Lazaretto

by Diane McKinney-Whetstone

“Vibrant. . . . Completely engaging. . . . A unique blend of poetic language and graphic depictions of the injustices suffered by African Americans in the post-Civil War period.”—  Booklist  (starred review) Diane McKinney-Whetstone's stunning historical novel,  Lazaretto, begins in the chaotic back streets of post-Civil War Philadelphia as a young black woman, Meda, gives birth to a child fathered by her wealthy white employer. In a city riven by racial tension, the father’s transgression is unforgivable. He arranges to take the baby, so it falls to Sylvia, the midwife’s teenage apprentice, to tell Meda that her child is dead—a lie that will define the course of both women’s lives.  A devastated Meda dedicates herself to working in an orphanage and becomes a surrogate mother to two white boys; while Sylvia, fueled by her guilt, throws herself into her nursing studies and finds a post at the Lazaretto, the country’s first quarantine hospital, situated near the Delaware River, just south of Philadelphia. The Lazaretto is a crucible of life and death; sick passengers and corpses are quarantined here, but this is also the place where immigrants take their first steps toward the American dream. The live-in staff are mostly black Philadelphians, and when two of them arrange to marry, the city’s black community prepares for a party on its grounds. But the celebration is plunged into chaos when gunshots ring out across the river. As Sylvia races to save the victim, the fates of Meda’s beloved orphans also converge on the Lazaretto. Here conflicts escalate, lies collapse, and secrets begin to surface. Like dead men rising, past sins cannot be contained.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Adult Fiction, African American, Literary Fiction, 19th Century

368 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2016

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Post Civil War, Philadelphia, on the evening of President Lincoln's assassination a few things will happen that will effect some of these characters but will remain a secret untold for decades. Relations between blacks and whites were still fraught with mistrust and anger, anger that sometimes boiled over. Many also thought that orphans were throwaway children. All these things would come to a head at the Lazaretto, the first quarantine hospital built in the United States.

Wonderful descriptive prose, vibrant and likable characters, well for the most part, we have to have a few bad guys. . Just loved Linc and Bram, Meda, Sylvia, Carl and Dakota and a few more. Very easy story to get into, the setting and the tone places the reader firmly in this time period. If at times it was a bit dramatic that was okay and while the ending may seem a little too pat for some, I thought is was fitting and well deserved.

Loved the historical feeling in this one, the small accurate details, but it very much a character driven story and the characters had amazing depth. Will be seeking out more from this author.

ARC from Harper Publishing.

[Nakia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every bit of this book. Diane McKinney-Whetstone is a master storyteller from beginning to end. I know it's a bit early in the year to call this my favorite read of 2016, so I'll just leave it at being in the Top 5. Going to be hard to get better than this though.

For a more detailed review, check out Stacia Brown's article in the Washington Post. She took the words right out of my mouth: ‘Lazaretto’ is a historical novel — and a perfect book for the end of the Obama era

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

So apparently my love for civil war-era novels is not all-encompassing, because even though this book seemed right up my alley I could not get engaged. The author seemed distracted by her own plot lines, jumping from character to character and glossing over months, sometimes years of developments with a single exposition-heavy paragraph. None of their characters ever seemed developed, and their actions were never justified or explored for this reason (see: Meda's relationship with Ann, a relationship that could be a book in itself but is explained away in a few sentences and barely returned to - seriously, a lesbian romance between a black and white woman in the post-civil war north and you don't want to explore the implications of that even a little??) I saw the ending coming from a mile away, and the "twist" was eye roll-worthy. For such a buzzy book, I was very disappointed.

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this book by closing my eyes in my public library, having my daughter lead me to some shelves, and then choosing the book with my eyes still closed, all to satisfy a 2020 Popsugar reading challenge prompt. This book is the perfect example of why I do not normally choose books that way.

This book is so meandering, it made me realize why I like genre fiction so much - because at least then I know where the book is going, there's a romance or a quest or a mystery, there's a point to the story. This book felt like it had no point, it just sort of kept going and going and going ...

There IS a good story buried under the mess of tangles. On the other hand, the writing, and the way the story is told, and - worst of all - the way the book is presented in the blurb, are all pretty much not good. The blurb describes actions that take place when the book is half done!

The entire book is a series of tangled threads of various characters lives, weaving and separating and intertwining again, and the end is quite satisfying, but the rest of it is just not.

