From the New York Times bestselling author of The Baker’s Daughter and Marilla of Green Gables, a story of family, love, and courageWhen Sarah Brown, daughter of abolitionist John Brown, realizes that her artistic talents may be able to help save the lives of slaves fleeing north, she becomes one of the Underground Railroad’s leading mapmakers, taking her cues from the slave code quilts and … cues from the slave code quilts and hiding her maps within her paintings. She boldly embraces this calling after being told the shocking news that she can’t bear children, but as the country steers toward bloody civil war, Sarah faces difficult sacrifices that could put all she loves in peril.
Eden, a modern woman desperate to conceive a child with her husband, moves to an old house in the suburbs and discovers a porcelain head hidden in the root cellar—the remains of an Underground Railroad doll with an extraordinary past of secret messages, danger and deliverance.
Ingeniously plotted to a riveting end, Sarah and Eden’s woven lives connect the past to the present, forcing each of them to define courage, family, love, and legacy in a new way.
more
Really enjoyed The Mapmaker’s Children by Sarah McCoy. Historical fiction about the Underground Railroad.
Great story!!
This story is actually the tale of two women living in the same house, in two different eras. John Brown’s daughter uses her artistic talents to make maps for slaves escaping via the Underground Railroad. Eden lives in the same house in the present and finds the head of a doll from that era. Both stories are hard to put down.
Really liked this historical fiction account of abolitionist John Brown’s daughter. Loved the time periods of present and past stories of strong women that didn’t always realize how strong they were.
I loved this book with each turn of the page. It gave you two stories that went well together. You get a modern mystery. You also learn about history at that time.
This book has you learn about Sarah and her family. We learn about slavery and what it like to be a part of the UGRR? The historical fiction and story go through the past to the future.
What will happen to Sarah and helping other by being so brave? The abolitionist John Brown has a daughter that might really be talented. She and Eden have something in common. Will Eden uncover the secrets of the past to the future?
You do learn about slavery and what our country was going through at that time. Eden may find a story that connects to the Hills from the past to present.
This historical novel left me wanting to know more about the real-life characters and this region so rich with events in our nation’s history.
A well written book, clever, entertaining, historical with well developed lovable characters!!!!!
I love historical fiction and this book really fit the bill. Each chapter was either in the year before the civil war broke out or recent year. Each story developed its characters until the end when you finally get the connection made between the two. Very interesting read!
I found this book to be very interesting with historical information about John Brown and his family that I never knew. It is also fun to read about strong women characters from the past who were often not given credit for their contributions to our culture and history. The accompanying present day story tied in very well and shows how we have changed our way of thinking about certain things, women’s roles, child-rearing, etc. The book is funny in parts, sad in others. The characters are well-developed.
One of the best books I’ve read all summer. It is based on the life of Sarah Brown, the daughter of John Brown. It is an amazing story of a remarkable woman. It is also the story of a modern couple who bought the house that was very important in Sarah’s story. When the couple finds relics from the Civil War era, the stories become intertwined. Two woman born years apart, learn similar lessons about love and family.
Shed light on a period of history that I didn’t know too much about. Thoroughly enjoyed this good story.
This was a historical novel. I was aware of some of the ways the underground railroad communicated but this information in the book was inspirational to me.
I loved this story. Excellent history and a nice blend of present to help uncover the past. Enjoyed the story of both women.So thankful the author gave further information about unearthing and piecing together the history of Sarah Brown. Would recommend this book to others.
Sarah Brown is an interesting character (John Brown’s daughter) and interesting story about the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War but Eden the present day owner of Sarah’s home is a dud. Whinny and complaining she is just not an interesting or persuasive character in the story.
I like the way she worked the fiction with fact. Sarah gives her readers the visual aspects along with written account. I have several of her books, enjoyed all.
Great interplay between modern times and the Civil War Era. Ends abruptly.
This was really good historical fiction. The contrasts of time and relationships was very interesting. It just sort of stopped, though. Good read.