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The Earth Remains : A novel
In a time when humans owned other humans and a nation was torn by war, doing what was right sometimes meant being on the wrong side of the law.
In tumultuous 1860, South Carolina farmer Polly Burgiss struggles to protect both her land and the enslaved people who plant and tend her valuable cotton, while still reeling from the murder of her young brothers years before. This horrific crime has gone unsolved and unpunished—until now. When details of the brutal murder come to light, she must make decisions that will change not only her own life, but the lives of every person on her farm.
With a strong sense of place, the story chronicles the intertwined lives of Polly and an enslaved man named Ben. It spans generations and some of the state’s most painful years, from the Civil War through its ugly aftermath. As Polly discovers unsettling truths about the evils of slavery, her revelations set in motion a monumental shift in her own small corner of the world—and far beyond.
In tumultuous 1860, South Carolina farmer Polly Burgiss struggles to protect both her land and the enslaved people who plant and tend her valuable cotton, while still reeling from the murder of her young brothers years before. This horrific crime has gone unsolved and unpunished—until now. When details of the brutal murder come to light, she must make decisions that will change not only her own life, but the lives of every person on her farm.
With a strong sense of place, the story chronicles the intertwined lives of Polly and an enslaved man named Ben. It spans generations and some of the state’s most painful years, from the Civil War through its ugly aftermath. As Polly discovers unsettling truths about the evils of slavery, her revelations set in motion a monumental shift in her own small corner of the world—and far beyond.
718 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 16, 2021
81 people are currently reading
2664 people want to read
About the author
Shelley Burchfield
7 books56 followersA southerner by birth, Shelley Burchfield's love of history and all things southern is evident in her debut novel, THE EARTH REMAINS, winner of the 2023 Readers Favorite Book Awards Gold Medal in Christian Historical Fiction and named a finalist in the 2023 American Fiction Awards.
A former teacher, Burchfield enjoys writing "what-if" southern fiction that flips notorious events upside down. She enjoys mountain hikes, hot coffee, and stacks of books yet to be read on a bedside table. She lives in the beautiful mountains of north Georgia with her husband and a menagerie of animals and pulls inspiration from the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains beyond her windows.
Her second historical fiction novel, CLIMBING TO THE SUN, was published in October 2023, and recently won the Bronze Medal in the 2024 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards contest. Set in the autumn of 1928. Herbalist and healer Callie Beecham owns a shop in tiny Pickens, South Carolina, and makes a living treating people with plant-based medicines and therapies. When a young man urgently knocks on her door one morning, Callie finds her world turned upside down. He begs Callie to come to the freed-slave settlement of Liberia, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, to save his wife, struggling in childbirth. On the back of a mule, Callie follows the man to Liberia and discovers a world previously unknown to her, and a desire to help the people there. Her desire to help the residents of Liberia quickly angers the wrong people in town—important people who will stop at nothing to see her gone for good.
A former teacher, Burchfield enjoys writing "what-if" southern fiction that flips notorious events upside down. She enjoys mountain hikes, hot coffee, and stacks of books yet to be read on a bedside table. She lives in the beautiful mountains of north Georgia with her husband and a menagerie of animals and pulls inspiration from the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains beyond her windows.
Her second historical fiction novel, CLIMBING TO THE SUN, was published in October 2023, and recently won the Bronze Medal in the 2024 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards contest. Set in the autumn of 1928. Herbalist and healer Callie Beecham owns a shop in tiny Pickens, South Carolina, and makes a living treating people with plant-based medicines and therapies. When a young man urgently knocks on her door one morning, Callie finds her world turned upside down. He begs Callie to come to the freed-slave settlement of Liberia, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, to save his wife, struggling in childbirth. On the back of a mule, Callie follows the man to Liberia and discovers a world previously unknown to her, and a desire to help the people there. Her desire to help the residents of Liberia quickly angers the wrong people in town—important people who will stop at nothing to see her gone for good.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
July 6, 2023
“Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.” – Ecclesiastic 1:4
The Earth Remains, Shelley Burchfield’s debut novel, is a historical fiction set in antebellum South Carolina. At its center is a young, slaveholding plantation owner named Polly Burgiss. We first meet Polly when she is eight years old and follow her into young adulthood; the last chapters jump across generations to finish out her story. The time frame for this telling takes place across some of the state's most painful years, the period pre, peri, and post-Civil War. Over those years, Polly suffers deep personal losses as she struggles to run a profitable farm and reckons with unsettling truths about slavery. Her eventual, hard-won wisdom sets changes in motion that reach beyond her own small corner of the world.
