Yellow Crocus

Delightful read. Well developed characters that cared deeply for one another. I highly recommend reading this book if you like historical fiction.

Author: Laila Ibrahim Published By: Flaming Chalice Press Age Recommended: Adult Reviewed By: Arlena Dean Raven Rating: 4 Blog Reviewed For: GMTA Review: "Yellow Crocus" by Laila Ibrahim was indeed a different read for me. As a African America I am very careful with any read about slavery however, I will say this was indeed a good, wonderful, touching and very emotional read. Once I started reading this historical novel I could not put it down. In the year of 1837, Lisbeth Wainwright was the daughter of a Virginia plantation owner that was reared by a black slave named Mattie. One of her favorite songs... 'Go to sleepy little baby, Go to sleepy little baby.' Truly, this Mattie was more of a mother to Lisbeth than her own mother (Mrs. Ann Wainwright). This was truly a travel though the life of Elizabeth (Lisbeth) and Mattie's journey through this time in history. This is a true story that did bring tears, other times a smile and then at times well.... A few weeks before Elizabeth's wedding she caught her fiance Edward with a black slave girl. Now how was she to get out of this wedding? What an explanation from her mothers on this subject...Wow! However, there is hope for Lisbeth.. .there is Matthew Johnson. The character's in "Yellow Crocus" were really interesting....helped bringing out this story of love, redemption, lost, and even hope. Can you believe who Lisbeth midwife was? You will just have to put up this read to find out the answers. Surprise! "Yellow Crocus" is definitely a novel that will cause to to think. and remember long after the read. I would like to thank the author was a honest awarding good read.

Finish Time: 3 nights. Maybe I’m making up for lost time, or maybe this book was just that good that I couldn’t put it down 3 nights in a row. Both are probably true, but I’m happy to report I really liked this book. It falls into the historical fiction category taking place on a plantation in Virginia in the mid-1800′s. The story follows Lisbeth Wainwright and her nurse Mattie, a slave pulled away from her family into the “big house” to care for Lisbeth at the moment of her birth. The story follows Lisbeth from her birth into adulthood. You feel as if you are there with her as she deals with family, friends, the help, social standing, her personal conflicts, and ultimately a very difficult decision. It is during a time where slavery is part of life but some are beginning to question it as the North changes their views and slaves are freed. I felt transported back to a time that I can’t even imagine, but was painted a very vivid picture of. I like to think I would be like Lisbeth, as my heart just hurts for Mattie and her family and fellow slaves, and realize what was going on what not right. But what if it was all you knew and an accepted part of life? I am glad for those who stood up for others who could not and thankful to live in a FREE country where all men are truly created equal (didn’t we have the same Declaration of Independence even then?) The story will bring you to tears and melt your heart at the same time. The ending was perfect and I just felt very satisfied. Lisbeth and Mattie are both amazing characters, and I was very impressed to read that this book is this author’s first book. I will keep an eye out for her in the future, but in the meantime – read this book – you won’t be disappointed!

This book is an amazing tale of a young woman who is a slave on a plantation. Her name is Mattie. The story starts about 3 months after she has had her son, Samuel and progresses all the way to when Samuel is in his twenties. Mattie, due to just having had her son, has milk to feed him. This may seem like a good thing, but this is what changes Mattie's life forever. Because she has milk still in her breasts she is called in to the white owners' house late one night to take over as the wet nurse for the woman of the house when she has her first baby. Mattie is to now live in the house caring for this new baby instead of her own baby. The tale takes the reader through the growing up of the little girl and how she attaches to Mattie in a way that is "not proper" in the South at that time. The little girl, Elizabeth, has deep feelings for Mattie and sees her as a person, not just a slave. She is told her feelings are wrong and to stop them. As Elizabeth grows Mattie is allowed to make visits to the slave lands outside to see her family and friends once a week. This gives Mattie the chance to still see and have a relationship with her son. As Elizabeth gets older and is in school she teaches Samuel the things she is learning in school and teaches Mattie how to writer her name. This is forbidden, but Elizabeth doesn't know any better and is happy to be teaching them. As the book progresses bad things happen and Samuel is sold and Mattie is beside herself. Elizabeth tries to help, but is too young to understand the ways of her family. Eventually Samuel goes missing along with his Father from another plantation. Mattie is taken to be questioned about what she knows of the runaways. Eventually Mattie decides, after having her second baby (a girl), to run too. She knows where her husband and son probably are, they always made plans for if they could run away, where they would go...to Ohio, the free state. When Jordan, Mattie's little girl, is big enough Mattie makes the decision and has the chance to run to freedom. It is a MUCH longer and harder journey than she imagined though. Will Mattie make it to freedom? If she does, will she find her family and be able to keep her daughter alive on the journey? And what about Elizabeth, what will happen to her? Will Elizabeth forget Mattie and just go along with her family's ways about slaves? I can not even begin to describe this book in a way that does it justice. There is so much that happens in this book and so much that makes you think about the way of the South back then (1800s is when this book is set). I was drawn into the setting and fell in love with the gentle, yet brave and strong character of Mattie. I also loved Elizabeth, and how you got to "see" her grow up into a wonderful young woman through the book. I started this book one day and the next day was up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it. It just amazed me and drew me in. I could not put it down. The writing was wonderful, the language just right for the characters. The story just flowed without seam until the end, where you were left feeling satisfied and with a sense of calm, yet wonder. The book depicts the way a slave was made to live and how they were treated. How they yearned for freedom, even if it meant running away and risking being caught again and punished. Yellow Crocus was a wonderfully written book that tugged at my heart strings and made me thankful for change. This book was fiction, but it had a lot of non-fiction base to it I would say. The situations of the characters throughout the book is phenomenal and there is no way, as a reader, you won't get drawn in and have feelings for the characters and what is happening in the plot. 5/5 Stars! AMAZNIG book! **I got this book free from amazon.com**

It is the kind of book that can convert a Netflix addict to be a book lover instead!!I recomend it and plan to offer it as a gift to my dear friends. It can be compared to Color purple and The help.

What a love story Strong Charakters making wise decisions to live a live without lies. Wish everyone I love will read it. Thank you for that lovely novel.

Un bel libro, piacevole da leggere ed emozionante. Lo classifico come una "lettura sotto l'ombrellone", ma di qualità.

This is one of the best historical slavery novels I've read--it tells the heart-wrenching tale of Lisbeth, a young mistress of a plantation who grows up with a former field slave, Mattie, as her attendant. From an early age Lisbeth prefers the company of Mattie to her own mother, and shows empathy for Mattie's situation. Lisbeth grows old enough to understand what is going on. She discovers a shameful family secret and experiences a traumatizing incident before her own marriage. Though circumstances and the years separate these two women, there is always the expectation on the reader's part after Mattie takes a backseat in the narrative of when these two will reunite and under what circumstances (we hope happy but in those times there wasn't much happiness going around). The dialogue is fantastic--instead of cartoonish or exaggerated speech that is common in many of these types of novels for African-American characters. In addition, the historical details were excellent: authentic, but in a way that did not read like a boring textbook. For instance, when I tried to read the Benjamin Janvier novels by Barbara Hambly, I felt like I needed a PhD in Louisiana history and customs just to be able to follow along. That kind of detail is, of course, admirable and shows that the author has done her homework, but when it gets to the point where it interferes with my ability to lose myself in the story, that's where I stop reading, so I'm glad that this book did not have that problem. If you love historical fiction, particularly set in the Southern United States, and you want a story filled with heart and emotion, please pick up this book. I am amazed by how good it was.

A lovely well written book that captures the emotions so well into words. Definitely recommend it for reading. A very good book.