The Sun Is My Undoing

Flood Trilogy #1

by Marguerite Steen

Historical Novel

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical

882 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1941

About the author

Daughter of Capt. George Connolly Benson and Margaret Jones, Marguerite was adopted by Joseph and Margaret Jane Steen. Educated at a private school and subsequently, with much more success, at Kendal High School, at 19 she became a teacher in a private school. After three years she abandoned that career and went to London to fulfill her ambition of working in the theatre. Failing to gain entry to the theatrical world, she accepted instead an offer to teach dance in Yorkshire schools. This earned her a comfortable living (rising to over £500 a year) which enabled her to spend long periods travelling in France and Spain—the latter becoming her adopted homeland.

In 1921, she joined the Fred Terry/Julia Neilson drama company, at £3 per week, and spent three years touring with them. She was befriended by Ellen Terry, and when she found herself unemployed in 1926, took her advice and wrote The Gilt Cage, published in 1927. She went to write 40 more books.

Her first major success was Matador (1934), for which she drew on her love of Spain, and of bullfighting. This was picked up by both the Book Society in Britain, and the Book of the Month Club in the USA. Also a best-seller on both sides of the Atlantic was her massive saga of the slave-trade and Bristol shipping, The Sun Is My Undoing (1941); this was the first part of a trilogy, but the remaining volumes were far less popular.[5] Though never quite accepted by literary critics, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1951. Her two volumes of autobiography, Looking Glass (1966) and Pier Glass (1968) offer some delightful views of the English creative set from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Reviews

[Kd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first great book I ever read. I was 15, and had read some of the classics but this book struck me down. The whole story of the English slave trade and Matthew and Pallas' journey captured my attention. In fact, I used it as a spring board for my Junior paper, and got an A, the only thing that saved my bacon after a semester of skipping school. I have a copy, big and old, right by my bed. I think it needs rereading.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a intense, mammoth read. As with Hervey's Anthony Adverse or Dane's Broome Stages, you have to read every single word - no skimping or reading ahead. If you invest the time (it took me @ 3 weeks, and I usually read 1-2 books a week), it is a rich and satisfying reward. I love books that provide a good plot and teach me something as well (in this case, slave trading.) It would make a wonderful BBC drama. Such a shame it is not available as an e-book. If you can get your hands on a copy it, go for it. HIGHLY recommended. I immediately started its sequel, Twilight on the Floods, as I wasn't ready to part with the family.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book is like running a marathon on a rocky road; just when you think it's best to give up you realize if you finish it bragging rights are eternal. Good insight into the world during the slave trade from Africa and how culture was when Britain ruled the colonies and world. Also you get a chance to hate and have sympathy for character in turn.

[Steven]

This is a hefty book. As you may tell from the cover, it's old. The language is interesting. As a novel, it's a good history book. I'm learning alot about the time period that I had no knowledge of before.

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book deserves zero stars. Disgusted in any review that glorifies or romanticizes this hateful and disgusting excuse for literature.

[A J HOOPER · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just zoomed my way through yards and yards of book. An ancient first edition, inherited from my Mum. It's a tale of dashing adventures, insane passions, appalling slavery, pirates, Corsairs, ancient Bristol slaving families and so much else. From a literary point of view it's terrible. From a cracking piece of swashbuckling, it's amazing.

Three generations of the Bristol Flood family struggle with colour prejudice only not in a PC way. This is a book written early 1940s and any woke person will hate it. But the descriptions of the slaves conditions are so terrible that the author, Margarite Steen, has done the black movement a favour. Few things were more evil than the 18th century treatment of black slaves and these are depicted in appalling detail.

But it's the spirit of the adventurous Flood family that carries through the story. Extraordinary.

[Margareth8537 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this a fascinating way to find out about the slave trade. Our history teacher always warned us to be careful about novels, but also encouraged us to read them

[Bonnye Reed]

First in the series 'Flood Trilogy, all available KU. Own 3rd in series Pheonix Rising

[Roy Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vast and fascinating journey

through cultural phenomena, powerful romances and especially, to me at least, the barbarous crime and generational residue of slavery. I loved this book!

[Karinirmgard]

Deutscher Titel - Die schwarze Sonne

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very good story, took a long while to read but well worth it

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a re-read but still an excellent book. Many long books have a boring part, did not find any of this book to be boring. It took me 3 weeks to read it! This is one of my own books.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very old book written in the U.K. While I enjoyed the adventure, I found it somewhat difficult to read. The author, being British, wrote in a very old British style and with words an American might not usually think to use.