John Brown's Women

De: Susan Higginbotham

Narrado por: Katharine Charles

Duración: 12 h y 42 m

Resumen del Editor

As the United States wrestles with its besetting sin—slavery—abolitionist John Brown is growing tired of talk. He takes actions that will propel the nation toward civil war and thrust three courageous women into history.

Wealthy Brown, married to John Brown's oldest son, eagerly falls in with her husband's plan to settle in Kansas. Amid clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers, Wealthy's adventure turns into madness, mayhem, and murder.

Fifteen-year-old Annie Brown is thrilled when her father summons her to the farm he has rented in preparation for his raid. There, she guards her father's secrets while risking her heart.

Mary Brown never expected to be the wife of John Brown, much less the wife of a martyr. When her husband's daring plan fails, Mary must travel into hostile territory, where she finds the eyes of the nation riveted upon John—and upon her.

Spanning three decades, John Brown's Women is a tale of love and sacrifice, and of the ongoing struggle for America to achieve its promise of liberty and justice for all.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Susan Higginbotham (P)2022 Susan Higginbotham

In the Shadow of a Great Man

I know a decent amount about John Brown, but until I listened to this audiobook, I knew very little about the women in his life. Although I wasn't able to attend, I know Susan Higginbotham spoke on a panel with Karen Joy Fowler about her novel Booth. The two works are fit companion pieces about two very different yet quintessentially American 19th-century families. The two books are also very different approaches to writing historical fiction. This is more straight history. It was all interesting. Higginbotham's research is exhaustive and meticulous, unearthing "you are there" details about these women's lives. However, I didn't find myself as emotionally engaged as I was with Higginbotham's Hanging Mary or The First Lady and the Rebel, both of which devastated me. I'm not sure why. I think this book was told at more of a remove from the country-shattering historical events. Katharine Charles's narration may have had something to do with my reaction; she didn't do as much acting as I would have liked and gave more of a straight read. Be sure to download and read the detailed and fascinating Author's Note, which for the audiobook is an accompanying PDF.