Sisters of the Soul
In this epic saga, Addie Turner, a house slave at Sweetbrier Plantation in Louisiana in 1837, takes in the illegitimate daughter of the plantation owner, Mr. Hugo. Lizzie grows up like a sister to Sophie, Addie’s own daughter. But when a doctor treating Lizzie expresses shock at a white child being raised in a Negro household, Lucille Hugo brings Lizzie to live in the big house, though she and Sophie remain close.
A decade later, Sophie receives a disfiguring beating from Bert, Lucille’s son, who grew from a mean and dangerous little boy into a mean and dangerous man. When Sophie discovers Bert raping Lizzie, the two women avenge these attacks and leave the plantation. They travel from Louisiana to San Francisco, experiencing adventures and encounters with a bounty hunter and a Mennonite wagon train. In San Francisco, Lizzie births a daughter named Rose, but Lizzie’s hatred for Bert thwarts any love for her daughter, and Rose is raised mostly by Sophie.
Lizzie, now the madam of the Wayside Inn in San Francisco, sends Rose away to school. From this point, the story is told from the alternating points of view of Rose, Sophie, and Lizzie, and the emotional rejection Rose feels from her mother is painfully portrayed.
This is a story of family, friendship, strength, and love. There are no miracles or magic moments in this story, just determination to find happiness and heal old wounds. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and read late into the night. It was hard to put down.
