De vrije negerin Elisabeth

by Cynthia McLeod

De naam van Elisabeth Samson komt voor in grote historische werken over Suriname, omdat zij in 1764 wilde trouwen met een blanke man en hiervoor geen toestemming kreeg van het koloniaal bestuur. Wat jammer dat ze alleen om dit feit in de geschiedenisboeken genoemd wordt, terwijl ze veel andere belangwekkender zaken verricht heeft. Na een twaalf jaar durend, zeer intensief archievenonderzoek doet Cynthia Mc Leod uit de doeken welk een markante persoonlijkheid Elisabeth Samson geweest moet zijn. Mede daardoor is het Elisabeth gelukt op eigen kracht uit te groeien tot de rijkste vrouw van Suriname in het midden van de achttiende eeuw. Deze periode, die de Gouden Eeuw van Suriname genoemd wordt, werd de piek van de driehonderjarige slavernij. Negers werden uit Afrika gehaald, volgens de Bijbel waren ze voorbestemd slaven te zijn; ze hadden geen rechten, aangezien ze volgens blanke suprematie wel fysieke kracht, maar zeker geen intellect of gevoelens zouden hebben.
Hoe de vrije negerin Elisabeth zich heeft kunnen handhaven in die tegenstrijdige Surinaamse koloniale maatschappij, hoe ze heeft zaken kunnen doen ondanks haar kleur en wat ze daarbij gevoeld en gedacht moet hebben, is het onderwerp van deze boeiende roman.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Historical, Africa

508 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

McLeod was born in Paramaribo as Cynthia Ferrier; she is the daughter of Johan Ferrier, the first President of Suriname, and the sister of author Leo Henri Ferrier.

She completed her secondary school education in Suriname and continued her education in the Netherlands, where she studied to become a teacher in Child Care and Education. She married Dr. Donald McLeod whom she met in the Netherlands. In 1962 they went to Suriname, where McLeod studied for a teaching degree in Dutch Language and Dutch Literature. From 1969 to 1978 she taught Dutch Language and Literature in pre-university education in Paramaribo. Her husband, Donald McLeod, was appointed in 1978 as Suriname’s Ambassador to Venezuela. Then he became Suriname’s Ambassador to Belgium and the United States of America. Abroad McLeod started writing and especially during her stay in Belgium she had the opportunity to do research in the archives of The Hague, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Emmerich, and Köln.

In 1986 the McLeods returned to Suriname and in 1987 her debut novel Hoe duur was de suiker? (The cost of sugar) was published by publisher Vaco in Paramaribo. The first print was sold out within a few weeks and Cynthia McLeod became the most famous Surinamese novelist overnight. Later this historical novel about the sugar cane industry in the 18th century was published under license by her Dutch publisher Conserve. Soon other historical novels from her hand appeared, such as Hitchin wegwijzer vervolging.

As a result of her long research McLeod has gained a wealth of knowledge about Surinamese history; knowledge she gladly shares with others. For the Surinamese school youth she organizes free educational trips with her motorized vessel, the Sweet Merodia. During these tours over the Surinamese Rivers, past former plantations, she captivates her audience with stories about its interesting past. She further engages in historic city tours through the centre of historic Paramaribo, which has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 2002.

Reviews

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came to my attention because a GR book group is intending to read from all of the countries of the world. This met the challenge for Suriname. I chose this specific book because the description sounded as if it was about a woman who wouldn't let the odds against her prevent her from achieving her goals. This is a biographical novel about Elisabeth Samson, described as "pitch black". She was born free but in a slave society. The white ruling class of the mid-1700s wasn't about to let her think she could actually succeed as if she were white. Elisabeth succeeded beyond anyone's expectations. She owned multiple plantations and became a millionaire. Of course, she was still not accepted into the society to which she aspired.

The writing style is quite good and the characterization of Elisabeth excellent. The characterization of the times in which she lived is also quite good. Of course, the depiction of slavery had me scowling, but realistically presented. Elisabeth herself owned slaves. She defended the practice as that was the way society worked. She also defended herself in the practice of it by making sure their housing was well above the standard of the times and that they were well fed. She recognized that slavery had been practiced in Africa by Africans and earlier in history. Slavery has always been with us. Still, when questioned, it was obvious that the white man making the query believed Elisabeth was being hypocritical. We can't change history, but certainly we can lament our past mistakes.

