.The Abolitionist's Daughter dives into the complex relationships between slaves, slave owners and families during the Civil War.  Most of the story focuses on Emily's choices and changing views and not much on abolition.  I felt like the most important character was Ginny, the unyielding logic and knowledge of the fragility of her situation that she constantly imparts upon Emily is a beacon of light in Emily's times of darkness and uncertainty.  Although Emily was not part of any abolitionists movement, her willingness to learn about her slave's experiences and fears combined with her small actions of defiance ultimately made a difference in their lives. Most of the plot was focuses on familial drama and the role of choice within our lives.  Within this, highlighting the strength of the women left behind finding their ability to make decisions on their own and create change.  Emily's story was heartfelt and well written with wonderful characters showing a different side of the South during the Civil War. This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Emily Matthews, the only daughter of an abolitionist judge, has been sheltered her entire life. When a young doctor, Charles Slate, comes courting, she is delighted. Marriage, however, brings realizations she never expected, and as war threatens, Emily is forced to find a strength she didn't know she had within her.When I began reading this, I thought there would be more about abolitionist at the time. We are told her father has raised her with the same convictions, that he has an illegal school to teach his slaves, but we never see it. And in her courtship of Charles, those convictions are not important enough for Emily to make sure the man shares them.The main problem I had was that there seemed to be a lack of focus. There were so many characters, who would appear and then disappear, only to reappear later to confuse me. Had the story remained with Emily, Ginny, and Adeline, the story would have been stronger. I also felt like the feelings expressed had a very 2019 opinion behind them.It was an easy read, even with the dark tones. Also, there were a couple of sex scenes, though not overly detailed.I received a free copy from NetGalley for reviewing purposes.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This story begins prior to the beginning of the Civil War, and our locations is deep in Mississippi, and we are living with slave owners, but, and that is a big but, they have drawn up the manumission papers for all, but the government said they weren’t allowed to free these people.This is a story about family, but it includes those that are not related by blood or marriage, you sure could feel the love here.I questioned the actions of Emily’s husband, but keep reading, all is not as appears, and yet, maybe there is more to his actions than I want to read into them.I did find myself gasping when some of the bombshells hit, no way I saw them coming, and coming they did right up to the end!Life was not easy here for anyone, and some people just keep making them harder and harder.I did find myself page turning for answers, but never expected the surprises that continued to happen!I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Kensington Books, and was not required to give a positive review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I am torn about how to rate this book. It was very engaging and kept my interest and some of the feelings expressed by the characters like the joy of seeing things grow have been my own experience. But I would have liked a section of the book devoted to the history of abolitionists in the outh. I have several ancestors who were active in the Underground Railroad, along with those who fought on both sides but I wonder how did the author research this subject. Did she use diaries, or what original sources was she able to find? There is plenty of information on the lives of slaves written by themselves. I have read that there were many abolition groups before the war but what happened to them? I would like to know more about the author's sources. How did she build a story for her book. The treatment of slaves seems accurate and it was good that this book reflects that some slave owners were much worse than others. I wonder how many of the owners had personally written letters of emancipation prior to the war as in this book. This book opens up so many questions for me. But how can the answers be found?I received a finished received copy of this book from the Publisher as a win from FirstReads but that in no way made a difference in my thoughts or feelings in this review.