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About The Indigo Girl: A Novel
Product Description The year is 1739. Eliza Lucas is sixteen years old when her father leaves her in charge of their family's three plantations in rural South Carolina and then proceeds to bleed the estates dry in pursuit of his military ambitions. Tensions with the British, and with the Spanish in Florida, just a short way down the coast, are rising, and slaves are starting to become restless. Her mother wants nothing more than for their South Carolina endeavor to fail so they can go back to England. Soon her family is in danger of losing everything. Upon hearing how much the French pay for indigo dye, Eliza believes it's the key to their salvation. But everyone tells her it's impossible, and no one will share the secret to making it. Thwarted at nearly every turn, even by her own family, Eliza finds that her only allies are an aging horticulturalist, an older and married gentleman lawyer, and a slave with whom she strikes a dangerous deal: teach her the intricate thousand-year-old secret process of making indigo dye and in return--against the laws of the day--she will teach the slaves to read. So begins an incredible story of love, dangerous and hidden friendships, ambition, betrayal, and sacrifice. Based on historical documents, including Eliza's letters, this is a historical fiction account of how a teenage girl produced indigo dye, which became one of the largest exports out of South Carolina, an export that laid the foundation for the incredible wealth of several Southern families who still live on today. Although largely overlooked by historians, the accomplishments of Eliza Lucas influenced the course of US history. When she passed away in 1793, President George Washington served as a pallbearer at her funeral. This book is set between 1739 and 1744, with romance, intrigue, forbidden friendships, and political and financial threats weaving together to form the story of a remarkable young woman whose actions were before their time: the story of the indigo girl. Review ''Natasha's writing is a fresh and modern spin on great Southern literature.'' -- Ashley Pullo, author of the New Amsterdam Series, praise for the author '' Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd is a lively historical novel about Eliza Lucas Pinckney, a sixteen-year-old girl left in charge of her absent father's three South Carolina plantations in 1739 and who became the first person to produce commercial-grade indigo in the American colonies. South Carolinians and fans of historical fiction will enjoy this peek into Colonial life. The novel also works as a YA crossover and should be of interest to SC history teachers.'' -- Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction (Greenville, SC) ''If you love historical fiction, this book should be on your fall reading list....It is based on historical documents and the real-life Eliza Lucas.'' -- Southern Living ''Based on a true story, The Indigo Girl is an outstanding example of historical fiction...Through Eliza's strong internal voice and excerpts from actual letters, Boyd effortlessly brings this character to life. Readers will love discovering the amazing story of a virtually unknown girl who changed the course of history.'' -- Booklist (starred review) ''Without preaching or judging, the narrative integrates the politics of gender inequality, race, and class into Eliza's quest for confidence and allies...Boyd's first historical novel captivates on every level, refreshingly crafting the eighteenth-century world of real-life Eliza Lucas Pinckney. Fans of Elizabeth Gilbert's The Signature of All Things will savor.'' -- Library Journal (starred review) ''Boyd paints a vivid portrait of a young woman entrepreneur's defiant and revolutionary spirit...Actual excerpts from some of Eliza's correspondence provide another layer of authenticity to the story...Rich and colorful... The Indigo Girl is a riveting narrative about a woman who defied convention to become one of the country's first women entrepreneurs.'' -- Foreword Rev