I’m sure the author did plenty of research on the time period, but I never really felt transported to late 1800s Philadelphia, and I had to keep reminding myself when this was set. It could have been set in any pre-tech time period in just about any location.

[Brown Girl Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 Stars!

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

The quarantine hospital called Lazaretto, outside of Philadelphia just after the Civil War is the setting for the second half of this novel . It is the place where people's paths cross in a ways that change there lives but it was the first half that held for me the real basis of what the book is about. This is when the author pulled me into the lives of this cast of characters that are so appealing that you just have to know what will happen to them . They are loving and kind women caring for children who are not theirs but loving them as if they were, two orphan boys who love their brother who is not really their brother but loving him as if he were . It also depicts a time in our society after slavery where racial boundaries abound.

Two young women meet - one pregnant by her boss and the other learning to deliver babies, delivers her first. Both of their lives impacted from that day forward , as is depicted in alternating narratives . This is a beautifully written story that from the start kept me hoping for the day their paths would cross again. Meda, the young mother, who tries to find solace and meaning in her life after losing her baby opens her heart to two infant white boys at the orphanage, Linc and Bram. Yes , named after Abraham Lincoln , who is assassinated on the day she gave birth. Sylvia, the medical assistant , becoming a nurse but also care taker to a baby girl, brought into her life by her uncle who cannot take care of her . It isn't their paths that cross but the culmination of a reunion of sorts is painfully and beautifully rendered at Lazaretto. Predictable revelations and ending but still worthy of four solid stars .

Thanks to Harper Collins and Edelweiss.

[FreeFormLady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely enjoyed this book. Check out my thoughts in my YouTube video
https://youtu.be/ZXGrXivdeO0

[Mirella · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the aftermath of the American civil war, on the night of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, two women whose paths cross briefly, are inadvertently linked for years. At the start of the story, a young black woman named Meda is toiling to give birth. The midwife's assistant Sylvia is shocked when the baby's father, takes the baby away and orders her to tell Meda the was stillborn. The secret will haunt Sylvia for the rest of her life. As a means to ease her grief, Meda bonds with two boys, Linc and Bram who reside at a nearby orphanage.
Told through these women's points of view, I was treated to a lush story of dark secrets, hardship, and abounding love. The larger than life characters drew me into the story, each adding a different aspect to this multi-layered story. Lovely prose, wonderfully vivid descriptions, and a darn good yarn made me flip the pages at a furious pace. A definite 5 star read! A great book for book clubs too!
Thank you to the author and publisher. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for visiting my blog, http://greathistoricals.blogspot.ca, where the greatest historical fiction is reviewed! For fascinating women of history bios and women's fiction please visit http://www.historyandwomen.com.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way this author sets a scene; her description of a crowd of people sitting and talking and eating and playing cards tells you everything about their personalities and is full of historical detail. I didn't love that occasionally she'd do that at a dramatic point when the tension was high and I needed to know what happened next, but that's not the kind of book this is. The plot was saved from potential melodrama by the quiet way she let it play out, stopping here and there to check in on the activity in the kitchen or have two friends tease each other. Recommended if you enjoy soaking up those details more than getting to the next plot point.

[Brian TramueL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite read of 2016.

[Andre(Read-A-Lot) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 for the pacing and prose. Although the cast of characters are plentiful, she manages to craft a good tale with some real life elements. The major drawback in this novel was the suspense and tension she built into the story was telegraphed and easy to discern which distracted from the overall story, because you know the mysteries early on. So instead of staying engaged with that anxious anticipation and being surprised about some detail, you end up reading to see when and how the "secrets" will be revealed. That is not necessarily a bad thing, because the goal is to keep the reader involved, and this she accomplishes. Overall an enjoyable read when all the pages are turned.

[Daniel Shindler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author has a beautiful command of language. She evokes time and place with vivid accuracy. All her books are set in Philadelphia. In this novel, she recreates the post civil war period and infuses her characters with breathtaking life, interactions and emotions. This novel is a must read.

[Jaclyn Norkus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Giving it 2 because the writing was okay. The beginning was strong but it fell apart pretty quickly. Too many characters, all barely touched below surface introductions. Main plot lines that were never explored. Ended up being very boring and tedious- I was very glad to finish it.

