Martha Hall Kelly paints three portraits of women facing slavery

Anne-So “Word Echoes”, youth literary blogger and contributor
of the group reading
20 minutes Books, recommend you The sunflower always follows the sunlight by Martha Hall Kelly, published May 19, 2021 by Éditions Charleston.

Her favorite quote:

Groups of buyers gathered around the platform, gentlemanly-looking men the likes of which we met every day at our hotel table, wearing beaver top hats and well-trimmed beards. Most had cigars in one hand, the catalog featuring the day’s human stock in the other.

Why this book?

• Cause Martha Hall Kelly knocked again and comes back today on the French literary scene with the dazzling The sunflower always follows the sunlight. In this historical novel set during the Civil War in the United States, the reader follows the daily life of three women. On the one hand there is Anne-May, the frivolous and cruel owner of a plantation. Next, we meet young Jemma, one of the slaves working for Anne-May. Finally, Georgy is fiercely opposed to slavery and will enlist with the Union to be a nurse during the war.
• Because the narration alternates between three points of view sometimes radically opposed offering a more complete and relevant vision of the time. Impossible to remain insensitive in the face of Jemma’s life of suffering and submission or to remain unmoved by the courageous and sometimes obtuse Georgy! As for Anne-May… her cruelty does not leave you indifferent! This novel is a whirlwind of emotions that tightens the stomach. The heart drums sometimes, tears invite themselves from time to time and the eyes fly over the pages without being able to stop, so spellbinding are the destinies.
• Because Martha Hall Kelly certainly draws the portraits brilliantly but also paints the scenes and the landscapes with great talent. The reader can feel, through his attention to detail, his investment in meticulous research work and a real desire to portray things as close to the truth. During the 750 pages that make up this little brick, not a single misstep breaks the rhythm and the social and political intrigues never cease to fascinate until the outcome when, finally, the reader can catch his breath.
• Because the main themes of this novel are the struggle for the abolition of slavery as well as the emancipation of women. Two powerful and important themes resonating with current events and the rise of the feminist as well as the Black Lives Matter movement.
• Because after the incredible Lilacs only bloom again after a painful winter, and it is a real happiness! The Sunflower Always Follows the Sunlight is a breathtaking novel telling a pivotal episode in American history with a great sense of detail and genuine respect for its actors.

The essentials in 2 minutes

The plot. In 1860, Lincoln came to power and the American population was divided: civil war broke out. Here the reader will follow three women during this turning point in American history: a slave, a slave and an abolitionist.

Characters. Jemma is a young slave who works for the owner of a plantation: the cold and cruel Anne-May. Georgy, an abolitionist, is determined to become a nurse and subsequently set up her school for women so that men are no longer the only ones who can be nurses.

Places. The story unfolds from vibrant New York to a plantation in Maryland to Washington to the battlefields.

The time. From 1859 to 1864.

The author. Martha Hall Kelly is an American author with a degree in journalism. Former advertising editor, she signs here her third historical novel.

This book was read with pleasure by Anne-So Echos de Mots,
blogger specializing in children’s and teenage literature. “For me, reading can be just as much a personal pleasure in which one runs to take refuge as an excuse to discuss and meet other readers. I am a word lover always interested in new discoveries. “

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