Emily Preston wächst auf einer Südstaaten-Plantage in Carolina auf und ist das, was man als verzogenes Gör bezeichnen würde. Um ihre Erziehung zu verbessern, wird sie von ihren Eltern zu ihrem Onkel nach Michigan geschickt und muss dort zur öffentlichen Schule gehen und ihrem Onkel im Hotel helfen - Waschen, Putzen, Servieren, was so dazugehört.
Gewohnt, dass solche Arbeiten von Sklaven ausgeführt werden und dass sie selbst zu den "besseren" Menschen gehört fällt ihr die Umstellung zunächst sehr schwer. Aber je länger sie im Norden ist, desto mehr wird sie von der dortigen Sichtweise auf die Sklaven beeinflusst - zum Glück, denn sonst hätte ich es sehr schwer gefunden, die vom Schreibstil recht einfache und flüssig geschriebene Geschichte zu Ende zu lesen.
Michelle Isenhoff schafft es mit dieser Gesichte sehr gut, den Kontrast zwischen Nord- und Südstaaten vor Ausbruch des Bürgerkriegs lebendig werden zu lassen.

[Ich habe das Buch als Box Set als Author GiveAway erhalten.] ( )

Set in the late 1850s, Southern Belle Emily Preston has been sent by her parents to live for a spell with her uncle Isaac Milford. She comes from a slave plantation in Carolina and she is in for some culture shock in Detroit, a land where slavery is not tolerated. Also, her uncle insists that she earn her keep and this means chores and attending school, things she did not have to do in Carolina.

This was a very interesting book. Most books I have read that are set in this time period always make slavery and slave owners out to be the big monsters of the story line. In this book, the author does a most excellent job of showing how slavery and white supremacy was handed down generation to generation and reinforced with culture and politics. Basically, it was never a simple black and white issue (no pun intended) and while I knew that from reading nonfiction history books, I had not seen an author willing to tackle that in fiction. So, big kudos to the author for showing the complexity of the times through Emily’s eyes.

While the plot itself was pretty straightforward (rich girl has to learn that other people are worthy of regard) the characters made it very engaging. Emily starts off pretty rude and conceited, but we also see right away that she is suffering from homesickness and is somewhat afraid of the unknown. After all, she has never been to Detroit or met her uncle. So right off, I am a little conflicted over her – I don’t want to like her because of many of her attitudes and yet I totally connect with the homesickness and dread of the unknown. Well played because Emily’s story arc has the most growth and by the end I was wanting to invite her into the kitchen for tea and biscuits.

Meanwhile, Isaac’s boarding house employs several free blacks and an Irish woman. They all still have to cater to whoever is willing to pay for a room, even the questionable Mr. Burrows (a slave catcher) and his crew. At first, Emily has great trouble accepting the idea of free blacks, and she initially finds the idea of blacks reading and going to school to be preposterous. But over several months, it becomes apparent that everything she has been taught about the supremacy of whites is incorrect. It’s a hard, bitter pill for her to swallow. Malachi, a black teen who is attending school, is instrumental in showing Emily a new way of thinking. Meanwhile, the old slave Ezekial who accompanies Emily on her trip, has revelations about his slave status that rock Emily’s world as well.

I appreciated that the author showed that Emily had prejudice against anyone, white or black, that she felt was beneath her family’s status. She comes to truly dislike an Irish maid at the boarding house, believing her to be beneath her uncle’s notice. It was very interesting to see that Emily came from a plantation-owning family that thought and acted very much like minor nobility. So many people of many colors and backgrounds were below their status. It made me wonder if the ‘minor nobility’ of the Deep South got a little inbred after a few generations.

The story progresses, showing us glimpses of the underground railroad that helped move slaves from the south to the northern states. Emily catches glimpses of this throughout the story but doesn’t truly grasp it until the end. And the end was nicely done too. We have some suspense that culminates in Emily’s choice concerning slavery. I was very satisfied with how this book ended and look forward to seeing what the author does next.

I received this book free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Narration: Fred Wolinsky did a very nice job with this one. He had a very good stuck-up voice for young Emily. I also liked all his regional accents. There’s a speech by Frederick Douglas in the story and Wolinsky made it sound very epic, like a turning point in history (and for Emily it was an important moment). ( )

Fourteen-year old Emily Preston has been banished from her plantation home in South Carolina to her Uncle's boarding house in Detroit. This change in housing and accommodations is nothing compared to the change of attitude of the people around her. While Emily is attempting to survive her exile in the North, she is also coming to learn about the differences and similarities of the persons around her. Until she learns these valuable lessons, Emily will stop at nothing to try and get back to South Carolina, her family, and the life she understands.

Book 2 of the Divided Decades Trilogy was just as entertaining as the first, Candle Star. To read more about Emily Preston's adventures, read book one of the Ella Wood trilogy: Ella Wood. ( )