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Plantation Trilogy #2
The Handsome Road
The Civil War alters life for a Louisiana plantation mistress and a poor seamstress in this novel by the New York Times–bestselling author of Jubilee Trail. Corrie May Upjohn stands on the levee, watching men unload the riverboats and wishing she could travel far away. A poor preacher’s daughter, she is only fourteen and her life is already laid out for marriage in a year or two, and then decades of drudgery. At nearby Ardeith Plantation, Ann Sheramy Larne lives in luxury, but feels just as imprisoned as Corrie May. Their lives could not be more different, but when the horrors of war and Reconstruction come to Louisiana and the Old South begins to fall, these two women will band together to survive. From the bestselling author of Calico Palace, this is the second novel in the poignant Plantation Trilogy, which also includes Deep Summer and This Side of Glory.
426 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1938
225 people are currently reading
607 people want to read
About the author
Gwen Bristow
44 books181 followersGwen Bristow (September 16, 1903 - August 17, 1980) was an American author and journalist. She studied at Columbia University and afterwards wrote for a number of literary magazines and journals. Eventually she moved to New Orleans, and worked at the Times-Picayune. She became interested in longer forms of writing—novels and short stories—through her husband, screenwriter Bruce Manning, and published her first novel in 1929.
Bristow reached the pinnacle of her career with the western romance Jubilee Trail, which became a bestseller in 1950, and was adapted to a moderately successful film in 1954.
Bristow reached the pinnacle of her career with the western romance Jubilee Trail, which became a bestseller in 1950, and was adapted to a moderately successful film in 1954.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
September 26, 2017
The second book of "Plantation triology" by Gwen Bristow .. The atrocities and the cruelty of American civil war .. and the the lives of two women who overshadow one another .. this is a very interesting read rich in culture, romance and history. Again, I admire southern woman and adore this book. Well deserved 4 stars .. ❤️❤️❤️
July 24, 2018
As a stand alone, this would have been 4 stars, but the context of the trilogy enriches the story for me. Gone with the Wind, set in the same time period, focused on the rise and fall of the plantation families, whereas this book compares and contrasts a Southern Belle and a young woman who is 'po' white trash'. Other books have focused on slavery and in this book we see that the poor white workers of the region and period were worth much less. I learned a lot of history from this story including the existence of breeding houses, where black infants were sold into slavery; also the rise of the carpetbaggers. Am looking forward to completing the trilogy soon and then working my way through Gwen Bristow's other novels.
April 20, 2015
A historical novel about two women whose lives are changed by the American Civil War, and whose worlds repeatedly intersect, often in unexpected ways. 1949.
Full review (and recommendations of other little-known books!) at Another look book
A high-quality historical fiction that afforded me some nice escapism during the final parts of a very cold winter. I especially appreciated being exposed--for basically the first time--to the plights of the poor, white laboring class during the Civil War-era South. The idea that a whole class of people (arguably) had it worse than slaves was quite eye-opening. A great, engaging story! I also liked that the two women didn't turn all chummy towards each other; it was more like they were nemeses. Made things much more interesting.
Full review (and recommendations of other little-known books!) at Another look book
A high-quality historical fiction that afforded me some nice escapism during the final parts of a very cold winter. I especially appreciated being exposed--for basically the first time--to the plights of the poor, white laboring class during the Civil War-era South. The idea that a whole class of people (arguably) had it worse than slaves was quite eye-opening. A great, engaging story! I also liked that the two women didn't turn all chummy towards each other; it was more like they were nemeses. Made things much more interesting.
November 13, 2022
What a great novel! This is why I love a historical fiction. This is a perfect example of this genre.
Let's be more specific.
Firstly, the book is full of historical information. Not only about facts like battles, political events and so on, but first of all about how the people lived then, what they ate, what they wore, how the world around them looked like. And, as it is always in Bristow books, I was feeling as I would have lived in this world. I want to stress that it isn't a simple task. A writer has to know how to give a reader many specific information needed to understand a described world but in a way that wouldn't overload a reader, wouldn't make him bored. This is way I love Bristow historical novel.