It’s not a bad book.
Burchfield’s writing is easy and engaging, and she excels at creating a strong sense of time and place. We are quickly lulled into the rhythms of that time and get a clear view into Polly’s life on the farm. Polly, herself, along with some of the other major characters, are well-drawn, dimensional and easy to imagine. Birchfield brings interesting historical facts to bear on the family’s life (beyond the slave economy of the South), such as the building of railroad tunnels through the mountains, the state of medicine and contemporaneous family law. However. The primary plot device Burchfield uses to kick-start and propel the story just wasn’t believable – especially when stretched over 800 pages. It nagged at me throughout, especially since it’s used to create one of the major moral dilemmas Polly and Ona (her house slave) with which they must wrestle. There is also the matter of Polly’s stubborn blindness regarding her selection for male affection, her easy capitulation to his pressure – which didn’t fit with what we’re led to believe about Polly’s character. So, again, this narrative twist was completely unbelievable to me. Perhaps, it’s because the “positives” of John’s character were not fully presented; there didn’t seem anything more than his good looks to recommend him. And there certainly wasn’t enough between John and Polly (in terms of meetings, contact, emotional connection) to make understandable her defiance of everyone around her and her refusal to heed the advice of others to steer clear of him. It felt like a forced plot point: out-of-character and used solely for the purpose of setting up drama. One final thing I’ll mention is that in this story, a “Chekhov’s gun” is heavy-handedly placed - several times - until finally, finally the “trigger” is pulled. It wasn’t subtle. You'll know it when we see it. You'll know why it’s there. You'll know who it’s for. But we're forced to wait a very long time for it to serve its intended purpose.
In the end, in addition to the “peeves” mentioned above, I just didn’t think there was a big enough return for the time investment. At 800 pages, I’m hesitant to say anything that might suggest it should be longer. But after we’ve invested so much time in Polly and are rooting for her redemption, success, and happiness, after all she endures, after so much time of her being lonely and without love, we could have been given a few pages of her late romance finally coming into bloom. (A reward for sticking with it so long?) Certainly, some of the book could have been trimmed to accommodate that. But no. That was where Burchfield skimped. And by the end, there were still some things left hanging.
The last thing to say is that the book, written in 2021, feels a little out-of-step with current times. To me, The Earth Remains feels like a re-imagining of Gone with the Wind, if Scarlett had been a bit more practical, with abolitionist leanings (and minus the fiery romance). I’m sure there were abolitionists in the South during the time of the Civil War. Some of them might have even been slave/plantation owners. Of the book, Burchfield says: “I wanted the reader to imagine being in Polly's situation, to think about what the options might have been if the institution of slavery ensured your livelihood, but you also knew that it was horribly wrong." So, if you want to read a book about those particular types of slave owners, this might be the book for you.
But ... I don’t think there is much of an appetite for novels about American slavery that asks readers to see the situation from the (torn? good?) slaver’s perspective. I think we’ve moved past that. Of course, given all the great reviews, I may just be speaking for myself…
The Earth Remains, Shelley Burchfield’s debut novel, is a historical fiction set in antebellum South Carolina. At its center is a young, slaveholding plantation owner named Polly Burgiss. We first meet Polly when she is eight years old and follow her into young adulthood; the last chapters jump across generations to finish out her story. The time frame for this telling takes place across some of the state's most painful years, the period pre, peri, and post-Civil War. Over those years, Polly suffers deep personal losses as she struggles to run a profitable farm and reckons with unsettling truths about slavery. Her eventual, hard-won wisdom sets changes in motion that reach beyond her own small corner of the world.
It’s not a bad book.
