Deirdre Sinnott

An ARC copy from the publisher in exchange for a review. Historical fiction, set in 1835 Utica New York, before and during the convention to found the New York State Anti-Slavery Society. Newlywed Helen discovers runaway slaves in her garden shed. She waffles between turning them over to the authorities or helping them. Also in the mix is free black housekeeper/cook Maggie who stayed on with Mr Galway after her emancipation because she loved him and couldn't imagine herself anywhere else. Lots of action, as the slavers are bent on getting to the runaways, and Maggie with help from Helen, is bound to keep them safe. If you want more about the American Recolonization Society from the Liberia point of view, read The Darlin by Russell Banks.… (mere)

I often find it difficult to read historical fiction books dealing with slavery due to my family being descended from enslaved people. However, this was an honest look at slavery, the realities of abolition, and racism. Great integration of historical facts. I found this to be an intriguing read but it did drag in a few places when the author went down various historical rabbit holes. Not an easy read, by any stretch of the imagination, but one that captivates the sentiments of the time and place.… (mere)

Sinnott's history background shows in the way she integrates historic events into the tale, and her talent shows in how easily they fit. I especially liked her section of Helen's first view through a telescope at the comet---disappointmet at how dull it was, having expected a "fiery tail". A well crafted book in which many chapters end with a cliffhanger just when you thought the problems would be solved. There are many small details which make the story come alive, from the stench of the canal water that Pryce Anwell falls into, to the songs played by a street minstrel, to the desciption of the bullets being removed from Imari.
Sometimes Helen was just too timid, and sometimes McCooke was too much of a caricature of a schemer, but our involvement in the outcome of Imari, Elymas, Joe, and the baby-on-the-way overcame those defects.… (mere)

The Third Mrs Galway is a fictional account of the anti-abolitionist riots in Utica New York and the role the city played in the Underground Railroad/abolitionist movement in central New York. Historical fiction is almost always a mixed bag for me and this is no exception; there are facts and dialogue that feels shoehorned in but a story that has some genuinely exciting moments. A young woman, newly married, finds herself in the middle of a runaway enslaved family, a predatory doctor, addiction and a flirtation. It's a lot. But well told about and about a part of the world I've always found interesting.

Thanks to the Early Reviewers program for a chance to be reminded that American history has always been bloody.… (mere)