Leaving Coy's Hill

by Katherine A. Sherbrooke

** A Massachusetts Book Award "Fiction Honor" **

An unforgettable story about the triumphs and travails of a woman unwilling to play by the rules, based on the the remarkable life of pioneering feminist and abolitionist Lucy Stone.

Born on a farm in 1818, Lucy Stone dreamt of extraordinary things for a girl of her time, like continuing her education beyond the eighth grade and working for the abolitionist cause, and of ordinary things, such as raising a family of her own. But when she learns that the Constitution affords no rights to married women, she declares that she will never marry and dedicates her life to fighting for change.

At a time when it is considered promiscuous for women to speak in public, Lucy risks everything for the anti-slavery movement, her powerful oratory mesmerizing even her most ardent detractors as she rapidly becomes a household name. And when she begins to lecture on the “woman question,” she inspires a young Susan B. Anthony to join the movement. But life as a crusader is a lonely one. 

When Henry Blackwell, a dashing and forward-thinking man, proposes a marriage of equals, Lucy must reconcile her desire for love and children with her public persona and the legal perils of marriage she has long railed against. And when a wrenching controversy pits Stone and Anthony against each other, Lucy makes a decision that will impact her legacy forever.

Based on true events, Leaving Coy’s Hill is a timeless story of women’s quest for personal and professional fulfillment within society’s stubborn constraints. And as an abolitionist and women’s rights activist fighting for the future of a deeply divided country, Lucy Stone’s quest to live a life on her own terms is as relevant as ever. In this “propulsive,” “astonishing,” and “powerful” story, Katherine Sherbrooke brings to life a true American heroine for a new generation.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Audiobook, Historical, Feminism, Adult Fiction

349 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 4, 2021

About the author

Katherine Sherbrooke is the award-winning author of Leaving Coy's Hill (May, 2021) , a New York Times notable book which was short-listed for the MA Book Awards, Fill the Sky, a finalist for the Mary Sarton Award and the winner of an Indies book of the year award, and a family memoir, Finding Home (2011). An alumna of Dartmouth College and Stanford Business School, she wanted to be an author from the time she opened her first book, and lived on books like food and water for a long time. Somewhere along the line, though, she caught the start-up bug and co-founded a Boston based company called Circles. After that wonderful 15 year+ entrepreneurial adventure, she "remembered" her original dream and finally sat down to write. She lives outside Boston with her family.

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, I loved this book. Lucy Stone is an early feminist and abolitionist, and Leaving Coy’s Hill is her story. She’s born on a farm in the early 1800s and has dreams beyond what girls are typically allowed at the time, including a continuing education.

When Lucy learns that she will have even less rights if she marries (read: no rights, according to the Constitution at the time), she decides she will never marry. She also speaks in public about abolition. Lucy even inspires Susan B. Anthony to join up with one of her many causes for women.

I’ve learned little bits and pieces about Lucy over the years, but not to this degree. Smoothly and engagingly written, I thoroughly enjoyed Sherbrooke’s take on Lucy’s life. She is a character and historical figure who deserves to be on all of our radars. All this many years later, the issues important to Lucy are still critical today. So grateful Pegasus put this book in my hands and thank you again to Katherine Sherbrooke.

I received a gifted copy.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating story of Lucy Stone, pioneering feminist and abolitionist.

Lucy Stone grew up on a farm. As much as she loved it, she saw how limited women’s rights were even though they worked as hard as men. Something she witnesses makes her go to a retired judge and ask for explanation of the laws of marriage. Afterwards, it makes her vow not to marry. Already, at a young age, she is determined “to create a life free from dependence on any man.” This means furthering her education in order to be independent and defying her father, who believes in a very limited education for girls.

During her college years, she continues to defy important men as she strongly stands by what she believes in. Her actions are reflection of her words. A month before her graduation, as one of the top students, she receives an honor to prepare an essay for commencement, but that honor does not extend to reading her own essay. She needs to select the male classmate, which she refuses to do. Her refusal leads her to a man who asks her to lecture for the Anti-Slavery Society.

Her speeches are passionate and once they start extending to women’s rights, it creates an unexpected setback. Nevertheless, she stays firm in her convictions.

When she is thirty-five, beyond the marriageable age, a younger man proposes to her with an argument why not show that a married woman can have a family and a career at the same time. Is it enough to convince her?