When Elisabeth was challenged about owning slaves:

"My dear boy, what can I say? I didn't create the world, I didn't invent slavery and I certainly didn't decide that black people should be slaves to white people. The world is the way I found it, but I did discover something else, something very important. If you want to count n this world of ours, you have to have money. But money doesn't grown on trees. You have to earn it in one way or another, and in Suriname you need slaves to earn money. If it had been possible I would have had white slaves as well, but alas ..."

And this from the author's epilogue:

But she made her choice as a woman of her day, a choice that would probably be different had she lived today. But Surinamese women still have something to learn from her: you can achieve what you want if you believe in it and persevere.

I liked this from the author and believe it applies to all us and so I'll repeat it. You can achieve what you want if you believe in it and persevere. Perhaps it should be presented to school children as early as first grade. They could begin every school day with I can succeed if I work hard and stay away from drugs until it becomes a part of them.

[Fadillah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs Reijdenius sometimes realises how bored I am and invites me downstairs to join her for tea. She is curious about everything! The conversation took a strange turn the other day. She thought that I was a slave and said: 'News reaches us here from time to time that slaves are mis-treated, but if you are anything to go by such rumours are untrue.' I didn't understand her and said: 'No, it's quite true, many slaves are subjected to dreadful abuse, lashed for little if any reason and sometimes killed.' But you seem to be prosperous, well dressed, able to read and write, travel to the Netherlands.' I answered indignantly: 'But I am not a slave!' No! she screeched. What are you then? You are black after all!' I was speechless. I looked at the woman and thought to myself: How can I explain such matters to an uninformed Dutch woman? Mrs Reijdenius, the majority of black people in my country are indeed slaves, but I am not one of them. As circumstances would have it, my family was liberated from slavery and my mother had become a free woman before I was born,' I said 'Oh? Is that possible? I see. But you can't change the colour of your skin.
Don't people treat you like a slave?' No, I can't change the colour of my skin, and some people prefer to treat me like a slave for that reason. That is precisely why I'm here, I answered curtly, but the woman was unstoppable: 'Oh, so the majority of blacks are indeed slaves. But are the reports about mishandling and abuse genuine or mere gossip?' I lost my temper and barked: 'Slaves they may be, but do you know the reason why? Because white people, especially Hollanders, sail from Amsterdam to Africa where they buy negroes. They then transport them to the colonies where they set them to work on the plantations, like animals.'
- Elisabeth’s Diary : The Free Negress Elisabeth by Cynthia Mc Leod
.
.
The story of Elisabeth Samson, The free negress in Suriname was researched and compiled accordingly by Cynthia MC Leod. She went through so many Office of Public Records (OPR) and Old Archive of Suriname to get many references and fact checking on this prominent figure in Surinamese History. While i wondered why the author did not just write non fiction book after she has concluded her research, i am okay that the book was in a historical fiction genre. The author claimed that all characters written in this book were derived from real people in the history and her imagination did not overpowered what she intended to write about Elisabeth. That being said, the book was divided into 4 parts : The Court Case , Elisabeth’s Diary, Elisabeth Samson and Carl Otto Creutz, and The Wedding. The first part narrated how Elisabeth reconciled her identity as a free woman but a Negress nonetheless in Suriname Society. She was raised a Christian, learned how to write and read, has a black slaves that served her and she was adored by her sister(s) and brother in law who was a white man that took up a role of her father as she’s growing up. BUT this alone caused it to get to her head as Elisabeth perceived herself free and equal to her white counterparts, not many would have thought the same. Elisabeth were forced to exile to Holland when Mr. Van Meel claimed Elisabeth of making an offensive remarks towards the governer. The decision that has been set without fair judgment and bias panels were used purposely to put an example that no black people in the society despite being free should criticised white people and must be aware of their status as a second class citizens. The second part, we followed Elisabeth Samson’s journey to Holland. I have to admit that this is my favorite part out of the 4 parts because she is so unapologetically blunt towards an ignorant remarks that she got from dutch people she encountered whether in the parties that she attended or when she went to meet her lawyers to get her exile orders cancelled so that she can return to Suriname. She was resourceful, take no-nonsense and is not ashamed when she knew she had to be opportunist to get what she wanted. The third part, it summarized the life that Elisabeth has with Carl Otto Creutz. She forgo her dream of getting married to Carl , simply because its not possible. Carl is a white man and already married at that point so she settled by being his mistress. She immersed herself in the plantation business, prided herself as one of the benevolent slave masters in Suriname (if you feed them well and provided comfortable shelter, they will not run away) and owned many properties that acquired from her own inheritance. Being a business savvy, she always try to build connection and find any chances to expand and build her establishment. The only thing she got denied of is having her own kids. She tried with Carl several times but it was not meant to be. Last but not least is the Wedding chapter but she was not married to Carl. Carl died before that even happened. Elisabeth tried again the marriage prospect with another white man 20 years younger than her , Christoph Polycarpus Braband. Attracted with the promise that his debt will be cleared and possibility of getting inherited Elisabeth’s property once she died, Braband agreed. Multiple objection by the colonist law and several petitions were sent to object the inter marriage but eventually it did fail to materialize simply because Braband died. To add salt to her wounds, the councillors of the church looked directly at her and said Man proposes, God Disposes. Elisabeth then married legally to Hermanus Daniel Zobre with the hope that she will be invited to the palace and attending other functions as now she is a wife to a white man, she’s a wealthy business woman and she owned several plantations only to find out that she was still being excluded. They invited her husband but not her. The day, she got invited she suffered stomach pain which at the end of the day become the cause of her death. All her properties were divided according to her will which her husband and her sister is the biggest inheritors, but long after she’s gone - research indicated that her wealth’s was now in white hands. Honestly, this book has been an intimate revelation, heart wrenching and eye opening story about Elisabeth Samson - The Free Negress that lived in Suriname during 18th centuries. She was born free , she was never enslaved yet the treatment and discrimination that she encountered were still the same. She was part of the system that justifies slavery in Suriname and be with a man that hunted runaway slaves as a job yet she still treated those who were property a bit better than other slave owners. She survived her ordeals of being undermined, overlooked and outcasted but deep down still longed for an acceptance and inclusion of an upper society in Suriname. Her skills as business owner was validated but it was no use when they could not see past of her skin color. If this is in your TBR, you might want to bump it up to your next read.

