The Mapmaker's Children

March 9, 2015
McCoy’s (The Baker’s Daughter) latest is a journey into the past that reveals the hidden depths of the lives of two very different women separated by more than 150 years. Sarah Brown, one of the children of abolitionist John Brown, survives deadly dysentery only to learn that she will be barren from complications of the illness. Despite the devastating diagnosis, Sarah is determined to give meaning to her life. She assists in drawing maps for the runaway slaves her father is harboring in their Plattsburgh, N.Y., home. In present-day West Virginia, Eden and her husband, Jack, have left their life in Washington, D.C., behind to get a new start after Eden has a series of miscarriages. But Eden’s depression over her loss and seeming inability to conceive has left her doubting the stability of her marriage. When Jack leaves on a business trip, Eden is forced to deal with the puppy he bought her as she adjusts to life in the small town and seeks to uncover the history behind her house. 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.

April 15, 2015

Eden and Jack Anderson are settling uneasily into their historic home in New Charleston, WV, having brought the baggage of a fragile marriage with them. After finding an antique porcelain doll's head in a hidden pantry, Eden begins to suspect that the house contains more secrets. When Cleo, an inquisitive neighborhood preteen hired to walk the Andersons' dog, introduces Eden to local antique dealers and historians, the house's association with the Underground Railroad begins to emerge. Interspersed with Eden's contemporary tale are vignettes of the life of Sarah Brown, daughter of abolitionist John Brown, beginning in 1859 with her father's failed rebellion and execution and proceeding through the Civil War and after with Sarah's move to California. Along the way, Sarah's struggles mirror Eden's as both women navigate loss, disappointment, and ultimately forgiveness and the forging of healthy family and community connections. VERDICT McCoy (The Baker's Daughter) moves deftly between past and present in this engaging examination of dark and hopeful times in our collective national history and in our lives. Fans of both well-researched historical fiction and contemporary tales of married life (and of authors such as Jennifer Chiaverini and Sue Monk Kidd) should be satisfied by this rich and textured depiction of characters possessing strength and grace. [See Prepub Alert, 11/17/14.]--Jennifer B. Stidham, Houston Community Coll. Northeast

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