Reviews
Friedland is a modern Bronte sister remixed with Kathleen Grissom or Leila Meacham. Trouble the Water is the riveting story of Abby, who travels across the sea, fleeing Liverpool, poverty, and an unsavory uncle, for Charleston, where a wealthy friend of her father, Douglas, lives. Douglas has pledged himself to the fight to end slavery, and for that, he has made the ultimate sacrifice. Abby fights inner demons and tries to find her place in Charleston high society while her brooding guardian reconciles the past and returns to his beloved cause. Lovers of Civil War-era historical fiction will rejoice at Friedland’s triumphant novel of love, friendship, and the most important issues of the day
With compelling characters, a charming peek into Charleston society, a heart-racing romance, rich historical detail, and an epilogue that will have you holding your breath, Friedland has written a well-crafted novel that will stay with you long after you turn the final page
With a plucky heroine, a dashing hero, and the backdrop of the clandestine abolition movement in the antebellum South, Jacqueline Friedland masterfully weaves a tale full of passion and honor, duty and survival, evil and the beauty of basic human decency. Trouble the Water will make your heart pound and swell, and keep you reading well into the night. Highly recommended!
The complicated history of the antebellum South comes alive in Friedland’s debut novel and offers readers an exciting and fast-paced literary journey that explores complicated relationships, the importance of friendship, and the necessary power of love
The evil of slavery, the nascent abolitionist movement, the courage of an operative of the underground railroad are explored against the background of the vanished world of debutante cotillions, social intrigue and the slow maturity and melding of skillfully drawn protagonists. Friedland’s research is impeccable, her writing fluid. Trouble the Water is that rare pedagogic novel that engages as it teaches
Compulsively readable and ferociously insightful . . . He Gets That from Me cuts to the core of what it means to be family. An unforgettable book of our times.
Jacqueline Friedland has done it again. With her signature mix of empathy and deft plotting, she takes us inside the lives of characters holding fast to their place on the margins until you are breathlessly rooting for them with every turn of the page.
Engrossing and deeply moving, Breathing Under Water is a graceful exploration of womanhood at every age and stage. Jacqueline Friedland expertly captures the fierce love and quiet resilience of motherhood, the intense pressures of coming of age, and the unexpected ways in which we save each other. An unforgettable story with indelible characters that will stay with readers long after the final page, this is a must-read novel of the year!
This big-hearted novel grabbed me from page one and didn't let me go. Jacqueline is a master of writing characters so real, it feels like they could walk out of the book and right into your living room--and she's done it again.
A thoughtful and compassionate exploration of caregiving, ambition, and the ripple effects of loving someone with profound needs. This is a layered, emotionally resonant novel that will give book clubs plenty to discuss.
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