[Joyce Bergvelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book while Covid-19 still rages across the planet, and I finished it a week after the American George Floyd died, like so many before him, of excessive police violence, aggrevated by blatant racism.
The title of this book, 'The Free Negress Elisabeth' is a bit confronting in times such as these. However, the author Cynthia McLeod is a black woman from Surinam, which makes it somehow more palatable.

Translated from the original Dutch, this novel is based on 'Elisabeth Samson, een vrije, zwarte vrouw in het achttiende eeuwse Suriname', an academic study written by the same author on the subject. McLeod was the daughter of John Ferrier, the last governor of Surinam when it was still in Dutch hands, as well as the first president of the country after its independence.

In the form of a historical novel, it tells the tale of Elisabeth Samson, a free-born black woman in times when slavery was the order of the day in the colonies. Born of a mother who was a freed slave at the time of her birth and raised by a wealthy white Dutch colonist (a stepfather of sorts), her situation is unique, to say the least. What makes her story so interesting, is the amount of wealth she amassed during her lifetime. Historians had always assumed that she became rich from inheriting from her white owner, with whom she probably co-habited as his 'housekeeper' (read: lover), but McLeod delved deep into the archives, spending twelve years doing research on the life of Elisabeth Samson, and came to a different conclusion: that Elisabeth was a self-made millionaire.

It's fascinating to read about her being temporarily banished to the Netherlands following a charge of libel, which was later overturned. Imagine the (undue) attention she must have drawn as a black woman of means, living in Amsterdam and The Hague, and how she must have felt having to await revision of her legal case for a period of three years of banishment from Surinam.

Upon her return she becomes a wealthy woman through trade, to rival the richest colonists of Surinam in the day. Yet, as a black she is forbidden by law to marry a white man, and will be excluded from white society till the end of her days. It is this that makes her all the more determined to marry a white man.

