Sunflower Sisters: 4 Stars

If you are a fan of "Lilac Girls" by New York Times best-selling author, Martha Hall Kelly, you'll want to add "Sunflower Sisters" to your list. This novel follows three stories. The first is the account of Caroline Ferriday's (One of the main characters in "Lilac Girls") ancestor, Miss Georgeanna Woolsey or "Georgy." The second follows Jemma, an enslaved young woman living on the Peeler plantation in Maryland. The third is the account of Anne-May, the cruel Mistress of Peeler Plantation.

Below I will give a brief summary of our main characters in "Sunflower Sisters" as well my overall thoughts and final recommendation.

Summary

We follow the lives of Georgy, Jemma, and Anne-May in the Civil War era between the years of 1859-1864. We see the vast differences between the cruel and the kind, the enslaved and the free, the kind-hearted and the selfish. We see just how far each individual will go in order to survive. In order to do what they deem as "right."

Georgy

As a 28-year-old educated woman living in New York. Georgy is determined to be taken seriously in every aspect of her life whether professionally or romantically. She is looking for an equal partnership like that of her parents and does not wish to be tied down by a man who thinks they know more than her simply because of her gender.

After being accepted and trained, Georgy becomes a war Nurse lending aid wherever she is needed. Georgy fights to gain acceptance among her male counterparts who refuse to see her as an equal. Throughout her story, Georgy never stops working to heal, be heard, and learn.

Jemma

Enslaved all of her life, Jemma can only dream of experiencing freedom. Constantly abused by her Misstress, Anne-May, and the cruel overseer, LeBaron, Jemma's only source of happiness is her family and her ability to read and write being taught by the previous Mistress.

No longer able to endure the constant torture, Jemma's family devises a plan for escape. After a horrible turn of events, Jemma's family is split in several different directions and Jemma is sold to another master. It's here where Jemma is able to make an escape into the Union army under the guise of a drummer boy.

After being injured on the battlefield, Jemma finds herself in the care of the Woolsey family who bring her back to New York to live with them.

Georgy/Jemma

As Georgy and Jemma develop a friendship, Georgy learns that while she has been an avid and outspoken abolitionist, she still has a tainted view of slavery and will never grasp the magnitude of what current and former slaves have endured. Jemma opens their eyes to her life and enlists their help in freeing her family in what ends up being a dangerous and deathly endeavor.

Anne-May

As an entitled Plantation Mistress Anne-May will stop at nothing to get everything she "deserves." Through cruel, misguided, and uneducated decisions, Anne-May shows her allegiance to the south and the Confederate army by sharing union secrets revealed unknowingly by her husband in his war-time letters. Due to her lack of education, she uses Jemma to read and write down the information in an infamous notebook that is passed back and forth between sources.

As the North pulls ahead Anne-May becomes under speculation by the authorities for treason. Anne-May becomes desperate in her search for Jemma and the hidden notebook.

Anne-May/Jemma/Georgy

All the stories converge at the climax of the novel. Will Jemma reunite her family? Will Georgy show up in time to put a stop to the atrocities happening to her dear friend? Will Anne-May show some resemblance of a heart and for once make the right decision? All this and more in "Sunflower Sisters" by Martha Hall Kelly.

My thoughts

I'm always a fan of historical fiction and Martha Hall Kelly does them so well.

While I liked Georgy's character I thought her portions of the story seemed to be given more coverage. I was personally more interested in Jemma as she seemed to have more excitement throughout the novel.

I would have liked to see a bit more action on the Woolsey family's part after Jemma confronted them about not truly understanding the depths of slavery and doing more to help.

While they did advocate for Jemma, there are a lot more like her who could have used someone in their corner. I understand even in novels, not everything can be fixed but that is my opinion.

If you're a historical fiction fan I'd highly recommend giving this novel a read. A captivating story of untold truths and overcoming adversity.

Thank you for giving my review of "Sunflower Sisters" by Martha Hall Kelly a read. Stay tuned for my review of "Come As You Are" by Emily Nagoski coming soon!

Leah Lawrence