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Feb 09, 2021kmcdouall rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This haunting historical tale follows the daughter of an African American healer, from her childhood near the outbreak of the Civil War to a marriage in Haiti. Libertie is expected to follow in her mother's profession, but that's not where her heart lies. Abandoning medical school, she embarks on a marriage that seems to promise freedom from the constraints of her old life. She finds instead another kind of yearning to be free of constraint--this time of the patriarchal kind. Libertie's determined quest for freedom propels the story, through close escapes with the Underground Railroad to the New York Draft Riots to what seems to be a promised haven of liberation in Haiti. The plot is a bit muddled in the first part of the novel, perhaps reflecting Libertie's entanglement with her mother. The story, and the character, come into focus when she achieves some degree of freedom, off on her own in medical school, and then in her new life abroad. Fans of historical fiction, and especially those interested in the lives of free Blacks in the 19th century, will find much to appreciate here. Thanks to @AlgonquinBooks and #NetGalley for making this advanced reader copy available in exchange for my honest opinion.