On the theme of slavery, the book is interesting in itself. Elisabeth Samson owned many slaves of her own, some of them are even related to her by blood. Her (better) treatment of these slaves has no doubt been romanticised somewhat, probably making her more sympathetic to their plight than she might actually have been. These are some quotes attributed to the lead character, where Elisabeth justifies owning slaves whilst she herself is black:

"If you want to count in this world of ours, you have to have money. But money does't grow on trees. You have to earn it in one way or another, and in Suriname you need slaves to earn money. If it had been possible I would have had white slaves as well, but alas… I want to earn money, so I need slaves."
But on the next page, almost in the same breath, Elisabeth is critical of the system:
"I'm aware that slavery has been part of many civilisations (…). In Africa, a person becomes a slave when its tribe is defeated by another. (…) Your slavery, or should I say the slavery that the whites introduced, is different. Your slavery is dreadful, degrading, because it is based on race. Negroes are forced to be slaves of white peope simply because they are negroes. And in order to defend their behaviour the whites come up with theories that proclaim negroes to be less than human. (…) They use God and the Bible to demonstrate that the Christian European perspective is right".

They're intriguing quotes from the dialogue, do with them what you will. but I cannot help but feel that this is more the 20th century author talking than Elisabeth Samson, who was born in times of slavery and died when it was still very much in existence. She made use of the system that was the standard of the day, and benefited from it.

The truth be told, I don't think this book was very well written, especially the first part, which is told from the narrator's point of view. Having based this novel on an academic piece to which she dedicated twelve years of research, the author appears to have fallen into the trap of including far too much - and sometimes irrelevant- information. It simply does not always make for readability in a novel. and it does not now. (I would think it is also the editor's job to guard against this).
If it weren't for the impressive amount of historical research, I might have given this book two stars. However, it gets better when Elisabeth leaves for Holland and the story continues in diary form. (It reverts to the narrator's form later on in the book, but by that time you're hooked).

I would, however, recommend it from the historical point of view, with the focus on a fascinating, wealthy free black woman living in Surinam at a time when all other black people around her were slaves. I would say the book is relevant with the discussion on slavery and racism very much alive and kicking today.

[Hot Mess Sommelière ~ Caro]

- her mother was a freed ex-slave
- her half-brother secured legal freedom for Elisabeth & all her siblings
- she was raised by her half-sister and learned writing & math, and the Bible
- aquired first properties @ 19 yrs old
- accused and exiled for slander @ 21 yrs old by the Governor and some jealous blacksmith and his wife: she had to leave Suriname and live in the Netherlands, where she lawyered up and stayed until the verdict could be overturned
- returned to Suriname
- bought her own slaves & coffee plantations
- lived without marrying with a soldier who later died and left her with yet more property
- @ 51 yrs old, she married a man 20 years her junior, whom she left with a massive fortune and properties when she died several years later

[Jan van Trigt · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Nederland hannesen we nogal met het slavernij verleden. Sommige witte mensen voelen zich persoonlijk aangesproken als er gewezen wordt naar de slavenhandel. Dankzij de vriendelijke mensen van het literatuur festival winternachten las ik dit boek en was bij een interessant diner met de schrijfster. Dekolonisatie van de geest was in 2020 het thema. En Cynthia McLeod is een imponerende zwarte vrouw die ons daarbij helpt. Zij heeft veel research gedaan naar de slavernij. Dat heeft geresulteerd tot dit indrukwekkende boek dat een mengeling is van feiten en een romantische invulling door de schrijfster. Verwacht geen geschiedenis boek,het is een echte een roman.
Het boek geeft heel veel details over de samenleving in Suriname en Nederland in de achttiende eeuw. En dat is erg boeiend. Deze roman draait om een zwarte vrouw Elisabeth Samson en zij is geboren als een vrije vrouw omdat haar moeder was vrijgekocht. En zo rol je midden in merkwaardige juridische regeltjes rondom de slavernij die mij onbekend waren. Elisabeth is een uiterst capabele zakenvrouw die zeer welgesteld raakt maar toch een tweederangs burger blijft. En daar vecht zij tegen terwijl ze zelf ook weer eigenaar was van plantages waarop slaven werkten. De weerbarstige nuances van het fenomeen slavernij komen in dit boek tot leven.
Een heerlijk aspect van het boek is het inzicht in het taalgebruik in Suriname. Zo zijn er prachtige namen voor plantages. Heerlijke woorden kom je tegen, “slang”, uit de Surinaamse straattaal. Maar ook tref je een huiveringwekkend begrip als zoutwater-negers aan dat staat voor slaven niet geboren uit slaven in Suriname maar zelf geimporteerd waren uit Afrika.
Dit boek is al 20 jaar geleden verschenen maar is nog steeds actueel omdat wij als wit Nederland moeilijk in de spiegel durven te kijken. Het verhaal van Elisabeth Samson kan daar goed bij helpen. Wat ook helpt is een bezoek dat ik een paar geleden bracht aan het prachtige Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington DC. Bij het lezen van dit boek moest ik vaak denken aan dat bezoek. Er is daar één muur waarop zichtbaar is welke landen actief waren in de slavenhandel op Amerika. Ook Nederland staat daar volop in beeld. Het is zinloos een verleden te ontkennen of onder het vloerkleed te schuiven. Cynthia McLeod heeft Nederland 20 jaar geleden met dit boek een dienst bewezen.