Burchfield’s writing is easy and engaging, and she excels at creating a strong sense of time and place. We are quickly lulled into the rhythms of that time and get a clear view into Polly’s life on the farm. Polly, herself, along with some of the other major characters, are well-drawn, dimensional and easy to imagine. Birchfield brings interesting historical facts to bear on the family’s life (beyond the slave economy of the South), such as the building of railroad tunnels through the mountains, the state of medicine and contemporaneous family law. However. The primary plot device Burchfield uses to kick-start and propel the story just wasn’t believable – especially when stretched over 800 pages. It nagged at me throughout, especially since it’s used to create one of the major moral dilemmas Polly and Ona (her house slave) with which they must wrestle. There is also the matter of Polly’s stubborn blindness regarding her selection for male affection, her easy capitulation to his pressure – which didn’t fit with what we’re led to believe about Polly’s character. So, again, this narrative twist was completely unbelievable to me. Perhaps, it’s because the “positives” of John’s character were not fully presented; there didn’t seem anything more than his good looks to recommend him. And there certainly wasn’t enough between John and Polly (in terms of meetings, contact, emotional connection) to make understandable her defiance of everyone around her and her refusal to heed the advice of others to steer clear of him. It felt like a forced plot point: out-of-character and used solely for the purpose of setting up drama. One final thing I’ll mention is that in this story, a “Chekhov’s gun” is heavy-handedly placed - several times - until finally, finally the “trigger” is pulled. It wasn’t subtle. You'll know it when we see it. You'll know why it’s there. You'll know who it’s for. But we're forced to wait a very long time for it to serve its intended purpose.
In the end, in addition to the “peeves” mentioned above, I just didn’t think there was a big enough return for the time investment. At 800 pages, I’m hesitant to say anything that might suggest it should be longer. But after we’ve invested so much time in Polly and are rooting for her redemption, success, and happiness, after all she endures, after so much time of her being lonely and without love, we could have been given a few pages of her late romance finally coming into bloom. (A reward for sticking with it so long?) Certainly, some of the book could have been trimmed to accommodate that. But no. That was where Burchfield skimped. And by the end, there were still some things left hanging.
The last thing to say is that the book, written in 2021, feels a little out-of-step with current times. To me, The Earth Remains feels like a re-imagining of Gone with the Wind, if Scarlett had been a bit more practical, with abolitionist leanings (and minus the fiery romance). I’m sure there were abolitionists in the South during the time of the Civil War. Some of them might have even been slave/plantation owners. Of the book, Burchfield says: “I wanted the reader to imagine being in Polly's situation, to think about what the options might have been if the institution of slavery ensured your livelihood, but you also knew that it was horribly wrong." So, if you want to read a book about those particular types of slave owners, this might be the book for you.
But ... I don’t think there is much of an appetite for novels about American slavery that asks readers to see the situation from the (torn? good?) slaver’s perspective. I think we’ve moved past that. Of course, given all the great reviews, I may just be speaking for myself…
January 14, 2022
Great read, one of those books that captivated you from page one, hard to put down, and I didn’t want it to end. I feel in love with the characters, the story, and writing style. Captivating!
May 14, 2022
Wow wow wow this book is a great example of what it looks like to change your actions and stand up for what you believe in when you see things that are wrong. Throughout the whole story, not only was I rooting for Polly, but the story line invites you into the gross injustices and horrors that black people face. There are gruesome and hard to read moments in this book but I can assure you the amount of discomfort is only a fraction of what black people actually faced. I’ve fallen deeply in love with the characters in this book. Ben, Ona, Tom Roper, Cissie, George, Zee, little Lydia, and sweet Kate will live deep in my heart.
Overall, 10/10.
note: I think there will always be limitations when a white person writes a story around slavery but I felt the genuine sense of sorrow from this author over the role that our white ancestors have played in this story.
Overall, 10/10.
note: I think there will always be limitations when a white person writes a story around slavery but I felt the genuine sense of sorrow from this author over the role that our white ancestors have played in this story.
June 6, 2023
3.5. Saw this on Scribd and I enjoyed it. I just would have given 4 stars if it had not been sooo long. But overall a good story.
March 22, 2024
Deeply touching story situated in the secession war in USA. It's the story of a young woman, heir to a cotton plantation, and delves into slavery and racism, as well as gender roles, violence and absolution.
It's written from the point of view of a candid but smart and sensitive white girl and her moral evolution through her personal connection to some of her slaves. I would love to see what black people think of it, but as a Latin guy with white privilege, it made me think a lot of the white savior complex.
It does feel like sometimes feel like it's trying to make you sympathize with the 'good' slave owner, although it has its ways of slamming you back to reality with some of the protagonists inner conflicts and self justifications. At the same time has a way of presenting what feels like a 'realistic' abolitionist in the making character slowly taking in what it actually means to live as she does. To me, this was an interesting point of view exercise.
Literarily I think it's well written, it was hard to put down, it's full of emotion and the intricacies of the connection between characters was rather enjoyable. It had me in tears quite often and it was a very interesting exercise to look into my emotional reaction to different types of injustice.