Secondly, the fictional stories about two women are magnificent. They, these women are real, they are "products of those times". Of course I don't know any man from those times, it is obvious ;-) But I think that the characters in this books are so close to the truth as they could be.
Ann or Corrie May are so full of faults and prejudice. But as I said they are real. They (and other characters) live and struggle. One of the most amazing parts of the story is that their paths meet a few times and you think that you know how their relationship end up but
Nonetheless, we see that despite that Ann and Corrie May are so different at a very basic level they are the same. Through their struggle during the war and for the first years after the war we see they fight for the same thing.
Thirdly, the book is almost a philosophical and psychological study. Bristow showed us a reality of the war and its consequences (for humans, an economy, the civilisation and the future of the nation). I was struck so many times that I can't tell how many times it was. Again, perhaps a reader would think it is too sad, too pessimistic but it isn't. You have to take a lesson from this story, from the history. We can have a happy life and a great society if we only want because human has potential for good or evil. It depends of circumstances. So, we just have to not allow other people to make a wrong circumstances (for example wars).
Most of psychological truth is between the lines, through the decisions and actions of the characters. There is about freedom, a barrier between poor and rich, a reward (or lack of) for goodness and honesty, coincidence and bad luck.
I think I could write and write. The more I think about it the more wonderful seems to me this book.
So, if you want something more from a historical fiction I don't know what it could be.
Let's be more specific.
Firstly, the book is full of historical information. Not only about facts like battles, political events and so on, but first of all about how the people lived then, what they ate, what they wore, how the world around them looked like. And, as it is always in Bristow books, I was feeling as I would have lived in this world. I want to stress that it isn't a simple task. A writer has to know how to give a reader many specific information needed to understand a described world but in a way that wouldn't overload a reader, wouldn't make him bored. This is way I love Bristow historical novel.
Secondly, the fictional stories about two women are magnificent. They, these women are real, they are "products of those times". Of course I don't know any man from those times, it is obvious ;-) But I think that the characters in this books are so close to the truth as they could be.
Ann or Corrie May are so full of faults and prejudice. But as I said they are real. They (and other characters) live and struggle. One of the most amazing parts of the story is that their paths meet a few times and you think that you know how their relationship end up but
Nonetheless, we see that despite that Ann and Corrie May are so different at a very basic level they are the same. Through their struggle during the war and for the first years after the war we see they fight for the same thing.
"You got trouble and I got trouble", said Corrie May, "and I ain't concerned about whether we deserve it. I'm concerned about whether I myself personally can stand it."
Thirdly, the book is almost a philosophical and psychological study. Bristow showed us a reality of the war and its consequences (for humans, an economy, the civilisation and the future of the nation). I was struck so many times that I can't tell how many times it was. Again, perhaps a reader would think it is too sad, too pessimistic but it isn't. You have to take a lesson from this story, from the history. We can have a happy life and a great society if we only want because human has potential for good or evil. It depends of circumstances. So, we just have to not allow other people to make a wrong circumstances (for example wars).
but the war was over and you had to riot in foolishness lest you rmember you were dancing over a milion graves."
"I reckon a lot of things happen that we don't know anything about and yet it seems like they're our fault just the same."
How little, after all, one knew about the people one knew best.
Most of psychological truth is between the lines, through the decisions and actions of the characters. There is about freedom, a barrier between poor and rich, a reward (or lack of) for goodness and honesty, coincidence and bad luck.
I think I could write and write. The more I think about it the more wonderful seems to me this book.
So, if you want something more from a historical fiction I don't know what it could be.
October 12, 2009
This book takes the story of the Larne, Sheramy and UpJohn families through the civil war and it's aftermath. The author provides a very realistic portrayal of the upper class Larnes and Sheramys and the poor UpJohns, the latter having to struggle for work as the upper class had the slave labor to do most of the work for "free". Also, the turnaround of the cultures in the aftermath of the civil war, the Larnes and Sheramys having to struggle to survive and keep their plantations while Corrie May was able to catch a coattail of a carpet bagger and his money.
