An unputdownable story of a woman in search of the truth, the man she falls in love with, and the devastation of the Second World War.1934, Guyana. All her life, Mary Grace has wanted to know the truth about who her parents really are. As the mixed-race daughter of two white plantation owners, her childhood has been clouded by whispered rumours, and the circumstances of her birth have been kept a … circumstances of her birth have been kept a closely guarded secret…
Aunt Winnie is the only person Mary Grace can confide in. Feeling lost and lonely, her place in society uncertain, Mary Grace decides to forge her own path in the world. And she finds herself unexpectedly falling for charming and affluent Jock Campbell, a planter with revolutionary ideas.
But, with the onset of the Second World War, their lives will be changed forever. And Mary Grace and Jock will be faced with the hardest decision of all – to fight for freedom or to follow their hearts…
An utterly compelling and evocative story about the heart-breaking choices men and women had to make during a time of unimaginable change. Perfect for fans of The Secret Wife and Island of Secrets.
What readers are saying about The Girl From The Sugar Plantation
‘I loved, loved, loved this. An easy 5 stars. One of my top reads of this year.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I absolutely adore Sharon Maas’s books – she is one of my favourite authors, someone whose stories give me hours of reading pleasure. And this wonderful book is one of her best! I loved this book from start to finish, savouring every word, the author’s beautiful prose. An evocative, powerful story of a family and a country. LOVED every word and I absolutely cannot wait for more from this amazing author.’ Renita D’Silva, 5 stars
‘The Girl from the Sugar Plantation is a beautifully written story that has it all. I whizzed through this beautiful book, unable to put it down. A wonderful and heartrending story with lovely characters. Very highly recommended.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘This is a powerful book of love, relationships and trust What great writing from a great author… Five Stars!’ Stardust Book Reviews, 5 stars
‘I practically read this book in one sitting. I became invested in this story from the opening line and it held my attention to the very last. I highly recommend this book, not only to lovers of historical fiction, but anyone who just loves to read!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘This novel again read like a film, the setting is stunningly vivid and the colours build up to form quite a picture of history and culture. The plot is nicely done, steady and builds to a climax of twists and secrets. The Girl from the Sugar Plantation is a fascinating read!’ The Book Trail, 5 stars
‘The gripping, evocative and poignant story of a young girl’s difficult transition into womanhood amidst a time of turmoil.’ Mrs Blog’s Books
‘Loved it!!! Really absorbing story… Sharon Maas weaves a fine tale and remains one of my go-to authors.’ MetLineReader
‘An epic story of family deceit, love and identity set against a stunning backdrop and yet there is much more to this book than that. With a rich cast of characters, you cannot help but get completely absorbed in their lives. I adored The Girl From The Sugar Plantation and recommend it highly. Maas has brought us a wonderfully written piece of historical fiction.’ Bloomin’ Brilliant Books
‘These books have taken me to a far-off land, to another time… The magic and power of music, the pain and pleasure of love, the destructive nature of secrets and lies all delved deep into my heart and I expect will stay there for some time… a powerful and emotional story that will melt even the coldest of hearts.more
“If they throw you out, stand up again and go your own way. As long as you know your way is right and good – and you must make sure it is so – do it. Your value is intrinsically yours, bound up in your very humanity, believe in it, and hold your head up high.”
The Girl from the Sugar Plantation follows the story of an adopted, mixed race daughter of two white owners, a future heiress, of a sugar plantation; and in spite of being born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Mary Grace experienced discrimination from the society due to her skin color. Being an adoptive daughter she longed to know her true identity. A scandalous secret that her mother has been hiding from her. This, coupled with the prejudice she is experiencing, brought her great loneliness in which only music can banished. Desperate to feel love and wanted, she accepted an offer which can be compared to selling your soul to the devil. Mary Grace unexpectedly fell in love with a man and being in a relationship with him is something that is greatly frowned upon the society.
This is the third and last book in The Quint Chronicles which you can read as a standalone. However, it will help if you will read the first two books as there are quite a lot of characters in the last book and it will be good if you have at least have a background of their story. I enjoyed the first 30% of the story. Although this is a historical fiction, it was easy for me to settle in the story because of the author’s smooth and flawless writing. Almost all the characters are likable and you can clearly distinguished each of their personality.
Unfortunately, I had to skip for the most part because the story felt like it was dragging and was just repeating the same scenario with different dialogues from each characters. I like the big revelations towards the end, something that I did not totally expect.
Overall, it was a good Historical Fiction book. I just need to remind myself (again) that it is better to read the series in order so I will not feel out place.
In this third book of a trilogy, the daughter of a sugar plantation owner searches for truth in British Guiana. I’ve enjoyed them all. It was descriptively atmospheric and transporting, with a great plot and wonderful characters. Secrets, lies, injustice, racial prejudice, war, love, loss and greater purpose, are all part of this beautifully written bittersweet saga. It was interesting to read in the author’s note at the end – that certain characters were true figures in British Guiana, as was the Booker family and Albion.
Sharon Maas is a wonderful writer who can bring her stories and characters to life so vividly. This is actually the last book of the (Quint Chronicles) I have read it out of order but find that it could be a stand alone book. This story takes place in British Guiana, 1934 through the 1960’s. I had really not known much about this area or part of Guyana at that time, a time of sugar plantations and the era of prejudice and bigotry, towards the workers on them. They were not slaves at the time but treated as if the were. Everything for the wealth of the plantation owners, leaving the workers to live in deplorable conditions and with no schools, Doctors, or time off at their disposal.
The story follows the owner of a plantation,Promised Land, YoYo Smedley-Cox and her daughter, Mary Grace, who is of mixed race, and who is YoYo’s adopted daughter. The other sister Aunt Winnie, whom Mary Grace adores, and who became an outcast when she married a man of a different race and had many boys. They were a very loving family and Grace, loved to go there and to feel a part of that love, as she was an only child.
A young man, Jock Campbell comes over from England to work for his families many interests in Guiana, and ends up living on the neighboring plantation to Promised land, a place called Albion. He and Grace became close and have a love which is bitter sweet, as Jock is trying to change the life of all workers on the plantations for the better and this seems to be his main interest.
Jock Campbell and two other people mentioned in the book Cheddi Jagan, and his wife Janet were true figures in Guyana’s history, and were mixed into the story line.
There is so much more that goes on in this story, we follow Grace as she pursues her musical interest and get to know Aunt Winnie’s boys and their many interest.
I love the authors books, and plan to read them all.
Thank you Net Galley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book.