This story brings a vivid portrayal of a woman who refuses to accept injustice only because “it’s the way it’s always been.” She stands up for what is right, giving many powerful speeches and changing the course of history.

It was interesting to read what the fight for women’s rights involved. It wasn’t limited to voting, it also involved the fight for divorce if a woman was unhappy or abused. The fight extended for equal rights when it came to property and children when divorcing, instead the children belonging only to father and all property.

As well as how much of a mass effort it took leading to emancipation. All the speeches, hurdles, a mass effort that included both men and women, on both subjects come through vividly.

It also brings beautifully drawn character, showing what influenced Lucy as a young girl and who further inspired her with the speeches. Her whole family being anti-slavery showed her to stand up for what was right, and not to stand by and watch injustice.

Vividly presented story of a heroine fighting an uphill battle and never giving up, even if at times future is scary due to lack of money. She continues to stand by what she believes in. With beautiful narrative, we get to know Lucy Stone very well and her captivating story.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immersive, insightful, and exceptionally inspiring!

Leaving Coy’s Hill is a powerful, alluring, enlightening interpretation that sweeps you away to the American East in the mid 1800s and into the life of Lucy Stone an independent, intelligent, woman ahead of her time who after becoming the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree spent the rest of her life dedicated to organizing, promoting, and advocating for both the anti-slavery and suffragist movements

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are strong, passionate, and determined. And the plot, using a story within a story, is a fascinating tale of life, love, bravery, strength, loss, loyalty, friendship, motivation, politics, and the early battle for equality and justice in the U.S.

I have to admit that I had never heard of Lucy Stone before I started Leaving Coy’s Hill, but Sherbrooke did such a beautiful job of blending historical facts with captivating, alluring fiction that I was left incredibly intrigued and motivated to learn even more about this iconic woman’s tireless efforts, influence and legacy on abolitionism and women’s rights.

Thank you to Katherine A. Sherbrooke and Pegasus Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the genre of historical fiction, this fascinating story of another* brilliant feminist from Massachusetts far surpasses a recently read novel of the same type. I give a deep bow to the author, Kathy Sherbrooke, who manages to interpret the life of Lucy Stone with what seems like great verisimilitude, even though the genre of historical fiction can be tricky business. I was completely fascinated, and, at the same time, deeply saddened, to be reading this while the Supreme Court is marching inexorably towards a grave decision on Roe vs. Wade. It’s impossible not to come to a painful conclusion: America did not like women in the nineteenth century, and it does not like women now. Despite the brave and brilliant efforts of abolitionists and feminists like Lucy Stone, the Grimke sisters, Susan B. Anthony, Abby Kelley, and Lucretia Mott, right up to today’s fearless heroes, we earn less pay for equal work, are harassed in the workplace, have little or no control of our bodies, and as far as making progress on issues of racial equality, well, I think we all know how that’s going. Voting rights overturned. Gerrymandering run amok. MAGA. Constrained access to fresh food, health care, and adequate housing. And so much more. As I read this, I kept thinking of a quote from Margaret Atwood when The Handmaid’s Tale was released as a television series. About her novel, Atwood said that nothing —-nothing—was included that had not happened historically somewhere in the world. At the rate we’re going, can Gilead be far behind? About that asterisk, now. The great, great Lucy Stone was born and raised in West Brookfield, Massachusetts, and Emily Dickinson, twelve years younger, was born and died in Amherst, just twenty miles away. Having just watched the brilliant, brilliant series Dickinson on Apple + , I am convinced that there is something very special in the waters of western Massachusetts. I fear, however, that we are about to taste much more bitter quaffs.

[Susan Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leaving Coy’s Hill is a highly compelling fictional account of the life of Lucy Stone, an orator, abolitionist and suffragist. I’m ashamed to admit I’d never heard of Lucy Stone before, who is not as famous as her contemporaries in the suffrage movement, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, but she is just as important. It was fascinating to read about her life, the people she knew, the things she accomplished, and her views on women’s rights—including radical ideas on marriage. What I loved most was that this story was told her from her own unique point of view, as she is sharing with her daughter the truths about her life, the hard decisions she had to make, her celebrations and her sorrows. Having the story told this way lent an intimacy to Lucy’s story; a window into the heart and soul that took her far afield from what was expected from the woman of the 19th century. This book represents the best of historical fiction: being transported directly to a time and place, learning about ideas and events of which I was unaware, and feeling the emotions that drove the extraordinary Lucy Stone.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherbrooke brings Lucy Stone back to life with this passionate and inspiring novel that lays bare the enduring struggle to steer between love and career, and the fight to challenge the people and laws holding us back. Timeless and stunning, LEAVING COY'S HILL reminds us to fight, to love and to appreciate the power of passion - passion for ideas, people, and women's rights.

