Lizzie is an enslaved woman who belongs to a Tennessee master named Drayle, and who also has his children. Each summer, he takes her to Tawawa House, a real Ohio resort where Southern men bring their enslaved mistresses. There, Lizzie meets three other women in similar positions, each with a different relationship to her owner. When Lizzie gets a chance at freedom in the free state of Ohio, she has to choose between staying with her children and leaving. Dolen Perkins-Valdez builds the novel on the history of Tawawa House and uses the four women's friendships to show the pressures of slavery.
It suits readers of historical fiction about slavery, and anyone interested in the lives of women in antebellum America. It offers plenty to talk over with a friend or a reading group once you reach the last page.
Inward-looking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2010
- Language
- EN