[Marianne Braam · Rating 5 out of 5]

De titel is inderdaad raak gekozen. Als vrijgeborenen of vrijgekochte slaaf, was je nooit echt vrij. Nooit
mochten ze aan het leven meedoen. Elisabeth heeft veel bereikt met hard werken. Ik heb de indruk dat er veel haat en nijd was. Want een rijke negerin, de rijkste inwoner, is ondenkbaar en er wordt geroddeld dat ze wel een hoer moet zijn.
Elisabeth heeft echt bestaan en alles wat haar is overkomen is ook echt gebeurd. Een echte aanrader voor wie van historische romans houdt.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great passages:
p72: He likes to attract attention and the best way to go about it is to lash out at someone else. A black's the perfect victim. That way he gets the entire colony on his side. You know the sort! Poor colonists, scraping an existence, living from hand to mouth, the only thing they can pride themselves in is the whiteness of their skin. [...] Creutz exclaimed indignantly, but he soon realised that prejudice can be more powerful than logic. -- seems like not much has changed in 2020

p117: Then she should blame her own presuppositions. From the first mention of a harpsichord, the governess and all of you presumed I was unable to play it and that I would need lessons. I am black, after all, from the darkest jungles of Africa, and if not Africa then Suriname. I am black and that makes me uncivilised. I still needed to learn the basic principles of polite society and the governess was kind enough to offer her services.
I became more agitated as I spoke and continued: 'You hold my behaviour against me. Try to put yourself in my situation for once. How would you feel? Oh yes, I forgot: negroes don't have feeling, and since I am a negro there's no need to account for my feelings. That's what white people think, isn't it? How would you like to be confronted with such an attitude wherever you went?' -- I love her bluntness!!

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suriname

"Will I ever be able to leave here? Am I doomed to spend the rest of my days as an exile in a foreign land,where I know almost no one and where I have no family?"

"What a difficult, complicated world."

"The color of my skin makes me a prisoner, imprisoned for being black. I am a prisoner of color! What must a person do to live a normal life?

"It was a crazy world, especially when it came to the rules made up by whites!"

"White, Christians, claim the right to load their ships with Negroes and transport them as if they were animals from Africa to America where they're forced to spend the rest of their days, cut off from their families, worked to the bone. Why don't whites do that with their own people? They don't do it with whites because they consider whites to be the superior race."

"All of us die alone, all alone."

[Apolline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decided to give Cynthia McLoed another shot.

I liked De vrije negerin Elisabeth better than Hoe duur was de suiker. The characters were more interesting (probably because they were real people this time) and it teaches a lot of things about the History of Suriname. But in a lot of ways it was also very similar to Hoe duur was de suiker, because it's about the same time period and the same place and I think I got a bit sick of it.

It was fine, but it's not one of my favourites.

[Mieke · Rating 3 out of 5]

een aardig boek over een zwarte vrouw in Suriname in de 18e eeuw. Redelijk informatief over de (politieke en maatschappelijke) verhoudingen in Suriname in die tijd. Maar ik bleef wel met een aantal vragen zitten, terwijl ik door mijn werk in het toegankelijk maken van notarisakten uit die tijd vrij goed geinformeerd ben. Ook vond ik het af en toe wat stroef geschreven. Het was interessant om te lezen, maar het leek meer op een zeer geslaagd afstudeeronderzoek dan op een geschiedeniswerk.

[Kojo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cynthia's research and storytelling is a tour de force which helps you walk thei streets of Paramaribo and ride on the rivers and creeks through a period of history in a part of the world unknown in many ways. This is Afro-Surinamese history and the choices confronting ES in a very hostile environment to her heritage. An excellent read

[Annerie Brenninkmeijer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at life in Suriname in the 1700s during the time of slavery and white plantation owners. The fact that the story of the ambitious free negress Elisabeth is based on fact and deep historical research makes it fascinating. As a novel however the book could use more depth and literary ingenuity.