[Molly Parsons-O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best kind of historical fiction novels make us consider the present and the future as well as the past. 'Leaving Coy’s Hill’ by Katherine A. Sherbrooke is a fine example of this. Her novel centres around a lesser known leader of the early American women’s rights movement, Lucy Stone. Born in 1818 to a pro-abolition family, Stone is conscious from an early age of the inalienable rights of her fellow human beings and concludes that, for women, the marriage laws of the time strip them of almost all of their rights, rendering them little better off than chattel. She vows to never marry until the situation is changes. Although it is considered highly inappropriate for a woman to speak publicly, Stone goes to university and trains in rhetoric to hone her natural gift for public speaking so that she can fight for the abolition of slavery. She faces much resistance to her choosing this path and the resistance only grows once she decides she also wants to use her talents to fight for the rights of women as well. The novel is narrated by Stone in the first person, as she looks back on her life and tells her story to a young women’s rights campaigner. This choice created a wonderful sense of the story being handed down from previous generations of women directly to the reader and Sherbrooke does a brilliant job of creating a distinctive and vibrant voice for Stone, which is all the more impressive considering we have very few of her speeches surviving today. While reading this book, I was often reminded of the musical ‘Hamilton’, not only because the protagonists are both important historical figures who were largely written out of the official narrative, but also due to similarities in their personalities (their relentless energy, gift for speaking, unwillingness to compromise on what is important to them) and, of course, the question of legacy, which both works deal with beautifully. In ‘Hamilton', Lin Manuel Miranda defines legacy as ‘planting seeds in a garden you never get to see’ and for me this line really sums up the life of Lucy Stone. So many of the questions Stone grapples with in this novel felt extremely pertinent to modern women. How can I forge a new path for myself in spite of the disapproval of my family? How can I best advocate for the change I want to see in the world? If I make compromises in my activism, am I being pragmatic or am I betraying my causes? Is it possible to have a true marriage of equals and what would that look like? How can I balance my career and my family? While this book is a wonderful tribute to the women who have sacrificed so much to win rights for women across the world, it is also a timely reminder of the fact that we can’t sit back on our laurels and think that the fight is won. We must continue working to honour their legacy. I have no doubt that Sherbooke’s telling of Stone’s story will inspire many going forward and will hopefully help to bring much more deserved attention to this largely forgotten historical figure.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel of the life of Lucy Stone, contemporary of Susan B. Anthony, who is often forgotten in the context of voting rights for women. Through Lucy's story, Sherbrooke taps into the current moment with authenticity and vulnerability, outrage and heartbreak. You’ll shake your head and raise your fist as Lucy Stone, suffragist and abolitionist, fights maddeningly familiar battles—for pay and property, for physical safety and bodily autonomy, for universal rights and freedoms, and to etch her own name into the history books and prove she is no one’s relic. Leaving Coy’s Hill is deeply moving and profoundly relevant.

[RoseMary Achey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lucy Stone was a woman far ahead of her time. This fictionalized account of her life highlights her work as both an abolitionist and women’s rights reformer. While Lucy was an amazing woman, this novel read more like a travel log or work diary. Reading about her marriage to Elizabeth Blackwell’s brother was the most interesting portion of the book for me.

[Shomeret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently got hold of a book about a woman's suffrage leader which was given to me for free by the publisher. Many readers may never have heard of Lucy Stone. In my case, I thought that Sherbrooke's novel showed a different side of Lucy Stone than the one I knew about.

I thought of Lucy Stone solely in terms of her puritanical attacks on divorce and Victoria Woodhull, who is one of my favorite suffragists. Yet there was a good deal more to Lucy Stone than I had ever imagined.

This is a book that takes Lucy Stone's perspective. It shows us where the women's suffrage movement fractured. It seems to me that feminist leaders have gone wrong when they turn on each other because of life style differences. Shared goals are the foundation of feminism. Sherbrooke's novel shows that factions are unnecessary, and can have sad consequences.

For my complete review see https://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2021...

