Yellow Crocus

An Excellent read. Couldn't put it down. Well described and written. Feelings rose high and low. Graphic descriptions make this the perfect book to sit down and learn more about the days of slavery. A book to keep and reread again.

Not difficult to read, and an interesting subject, but the relationship between the two women was not explored in enough depth. Some issues were covered too lightly and dealt with too superficially. Everything wraps up too neatly by the end. More of a fairy story than reality.

It was 1837 in Virginia when the plantation owner, Jonathan Wainwright's wife, Ann, gave birth to a daughter named Elizabeth. Elizabeth was immediately taken away from her mother and handed over to an enslaved wet nurse named Mattie. Mattie, a young mother, was forced to leave her son, Samuel, who was born three months earlier. He was left to the care of her Grandpa, Poppy, and her sister, Rebecca. Mattie was given permission to visit her son on Sundays. In the meantime, Mattie's husband, Emmanuel, told her that he has decided to run away and free himself. He would be going to Ohio, if he wasn't caught. He would make home visits when he was able to. When their son was older, they would make a run for it and join Emmanuel. Mattie was feeling sad to leave her son. Mrs. Gray, the Big House housekeeper, told Mattie that becoming a house slave "was a privilege." Mattie's mother was sold when Mattie was only eight years old and she was never to be seen again. Mattie's ancestors were all slaves. It was in 1705 that the Virginia Assembly passed a law clarifying that once and for all, the status of Africans "all servants" imported and brought into the Country, who were not Christians in their native Country would be slaves. All Negro, Mulatto and Indian slaves shall be held as real estate within this Country. You would be a slave if your mother was a slave. Lisbeth, as she was known to Mattie, felt lonely in the company of her mother and a coldness from her father and Grandmother. As she grew older, she was very attached to Mattie. When her parents, her grandmother and brother Jack were out of the house, Lisbeth would go over to Mattie's cabin on the plantation, where she found friendliness and joy. She was welcomed into the family. There were days that she would go with Mattie to the willow tree, where she could hide. Samuel would meet them and it was there that Lisbeth taught Samuel how to read and write. It was shortly after that Samuel learned that he was sold to another plantation owner. Mattie had tried her best to stop this but to no avail. The only thing she could do was pray for her son's health and well-being. Samuel was frightened to leave. On one of Emmanuel's visits, Mattie became pregnant and later gave birth to a daughter named Jordan. Mattie knew that very soon, she would be called to go to work on the plantation. Mattie taught Lisbeth everything she knew about life. She taught her love, songs and prayers and eating black-eyed peas. She has shaped the woman Lisbeth became. There is so much more to this gentle, tender and heartbreaking story as you will come to learn. Can the love between two women from two different backgrounds survive? The Yellow Crocus blooms in the most adverse conditions. It grows best in gritty soil and blossoms in early spring. This flower is a symbol of happiness, hope, survival and strength. Laila Ibrahim's writing is so beautiful and touching. We are reminded on how cruel and hateful slavery was and the ugly realities of the American Slavery System of the past. Yellow Crocus is a first novel for Laila Ibrahim and for certain, it won't be the last. I give it FIVE STARS and highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed the story, but most importantly the writing. With so many boooks on the market of medicocre writing this is a turn up for the books"!

4 - 4 1/2 star read. I hadn't realized that this book was book 1 in a trilogy. I enjoyed this book so much, I ordered book 2 and 3. Set in Virginia before the Civil War, we meet Lisbeth as she was being born. Her Mother is the chatelaine of the plantation and does not expect to breast feed her child so a wet nurse was selected from amongst the slaves. Mattie had given birth to her son Samuel 3 months before and did not want to become the wet nurse as it would mean living in the big house and not seeing her son on a daily basis. She was unable to do anything but comply. But once she and Lisbeth (short for her given name Elizabeth) gaze into each other's eyes, a connection was made that was to last a long time. Lisbeth ended up loving Mattie more than her own Mother and was able to keep her as a servant even after her breastfeeding days were long behind her. We see Lisbeth grow up to a lovely young woman. We see Mattie chafing against the institution of slavery. Decisions need to be made by both women that will be difficult and life altering. A wonderful book about the love between two women as they meet the challenges that life gives them. I really liked this book.