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One of the strongest parts of this book that stood out for me was the depth and breadth of the characters, particularly the women. This novel is a fictional depiction of the author’s own family tree for six generations exclusively through the female line with one exception: her grandfather. The personalities and portrayals of all the people throughout this novel are so real that it felt like I personally knew each one of them. I could picture each one like a finely detailed pen and ink portrait that is then filled in with watercolour shadings applied with a thin brush.
I was also deeply impressed by the honesty of these depictions. There is no candy-coating of flaws or quirks of personality – these are all layered generously on the portraits. Underlying the surface and the day-to-day interactions, are the qualities that are passed down through each generation like a family legacy: inner strength, the ability to endure and persevere, respect for others – especially their elders – and above all, dignity.
Yes, the earlier generations were slaves and forced into humility when serving their masters, yet they did so with dignity. Some people in this family were bought and sold, females were subjected to being used sexually by their masters, yet dignity remained. Largely, this seemed to come about because no matter what – no matter who the fathers were - each child born became part of the women’s family. They were loved, cared for, and taught to uphold the family values.
There were also separations and illnesses and conflicts and deaths. Through these six generations, there were wars and there were gains and losses. There were times of freedom, yet in the Louisiana of the day, that freedom came at great cost, too, and that freedom only went so far.
This family saga, based on hundreds of documents and years of research, carried me on a journey to a place and a time that feels so much more familiar to me than it ever did before. Through the stories of this family, I was able to live a part of history and come away inspired by the courage and determination they utilized to move them through some of the hardest years of those times past.
I am grateful, and I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys reading historical family sagas. I also look forward to reading more of Lalita Tademy’s novels.
I was also deeply impressed by the honesty of these depictions. There is no candy-coating of flaws or quirks of personality – these are all layered generously on the portraits. Underlying the surface and the day-to-day interactions, are the qualities that are passed down through each generation like a family legacy: inner strength, the ability to endure and persevere, respect for others – especially their elders – and above all, dignity.
Yes, the earlier generations were slaves and forced into humility when serving their masters, yet they did so with dignity. Some people in this family were bought and sold, females were subjected to being used sexually by their masters, yet dignity remained. Largely, this seemed to come about because no matter what – no matter who the fathers were - each child born became part of the women’s family. They were loved, cared for, and taught to uphold the family values.
There were also separations and illnesses and conflicts and deaths. Through these six generations, there were wars and there were gains and losses. There were times of freedom, yet in the Louisiana of the day, that freedom came at great cost, too, and that freedom only went so far.
This family saga, based on hundreds of documents and years of research, carried me on a journey to a place and a time that feels so much more familiar to me than it ever did before. Through the stories of this family, I was able to live a part of history and come away inspired by the courage and determination they utilized to move them through some of the hardest years of those times past.
I am grateful, and I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys reading historical family sagas. I also look forward to reading more of Lalita Tademy’s novels.