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy Stone was an abolitionist and a dedicated suffragist. She lived through most of the 1800's, and became one of the few women who traveled the country speaking out on these issues. This author has created a fictionalized account of her life in this well-researched novel. I recommend this to all who enjoy historical fiction, especially those who want to enhance their understanding of this strong woman, or of this period of U.S. history, or to those who just enjoy excellent writing.

[Dead Darlings]

Leaving Coy’s Hill by Katherine Sherbrooke is based on the remarkable life of a little-known pioneering feminist and abolitionist Lucy Stone—the first woman in Massachusetts to earn a college degree, to keep her maiden name, and to fight for women’s rights. Sherbrooke’s beautifully written novel is a fascinating look at timeless issues—how we navigate motherhood and career, to marry or not, and how one fearless woman can spark change in the world.

The story is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. A great book club read! Dead Darlings is thrilled to share this interview with GrubStreet’s own Katherine Sherbrooke.

Before I even started reading your book, the epigraph, a quote by Lucy Stone in 1893, grabbed me. But it really hit home after I finished the last chapter. “I think, with never-ending gratitude, that the young women of today do not and can never know at what price their right to free speech and to speak at all in public has been earned.” To what extent were you trying to communicate this point to today’s women?

It’s where the project started for me, in so many ways. In my childhood, I vividly remember the controversy over whether or not it was effective for women to burn their bras as a form of protest. I took the protest part of that for granted, having no idea it was once considered scandalous for women to even speak in public. Scandalous. This was the origin of the pervasive idea that those who dared speak out were considered “pushy” (and worse), proof that expanded rights for women would lead to “unwomanly” behavior, an idea that absurdly persists. I wanted to explore what it might have felt like to be one of those women determined to create substantial change at a time when they were expected to be wives and mothers and nothing else. The fact that Lucy herself was demure and known to have a voice as sweet as a babbling brook made the contrast between the idea of the frightening independent woman and the person Lucy was that much more interesting.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit I dressed up as Susan B. Anthony one Halloween, when I was like 12, and sadly, everyone said, “Oh look, it’s Mary Poppins.” I thought I knew a fair amount about the suffragettes, but I learned so much reading Lucy’s story. So why weren’t we taught more about her in history class, and why isn’t she a household name like Susan Anthony?

In my experience, we tend to oversimplify history. Women’s rights are often boiled down to suffrage, and suffrage is often boiled down to Susan B. Anthony. Winning the vote was one issue, but Lucy Stone’s life and career was about much more than that—marriage rights, property rights, the rights of women to their children, the right not to be beaten or raped in her own home. The history books like to gloss over those more uncomfortable topics in an attempt, in my view, to continually paint the birth of America as the origin of some perfect society. Just like we whitewash our racial failings, we do the same with our failings involving gender. As far as suffrage is concerned, Stone is left out of that discussion in great part because Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton actively wrote her out of the story. The reason for that is an important part of my book.

This book isn’t just about women’s rights, but also the abolitionist’s movement, and so much more that happened during the mid-to-late 1800s, which was quite a fraught time in history. So, let’s talk about your research process. I mean, you must have done so much, and yet the book doesn’t feel heavy with it. How did you do that?

Thank you for saying that. I do think it’s the job of a historical novelist to uncover the historical details that can be used to enliven the story rather than use the story as a way to cram in as many details as possible. That does take discipline, sometimes! I break down my research into two broad categories. The first is understanding the basic facts of the era—timelines, major events, the cast of characters involved. For me this meant reading a ton of non-fiction, often academic accounts, about not just Lucy, but all the important people in her life and the era itself. The second, and far more interesting research for me, is reading primary sources—newspapers of the day, memoirs, diary entries and letters. These tell you what kinds of things were considered commonplace and what sorts of things were shocking, how people thought and the words they used to describe the world around them. For me, it’s the details that are too “small” for the history books that allow the story to take shape in my mind. Like the fact that Lucy had a hose turned on her in the middle of a speech and kept talking. Or that Lucy’s mother sometimes made and sold extra cheese without telling her husband so she would have enough money to buy household supplies without asking for permission. Those details, as they say, speak volumes. The rest is simply an attempt to describe the environment as accurately as possible so the reader is fully ensconced in place and time. The specifics are no less important in contemporary fiction, we just sometimes take them for granted when it’s a place or era we know well.

