Title: A More Perfect Union by Tammye Huff
Publisher: Forever
Genre: Historical, Romance
Length: 369 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Inspired by true events, A More Perfect Union is an epic story of love and courage, desperation and determination, and three people whose lives are inescapably entwined…
Henry O’Toole sails to America in 1848 to escape the famine in Ireland, only to face anti-immigrant prejudice. Determined never to starve again, he changes his surname to Taylor and heads south to Virginia, seeking work as a traveling blacksmith on the prosperous plantations.
Torn from her home and sold to Jubilee Plantation, Sarah must navigate its intricate hierarchy. And now an enigmatic blacksmith is promising her not just the world but also her freedom. How could she say no?
Enslaved at Jubilee Plantation, Maple is desperate to return to her husband and daughter. With Sarah’s arrival, she sees her chance to be reunited at last with her family—but at what cost?
Review:
Inspired by real life events, A More Perfect Union by Tammye Huf is a thought-provoking and sometimes heart-wrenching novel which takes place in the South during the mid-1800s.
Impoverished and starving due to the potato blight in Ireland, Henry O’Toole emigrates to America. Almost immediately upon his arrival, Henry changes his last name to Taylor due to discrimination toward the Irish. Desperately trying to avoid trouble, Henry leaves New York and becomes a traveling blacksmith. His path crosses with Sarah, who is a slave on the Jubilee Plantation, after he is hired by the owner, Matthew Johnson. Despite the very real danger of a relationship between them, Henry and Sarah eventually fall in love. But is there any chance of a future for them?
Sarah is devastated to be separated from her mother and brother when she is purchased by Mathew and his wife Martha at a slave auction. At Jubilee, she is a house slave who takes care of the Johnson’s young son Thomas. She also works under fellow slave, Maple, whose bitterness at her circumstances makes her vindictive and petty. Sarah attempts to remain above the jealousies and infighting between the other house slaves. But once her relationship with Henry is discovered, the rest of the slaves turn on her.
A More Perfect Union is a captivating novel with a compelling storyline. Sarah and Henry’s romance is sweet yet seemingly hopeless under the circumstances. Matthew and Martha are devout Christians who treat their slaves better than other plantation owners. However, they are determined to protect their Southern way of life. As Sarah and Henry plot their escape, Matthew has other plans for her future. The tension builds with every chapter as Sarah and Henry’s efforts to leave are stymied at every turn. With one final act of desperation, Tammye Huf brings this poignant novel to a nerve-wracking yet heartwarming conclusion.