[Wanda]

26 SEP 2016 - spied on Eve's Instagram feed. I live about 1-1/2 hours from Philadelphia. I did not know about this. Fascinating. Thanks, Eve!

[Jess - The Hexed Library]

DNF @33%

I'm just too far in to this to not be interested in what's happening.

[Lael Braday · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Sylvia helps deliver her first baby as an apprentice midwife, Meda, the mother, leaves believing the baby died at the request of the father, her wealthy, white employer. Meda tends to her grief by volunteering at an orphanage, where she takes on the care of two babies and helps raise them. Sylvia assuages her guilt by throwing herself into nursing, obtaining a post at Lazaretto, the first quarantine hospital in the U.S. Though from different socio-economic levels, Sylvia and Meda’s lives brush upon each other slightly throughout the years, though both women are unaware. A wedding party composed of black employees at the Lazaretto is quarantined due to a yellow fever scare. Sylvia must take charge of the ensuing chaos of racial terrorism upon the group on the boat over to the island and deal with white policemen whose purpose is unknown, but who are also quarantined with the wedding party. Meda’s boys end up in the middle and learn the truth of their mother.

McKinney-Whetstone deftly portrays the precarious position of characters in a society that considers them invisible at best, and how they must carefully balance dignity with always a thought toward self-preservation. Though the characters hold their integrity through actions, the dialogue alternates between formal, stiff language without contractions and colloquial dialect, seemingly randomly, and can be distracting from the story. Systemic racism is nearly its own character in the tale, as even refined, strong-willed Sylvia deems it important to pamper the stranded detectives based on their color. Readers of historical fiction, lovers of secrets, and fans of flawed, complex characters will appreciate this novel.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read many novels about Black lives and Black life, but very few are set in the aftermath of the Civil War. That period was a peculiar historical moment--it held much promise, but ultimately, Emancipation left the plight of Black Americans ambiguous. They were no longer enslaved, but not quite free--citizens in name, but not in truth. The rights of Black folks were uncertain, and the death of Radical Reconstruction, along with the birth of Black Codes and Jim Crow, made it clear that the notion of "Black rights" was nothing but a fiction.

And yet, in this period, Black folks still lived lives. They raised families, they fell in love, they tried to make a living, and they lived as best they could. Toni Morrison's 'Beloved' was the first work of historical fiction I read that gave space to imagining how Black life and Black lives fared in the shadow of enslavement, and Diane McKinney-Whetstone's 'Lazaretto' does the same. Besides that fact, the two novels share little in common.

Benin, a wealthy white Philadephia lawyer, rapes Meda, a Black domestic who works in his home. Benin takes Meda to a Black midwife, Dr. Miss, to have the pregnancy terminated, but Dr. Miss and her assistant, Sylvia, realize that Meda is too far along. Meda delivers her baby, but Benin demands that Meda be told that the baby died. The baby's fate is unknown for many years, and Meda's life is forever haunted by it. She comes to care for two white babies, whom she names Abraham and Lincoln--President Lincoln was assassinated the very night Meda gave birth--and raises them as her own until they are forced to flee from Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, Sylvia becomes a surrogate mother to her uncle's daughter, Vergie. She raises Vergie as she studies to become a nurse, and, eventually, Sylvia receives an appointment at Lazaretto, the city's immigrant quarantine hospital. Many years later, there is a funeral and a wedding. The two events are seemingly unrelated, but both events draw the novel's large cast of characters to Lazaretto, where the fate of Meda's baby is finally revealed. McKinney-Whetstone explores fictive kinship, the many forms of love, and the complications of racial identity along the way.

What I enjoyed most about this novel was the fact that it was set in the North. So often, conversations about Black life before and after Emancipation reinforce the notions of the South as *sheer evil* and the North as *pure goodness.* The very fact that slavery too existed in the North, that the antecedents of Jim Crow laws began in the North, that life in the North was not synonymous to freedom and prosperity, is very rarely depicted. But here in the "City of Brotherly Love," in the once capital of the new nation, in a space that was filled with Quakers and abolitionists, racism and racial inequities abound. McKinney-Whetstone did a fabulous job of capturing this, and she also made the Black communities in the novel as diverse as those one would have found in those times. Some were wealthy, and some were barely getting by. Some were native Philadelphians whose generational roots were firmly planted in the city's soil while others were recent migrants who had just left the sprawling plantations of Southern states.