June 2, 2015
How is it I enjoyed this so much even when I disliked each character by turns?
December 3, 2020
Още една и трилогията свършва! :)
July 18, 2012
Louisiana Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts. Die 14-jährige Corrie May Upjohn gehört zu den “armen Weißen” des Landes, denen es oft schlechter geht als beispielsweise den Haussklaven der reichen Plantagenbesitzer. Doch sie hat den Ehrgeiz, etwas zu erreichen in ihrem Leben. Anne Sheramy hingegen ist eine Tochter des Südstaatenadels und eine Nachfahrin der Sheramys aus ”Tiefer Süden”, ebenso wie ihr Freund Denis Larne. Auch Corrie May ist entfernt mit diesen verwandt, was jedoch keiner ahnt, auch wenn ihr ein entsprechendes Gerücht bekannt ist. Sie schafft es, eine Anstellung bei Anne zu ergattern. Zu sehen, in welcher Pracht die Sheramys und die Larnes leben, verbittert sie in zunehmendem Maße. Und dann droht auch noch der Bürgerkrieg…
Im zweiten Teil ihrer Louisana-Trilogie vermittelt Gwen Bristow uns den krassen Gegensatz zwischen Arm und Reich in den Südstaaten der Vereinigten Staaten zur Zeit des Bürgerkriegs. Im Gegensatz zu den meisten Geschichten über die alten Südstaaten steht hier jedoch nicht der Sklavenkonflikt im Vordergrund, sondern die furchtbaren Lebensbedingungen der zwar freien, doch häufig im Elend lebenden armen Weißen. Eine Perspektive, die ich sehr interessant fand, insbesondere, inwiefern auch diese Menschen indirekt unter der Sklaverei zu leiden hatten. Wie schon im ersten Teil ist Gwen Bristows Erzählstil mitreißend und lebhaft, ihre Charaktere haben Tiefgang und der Leser fühlt sich direkt nach Louisiana versetzt. Die Hauptfigur, Corrie May, ist zunächst ein durchweg anständiges, sympathisches 14-jähriges Mädchen, doch in ihrem Ehrgeiz trifft sie ein ums andere Mal die falsche Entscheidung, was den Leser schier verzweifeln lässt. Auf der Seite der Plantagenbesitzer scheint Anne Sheramy eine unbekümmerte, naive und oberflächliche Person zu sein, doch auch sie muss einiges durchleben und ihr Potenzial wird dabei oft verkannt. Folgenden Satz fand ich beispielsweise sehr weise: “… sanft ist die Straße, über die ich gewandert bin - mir fehlt ein Maßstab; von den Gipfeln und den Abgründen der Wirklichkeit weiß ich nichts.” (Seite 75)
Mehr als im ersten Teil der Trilogie geht es in diesem Roman um Armut und Ungerechtigkeit. Er liefert ein sehr wirklichkeitsnahes Porträt der Südstaaten zu Zeiten des Bürgerkrieges. Alle Daumen hoch für dieses lesenswerte, weise Buch! Ich wünsche mir, dass die Klassiker von Gwen Bristow wieder mehr gelesen werden, sie sind es wert.