[Marloes Den · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessant boek als je meer wil weten over het leven in de slavernij in Suriname. Veel historische informatie en uitleg over Surinaamse woorden. Toch niet helemaal mijn ‘cup of tea’. Ondanks dat er een liefdesverhaal werd verteld, paste de schrijfwijze en het gebrek aan diepgang als roman niet helemaal bij mij.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic research and a gripping story. Too bad this book is out of print.

[BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like an historical novel that is easy to read, than this is the one! It is set in the 18th century, in Suriname, and it tells the story of Elisabeth Samson.

[Marion Verhoeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een prachtig sterke persoonlijkheid die moedig haar leven heeft moeten vechten voor de vrijheid!

[Roderick Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great historical novel about a fascinating lady, who fought so hard to equal the white colonial aristocracy of Suriname, in the 18th Century.

[Orlando Fato · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a journey! This is an incredible book to read and learn about a country which we usually hear nothing about: Suriname. It is also a great source of information about the way people from this former Dutch colony were seen in the Netherlands. It offers a great picture of the good, the bad and the ugly about living in Suriname and its history during colonial times, and, to some extend, in the Netherlands. I only have a few observations:

The book is written in a non-fiction style. The use of the language is very straight forward, and while this makes the book easy to read and makes the plot flow, it is not very engaging. The author could have used the language in a creative manner to describe the Netherlands and Suriname and make the reader feel there at that time, but she missed this opportunity by simply mentioning names of streets and rivers. Descriptions of weather are the exception here and there, but that's about it. The interesting facts and plot make the reading engaging, but not the use of the language.

The book is also a bit ambitious. It's not only the story of Elisabeth Samson, but also that of other characters', and even the history of Suriname. This can make the book dense at times, specially when it deals with the politics and politicians in the country. The third chapter and fourth chapter (there are four) is heavy on facts of political nature and too many characters and events involved in this topic made me wonder what was happening to the main topic of the novel: Elisabeth Samson. This also caused the book to rush where I would have liked the author to dedicate more time.

Elisabeth was born free, meaning that she had never been a slave, and was raised in a wealthy household, meaning that she had access to education and luxuries. However, except for wanting her plantation slaves to live in decent conditions and caring for her personal slaves, she was not any better or worse than the white people in the former Dutch colony. Elisabeth never came across as a woman whose main interest was for black people to have the same rights as white people did, but a woman who wanted badly to belong and be in the spotlight of white society in Suriname. She does mention and explain how unfair and ridiculous it is to state that white people are superior to black people, and her view on how the Bible is to be blamed for this is quite interesting. She also makes a good point when she claims that even though she is black, she keeps slaves because that is the way things work in Suriname. However, she was far from being a likable character and was full of contradictions.

First of all, she didn't seem to care about anybody else but herself. The best, among many examples, is when a close relative, whom she envies badly because she overshadows her spotlight, dies and she thinks of that terrible situation only to her own benefit: to fulfill a dream she hasn't been able to because life is so unfair to her. She also tends to come across as shallow, despite being a clever woman, specially when it comes to running a successful fabric and accesory business and many plantations. Why? Well, she enjoys how the white women envy her clothes and her music skills and her house and so forth. You would think that a woman with her culture and intelligence would find this absurd, but this was not her case... until it was too late. Of course, the author is not to blame for this. Elisabeth was a real character (whose life Cynthia McLeod carefully researched for years before writing the novel), and this is the way she was.

All in all, this is a four star book, in my opinion. As I said at the beginning, reading this book was a journey that I thoroughly enjoyed. I am not refraining myself to give it five stars because of Elisabeth's personality, but because of the issues the book has concerning style and ambition. There is little literature about Suriname available in English, and this novel was a great source of information about life in the Netherlands for a Surinamese and life in Suriname during colonial times.

I am looking forward to reading her debut novel "The Price of Sugar" or watching its film adaptation.

[Ronja Bossen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mooi boek! Neemt je mee naar het Suriname in de 18e eeuw in de vorm van roman die gebaseerd is op een echt gebeurd verhaal.

[Harry Rutherford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the novelised true story of Elisabeth Samson, a freeborn black woman in C18th Suriname, when it was a Dutch colony built on slave labour. She became one of the richest landowners in the colony and fought a legal battle for the right to marry a white man, successfully arguing that Dutch law superseded the colonial law against it.