The novel boasts an ensemble cast of characters, but McKinney-Whetstone balances all the characters with ease. Meda and Sylvia are the focus of the first half of the novel, and the second half turns to Abraham, Lincoln, and Sylvia once more. The supporting characters like Miss Ma, Buddy, and Carl were absolutely delightful. The novel's central weaknesses, as I saw them, were the language, the pacing, and the loose ends. The language was too flowery; there was little variation in syntax, and so the reader often finds themselves encountering one long, elaborate sentence after another. Consequently, it became difficult to appreciate the language, and the eloquence became more of a nuisance than a wonder. Additionally, I wonder how the dialogue actually matched up to the temporal setting. I got the feeling that some of the phrases and swears were more modern and reflective of contemporary times than the historical moment.

The novel's great mystery could probably be solved by an astute reader about halfway through. I don't think that anything was gained by dragging it out and failing to resolve it until the very end. Making Meda's baby the central focus of the novel prevented the author from unraveling threads that were far more knotted and complex. There was a queer interracial couple whose intimacy and racial differences were never given the depth and attention they needed; there was a mentally ill, older Black woman who was fascinating but relegated to the margins of both McKinney Whetstone's rendering of Philadelphia and the storyline itself; Sylvia and Carl's relationship never got its due, and these are just a few instances. Some of the moments were explained away so quickly that it was easy to lose track of what had occurred and how very significant a particular moment was.

The mixed-race characters of the novel were used perhaps to unveil the complications of racial identity, but the effect fell flat. I got a lot of "tragic mulatto" vibes from them, and found them (and their storylines) uninteresting. Additionally, the white characters were either really deplorable (which is very much believable) or wholly good (which is very much unbelievable). Even Lincoln is worshipped as a savior amongst the novel's Black characters while history has shown us that he was not a radical integrationist by far. Yes, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, but only as a method to preserve the Union, not because he had strong leanings about the immorality of enslavement or an unwavering belief in Black humanity. Indeed, he supported a massive deportation program for those formerly enslaved because he believed that they simply *could not* become members of the nation's social and political fabric. There were, of course, Black Americans of various social standings who knew this at the time. Therefore, seeing Lincoln heralded as an example ally and savior by all was just...weird and offputting.

The novel's got structure and the writing--while unappealing to my taste--was strong. I appreciated the novel's setting, but based on the story, characters, and themes, I wouldn't strongly recommend the novel. Some of it had promise, but much of it did not. A novel entirely focused on Meda, Buddy, Sylvia, Nevada, and Carl would have been much, much more satisfying.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew. There were a LOT of characters in this book. The second half of the book, I had a hard time keeping them all straight. There was a huge gap in time between the two; Bram and Linc were both babies, toddlers, and adolescents in the first half, the second half they are grown men trying to find their way.

However, the heart of the story is a doozy, and one that I had never heard of. It explores the love between brothers, between mother and son, romantic loves, and love between friends. I enjoyed the story, once I quit focusing on how each character is related to one another.

[Juniper · Rating 3 out of 5]

despite some flaws that really nagged at me, i did enjoy this book. i appreciated the characters and the setting/time. i loved the medical aspects of the story. i felt like characters could have developed further, and plots could have gone deeper in several areas -- in particular, the relationship between meda and ann. i mean, that right there could have been a novel unto itself: black woman and white woman fall in love during the aftermath of abraham lincoln's assassination. (this is one example of a loose thread that was just left hanging or abruptly moved along from.) the ending was a bit clunky, though i had been wholly sucked in during the first half of the novel. but, there was much i liked in the book, and mckinney-whetstone created some very vivid moments.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well. Wow. There was a lot about this book I didn't anticipate. The tone can be a bit challenging for a reader like me - there's a lot of hardship and injustice and tragedy. I can't lie. I found that rough going. There were things that kept my optimistic side happy and kept me reading, like Meda's love for Bram and Linc, or the friendship between Sylvia and Nevada, although so many rugs got pulled out from under me that it was hard to trust any of the nice things. But the world and the community felt real, and that's super important to me in historical fiction. Challenging as it was, I also thought it was a really good piece of fiction.

That ending though. I'm not going to say anything about it. Just, you know. That ending!