Im zweiten Teil ihrer Louisana-Trilogie vermittelt Gwen Bristow uns den krassen Gegensatz zwischen Arm und Reich in den Südstaaten der Vereinigten Staaten zur Zeit des Bürgerkriegs. Im Gegensatz zu den meisten Geschichten über die alten Südstaaten steht hier jedoch nicht der Sklavenkonflikt im Vordergrund, sondern die furchtbaren Lebensbedingungen der zwar freien, doch häufig im Elend lebenden armen Weißen. Eine Perspektive, die ich sehr interessant fand, insbesondere, inwiefern auch diese Menschen indirekt unter der Sklaverei zu leiden hatten. Wie schon im ersten Teil ist Gwen Bristows Erzählstil mitreißend und lebhaft, ihre Charaktere haben Tiefgang und der Leser fühlt sich direkt nach Louisiana versetzt. Die Hauptfigur, Corrie May, ist zunächst ein durchweg anständiges, sympathisches 14-jähriges Mädchen, doch in ihrem Ehrgeiz trifft sie ein ums andere Mal die falsche Entscheidung, was den Leser schier verzweifeln lässt. Auf der Seite der Plantagenbesitzer scheint Anne Sheramy eine unbekümmerte, naive und oberflächliche Person zu sein, doch auch sie muss einiges durchleben und ihr Potenzial wird dabei oft verkannt. Folgenden Satz fand ich beispielsweise sehr weise: “… sanft ist die Straße, über die ich gewandert bin - mir fehlt ein Maßstab; von den Gipfeln und den Abgründen der Wirklichkeit weiß ich nichts.” (Seite 75)
Mehr als im ersten Teil der Trilogie geht es in diesem Roman um Armut und Ungerechtigkeit. Er liefert ein sehr wirklichkeitsnahes Porträt der Südstaaten zu Zeiten des Bürgerkrieges. Alle Daumen hoch für dieses lesenswerte, weise Buch! Ich wünsche mir, dass die Klassiker von Gwen Bristow wieder mehr gelesen werden, sie sind es wert.
August 22, 2013
This is the second in a Trilogy. The first one "Deep Summer" and the last "This Side of Glory" Being set in the Civil War of course I had to read it.
The forward to the book starts out "On the 14th of March, 1794, Eli Whitney patented his cotton-gin. It was one of the greatest disasters that ever fell on the United States." (a little different than you learn in school). He goes on to explain "The cotton-gin was bound to come sometime. Too many people were looking for it. But if it had been delayed fifty years, almost certainly by that time American slavery would have ended; the lords of cotton would have built their fortunes with laborers who worked for wages, and there would have been no Civil War.In the 1790's most Americans thought slavery was on its way out."
The forward was as interesting as the book.
The forward to the book starts out "On the 14th of March, 1794, Eli Whitney patented his cotton-gin. It was one of the greatest disasters that ever fell on the United States." (a little different than you learn in school). He goes on to explain "The cotton-gin was bound to come sometime. Too many people were looking for it. But if it had been delayed fifty years, almost certainly by that time American slavery would have ended; the lords of cotton would have built their fortunes with laborers who worked for wages, and there would have been no Civil War.In the 1790's most Americans thought slavery was on its way out."
The forward was as interesting as the book.
November 28, 2009
The Handome Road brings some of the characters from Deep Summer further along in history. Telling the story of the causes of the civil war from various viewpoints makes it easier to understand why the South defended slavery. The plantation owners needed the slaves and the poor whites could never rise from poverty because who would pay them to work when slaves would work for nothing? That meant they had nothing to fight for. Only the slaves had anything to gain and even they were sometimes living better than they would have on their own. The fictional characters gave so much life to the history that these books in the plantation trilogy were hard to put down.
August 2, 2018
This is the second book in the Plantation Series. I have read and reviewed the first book, “Deep Summer,” and am currently reading the third, “This Side of Glory.” I would say these are “chick” books and that is not just because her main, strongest characters are women. I actually like strong women characters. I judge these books that way because of the detail given to description, especially to the clothing women wear. An outfit can take more than a page. This is also true for furnishings, food, parties, etc. etc. For me, a couple of lines to give basics and color are plenty.
This book takes the story through the Civil War. In Louisiana, black people were an important part of the culture. In Bristow’s novels, before the war, blacks were happy, self-fulfilled slaves and after the war they appear as happy, paid servants or angry derelicts wanting free stuff. In “Handsome Road” the Klu Klux Klan is portrayed as white heroes protecting the plantation owners from northern carpetbaggers and violent blacks. While the KKK did play that role, the darker, violent aspects did not make it to this book. I suppose that having been born in 1903 in the South Carolina, Bristow may have been raised with a rather narrow view of the southern culture and blacks. In any case, that narrow portrayal of the racial situation during the time of the novels has a serious impact on the reality of the stories.
