cover image The Indigo Girl

The Indigo Girl

Natasha Boyd. Blackstone, $26.99 (344p) ISBN 978-1-4551-3711-4

Set on South Carolina’s plantations beginning in 1739, this excellent historical novel by Boyd (Eversea) is based on the true story of Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1722–1793). Sixteen-year-old Eliza Lucas is charged with running her father’s three heavily-mortgaged plantations while he pursues a military career in the Caribbean. He has trained Eliza well in business, agriculture, and plantation management, and she is bright, considerate, and ambitious. Eliza sees the production of indigo dye as the family’s financial salvation, but indigo is risky to grow, and dye-making is a valuable but well-kept secret so she must approach her new assignment with caution. Kindhearted Eliza is independent and forward-thinking. She defies the Negro Act of 1740 and teaches her slaves to read, seeks their advice, and banishes the lash. As a marriageable young woman she rejects all suitors and expects to be a spinster, but as the plantation booms and her public stature grows, so does her affection for a married gentleman friend. Add threats of war with Spain and the strict social and cultural codes for Southern women, and Boyd has crafted a captivating novel of Southern colonial history. (Oct.)