In many ways, your story is about how we make change in this country and the price paid by those who dedicate their lives to effecting that change. Standing up for something very often takes a personal toll. Because you were able to bring us so close to Lucy the woman, mother, wife and friend, we were able to understand very clearly what she went through for the sake of her cause…what she gave up, what she lost. This is perhaps the most heart-wrenching part of the story. How did you make Lucy such a real, relatable person? Is it more difficult to create fully developed characters when you’re writing about real people, with a documented history or in some ways, is it easier?

That’s a really interesting question. I did have a set of facts about Lucy, plus situations I knew she had experienced, and even decisions I knew she had made, but none of those things told me why she did certain things and how she felt while going through them, which was the thing I ultimately had to get onto the page. If I tell you person X registered for a marathon on the first day possible and dropped out halfway through the race, you could tell the story of someone with a lifelong dream who had a heartbreaking physical or emotional breakdown that day, or someone who signed up on a whim, forgot all about it, gave it a shot, and wandered off the course saying “oh well” halfway through. Both are plausible. So, my challenge was to create a set of personality traits, emotions, intentions, desires and fears (to name a few) that made Lucy an interesting and believable character while holding up to the facts of her life. While I had to invent most of her internal world, though, I did feel a particular responsibility to honor anything I believed to be true about her. I can only hope that if her best friend were able to read the book, she would recognize Lucy on the page.

I loved all the scenes where the suffragettes got together to strategize. You captured their energy and intellect, but also their friendship. Lucy, Susan Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott were all so different, and yet developed such a strong bond. Your first novel, Fill the Sky, is also about strong female friendships. Is this a theme that carries a lot of meaning for you?

Yes. A focus on strong women is the thread that will likely run through all my books, and friendships between such women are that much more interesting. When and how do they support each other, push each other, disagree or reconcile? Lucy’s friendship with Nette Brown, for example, was a very important part of Lucy’s story to me and was so different than her relationship with Susan B. Anthony. Both were a pleasure to write.

Another big piece of the novel I loved was the story of Lucy’s marriage. The arrangement she had with her husband was so modern. She was allowed to keep her name, and her job, and her own assets. She traveled for work and left her child behind—all things we take for granted today. How did you balance this personal love story with the larger historical arc of the suffrage movement?

This was Lucy’s ultimate conundrum. We so often think of suffragists as these harsh spinsters on a mighty quest, and it’s easy to forget that they were all just people with the same desire to be loved as the rest of us (in whatever form that might take). Lucy’s life goal was independence, for her and all women. And marriage at that time was the ultimate surrender of one’s independence. How could she even consider trying to do both? Attempting a marriage of equals—which was truly an oxymoron at the time— put extra pressure on her marriage and on her career. That’s the kind of pressure cooker needed for a good story!

Was there anything in the history or in writing the book that surprised you or turned out differently than you’d planned?

Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that there were a couple of situations in Lucy’s life that took me a long time to understand—the way you might see something happen to a friend and be flummoxed. So, I had to massage and rework the characters involved in these situations (including Lucy) until it felt like I had molded something that made sense. These moments ended up being the most potent in the book. That was a major surprise.

In keeping with our blog name…were there any dead darlings? What were the toughest parts you had to cut?

Yes! So many dead darlings! I started the actual writing of this book by using particular details I thought might make good scenes and writing them, but they couldn’t all fit in the book. Most painfully, there were three or four that could have made great inciting incidents. As we all know, you really only need one. Such a bummer, because I still love those scenes!

For more great author interviews, subscribe to deaddarlings.com!

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent novel based on the life of Lucy Stone, abolitionist and early advocate for woman's suffrage. Tells the story of her life from childhood growing up on Coy's Hill where she determined she would never marry, through her struggles to get a college education, then taking to the road to speak for the rights of slaves, a revolutionary step for a woman in her day. Sherbrooke has portrayed a remarkable woman, largely unknown to our time due to a falling out between Stone and Susan B. Anthony over support for the Fifteenth Amendment, which Stone supported, and Anthony did not. This led to a split in the Women's Advocacy forces, with Stone taking a lesser back seat from then on and largely being forgotten to History. Fascinating story! I could hardly put it down! Thanks to my sister, Julie, for the recommendation.

[Liza Wiemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherbrooke shares powerful insight into the little-known story of abolitionist and women's suffrage leader, Lucy Stone. Thoroughly researched, this historical fiction novel paints an emotional, heartfelt and heartbreaking picture into the racism, bigotry, misogyny, political challenges, legal, religious and social constraints of the early to mid-1800s.