It's written from the point of view of a candid but smart and sensitive white girl and her moral evolution through her personal connection to some of her slaves. I would love to see what black people think of it, but as a Latin guy with white privilege, it made me think a lot of the white savior complex.
It does feel like sometimes feel like it's trying to make you sympathize with the 'good' slave owner, although it has its ways of slamming you back to reality with some of the protagonists inner conflicts and self justifications. At the same time has a way of presenting what feels like a 'realistic' abolitionist in the making character slowly taking in what it actually means to live as she does. To me, this was an interesting point of view exercise.
Literarily I think it's well written, it was hard to put down, it's full of emotion and the intricacies of the connection between characters was rather enjoyable. It had me in tears quite often and it was a very interesting exercise to look into my emotional reaction to different types of injustice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2025
Set in the 1860s during the era of slavery in the US South. It follows the story of Polly Burgiss who witnesses a violent crime in her family when she was a young girl. It traumatized her so she forgets the details of the crime. The story follows her years of personal tragedies and also her changing beliefs of slavery and the different things she does to relieve the suffering of her slaves. It is a coming of age story of Polly. It was an emotional read because for me because of deaths, decisions, and eventually a happy turn of events for other characters in the story. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to more from this author.
March 6, 2024
I have read many books set in this time period, this ranks amongst the best to date. Well done with accuracy that I believe were the hearts of people at that time.
March 29, 2024
I didn't want it to end.
February 14, 2025
Yuck. So obviously written by a white woman. I could only make it 10% of the way through.
April 11, 2024
Such an insightful book that you will hate to put down! I loved it so very much and was sad when I finished.
May 2, 2023
The novel is good and so is the writing.
The characters are engaging. I would like to have seen more from the slave characters, Ben and Ona, Zadoc, George and Ceecee.
I was hard to stop reading or put it down, as I wanted to know what happened next, how is Polly going to solve this and that.
However, it is not the best book I have read and I am still reticent to like slaver redeeming books. I am sure there were some good slavers, as far as they can go (I mean... They still owned people) and that some of them were abolitionists and worked hard to tear the whole system down. Still, it is hard for me to be on their side, I tend to go to the slaves side.
It is a good read, but like uncle Tom's cabin, I am not sure it is the time for such books anymore, or that it will ever be again.
The characters are engaging. I would like to have seen more from the slave characters, Ben and Ona, Zadoc, George and Ceecee.
I was hard to stop reading or put it down, as I wanted to know what happened next, how is Polly going to solve this and that.
However, it is not the best book I have read and I am still reticent to like slaver redeeming books. I am sure there were some good slavers, as far as they can go (I mean... They still owned people) and that some of them were abolitionists and worked hard to tear the whole system down. Still, it is hard for me to be on their side, I tend to go to the slaves side.
It is a good read, but like uncle Tom's cabin, I am not sure it is the time for such books anymore, or that it will ever be again.
March 17, 2022
What a great read. This story set in a relative short time frame leading up to the Civil War from the perspectives of a handful of close-knit characters--Black and white, rich and poor, good and evil--is eye opening. Kudos to Shelley Burchfield for bringing these perspectives to light. The Earth Remains is a great investment of your reading time--the people in this book stay with you.
February 25, 2022
As others have said, I did not want the story to end….and it was over 600+ pages! The attention to detail and character development that Shelley Burchfield created in this historical fiction novel made me feel like I was back in the 1800s. Can’t wait to read her next book!!! Would love to see this made into a movie! Also, if you loved “The Kitchen House”….you’ll love this one too!
January 14, 2024
It’s clear this was written by a white woman born in the south. I loved the story though. I just can tell all the places where it was kind of pointing to “see look not all slave owners were terrible to their slaves.” I am a fan of historical fiction though. It was not terrible if that is the only scope we look at in the reviews.
January 9, 2024
I felt frustrated through most of this story because of the main character Polly - was she smart of dumb, weak or strong, mature or childish, confident or scared of everything. The stories and events were so wildly varied that they would only be interesting if they were real. I just wanted it to end and it kept going and going and going. Hopefully that’s how we all should have felt about slavery - that it just needed to end - but greed and hate kept it going way too long.
February 8, 2022
What a beautifully written debut. Well developed characters that you definitely love or loathe. Shelly Burchfield’s acknowledgements section is so very relevant and our nation’s past is something we need to acknowledge and continue to learn from, heal from, and help us to make the changes needed for an inclusive America.
January 18, 2022
This was a first time published book for this author. Historical fiction at its best. This book made me neglect things so i could read instead. I didn’t know a lot about slavery and that era but just wow . Attention to details were amazing. Loved this book!!! So we’ll written..
