Vaucluse

by Donna Every

Vaucluse is the story of the struggle for freedom versus the fight against emancipation during a period of great turmoil in Barbados. It is 1816 and the planters are determined to maintain their enviable lifestyles. Many plantations are heavily indebted and are going into Chancery. Henry Peter Simmons, owner of the prosperous Vaucluse plantation, claims that “the negro is not yet fitted for his freedom” and fights against abolition. However, in his will he left the plantation to his “two natural coloured and reputed” sons whom he manumitted before the end of slavery. One former slave referred to Simmons in his own will as a “kind master”. Who was the real Henry Peter Simmons? The profit-driven anti-abolitionist or the kind master? You decide.

300 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 2018

About the author

Donna Every writes emotionally powerful historical and contemporary fiction centered on resilience, hope, and the real struggles women face behind closed doors. Her stories explore addiction, caregiving, faith, healing, and the complexity of relationships, both historic and modern, connecting deeply with readers seeking authenticity, heart and healing.

Reviews

[Nerissa Golden · Rating 5 out of 5]

You want to hate him because he owned slaves and he wasn't too anxious to let them go. Yet, you admired him because he kept his word and he cared for the slaves in a way unmatched by other owners of his time.
Donna Every takes you through a range of emotions in Vaucluse as she introduces you to this man who lived between many worlds, who was conflicted within himself yet managed to make life better for those around him.
I enjoyed how she used months and months of research to bring to life a man who lived 200 years ago, in her novel.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

While in Barbados, I found this book in the hotel library. I thought it would be good to learn some of the history of this beautiful place. The author recounts the period between 1815 and 1840 during which slavery was abolished in England and ultimately in its colonies. The controversy and hypocrisy of the plantation owners and the stories of the slaves explored the concept and price of freedom and whether or not it was truly achievable.

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Felt at home with this novel as a number of the places are known to me.
The historical facts and the genealogy are quite fascinating.