When Cornelius Allen gives his daughter Clarissa's hand in marriage, he presents her with a wedding gift: the young slave she grew up with, Sarah. Sarah is also Allen's daughter and Clarissa's sister, a product of his longtime relationship with his house slave, Emmeline. When Clarissa's husband suspects that their newborn son is illegitimate, Clarissa and Sarah are sent back to her parents, Cornelius and Theodora, in shame, setting in motion a series of events that will destroy this once powerful family.
Told through alternating viewpoints of Sarah and Theodora Allen, Cornelius' wife, The Wedding Gift is a stunning novel that shows where the complicated and compelling bonds and relationships between women explored in novels like The Help and The Secret Life of Bees began. Marlen Suyapa Bodden's novel is an intimate portrait of slavery and the 19th century South that shows where this particular American story and dynamic all started and will leave listeners breathless.
Includes a reading group guide read by the author
1 of 1 copy available
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
September 24, 2013 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781427232984
- File size: 305415 KB
- Duration: 10:36:16
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from August 19, 2013
In this stunning debut, Marlen Suyapa Bodden effortlessly transports the reader to 1852 Alabama, where slavery and racism may rule the day, but everything isn't as black and white as it may seem. Sixteen-year-old Sarah Campbell is a housemaid to her half-sister Clarissa. Both daughters of plantation owner Mr. Allen, they secretly reject the roles they are expected to play. Sarah yearns for the day when she can escape slavery, while Clarissa is disinterested in her father's wishes for her to marry young and become mistress of her own plantation. But then Clarissa unexpectedly becomes pregnant before she's wedâchanging the trajectory of both girls' lives. Bodden weaves a page-turning tangled web of misogyny, greed, scandal and violence in this powerful story about races colliding against the backdrop of America's darkest era. -
March 1, 2014
Set in Alabama in 1852, this story is told from the points of view of Theodora, the wife of plantation owner Cornelius Allen, and Sarah, a slave and Cornelius's daughter. Since Theodora taught her to read and write, Sarah has plotted to escape and become free. Her plans take on greater urgency when Cornelius gives Sarah to his daughter--and her own half-sister--Clarissa on the occasion of Clarissa's marriage. Bodden's debut is rich in detail, and the listener is quickly caught up in the lives of both the slaves and the master's family and the complicated relationships between them. Jenna Lamia and January LaVoy provide skillful narration. VERDICT Highly recommended for public libraries with popular audiobook collections and for historical fiction lovers. ["A good choice for readers who like a fast-paced historical story with a clear and relevant theme," read the review of the St. Martin's hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 9/6/13.]--Michele Lauer-Bader, Half Hollow Hills Community Lib., NY
Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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