October 13, 2022
How fun that this well researched historical fiction is also a “page turner”. I enjoyed the story, the pace, the learning about this part of SC history. The characters are strong and well developed. This is a wonderful read. Highly recommend this great book.
January 10, 2022
I didn’t want it to end. Wonderful first book. Looking forward to reading more from this author. Captivating story with beautiful character development.
Read
February 5, 2022Can't put it down!
June 8, 2024
I was so excited to find this book - it occurs in my home state of South Carolina and the main plot remains mostly in the Pendleton/Anderson area, which I’m familiar with. I’m trying to read more local authors and stories that are occurring in my neck of the woods.
This is a very complex and long story, where the lives of each character (black or white) is intertwined in dark and dismal ways, from right before the Civil War to its disorganized start. It follows Polly, the daughter of a farmer who owns a small cotton farm and around 10 slaves. Her brothers are murdered right at the start of the book, which she witnesses at a young age in addition to another main protagonist around her age, a slave boy named Ben. Ben remembers who killed her brothers, but she trauma makes Polly forget, and the reader is plunged into a web of knowledge known only to the slaves, the murderers, and you (the reader).
As Polly grows, her father is away most of her life with business with the railroad, while her mother has lost her will to live and ignores her daughter’s education and responsibilities of running her home. Slowly, Polly loses everyone close to her, and is left completely alone at 18, left to run a farm by herself.
I was so taken with the slave characters, Ona was one of the main protagonists and one of my favorites. I really struggled with Polly’s character - she seemed to fall a little flat for me. So naive, so young, so headstrong. I try to give her the benefit of the doubt, but it takes her so freaking long to realize the truth about so many things, when people are warning her from every corner. I think this frustration could have been alleviated if the book was around 150 pages shorter than it is (it’s a chonker, 700 pages).
Small Spoiler:
One big issue I had with this book is that the back cover/inner sleeve description makes it seem like Polly learns the truth about who killed her brothers sooner than it actually happens (she doesn’t remember until around the last 150 pages of the book). It also makes it seem like the book hinges on this big mystery, but I would say that the book actually hinges on Polly’s fears and dreams, and the atrocities she lives through before she’s even 21. The mystery is a bookend, not a main thread. Know that going in and I think you’ll enjoy it better.
This is a very complex and long story, where the lives of each character (black or white) is intertwined in dark and dismal ways, from right before the Civil War to its disorganized start. It follows Polly, the daughter of a farmer who owns a small cotton farm and around 10 slaves. Her brothers are murdered right at the start of the book, which she witnesses at a young age in addition to another main protagonist around her age, a slave boy named Ben. Ben remembers who killed her brothers, but she trauma makes Polly forget, and the reader is plunged into a web of knowledge known only to the slaves, the murderers, and you (the reader).
As Polly grows, her father is away most of her life with business with the railroad, while her mother has lost her will to live and ignores her daughter’s education and responsibilities of running her home. Slowly, Polly loses everyone close to her, and is left completely alone at 18, left to run a farm by herself.
I was so taken with the slave characters, Ona was one of the main protagonists and one of my favorites. I really struggled with Polly’s character - she seemed to fall a little flat for me. So naive, so young, so headstrong. I try to give her the benefit of the doubt, but it takes her so freaking long to realize the truth about so many things, when people are warning her from every corner. I think this frustration could have been alleviated if the book was around 150 pages shorter than it is (it’s a chonker, 700 pages).
Small Spoiler:
One big issue I had with this book is that the back cover/inner sleeve description makes it seem like Polly learns the truth about who killed her brothers sooner than it actually happens (she doesn’t remember until around the last 150 pages of the book). It also makes it seem like the book hinges on this big mystery, but I would say that the book actually hinges on Polly’s fears and dreams, and the atrocities she lives through before she’s even 21. The mystery is a bookend, not a main thread. Know that going in and I think you’ll enjoy it better.
February 14, 2023
Polly Burgiss grew up on a South Carolina Plantation. She loved the land and playing with her two older brothers while her father worked tirelessly on building a railroad. Polly's life changed when tragedy struck, Polly watched as her brother's were murdered and soon after, her father suffered a heart attack. Polly's mother was left bereft, leaving Polly to be raised by her slave and mammy, Ona. Polly soon took her education into her own hands and with the help of Ona's son, Ben and a friend in town, Flouride Calhoun, grew up into a capable woman. Polly's life soon changes again as her mother dies and Polly is left to run the Plantation herself and war is on the horizon. Polly soon chooses the only suitor who has shown interest, her neighbor, John Stone. However; Polly has also been warned to stay away from John Stone by several people. John's interest in Polly is for anything but love. Polly takes on running the Plantation along with her trusted overseer and the slaves that she has grown up beside while John is at war. Polly learns of the struggles of her slaves and the multiple betrayals that John has committed.