Eye-opening and valuable, I highly recommend as a means to understand society today by looking back at history.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know much about abolitionist and suffragist Lucy Stone and this novel was a great place to start!

[gwendalyn _books_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please excuse any grammatical errors, or typos. I have done my best, but in reality I am just reader. and will leave the writing to all the incredible authors out there.

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers.


𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚜,
.
There are certain books that you come across that leave such a profound lasting impression on you.
.
Katherine Sherbrooke’s luminous Leaving Coy’s Hill
Pegasus - May 4, 2021

Thank you, @pegasus_books, and @kazzese for my treasured gifted book
.
Katherine Sherbrooke’s thought provoking book, Leaving Coy’s Hill is based on the remarkable life of a not s well known pioneering feminist, and abolitionist Lucy Stone.
.
She is the first woman in Massachusetts to earn a college degree, to keep her maiden name, and to fight for women’s rights. Sherbrooke’s beautifully written novel is a compelling look at the issues woman navigate through, motherhood careers.
The question to marry or not, and how one fearless woman can spark change!


This is an unforgettable story, you will find it both heart-wrenching and inspiring.
A great book club read, or anyone who is fascinated by a true to life Heroines

A powerful voice, set in the American East during the mid-1800s

Lucy Stone, was a bold independent woman, who stood her ground.
A heroine for all time, this brave woman was the first woman to speak regularly about women’s rights and the person who inspired Susan B. Anthony to join the cause!
She became the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree spent the rest of her life dedicated to organizing, promoting, and advocating for both the anti-slavery and suffragist movements.
A historical fiction that is meticulously researched, with exceptional character development. The authors narration is moving and profound, I was swept away in the incredible book.
I cannot say enough about this book! Truly one book that captures the strength and fortitude of the fight for woman’s rights during this important time in America’s History.

#gwendalynbooks #BookReview @Kazzese @Pegasus_Books #LeavingCoysHill #KatherineASherbrooke
#bookaddict #whattoread #booksaremylife #booksaremagic #readersofinstagram #hyggelifestyle #aquietstyle #wildbooks #pursuepretty #seekthesimplicity #alwaysreading

[Jennifer Boettcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25
I really enjoyed reading about Lucy Stone, an early feminist and abolitionist who fought for the right to an education in rhetoric to be one of the first female speakers on equality. She was also (one of?) the first woman to keep her own name when married and fought the patriarchal marriage laws of the time. This story is told from her perspective and sometimes that feels a little too much like a diary of her speaking engagements and correspondence via her many letters. The voice is rooted in the dialect of the time, but that can seem old-fashioned and laborious to get through at times. Still, this book gave us great insights of a woman who was largely omitted from the women's rights history books due to a fracture in the leadership and direction they took. Those who write history shape how we see it. Lucy was firmly in the camp of universal suffrage and this book delves into her friendship and work with Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison and more, while showing the friendship and then divide with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, who put the suffrage of educated white women above the black vote. Though, with everything, there are shades of grey that show why certain decisions and strategies were pursued when most had the same end goal in sight. Now, how much is true fact vs. fictionalized? Hard to tell, though this seems well-researched. I also liked the exploration of Lucy's family life and relationships with her husband and daughter. A remarkable woman!

[Aubree (mnreadingmama) Cheadle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. WOW. This is why I don’t make my top ten list of the year until the VERY end. This book blew me away. 🤯

Based on true events, Leaving Coy’s Hill tells the remarkable life story of pioneering abolitionist and feminist, Lucy Stone in 19th century America. Lucy as a person and a character was an absolute champion and I felt for her all the way through this book as she fought for women’s rights both personally and publicly. The book looks at her personal and family life, her relationship with historical figures such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Frederick Douglas as they fought for equal rights. Her story is remarkable and the writing was absolutely compelling and beautifully written. I learned so much about this period of history without ever feeling bored or like I was reading a textbook.

This was my pick for my IRL book club and we had such a great discussion because there’s truly so much to think about and talk about.

I am shocked that this book has so few ratings! It is truly an underrated gem and I want to tell everyone to read this book. I certainly adored it and I’ll be thinking about it and recommending it for a LONG time!