[Michael Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite authors. Her sense of time and place is second to none. the death of Abraham Lincoln is a cause for mourning in Philadelphia during the period of this book. A midwife delivers a child that was supposed to be aborted. The young assistant makes a choice that shapes the novel immensely. There is not too much brutality towards Blacks thankfully but an incident does mar a celebration. I thought Vergie was the answer. Read for yourself and enjoy the Philly based novel.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good! A richly written historical novel that begins with a young midwife's helper training to be a nurse and spins out from there. I loved the first half more than the second (where we finally reach the titular Lazaretto) but I still enjoyed the latter too. And I think it ended in just the right place. ☺️

[Pam Priddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Major disappointment for me - the description caught me, the beginning of the book grabbed me, I was loving this book and then,.... It just lost me. I kept reading, kept trying, and finally gave up 1/2 way through. And honestly, I haven't given any of them a second thought since I put the book down. Oh well....

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim and I'm so glad I did. I loved this book. Just kept getting better as the end neared and we began to see how tightly the stories wove together. Only holding back from five stars because it felt like it needed one more chapter to tie things up.

[Alisha W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. I also don't know what more to say. Great character development with a perfect mix of history, race, class & love.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. It was very long.

[QueenKayeNandi.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lazaretto was very intriguing to read. Diane McKinney-Whetstone has been blessed with the phenomenal ability to keep her reader interested throughout. I honestly did not want to put the book down. A Philadelphia transplant from Savannah, I am very familiar with the Lazaretto facility in what is now Essington, PA, just outside of Southwest Philly, in Delaware County. The site has since been transformed into a tourist site with a nearby ballroom given the same name.

Before there was Ellis Island, there was the Lazaretto, a quarantine station established in 1799 to examine incoming immigrants to the city of Philadelphia. Any sick passengers or crew members would be quarantined there.

Diane gives us vibrant chararcters who feel more like family and friends than those from historical fiction. All of the emotions (laughter, shock, curiosity, tears, etc) will come forth while reading this novel. Lazaretto tells the story of love, family, unity, genuine togetherness, social class, and racial identity among the African-American community in South Philadelphia. Lazaretto deals with issues such as passing (both knowing and unknowingly), pathological medical conditions, rape, gambling, colorism, and drug addiction to name a few. The novel speaks to the strength and character of the women, who against the odds, held everything together.
Though we like to think of novels as having one or two main characters, Diane gives us many main characters whose lives, stories, and histories are intrinsically intertwined. There are at least eight different, but connected stories throughout the book. However, the story of Linc and Bram will capture your heart. Throughout the novel, there is no greater love than the love between these two brothers. They fight, sacrifice and look out for one another to no end. Theirs is a true bond of unbreakable love, friendship, and brotherhood. The stories of Meda, The Benins, Buddy, Miss Ma, Nevada, Sylvia, Carl, Ann, Dr. Miss and the no count Lazaretto physician all serve as a backdrop to help tell the story of Linc and Bram. Each of the other stories gently touch on a current 21st century issue.

The simultaneous death of Abraham Lincoln and the birth of a newborn lays the foundation of what plays out during this story. In this well laid out story of a woman and two babies, we find that love, truth, and understanding prevail. This 336 page novel is well worth the read as it is beautifully written.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this book wasn’t quite what I thought it was going to be. I spend a large portion of time confused about who was who and waiting for something big to happen - though the book wasn’t bad, I was disappointed on all fronts.

The story is about a hospital in Philadelphia following the civil war. That’s the crux of what I did understand. The rest involved babies being separated from their parents and skin tone being a prevalent theme among blacks and multiracial individuals seeking partnership and acceptance.

I generally love this author- I remember loving the other books if hers I read in the early 2000s. However this book just didn’t do it for me. I felt there were too many characters and many had similar or unfinished stories, so I didn’t feel connected to any of them. I wanted more of a deep dive into the social aspects of the hospital and better reveals. But I found that the author chose more of a slow burn approach and focused more on the relationships between the characters. Again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I just didn’t care for the execution and it wasn’t what I wanted for these characters.

I’ll continue to hold the author in high esteem however this wasn’t even close to being my favorite work of hers. 2 stars.

[WritingReadingSoul · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75⭐️

[Sarah W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book opened with an engrossing scene - a mother giving birth and then lied to about the fate of her child - and then the story seemed to meander before coming together again towards the end. I struggled with the middle and while I appreciated the conclusion (and one of the revelations towards the end), something about this novel just didn't work for me.