Kedzie Saint Helena Island Slave Ginny Padgett saysI recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or good writing. Ms Stanard writes as if she lives in 1860s coastal South Carolina the dialogue rings true. Her language is lush her research is most thorough resulting in authenticity. I hope there is a sequel.
This is a pageturner. This is an excellent fictional account of the life of a slave girl in coastal South Carolina during the time just before the Civil War. The reader becomes caught up in Kedzie's life and the life on the plantation where she lived. Ms. Stanard's research of the times gives authenticity to the book and adds interest for the reader. The book was an extremely good read and I'm ready for the sequel. Kedzie should be in every public library in South Carolina.
Thanks for the historical journey Kedzie is worth the read if only because it takes the reader back to a time we will never have a chance to witness ourselves thank God. The heroine had only her gender and geography in common with the author. For the reaearch alone Bonnie Stanard deserves a big thank you for us far to lazy to do that kind of digging into the past. The novel itself is notable in that it didn't fall into the standard traps of unrequieted love historical intervention or even the happy ending we hoped for. The ending was not sad but it did not stretch the bounds of implausibility. Our visit with Kedzie only lasted a few months three year before the outbreak of the Civil War but Stanard lets the reader's knowledge of history write the postscript.
Window into a bygone era almost impossible to imagine This novel provides a convincing glimpse into an antebellum South that wouldn't be plausible if it hadn't happened to be true. Stanard has an eye for detail that brings the setting and characters to life. Her character development is good but the picture she paints of the plantation environment and the tensions within it are great. If you're a fan of novels about the preCivil War South this makes for a compelling read.
Kedzie Bonnie Stanard has written so skillfully that I hope to see a film with the same catchy title along with a sequel some day.The short chapters made reading before going to bed a delight and helped me get to know the characters through their dialogue and relationships throughout the novel. As a resident of SC and visitor to the lowlands I particularly enjoyed Kedzie's travels to visit her mother in Charleston from one of the barrier islands by ship along the coast as well as her return trip by wagon accompanied by other newly purchased slaves from the market there. Plenty of intrigue and suspense here.
The old south like you've never seen it Bonnie has written an account of the pre civil war erra south from the view of a slave woman. The story gives a look into the lives of slaves that you will not find in polite southern literature. Few authors have explored the lives of a people who suffered so miserably at the hands of their fellow man.
In addition to historical fiction, Bonnie Stanard writes poetry and short stories which have been published in journals such as Harpur Palate, The Griffin, Slipstream, Eclipse, Connecticut Review, and The South Carolina Review. She has edited periodicals in Brussels, Belgium (Rendez-vous), Richmond (Fanfare), and rural South Carolina (FairView News). She has three adult sons (Jason, Matthew, and Davis) and five grandchildren and lives in Columbia, SC with her husband Douglas Stanard. This is her first published book.
Related Products
No comments:
Post a Comment