A review by jillhannaha
The Abolitionist's Daughter by Diane C. McPhail

5.0

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this fantastic novel about a part of the Civil War we rarely hear about.

I felt the lush fields, the fine way of living that Emily experienced before the Civil War, her closeness with her father, brother Will, and slave, Ginny, who is more like a mother to Emily. As the war breaks out, we are led through the changes in Emily's life, and those she loves. We feel the dirt under our fingernails as Emily soon is working her land, we smell the blood shed between those she loves, we feel her pain of loss, and her resilience in Emily as she pushes on to care for her young children. Some of my favorite characters were the slaves. Spunky, hard-working, and tough.

I enjoy historical fiction and this novel did not disappoint. I'd love to know how many abolitionists "rescued" slaves as Emily's father did. Overall, this was a good story about the changes in the south during the pre-Civil War era, during the war, and the repercussions of the outcome.