The Earth Remains is an epic story following the life of Polly Burgiss before, during and after the Civil War. This is a long story, but pulled me in immediately through Polly's strong point of view. Polly's life is not easy and has continuous tragedy, but it does not overshadow the plight of her slaves. Polly's father and overseer, Tom, were kind in their treatment of the slaves and Polly followed suit. This does not mean that any of the slaves' lives were easy and as Polly grows, she comes to recognize that kind treatment does not equal freedom. I was continually amazed at Polly's resilience to bounce back after everything life threw at her. The danger and suspense that John's secrets and actions created were carried throughout the second half of the story and eventually caused Polly to stand up for herself and her slaves. I enjoyed that Ben, Ona, Cissy, Kate were fully developed characters that showed the point of view of slaves and the physical, emotional and mental toll slavery took on them.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
The Earth Remains is an epic story following the life of Polly Burgiss before, during and after the Civil War. This is a long story, but pulled me in immediately through Polly's strong point of view. Polly's life is not easy and has continuous tragedy, but it does not overshadow the plight of her slaves. Polly's father and overseer, Tom, were kind in their treatment of the slaves and Polly followed suit. This does not mean that any of the slaves' lives were easy and as Polly grows, she comes to recognize that kind treatment does not equal freedom. I was continually amazed at Polly's resilience to bounce back after everything life threw at her. The danger and suspense that John's secrets and actions created were carried throughout the second half of the story and eventually caused Polly to stand up for herself and her slaves. I enjoyed that Ben, Ona, Cissy, Kate were fully developed characters that showed the point of view of slaves and the physical, emotional and mental toll slavery took on them.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
February 25, 2024
This was a hard-to-put-down, strong 4.5 star book. To me, this book read like a Civil War era soap opera. The story takes place at Whitehall, a South Carolina plantation owned by the Burgiss family. The youngest child and only daughter is Polly Burgiss, the main character, who experiences great tragedy and yet repeatedly makes foolish choices regarding Whitehall and her life, despite having people who love and care for her council her against these decisions. While at times, her decisions were frustrating to me, I realize that Civil War era women, especially southern women who were left alone during the war to manage families, slaves, and plantations, had very few rights and often did what they could to survive.
The story begins 12 years before the Civil War when tragedy strikes the family of very young Polly, and ends in 1922 when Polly is on her deathbed, reflecting on all the terrible things she had to do in her life to protect the people she loved (slaves and white folks), and to rectify some of her foolish choices. Young adult Polly loses all her family and must make difficult decisions to save Whitehall and the people who live there.
While the Civil War never comes to Whitehall, there are constant early American struggles taking place: slave rights and women’s rights. This is a story where you care about and root for the good characters and despise the evil ones.
This is a long book and some scenes in the story were unnecessary to the plot and could have been left out without ruining the story—this is what held me back from giving this one 5 stars. I highly recommend.
The story begins 12 years before the Civil War when tragedy strikes the family of very young Polly, and ends in 1922 when Polly is on her deathbed, reflecting on all the terrible things she had to do in her life to protect the people she loved (slaves and white folks), and to rectify some of her foolish choices. Young adult Polly loses all her family and must make difficult decisions to save Whitehall and the people who live there.
While the Civil War never comes to Whitehall, there are constant early American struggles taking place: slave rights and women’s rights. This is a story where you care about and root for the good characters and despise the evil ones.
This is a long book and some scenes in the story were unnecessary to the plot and could have been left out without ruining the story—this is what held me back from giving this one 5 stars. I highly recommend.
May 20, 2024
Earth Remains by Shelley Burchfield spans many years. The story starts in September 1848 and takes us late into 1922. It was bad times in the South, both before and after the Civil War was fought. Polly Burgiss, a white woman, is the main character. Ben and his mama Ona, along with several other slaves, play an essential role in the story. Polly’s hardships begin early in her life with the death of her two brothers. Ona is the slave who cares for Polly and is always there in times of trouble. Ben is Ona’s son and a hard worker who dreams of being a free man someday. We meet many of the other slaves working for Miss Polly, along with the overseer Tom Roper and the man she marries, John Stone. Polly faces many tough times, hard decisions, and frightening situations, but she stands tall and always fights her way back.
