The Indigo Girl @absltmom #theindigogirl #natashaboyd #5starread #lookingback

I read this wonderful novel a year ago and think it deserved a definite place on my blog.

 

 

Eliza Lucas is just sixteen years old when her father leaves her in charge of their plantations in rural South Carolina. The year was 1730 when there were both Indian and slave uprisings. Her father returns to Antigua and has great military ambitions also wishing to become the governor of Antigua. He mortgages these plantations, unbeknownst to Eliza, because he is in need of money. Eliza, a strong willed brilliant daughter, resolves to make the plantation she and her family reside on, a success. The way she decides to do so is in the production of indigo. Her mother wishes for her to fail so that the family can return to England so she offers little to no support and actually thwarts Eliza’s efforts.

Eliza, a botanist at heart, is helped by a neighbor botanist, a gentlemen lawyer, and her slaves who knew the secret of indigo extraction. They strive to make a go of it. Eliza is the epitome of courage and determination. She will get what she wants and entices the slaves to share their indigo secrets by promising to teach them how to read, something that was against the law. She forms hidden attachments to her slaves, spurns those who are against her, and sacrifices everything to make this dream of hers come true. Along the way Eliza is met with many adversities but through the support of a man who she will eventually marry and her slaves who she treats with fairness and concern, she succeeds. Her indomitable spirit at such a young age makes her a woman of that fosters admiration, strength, and resilience.

This novel is based on letters from Eliza and other historical documents. Through Eliza, her eventual husband, and the slaves, she is able to lay the foundation for the indigo industry that will eventually become one of the largest exports from South Carolina. It was quite an incredible book to read and enjoy as this little known figure in history came alive in this novel. Incredibly interesting is that no one really has heard of her exploits as she played a major role in the route that US history eventually took. Mentioned in the author’s notes was that President George Washington was a pall bearer at her funeral.

Eliza was a independent woman hundreds of years before that came into vogue. Her achievements, given that it was 1730’s and was a woman need to be both admired and made know so that all women know that no matter what constraints that are placed upon them, having the will and the determination to succeed they will eventually do just that.

  Natasha Boyd is an internationally bestselling and award-winning author of historical fiction and contemporary romantic Southern fiction. She has a background in marketing and public relations and her debut novel Eversea was a finalist in the 2013 Winter Rose Contest for Contemporary Romance and won the 2014 Digital Book Award for Adult Fiction. Her book “Deep Blue Eternity” won a “best book” Chatelaine Award for Romantic Fiction. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Georgia Romance Writers, Novelists Inc., and Island Writer’s Network in coastal South Carolina. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and lives with her husband, two sons and the cast of characters in her head. Her books have been translated into Italian, German, French, Turkish and Indonesian.