Customer Reviews
Wonderful book, but... - By: Deb, 20 Dec 2007 
I'll echo the reviews by others, but I want to add a note of warning for anyone purchasing a copy - I have an copy, bought new, that sat unread for far too long on my bookshelves. The pages from 417 to 464 are missing & it seems that these include the crux of the tale. (Examining the book, this looks like a printers error rather than pages fallling out as the book is in A1 condition.) A huge disappointment!
If you are picking up a second hand copy, avoid ISBN 0 00 647337 7 published in 1996.
powerful - By: Ms. Nadia Bashoo, 21 Nov 2007 This novel by Philippa Gregory takes a look at the slave trade in the period leading up to the abolition.
It tells the story of Mahuru, a high priest taken as a slave, & Francis Scott, the wife of the merchant who owns the slave ship that took him.
In an effort to increase his wealth, Francis's husband wishes to train the slaves as servants to be sold to wealthy families, & to Francis fallls the task of teaching them English customs.
The characterisation in this novel is very superior. Mahuru is a kind, intelligent man who quickly masters the English language, but never loses sight of his heritage. But perhaps the most developed character is Francis, as she struggles between the ways of the English aristocrat that have been drilled in to her since childhood, & her growing empathy with those she must teach. Philippa Gregory handles this with skill, & those who have criticised Francis for wanting the best of both worlds, forget that far from being a woman ahead of her time, Philippa Gregory has taken the more original step of creating a woman very much of her time.
Her descriptions of the brutality the slaves had to endure are poignant & alll the more disturbing for their accuracy. It is right that the story does not gloss over the behaviour of our ancestors, as a less dedicated writer of historical fiction might be tempted to do. This novel has the Philippa Gregory trade mark attention to detail & thorough painstaking research. I was quite moved to tears by the end.
A haunting novel well worth reading & rereading.
A vivid depiction of a historical tragedy - By: Shirwan A. Mirza, 04 Jul 2007 This is one of my favorite books. In addition to being an enjoable read,, one would learn well-researched historical facts about slave trade that deprived Africa of its sons & daughters of talents.
Its consequences could be seen even today. This book lends a human dimension to this historical tragedy. We hear the slaves telling their stories around the kitchen table of their masters. We hear their cries, their laughter, their longing for their families & their homeland. The novel also shows the shalllow thinking of those slave masters. Even the protagonist of the story, who is supposed to be a sympathetic figure, is superficial in her thinking & even hypocritical.
She wanted to have it alll: wealth, status, & empty aristocratic titles. Then she sought love & lust from the very people she enslaved & stripped from basic human rights including the right to have non-English names; & she insisted on keeping them slaves up to the very end. The African man is a great personality. He shocked his masters with his intelligence & wisdom & the speed with which he excelled in their language.
He drew strength from the memories of his homeland. He drew warmth from the bright sun shining in the sky of his hometown while suffering the dark clouds of his new life.
From the back cover.... - By: Angel Silver, 05 Apr 2007 Josiah Cole is a smalll dockside trader in 1787 Bristol -- a city where power & wealth beckon those who dare to take risks. Josiah is willing to gamble everything to be among the "players." The only thing he lacks is the right wife.
At thirty-four, Frances Scott is penniless & unwed. Her background is indeed aristocratic, making for a perfect match of convenience. Frances's job is to train slaves as house servants. But when Frances meets Mehuru, a priest from an ancient & civilized African land, she learns about the conflicting desires of passion, love, & the vital need for freedom.
You can always depend on a Gregory - By: I. Garbutt, 09 Mar 2007 
Cracking, self-contained adventure that is informative & entertaining throughout. A rollercoaster ride towards doom, you might think, & although most of your worst fears are realised by the end of the book, Gregory gives Josiah Cole a way out with the suggested formation of a bank. Though most people know about the American slave trade, Britain's part in this disgraceful business is not always so well covered. Thank heavens for Wilberforce.