Earth Remains is the best book I have read in a long time, causing me to ignore my chores, stay up late and even miss a meal. I believe it can easily become the next Gone With the Wind as a great book and an epic movie. Shelley Burchfield is a brilliant writer who gives us a story with an incredible plot from page one until the last word. In addition, she has created an emotional group of characters meant to be loved or hated. Polly, Ono, Ben, Tom, Cissie, Kate, John, and others became real people to me, and I was magically transported right into the pages. I loved The Earth Remains very much and highly recommend it and anything else that Burchfield writes; it doesn’t get much better than this.
Earth Remains is the best book I have read in a long time, causing me to ignore my chores, stay up late and even miss a meal. I believe it can easily become the next Gone With the Wind as a great book and an epic movie. Shelley Burchfield is a brilliant writer who gives us a story with an incredible plot from page one until the last word. In addition, she has created an emotional group of characters meant to be loved or hated. Polly, Ono, Ben, Tom, Cissie, Kate, John, and others became real people to me, and I was magically transported right into the pages. I loved The Earth Remains very much and highly recommend it and anything else that Burchfield writes; it doesn’t get much better than this.
March 28, 2024
This impressive saga offers a fair treatment of the mindset of Antebellum South plantation life. Though parts of it give Gone with the Wind Lost Cause vibes, these are heavily counteracted by the horrors that power over others' lives that can allow. The naive protagonist, kind and good-hearted though she is, fails to recognize the inherent dissatisfaction that comes from slaves' lives early in the novel, and Burchfield does quite well to make clear that such ignorance does not erase the inherent injustice. All that said, the book also avoids heavy-handed or didactic passages that would be tiresome to an audience that is obviously already convinced of the wrongness of slavery.
Some readers will be put off by the violence that borders on gratuitous. All the violent choices for this novel aid the story, so that is not what keeps me from going all the way to five stars. Without spoilers, the one key decision that Polly makes against the express concern of everyone around her stretches past believability for me. I see why the story needed it, though, and the overall effect is powerful. Maybe I am being too nitpicky even on that light criticism. Enough people I have known have made illogical emotional decisions to bring this seemingly contrived plot point back around to being plausible. Regardless, those who have the stomach to visit the South on the brink of Civil War should give this one a read.
Some readers will be put off by the violence that borders on gratuitous. All the violent choices for this novel aid the story, so that is not what keeps me from going all the way to five stars. Without spoilers, the one key decision that Polly makes against the express concern of everyone around her stretches past believability for me. I see why the story needed it, though, and the overall effect is powerful. Maybe I am being too nitpicky even on that light criticism. Enough people I have known have made illogical emotional decisions to bring this seemingly contrived plot point back around to being plausible. Regardless, those who have the stomach to visit the South on the brink of Civil War should give this one a read.
May 25, 2023
I enjoyed this book more than I expected. My favorite genre is historical fiction and Scribd suggested this to me. First of all, the narrator was excellent. She did an excellent job with the tone and pacing of the story while deftly portraying male/female and white/black voices.
The novel itself was rich in sweeping descriptions of South Carolina’s beautiful upstate. It’s rare to find a strong female heroine in stories like this, but fortunately this one has TWO! If there can be such a thing as a benevolent slave owner, Polly fits that description as the author does an outstanding job of exploring the lack of freedoms between Polly as a woman in the South and the enslaved persons working at her home.
I did find the plot mildly predictable as I suspected the ending in the first third of the book; however, Shelley Burchfield’s character development kept me captivated. I was so annoyed with Polly and Ona at the beginning of the story, but Polly eventually overcomes her naïveté and I found myself cheering for her smart decisions. Furthermore, I appreciate the author’s lack of being too graphic during sexual or violent scenes—something that is lacking in much contemporary literature.
I save my 5-star reviews only for books I will read again. However, this 4-star review means that it is certainly one I will recommend and will probably remember often.
The novel itself was rich in sweeping descriptions of South Carolina’s beautiful upstate. It’s rare to find a strong female heroine in stories like this, but fortunately this one has TWO! If there can be such a thing as a benevolent slave owner, Polly fits that description as the author does an outstanding job of exploring the lack of freedoms between Polly as a woman in the South and the enslaved persons working at her home.