In “Handsome Road” the main characters are Ann Larne, married to Denis Larne a rich plantation owner and Corri May Upjohn, who is poor white trash. Being poor white trash is the worst thing. Even field slaves sing a little ditty exclaiming how happy they are to be slaves instead of poor white trash. The fortunes of the heroines reverse a couple of times, and we see each character and her reaction to being rich and poor.
In spite of the negatives, the book has an interesting story with believable characters.
Started 2018.07.12 - finished 2018.07.19
This book takes the story through the Civil War. In Louisiana, black people were an important part of the culture. In Bristow’s novels, before the war, blacks were happy, self-fulfilled slaves and after the war they appear as happy, paid servants or angry derelicts wanting free stuff. In “Handsome Road” the Klu Klux Klan is portrayed as white heroes protecting the plantation owners from northern carpetbaggers and violent blacks. While the KKK did play that role, the darker, violent aspects did not make it to this book. I suppose that having been born in 1903 in the South Carolina, Bristow may have been raised with a rather narrow view of the southern culture and blacks. In any case, that narrow portrayal of the racial situation during the time of the novels has a serious impact on the reality of the stories.
In “Handsome Road” the main characters are Ann Larne, married to Denis Larne a rich plantation owner and Corri May Upjohn, who is poor white trash. Being poor white trash is the worst thing. Even field slaves sing a little ditty exclaiming how happy they are to be slaves instead of poor white trash. The fortunes of the heroines reverse a couple of times, and we see each character and her reaction to being rich and poor.
In spite of the negatives, the book has an interesting story with believable characters.
Started 2018.07.12 - finished 2018.07.19
March 19, 2024
Ahhhh ihana 1800-luvun romaani köyhälistön tytön kasvutarinasta!! Hahmot nerokkaita, tapahtumat kuvattu selkeästi ja kiva juoni😍joskin aika surullinen myös,,,tuli pieni eskapismin toive loppupuolella kun kaikki tuntui niin turhalta 😭
July 14, 2015
The second book of this trilogy is set in Louisiana along River Road immediately before, during and after the Civil War. It juxtaposes plantation life with that of the "poor white trash". Life at Ardeith Plantation is glamorous and extravagant until the war takes a toll and will only endure with determination and acceptance that life has now changed. The lives on the other side of town take on a prominence never dreamed of only to be dashed, but yet with the changes made after the war there is a hope of pulling oneself out of the gutter with sheer force of will!
His is another fun and quick read that I had previously read as a young teen. Reading it again was also fun, but this time rather than be swept away by the romance and nostalgia of the era, I was more aware and more interested in the subtle implications of the opposing way of life lived at Ardeith Plantation and in Rattletrap Square and how the war changed life for both.
His is another fun and quick read that I had previously read as a young teen. Reading it again was also fun, but this time rather than be swept away by the romance and nostalgia of the era, I was more aware and more interested in the subtle implications of the opposing way of life lived at Ardeith Plantation and in Rattletrap Square and how the war changed life for both.
August 21, 2014
This is the second in the Plantation trilogy (see my review for Deep Summer (#1). The time has shifted to the Civil War, with predictable consequences for aristocratic planters. But, agreeably, this time the focus is on one of the "white trash" characters, who resents the louche aristocrats and determines to make her own destiny. Of course, that means shacking up with the post Civil War carpetbagger villain, but I love how even when she is once again destitute, she triumphs in the end thanks to her indomitable will.
July 18, 2017
A unique perspective on the Civil War South featuring the disdain between the rich plantation slave-owners and the poor non-slave/land-owner whites. Corrie May Upjohn (and Gwen Bistow, for that matter for 1938) is quite ahead of her time in her refutation of The Lost Cause.
Interestingly, I googled "White Trash" and the term first came into use in the 1830's as a perjorative used by house slaves against poor whites. Not only does Corrie May have a beef with the rich land owners, but also with the house slaves with whom she comes in contact.
