When 16-year-old Eliza Lucas is left in charge of her family's plantations in 1739 South Carolina, she sets her sights on producing indigo dye to avoid defaulting on the debts her father has accumulated to advance his military career. As her pursuit of a lucrative crop is thwarted by relatives, business advisers, and her own workforce, Eliza remains fiercely determined to continue. Each of her successes is bittersweet: trusting and educating her slaves destroys her social standing; forsaking suitors means financial ruin; and employing a long-lost friend culminates in devastating personal loss just as her goal of being the first person to export indigo from the colonies is about to blossom. Without preaching or judging, the narrative integrates the politics of gender inequality, race, and class into Eliza's quest for confidence and allies.
VERDICT Romance author Boyd's (Eversea) first historical novel captivates on every level, refreshingly crafting the 18th-century world of real-life Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1722–93). Fans of Elizabeth Gilbert's The Signature of All Things will savor.
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