Abbey > Recent Status Updates

Minnie tells junie to run for the boat, she said not without Caleb. Caleb shouts for her to run for the boat and starts fighting with Beau. She makes it to the boat when the boatman is shot by Beau who keeps shooting at the boat. Minnie tells her she must row and she can help her, that Caleb will come back to her like she came back to her (dead?)

She tells them what happened and that she is going. They chose not to come with her but accept that she is going and admire her perseverance to be free. Caleb comes to get her to go for the boat. On the riverbank they see the boat but also Beau, he doesn’t see Junie just Caleb and he has a gun. He questions where junie and Violet are and if Caleb was deserting the war efforts.

They make it outside, just as the fire gets really out of control. Junie said they have to warn the others as it spreads but Violet points out it’s going out, Minnie and 100 other haunts are containing the flames until they go out.
Violet begs Junie to come to new orleans and start a new life with her and bea but Junie knows it’s not her path. She walks back to her cabin and wakes her family.

Violet shouts the fire is moving too fast for her mom to get out of the house and runs in!! Junie follows her!
In the house they have to pick the lock to Mrs mcqueens door and she’s just at the window watching the fire, she refuses to leave saying as long as they have the fields they’ll be fine. The windows implode, killing her. Junie supports Violet to escape, Minnie holds back the flames.

Ergh!! So they set the fire in Mrs mcqueens prized rose garden with the idea the fire will distract while they run but also that Mrs mcqueen and Beau will have time to get out of the house, they aren’t trying to kill them (maybe Beau, who knows) once the fire is set Minnie appears on the porch and spreads the flames along the house, saying this ends tonight they burn to ashes tonight. Junie shouts to stop.

Junie said her mom won’t let her leave, nor will Beau, they will find them and drag them back to the house to which Violet suggests what if there were no house to be dragged back to? She comments about how she always burns too many candles, so I’m guessing burn the house down and make it look like an accident.

She runs out of the house and realises she’s being followed, it’s Violet. She knows she plans to run, Violet begs to let her run with her. She said Beau forbids her to read. She’s running to bea. She’s sorry she hurt Junie with her actions or inactions. She calls herself a fool and junie her greatest friend and says Junie deserves her greatest love too. Let’s get out of this hell together.

Who desire and seek beauty because they own everything else they could possibly want. It’s a great moment in the book she just realises everything is wrong with the world. She rips open a pillow downstairs just wanting to damage something of theirs like they have damaged everything of hers only to find the pillows are stuffed with her families hair. Even something as simple as a pillow they mcqueens take from them

SHE burned Minnie’s freedom papers and made plans to sell Minnie because Minnie knew who she was. And she knows that Minnie killed herself and she knows that Junie killed mr McQueen. Then she excuses junie from the room. Junie is upset realising really that the mcqueens have held her whole families lives in their hands and slowly destroyed them. The poets she has always admired the words of are just rich men

Beau announces one morning at breakfast that the war between the north and south has begun and he will be going to join it, and taking Caleb with him. Junie realising tonight is the last day of the month realises if they are going to run it needs to be tonight. Mrs McQueen makes Junie put her to bed, where she confesses she knew about Minnie being her husbands child, and how SHE sold Junies mom

Junie can’t help but think if they left when she said all would be well. That night she goes to her tree and Caleb finds her, she confesses killing mr mcqueen and Caleb admits he wishes they ran but he was too scared to. They decide this time they will run. They will work the summer and then run during the harvest when mr Taylor will be most focused on other areas of the estate.

The next day uncle Taylor is leaving the estate and beau requested everyone outside to bid him farewell. Unusual as they only normally all come outside to greet guests. Beau announces bea will be leaving today also, and that Bess will be going with her. Violet and bea argue against it but he shoves bea in the carriage and then shouts at Bess to get in. It’s a pretty emotional moment for everyone involved.

As mr McQueen died mr Taylor now is the lord of the land and Violet is lady of the house. She begs Junie to be her maid and friend again, Junie has seen the true way Violet views her now and refuses. She sees bruises on Violet and knows mr Taylor isn’t treating her well. Later mr Taylor beats Bess viciously because he made her drop a tray of drinks over his guests- but she is at fault of course 🙄

He sold her when she had the audacity to fall in love with a black man (Junies dad). He deserved to die. Minnie said she still has time to run as the free boat hadn’t been yet and then suddenly (AGAIN) junie decides she doesn’t want to live by Minnie’s plan anymore and goes off again, back home. No one will talk to her.
3 months pass and Violet isn’t faring well in her marriage. They stayed at the house

She sees Minnie she confronts Minnie about killing herself. She realises the herbs she used on mr mcqueen was hemlock, he got sick the same way Minnie did. Minnie explains when she worked things out he gave her the freedom papers and then burned them and arranged to sell her, she killed herself as a way out. She said he forced himself upon their mother because he loved her but couldn’t take she didn’t love him

