Interesting topic and characters but just did not capture me. I learned about black communities pre- and post-civil war. It also was about strong women who triumph despite difficult odds. The only thing negative for me is that I really did not fully connect with any of the …more characters so I found the book easy to put down. I liked this book. I learned a lot but just was not taken by the characters. On the other hand, a fascinating story and beautiful writing (less)