[Fran Burdsall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually enjoy an action-packed thriller or a good page-turning mystery. This was neither. Katherine Sherbrooke has written thoughtful historical fiction recounting the life of Lucy Stone. Today we take womens sufferage for granted. It never crosses our mind that 150 years ago the situation for women in America was near slavery. The women won the vote by resolute persistence, hard work, and determination. The single mindedness of women like Lucy Stone took its toll on their lives and changed our history. The author expresses the fight with heartfelt emotion that will resonate with today's women. It's a slow read but I felt Lucy Stone stuck to her principals and we are all better for the changes she advocated.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historic fiction following Lucy Stone who was one of our strong pioneers in promoting rights for women against harsh criticism. The book follows her life and the challenges she endured to push for freedoms we today take for granted. So hard to imagine to have to ask permission from your husband to do anything, to be forced to remain in the house to serve him in whatever form he desired without any consent. There was no such thing as mutual respect as women were property. Though men were supportive of abolishing slavery, they did not want to consider allowing women to have rights to vote, go to college, own property (house/land/bank accounts). It really was an incredible journey of a book!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT. The middle/end got a little bogged down, but overall this was a top notch read. I loved learning about the history of abolition and women's suffrage. And I'm eternally grateful for the legacy Lucy Stone left behind.

[Patricia Schroer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Learned a few things. Cried a bit.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absorbing. Really brought Lucy Stone and the other heroines of the women's suffrage movement to life, and helped me understand not only the challenges they faced, but the divisions within the movement. I balked at some of the romance between Lucy Stone and Harry Blackwell, but I appreciated her striving towards equality in their relationship before agreeing to marry. By about the middle of the book, I was hooked and devouring every page.

[Maddie Harrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an important story of Lucy Stone and so beautifully told! A book every girl should read 🤍

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a surprise - this entire piece of American history that I knew nothing about. Incredible story-telling about such an important part of women's struggle for equality. This should be required reading in schools.

[Jeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks for introducing Lucy Stone to me KS. I thoroughly enjoyed the book!

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I was not previously familiar with Lucy Stone, feminist and abolitionist, I’ve already recommended this historical fiction to friends and family members because Lucy was a true American heroine. Growing up in the 1800s, she recognized as a young girl that she might not be allowed to attend secondary school, have a career, or be an independent married woman. For those reasons, she determined to be an educated woman who would never marry. She went where few women had gone before her and fought against societal norms to gain freedom for slaves and equality for women. Along her journey, Lucy gained the friendship of other forward-thinking women, such as, Elizabeth Candy Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. She met each challenge with courage and conviction for the causes she promoted. With mixed emotions, Lucy did eventually marry a man who assured her that he would continue to support her work. They welcomed a daughter into their family and it’s to this daughter that Lucy reveals the real facts of her life. This powerful story is one of a strong, determined woman willing to sacrifice her own happiness to join the ant-slavery movement and also, fight for the rights of all women.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed this book. It was a fictionalized account of the women's suffrage movement, specifically focusing on the role of Lucy Stone. Before reading this book, I didn't know as much about Stone's role as I did about that of Susan B. Anthony. As I've started to read more about the AIDS epidemic and as I've started to get more involved with activism myself, I am finding it fascinating to read about the history of earlier activist movements. It helps me understand the power of incremental change. Stone differed from her colleagues in that she wasn't willing to divorce the abolitionist cause from that of women's rights, creating a schism within the women's suffrage movement. The author's contention is that Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton's account shaped the history of that movement and overshadowed the role of Stone in advancing the cause.

I enjoyed reading about Stone and strongly identified with her character, including the author's realistic rendering of her romance with Blackwell. Food for thought.

[Marian Gracis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 Have you ever heard of Lucy Stone ?
Neither had I, but she lead an extremely interesting life. Lucy Stone was born into an abolitionist family and, early on, dedicated herself to that cause. She broke many barriers and had many detractors due to her “unwomanly” desire for education and her pursuit of a career as a public speaker. She came to believe that women should be able to pursue careers of their choosing and should have the right to vote. Early on she worked closely with the famous names in women’s suffrage. Later their paths diverged and she was dropped from the accounts of how women finally earned the right to vote.

[Crystal King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the great pleasure of an early read on this wonderful novel. Leaving Coy's Hill is an important book about an important woman, abolitionist and suffragist, Lucy Stone. Sherbrooke paints a vivid portrait of this often forgotten American figure who inspired a nation to think differently about women's rights. Unforgettable and unputdownable, this novel will remain in memory long after the last page has been turned.