He’s starting to get sick as she is fighting him off, she recognises the sickness…
She runs to the cookhouse where her family is and tells them mr McQueen is sick and they need to run, George is alive and free and there’s a man who boats down the river getting people to safety but none of her family or Caleb move. They all don’t want to take the risk of being caught and brought back. Junie runs to the woods

It’s the wedding, the last day of the year. Junie is allowed in to the house to help out, she is told to refill mr mcqueens whiskeys. She is in his study doing just so and putting the herbs in when he comes in, he tells her to fix him a drink so she does, he talks to her about how she looks like her mom, calls her mom and sister snakes, how he didnt drink until her mom wronged him. He tries to grab Junie, she runs

She goes back to Minnie. Minnie is weak, having been 5 full moons since she was awoken (I thought it was longer?) she tells junie she must give me McQueen the herbs in the vial, they will make him sick and while he’s sick she must run. She talks about getting everyone out and Minnie says you won’t be able to save everyone, but Junie ignores her.

Feels really hurt and betrayed by the reveal that she is not the same anymore to Violet. Violet tells her if she comes in the house again she will have her whipped.
Caleb tells junie at least they will be together as violets marriage to beau will bring Junie to his household. She realises how little of their lives can really be theirs and she wants her own life outside of someone else’s margins.

Back at the house days later junie has been demoted to the cookhouse. Her aunt tells her violet is to marry beau. Junie hasn’t told her aunt George is alive and free as she feels it will just hurt her aunt. She goes in to the house to confront Violet about marrying violent beau. She argues it’s the only way to be with bea and harshly reminds junie of her place. Junie having always seen Violet as a friend/sister

Washer to tell Violet, she walks in on bea and violet kissing, Violet tells bea that Junie knows and will keep their secret but bea demands Junies secrets and makes Violet search her. She finds the Snow White book and accuses junie of stealing from her, she slaps her and Junie pissed off that Violet has so much slaps her back and they begin to squabble, bea calls for beau who comes in and hits Junie with his belt.

Caleb comes to the ball, they dance, they talk and he declares he loves her, he’s scared of losing her because their lives are not their own. Junie said they have to take what they have while they have it and they kiss. He gives her the Snow White pages she taught him to read with their names on it that he wrote, she likes seeing their names together. She puts it in her apron pocket when she gets back to the house

It’s her uncle George. Her aunts husband and cousin Bess father who was sold. He reveals his owner died and gave him his freedom, he has some land near the river and apparently a man rows down the river collecting slaves to the Underground Railroad, he encourages Junie to get her aunt and cousin on the boat as he’s missing his family. He’s sad to hear Minnie died. Said Junie looks just like Charlotte, her mom.

Violet reveals she can’t stand beau and really she’s made a connection with Bea, I was right!!! Junie accepts Violet for who she is and just feels sad she can never be who she is. Junie goes to the ball with the 2 maids from the Taylor’s house, Caleb doesn’t come. Junies dance card gets filled up, an older man she feels looks familiar requests a dance with her. While dancing he said she looks like her mom

In Montgomery the older Taylor’s reveal there is a ball for the negros as well as the whites (on in different places but the same night) beau and violet give permission for Junie and Caleb to go. Violet lets junie wear one of her dresses and they get ready together. Violet presses junie about whether she likes Caleb, she admits she does but said she doesn’t think Caleb likes her anymore.

Junie is jealous of Bea everytime she’s around Violet doesn’t really want to know her. They’ll be reading in her room and giggling at inside jokes and I think junie misses when that was her.

Once again Junie runs off and kinda says ‘fuck this’ to Minnie’s tasks. The Taylor’s make another appearance, inviting Violet to a party in the city which means Junie would get to go. She speaks to Caleb and he said beau was spending time with a rich woman from the city seems keen to marry her but maybe violets still in the running because they’re back here. I still think Violet is lesbian for Bea.

Minnie said that getting the papers means nothing and junie needs to just run. But first she has to give mr McQueen some herbs that were in the box, junie gets annoyed she wants to know what the herbs are and what they’re going to do if she has to be the one to do it. It’s frustrating her. They argue with Minnie saying she’s had to shoulder all the secrets and burdens junies entire life while she’s carefree

She goes back to the woods, and minnie comes to her. She can talk to Minnie as getting the box made her stronger, Minnie said their mother came to her and got her to get the box. Mr McQueen is Minnie’s dad and when junies dad joined the plantation and she had a baby with him, mr McQueen sold her out of jealousy. Minnie said their mom wanted Minnie and junie to be free, their lives to be their own.

The Taylor’s announce they are leaving the next day having been there a month, no mention of an engagement. Violet and bea seem shocked. Beau makes Caleb play the piano as a parting gift and Junie sees his point about creating something amazing, plus now Violet isn’t getting married and leaving she realises she’s losing Caleb and goes down to the bar to say goodbye to him. He carved her an apple out of wood.