Interestingly, I googled "White Trash" and the term first came into use in the 1830's as a perjorative used by house slaves against poor whites. Not only does Corrie May have a beef with the rich land owners, but also with the house slaves with whom she comes in contact.
January 8, 2016
4.5 stars. The Handsome Road is the second book of Gwen Bristow's Plantation Trilogy and I actually like this one better than the first book. The time period is pre- to post-civil war and it continues the story of the Larne/Sheridan family, now expanded into walks of life other than the big plantation dwellers. Corrie May Upjohn's life differs vastly from that of Anne Larne. I love the history, detail, and complex characters. I'm looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy soon.
December 19, 2020
The Handsome Road is the second book in Gwen Bristow's Plantation trilogy. The first book, Deep Summer, saw the arrival of the Larnes, Sheramys, St. Clairs, and countless other families to the rich and unsettled lands along the Mississippi; in The Handsome Road such families are long-since established and ensconced in fine plantation homes.
The two protagonists of this novel are Corrie May Upjohn and Ann Sheramy Larne, distantly related, but light years apart in circumstance and outlook. The Civil War and subsequent Reconstruction tries the strength of both women, who realize their lives are both more and less predictable than they could have guessed before the war.
Bristow has a classic historical fiction writing style and her books are well-written page-turners. That said, I found the characters in The Handsome Road to be slightly caricaturized: Ann Larne is a little too Scarlet O'Hara and Mr. Gilday is a political cartoonist's dream of the perfect carpetbagger. At times these characterizations detract from the overall narrative, but in the whole The Handsome Road is still a very good book.
The two protagonists of this novel are Corrie May Upjohn and Ann Sheramy Larne, distantly related, but light years apart in circumstance and outlook. The Civil War and subsequent Reconstruction tries the strength of both women, who realize their lives are both more and less predictable than they could have guessed before the war.
Bristow has a classic historical fiction writing style and her books are well-written page-turners. That said, I found the characters in The Handsome Road to be slightly caricaturized: Ann Larne is a little too Scarlet O'Hara and Mr. Gilday is a political cartoonist's dream of the perfect carpetbagger. At times these characterizations detract from the overall narrative, but in the whole The Handsome Road is still a very good book.
July 24, 2019
This storyline was somewhat predictable and shared many elements with Gone With The Wind, but I felt it showed a deeper appreciation for what the South went through before, during and after the Civil War. At first I was shocked by the freely used “n-word”, but the author used it in the dialogue between characters, not as part of the narrative.
What was especially poignant to me is the way the book depicts the difference between the slaves and the “po’ white trash”. At one point, the main character realizes that in her position, she is less valuable than a slave and more vulnerable, because if she gets sick, she won’t be cared for, she can become homeless if she can’t pay the rent, and everything she needs to survive she needs to pay for with money that is very hard to come by. This is why so many low-income, uneducated white people are so rabidly racist and xenophobic. The seeds of that were planted long ago.
What was especially poignant to me is the way the book depicts the difference between the slaves and the “po’ white trash”. At one point, the main character realizes that in her position, she is less valuable than a slave and more vulnerable, because if she gets sick, she won’t be cared for, she can become homeless if she can’t pay the rent, and everything she needs to survive she needs to pay for with money that is very hard to come by. This is why so many low-income, uneducated white people are so rabidly racist and xenophobic. The seeds of that were planted long ago.
October 2, 2020
This book continues the story started in Book 1 of the trilogy into the Civil War era. It focuses on the lives and changing fortunes of Ann Larne, a wealthy woman who marries a plantation owner, and Corrie May Upjohn, a poor white woman. They're both descendants of the family from Book 1 but they have no idea they're related. It was an interesting read from the southern perspective, and I found it striking that the whole "Lost Cause" trope was so harshly rejected by Corrie May. The author, a white woman born in the South in the early 1900s, doesn't do race relations justice, but I think she was just a woman of her times. There are few Black characters in this story who play any meaningful part. All in all, I'm excited to read the final installment in this trilogy.
