Tonight. Now.

It did not shake her, what Nathan had said. Freedom was a curious thing. Were the chickens free, running their fool heads off in the yard? The horse, that still must fit the bit between its teeth? Was Missus free? But what else to dream for? There was no dream of Josephine’s that did not contain a place where she might sit and look upon a field or a bird in flight or a person and ponder the lines of that thing, to capture them in pencil or charcoal or ink or pigment. Just to sit for a moment, herself, no one claiming her time or her thoughts or the product of her mind and hands. What other word to call that if not freedom? Not a one is free, Nathan had said, but Josephine did not believe that could be true.

As I finally got around to reading this fabulous book I couldn't believe that it had been sitting around for years (years!) unread on my Kindle. I wonder how many other treasures are hanging out on my bookshelves -- real and virtual.

The book's plot involves two story lines (What my GR friend Cathrine cleverly calls a "two-fer") -- the historical tale of slave and house girl, Josephine Bell; and the modern day story of young lawyer Lina Sparrow whose work on a new case leads her to research the life of Josephine Bell. The two stories are evenly written, which is a testament to the talent of the author (some books with historical/modern splits can end up with one story being significantly better than the other).

I particularly enjoyed the the author's treatment of the historical aspect of the novel. Much time is spent with Josephine's thoughts (rather than just relying on dialogue). These were beautiful passages that conveyed her humanity and the universality of a desire for freedom.

In addition to the "two-fer" readers also get to enjoy a variety of styles in this book. Not only is the story told in prose, but the plot is also revealed via letters, and art critiques -- so readers get to enjoy all sorts in genres in one package!

4 solid stars.

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between 2 and 2.5 stars. i really, really liked this at the beginning. it was captivating and interesting and i was interested in both of the stories. i was unsure of feeling this way when i looked up the author and found she (at least) appears to be white.

toward the end of the book it was definitely not as compelling to me as the way it wrapped up (and leading to the end) seemed a little easy and unlikely. but i like the idea and the early execution, for sure. ( )

I've tried to get into this book twice now but no dice. I'm not sure why I can't keep with it but it just feels like a chore going back to the book. ( )

Good, but a fairly superficial handling of all the weighty topics the author decided to take on. Slavery, addiction, abandonment, suicide... The list goes on. I can't help but feel as though this book was written by someone privileged, for someone privileged. (I happen to be that someone, so I guess it worked.) A solid novel, but I'm not tripping over myself to recommend it. ( )

Although I normally do not like books that switch between characters and/or time frames, this author did an excellent job of it because I actually looked forward to finding out what was happening in each person's life. The idea of trying to win a case for the long ago relatives of slaves seems wrong to me but liked the thinking that there should be more done to remember the efforts of people wanting to help slaves get a better life. This makes you think of present day versions of "slave" work as the lawyer Lina realized her life both at work and at home was more similar to Josephine the house slave. ( )