The introduction explains that it is the result of twelve years of historical research, and I think that’s a strength and a weakness: the best thing about the book is the amount of interesting historical detail, but it does feel a bit like a novel written by a historian. It is solid but unremarkable as literature.

And perhaps because the personal stuff — the dialogue and the characters’ inner lives — is relatively weak compared to the background information which has obviously been so carefully grounded in research, I found myself always second-guessing her portrayal of Elisabeth’s opinions and motivations. Especially since there is a tendency for racial/social issues to be explored in a rather unsubtle way by being put in the mouths of the characters; they sometimes slip into talking in long paragraphs, as though they were newspaper editorials.

There are of course plenty of issues to explore. So for example, Elisabeth is presented somewhat as a heroic figure, standing up against the racial attitudes of the time, but she also kept slaves herself. And her battle for the right to marry a white man, and establish herself finally as a fully respectable member of colonial society, hardly makes her a fighter for the rights of black people more generally. Cynthia Mc Leod generally presents her as right-thinking but constrained by her time; she was after all in a vulnerable position. But a less sympathetic interpretation might also be possible.

But history is messy that way; and she would still be a remarkable figure whatever she was like as a person.

I found it engaging and enjoyable, although I was engaged more by the history than the fiction, so I wonder whether it might have been even better as straight biography. Maybe not.

The Free Negress Elisabeth is my book from Suriname for the Read The World challenge.

[Amy the book-bat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book fulfills requirement #2 ~ A book set in a country that starts with the letter "S". It is set in Suriname.

Elizabeth Samson was born as a free black in Suriname in the 1700's. I found it interesting how distinctions were made based on skin color. There were whites, blacks, and coloreds. The whites were mostly from Holland and France and there were also some Jewish. The blacks were generally slaves captured in Africa and sold to plantation owners, much like in the U.S. around the same time period. Blacks could have their freedom purchased or could be born free if their mother was free at the time of their birth (as was the case for Elizabeth). Colored refers to the mulattos or mixed race between the whites and blacks. They are also sometimes referred to as brown. Mulattos could be slaves or free. Mulattos could also marry whites, blacks were forbidden to marry.

Elizabeth was raised by her mulatto sister and her white husband. She was essentially raised as a white child. She was taught to read, write, play the harpsichord, and she assisted her brother-in-law with his business. She in turn became a powerful businesswoman. She ended up exiled to Holland for gossiping (which wasn't true) and after a few years, was finally permitted to return home after a lengthy court case. She was in love with a white man and lived as his wife for several years, even though they were never married. She later on decided to marry another man after the first had died. This brought on another legal battle and she eventually won, even though the man she was planning to died just prior to receiving the news that she would be permitted to marry. She ended up married to another man who eventually destroyed her empire after her death.

This was a really interesting look into a part of history that I wasn't overly familiar with. I certainly didn't know much about Suriname before reading this book. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in history and society.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This thoroughly researched tale of slavery under the Dutch was very saddening to me, even though I have read many such stories, but under slave masters of different nationalities. I had always heard that the Dutch were the most cruel slave owners; this book, and the author herself, confirms it. Despite this, I enjoyed this book and the history therein thoroughly. The mores of this era under the Dutch are fascinating, and all the more so because in Holland then, nothing similar pertained. The translation from Dutch is excellent as well, including that into English Creole. There were some editing errors and four pages were completely missing from this edition, but very much recommended, especially to readers interested in this era of our common history. I saw the film "The Cost of Sugar", an adaptation of the book by the same author, and cannot wait to read it.

[Sunnykimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written by an author from my country. I read the Dutch version years ago and I absolutely loved it, which was surprising. While I usually don't read historical books, whether it's historical romance or non-fiction, I thought this was beautiful. It doesn't read like a history lesson, but rather like a story so colorfully told that you get sucked in completely. Definitely worth the read. Hmm... I might re-read this one myself and write a better review.

Dit is een prachtig boek. Jaren geleden heb ik de nederlandse versie hiervan gelezen en ik was verrast. Het leest niet als een geschiedenis les zoals ik verwachtte ,maar is juist heel levendig verteld. Het is zeker het lezen waard.

[Rkb 2015 · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Wendy Lovatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read about a place in history, and a country that I would not have known about.