I did find the plot mildly predictable as I suspected the ending in the first third of the book; however, Shelley Burchfield’s character development kept me captivated. I was so annoyed with Polly and Ona at the beginning of the story, but Polly eventually overcomes her naïveté and I found myself cheering for her smart decisions. Furthermore, I appreciate the author’s lack of being too graphic during sexual or violent scenes—something that is lacking in much contemporary literature.
I save my 5-star reviews only for books I will read again. However, this 4-star review means that it is certainly one I will recommend and will probably remember often.
April 3, 2024
This is a fantastic book! Birchfield creates an immersive setting of life in the time before, during, and after the Civil War. I fell in love with many of the characters. I did spend 2/3 of the book screaming at the empty-headed foolish woman Polly even though I recognized that I was judging her by my modern feminist sensibilities. However, I think her traits make sense for the time she lived. And her evolution as a person rings true. I am happy to say Polly redeemed herself, and I loved her in the end as well. The villains in this book are some of the worst I’ve read, and I hope they burn in hell.
One of the things I thought a lot about while reading is the idea of the white savior complex. But I feel the storyline’s historical context justified the events, such as the white woman Polly granting freedom to some slaves. And because she didn’t disclose the truth to other slaves, she wasn’t automatically seen as a hero. I know I will continue to think about this, and I’m open to changing my view in the future.
One of the things I thought a lot about while reading is the idea of the white savior complex. But I feel the storyline’s historical context justified the events, such as the white woman Polly granting freedom to some slaves. And because she didn’t disclose the truth to other slaves, she wasn’t automatically seen as a hero. I know I will continue to think about this, and I’m open to changing my view in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2024
Packs a wallop - physically and emotionally...long story and was wondering what she could cut out to shorten it, but then it might have distracted from the lifelong story of a young girl Polly living in the Antebelum south. Her younger brothers are killed by the neighbor's overseer and her future husband.
So it starts with her youth and see how her character develops despite an absent but loving father and a despondent mother...
anyway a great story about sticking to your principles, tho at times her naiviety sp? drove me crazy - but that was driven from loneliness and natural attraction - and typical of kids her age - she doesn't listen to anyone's advice (& we wonder why those that marry young have a high divorce rate).
Her husband John - was an abuser and drunk and they finally poison him in the end. She kills the nasty overseer.
The slaves - Ben and his mama Ona are remarkably well written too.
Basically happy ending - fortunately - starts with her as a young girl to her death.
So it starts with her youth and see how her character develops despite an absent but loving father and a despondent mother...
anyway a great story about sticking to your principles, tho at times her naiviety sp? drove me crazy - but that was driven from loneliness and natural attraction - and typical of kids her age - she doesn't listen to anyone's advice (& we wonder why those that marry young have a high divorce rate).
Her husband John - was an abuser and drunk and they finally poison him in the end. She kills the nasty overseer.
The slaves - Ben and his mama Ona are remarkably well written too.
Basically happy ending - fortunately - starts with her as a young girl to her death.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2022
“Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.” Ecclesiastes 1:4
Shelly Burchfield’s debut novel is lengthy, but it grabs you immediately and will have you reading into the night to find out how Polly Burgiss protects her land and the slaves who do the difficult work. “As Polly discovers unsettling truths about the evils of slavery, her revelations set in motion a monumental shift in her own corner of the world.” Shelley draws from her own ancestry to tell this story and includes famous people and places of South Carolina to bring the story to life. You will run the emotional gambit as you devour this incredible book. The Earth Remains is a fabulous debut novel. Looking forward to her next book!
Shelly Burchfield’s debut novel is lengthy, but it grabs you immediately and will have you reading into the night to find out how Polly Burgiss protects her land and the slaves who do the difficult work. “As Polly discovers unsettling truths about the evils of slavery, her revelations set in motion a monumental shift in her own corner of the world.” Shelley draws from her own ancestry to tell this story and includes famous people and places of South Carolina to bring the story to life. You will run the emotional gambit as you devour this incredible book. The Earth Remains is a fabulous debut novel. Looking forward to her next book!
March 28, 2023
Historical fiction has never been my go-to genre. After many recommendations by trusted friends, I finally picked up The Earth Remains. This book is a work of art. Burchfield weaves a story about a delicate time in American history that captivates and moves the reader. My heart was completely invested in the life of Polly Burgiss and her relationship with one of the most compelling literary characters I have discovered to date, Ona. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any reader. I will undoubtedly be reading any future works by Shelley Burchfield.
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