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Book Summary and Reviews of The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy

The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy

The Mapmaker's Children

by Sarah McCoy

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  • May 2015, 320 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

When Sarah Brown, daughter of abolitionist John Brown, realizes that her artistic talents may be able to help save the lives of slaves fleeing north, she becomes one of the Underground Railroad's leading mapmakers, taking her cues from the slave code quilts and hiding her maps within her paintings. She boldly embraces this calling after being told the shocking news that she can't bear children, but as the country steers toward bloody civil war, Sarah faces difficult sacrifices that could put all she loves in peril.

Eden, a modern woman desperate to conceive a child with her husband, moves to an old house in the suburbs and discovers a porcelain head hidden in the root cellar - the remains of an Underground Railroad doll with an extraordinary past of secret messages, danger and deliverance. 

Ingeniously plotted to a riveting end, Sarah and Eden's woven lives connect the past to the present, forcing each of them to define courage, family, love, and legacy in a new way.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"McCoy carefully juxtaposes the past and the present, highlighting the characters' true introspection, and slowly revealing the unusual similarities in the two woman's lives, which leads to a riveting conclusion." - Publisher's Weekly

"Though the conclusion doesn't surprise, it satisfies." - Kirkus

"The Mapmaker's Children is marked by rich, closely observed storytelling full of warmth and heart." - Charles Frazier, New York Times bestselling author of National Book Award winner Cold Mountain

"I love the way this novel connects the past to the present. At first, these two heroines from different centuries seem to have little in common. But defining moments of bravery and resilience echo across generations for a truly satisfying story." - Laura Moriarty, New York Times bestselling author of The Chaperone

"Poignant and deeply absorbing. McCoy weaves this moving tale of two women finding their way with style and thoughtfulness." - Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Orange Prize winner The Song of Achilles

"Sarah McCoy has illuminated a forgotten corner of American history with her signature empathy and spirit." - Mary Doria Russell, author of Doc and Epitaph

This information about The Mapmaker's Children was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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FictionZeal

The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy
We are first introduced to ‘the house’ in the prologue. This house in Charles Town, VA was where John Brown’s family spent the night before he was executed for his organized raid against the armory at Harper’s Ferry. It was the same house bought in 2010 with the intention of ‘flipping’ it for profit. In 2014, it is the house Jack and Eden Anderson bought with the intention of starting a family.

This is basically history beginning just prior to John Brown’s capture at Harper’s Ferry in 1859. It is not his story per se; it is the story of his daughter, Sarah. She chooses to continue his work after his death. The novel alternates between Sarah Brown’s life in the nineteenth century and Eden Anderson in present day.

John Brown had drawn a map for slave runaways. But, they needed a clearer picture of exactly where to go. Sarah draws a pictograph showing scenic landmarks. It’s exactly what they needed and it’s how she first became involved in the Underground Railroad. She also drew a map for her father on the day before he was to be hung with the childish hope that he would escape and find his way back to them. Due to an earlier illness, she was told she’d never conceive children. With those hopes dashed, she gives her life to the UGRR continuing pictographs showing the way north to safe houses.

In present day, Jack and Eden find a doorway under the floor to an old cellar. The first thing they spot is a bizarre looking porcelain doll’s face. Ten year old Cleo next door teams up with Eden to investigate the history of the house and the doll. The doll’s head housed a key which was much newer than nineteenth century. More puzzles. They contact a local historian, Ms. Silverdash, to help piece everything together.

I love stories like this in which the novel swings between a historical time period and present day. The fictional portion is plotted seamlessly against the historical background. All of the characters are very engaging and brought to life on the pages of the novel. This story takes nothing away from the history of John Brown, but alternately fulfills his legacy in the strength, courage and compassion displayed by his daughter, Sarah. Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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Author Information

Sarah McCoy Author Biography

Sarah McCoy is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of The Mapmaker's Children; The Baker's Daughter, a 2012 Goodreads Choice Award Best Historical Fiction nominee; the novella "The Branch of Hazel," featured in the anthology Grand Central; and The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico.

Sarah's work has been featured in Real Simple, The Millions, Your Health Monthly, Huffington Post and other publications. She has taught English writing at Old Dominion University and at the University of Texas at El Paso.

The daughter of an Army officer, her family was stationed in Germany during her childhood. She calls Virginia home but presently lives with her husband, an Army physician, and dog, Gilbert, in El Paso, Texas.

... Full Biography
Link to Sarah McCoy's Website

Other books by Sarah McCoy at BookBrowse
  • The Baker's Daughter jacket
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