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Carolina Calling
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have been a wealthy, 18th century Aristocratic tobacco farmer in Virginia? Maybe and maybe not. Read more to find out that the farmer was faced with everything from love to bad weather to tobacco worms. A Trip to the Barn When they made it back to the ground, Joseph picked up her skirt and handed it to her. "I wish we had a big pile of hay. I've always wondered how it would be to have a young lady in the barn with a big pile of hay." "Joseph Borden, you're too much!" Carolina gave him a little shove. She walked out of the barn with her skirt in hand. Joseph was behind her, laughing all the way. Like a Bolt of Lightning Joseph stirred in his sleep, as the thunder grew louder and louder. Suddenly he sat straight up in bed. He had heard a loud noise. It shook the windows and jarred the house. His jolt of adrenalin had made him acutely aware that something was not right. He listened intently for an indication of what was amiss. Sensing no immediate danger, he thought he would go downstairs and check everything, so he lit a candle from the coals. Unexpected Weather The rough river water began lapping up over the floor of the raft, and the deck became slippery. It was becoming almost impossible to pole the raft with any accuracy. Lightning sparked the sky and temporarily blinded those who looked. Joseph lashed the tiller so it would not swing about suddenly and cause the raft to careen. The end of lash ropes were whipping wildly in the wind. A Boundry Dispute "No, Sir, as you can see, the property line runs just the other side of our harvesting, and I'd appreciate your not hitting Wren," Carolina responded. This remark, along with the whack on the arm, infuriated Thomas. The very idea of her telling him where the property line was and how to behave. Striking him on the arm didn't hurt but it was demeaning to a man of his position.
302 pages, Paperback
First published July 20, 2010
4 people want to read
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October 3, 2012
Carolina Calling is the first book in a trilogy about the aristocratic Borden family and their plantation life in the South. You will be transported to the tobacco plantations in Virginia and North Carolina when Barbara Dumas Ballew opens the saga with Joseph Borden, the second son of Emily and Leonard Borden as he courts and marries his love, Carolina Matthews. They start lives by starting their own tobacco plantation in Virginia on the land given as a dowry by Carolina’s father.
Joseph and Carolina suffer heartache and hardship in their family life and the life on their plantation. When Joseph’s father is killed in a riding accident all of their lives change as the oldest brother, John returns to the Borden plantation in St. Anne’s Parish to take up the reins of that plantation. After starting the small plantation in Virginia, Joseph and Carolina’s house burns down and they decide to make a life changing move to North Carolina. Go with them as they contend with their troubles and rejoice in their triumphs. Learn how they work to build their plantations and lives.
The story reflects the extensive research into plantation life and the buildings and equipment of the 18th century that Mrs. Ballew did to write this exciting and interesting story. Her descriptions of the layout of the plantation and the lives of the inhabitants are nothing short of extraordinary. You can picture in your mind’s eye how the buildings looked and where they are placed and why. The depiction of the food they ate and the clothing they wore takes you to the era of the big tobacco plantations and the aristocratic life.
“…When Joseph opened the door, he took a deep breath. It was beautiful! The heart-pine floor was shiny and full of character. The white wainscot enhanced the dark green wall covering. Two glass windows were on the front wall of the parlor. The brick fireplace had a white mantle that matched the wainscot, and a row of seven picturesque tiles were inset between the bricks underneath the mantle. There were small glass windows shoulder high on either side of the fireplace.”
Carolina kept calling me until I finished reading it. I had a hard time getting anything else accomplished.
Barbara's hobby is genealogy and after twenty-five years of research, she has written numerous articles for genealogy papers. Additionally, her first published writing was a historic, romantic novel about her ancestors beginning in 1790 entitled George's Creek to Georgia. Once she discovered she had a talent for writing, she has since penned eight additional books and has a ninth at the editors. She and her husband are retired and live in the beautiful Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. They have one son who is in Afghanistan.
Joseph and Carolina suffer heartache and hardship in their family life and the life on their plantation. When Joseph’s father is killed in a riding accident all of their lives change as the oldest brother, John returns to the Borden plantation in St. Anne’s Parish to take up the reins of that plantation. After starting the small plantation in Virginia, Joseph and Carolina’s house burns down and they decide to make a life changing move to North Carolina. Go with them as they contend with their troubles and rejoice in their triumphs. Learn how they work to build their plantations and lives.
The story reflects the extensive research into plantation life and the buildings and equipment of the 18th century that Mrs. Ballew did to write this exciting and interesting story. Her descriptions of the layout of the plantation and the lives of the inhabitants are nothing short of extraordinary. You can picture in your mind’s eye how the buildings looked and where they are placed and why. The depiction of the food they ate and the clothing they wore takes you to the era of the big tobacco plantations and the aristocratic life.
“…When Joseph opened the door, he took a deep breath. It was beautiful! The heart-pine floor was shiny and full of character. The white wainscot enhanced the dark green wall covering. Two glass windows were on the front wall of the parlor. The brick fireplace had a white mantle that matched the wainscot, and a row of seven picturesque tiles were inset between the bricks underneath the mantle. There were small glass windows shoulder high on either side of the fireplace.”
Carolina kept calling me until I finished reading it. I had a hard time getting anything else accomplished.
Barbara's hobby is genealogy and after twenty-five years of research, she has written numerous articles for genealogy papers. Additionally, her first published writing was a historic, romantic novel about her ancestors beginning in 1790 entitled George's Creek to Georgia. Once she discovered she had a talent for writing, she has since penned eight additional books and has a ninth at the editors. She and her husband are retired and live in the beautiful Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. They have one son who is in Afghanistan.
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