Publisher - Thomas Nelson, published December 2013.
Pages - 336
Formats - ebook, paper.
Author - Dorothy Love
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Summary (from Amazon):
The war is over, but at Fairhaven Plantation, Charlotte's struggle has just begun.
Following her father’s death, Charlotte Fraser returns to Fairhaven, her family’s rice plantation in the South Carolina Lowcountry. With no one else to rely upon, smart, independent Charlotte is determined to resume cultivating the superior strain of rice called Carolina Gold. But the war has left the plantation in ruins, her father’s former bondsmen are free, and workers and equipment are in short supply.
To make ends meet, Charlotte reluctantly agrees to tutor the two young daughters of her widowed neighbor and heir to Willowood Plantation, Nicholas Betancourt. Just as her friendship with Nick deepens, he embarks upon a quest to prove his claim to Willowood and sends Charlotte on a dangerous journey that uncovers a long-held family secret, and threatens everything she holds dear.
Inspired by the life of a 19th-century woman rice farmer, Carolina Gold pays tribute to the hauntingly beautiful Lowcountry and weaves together mystery, romance, and historical detail, bringing to life the story of one young woman’s struggle to restore her ruined world.
My Thoughts:
I was really excited to read this book. The Civil War and Reconstruction are some of my favorite time periods to read about. I'd never read anything by Dorothy Love before, so I didn't know what to expect. I found this book to not hold my interest at all. I had a really hard time getting into the book and relating to the main character. While I did admire Charlotte's determination to save her plantation and make a go of planting rice, she came across the pages as really rather stiff.
The education that I received of rice planting was very interesting. I honestly never knew that parts of the South were ideal for rice growing. I knew of the cotton and tobacco, but never the rice. That was very interesting to discover. I also didn't know that this book was inspired by a true story.
The interaction Charlotte had with Nick and his daughters, I did find endearing. I loved how she figured out each of the girls' personalities and tailored her teaching to those personalities.
Overall, while the book itself was pretty boring, parts of it were good enough to capture my attention. For someone who loves history and historical detail, this would be a great book for them.
I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program for the purpose of reviewing. I was not required to like the book, only give my honest opinion.
Recommended to fans of historical fiction.
Rating - 3 stars.
Good review, Dawn. I was expecting this to be a great read, but felt exactly as you did.
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