March 12, 2024
This was an interesting Read even though I was unable to read Part 1 of this Trilogy & so missed some character background. Told from the viewpoint of a young girl from a poor white family it details the abrupt changes in the Culture of the time between the Beginning of the Civil War through to the Denouement. Initially satisfied with her place in Society she is made painfully aware of the Upper Class plantation owners & how the 2 interact & affect each other. As the War progresses & she grows older what she experiences causes her to question her stance on all she has known.
Being written 40+ years ago some of the language used might be offensive Today but it clearly illustrates what the World was like in the mid 19th Century. Regardless it's an inciteful thought provoking novel.
Being written 40+ years ago some of the language used might be offensive Today but it clearly illustrates what the World was like in the mid 19th Century. Regardless it's an inciteful thought provoking novel.
January 17, 2024
Rise Again
This was a good book!
However, I don't think it was as good as the first one. It wasn't written as well, and the story wasn't quite as intriguing.
However, I sure enjoyed the two lives that were parallelled.
Some of me wishes there was more story told of each lady, maybe deeper understanding of their characters' thoughts and emotions.
The book was believeable. The women rose again, the South rose again, their boys rose of their own right, and the river rose. Changes with each rising, some detremental, some for the better.
This was a good book!
However, I don't think it was as good as the first one. It wasn't written as well, and the story wasn't quite as intriguing.
However, I sure enjoyed the two lives that were parallelled.
Some of me wishes there was more story told of each lady, maybe deeper understanding of their characters' thoughts and emotions.
The book was believeable. The women rose again, the South rose again, their boys rose of their own right, and the river rose. Changes with each rising, some detremental, some for the better.
November 18, 2016
This is the second book of, "The Plantation Trilogy", and it didn't disappoint. It takes place during the Civil War and goes back and forth between two grandchildren of Delores, the poor white trash gal that Caleb accidently married in book one. One is a grand plantation lady who has no idea of this ancestry and the other fights for life in the slums of New Orleans. Great story.
April 24, 2024
Olen tainnut joskus nuoruudessa lukea tämän osan Bristowin Louisiana-sarjaa. Kirja kertoo Amerikan sisällissodan ajoista Mississippi-joen suistomailla. Tarina on yllättävän monipuolinen ja raikas, toki osin kielenkäytöltään nykyään vanhentunutta. Ehkä kuitenkin minun makuuni liian täynnä kaikenlaista ylä- ja alamäkeä, mutta toisaalta valotti aikakautta nimenomaan naisten kokemusten kautta.
July 6, 2017
Glorious Read
I adore this series. It is more educational regarding class distinctions in the white antebellum and postwar South than any I have ever read. The author has immediately become on of my very favorites of all time.
I adore this series. It is more educational regarding class distinctions in the white antebellum and postwar South than any I have ever read. The author has immediately become on of my very favorites of all time.
May 8, 2020
I was so impressed with the first book in this series, I could not wait to read the second one. It did not disappoint. I believe the Author was accurate in the mental climate and temperament of the people in that time frame. Loved it!
May 21, 2024
Poor, rich, slaves, misery and indulgence surrounding the Civil War
Interesting story but difficult to read with all the Ñ words. Also, slavery painted as “not so bad” since this family treated their slaves well.
Interesting story but difficult to read with all the Ñ words. Also, slavery painted as “not so bad” since this family treated their slaves well.
May 31, 2025
This is the second book of the Plantation Trilogy and is set before, during, and after the Civil War. The book focuses on two women - Corrie May Upjohn (poor white trash) and Ann Larne (rich plantation owner) and follows the ups and downs of their lives and the ravages of war.
September 14, 2018
Good as the first. Will read the third.
July 15, 2021
Another class that I read long ago and have re read
December 6, 2023
Surprising Twist Pulls You In
This is a different look at the post-Revolutionary caste system in the South. With many men gone, strong women must persevere.
This is a different look at the post-Revolutionary caste system in the South. With many men gone, strong women must persevere.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews