A very well written book set in late 18th century England. A cautionary tale of getting above your station in life -- reaching for the next social and business rung only to have the entire ladder collapse. Interesting insight into the slave trade and the shipping business of the era. Josiah and Sarah Cole are the owners of a modest fleet of three ships trading small goods. They then bring back some slaves for Josiah's new wife Frances to teach English and turn them into English servants. Would have been better if several of them were sold off, while somehow maintaining Mehuru. Mehuru and Frances become the focal point, with the conclusion of the book being that Frances dies while giving birth to Mehuru's son after they had one night together that got her pregnant. ( )

"He did not know that for the first time and painfully, Frances was feeling emotions stir and warm into life."

Josiah Cole needs cash and a socially connected wife. Frances Scott needs a husband. Once married, they find themselves dependent on sustaining a particular sort of lifestyle in order to keep moving upwards. They overpay for a house, over-furnish the house, all under the resentful eye of Josiah's maiden sister.

I know very little about slavery, at any point or place, really. Only after watching Amazing Grace did I know anything about William Wilberforce and the abolitionist movement here in the UK; only after watching and reading The Help did I really know anything about racial politics in 1960s southern USA, plus drawing on reading To Kill a Mockingbird at school (and I'll admit to still not knowing very much). And I know even less about 1780s Bristol, the sugar trade or rum.

But I abandoned this after 370 pages out of 500 - so close to the end and yet I did not want to spend more time wasted on these insipid, fearful characters so bent on destroying their own lives.

I wanted to like this; I know very little of the topic and feel that I should know more. But I found the characters too irritating and undeserving of more of my time. ( )

I can accept the romance, I can even almost accept the difficult character of the Frances. But that in such a short time Mehuru could learn to speak nearly perfect English, and teach himself to read, and that while talking his mother tongue frequently, I do not believe.

On the other hand, once making the decision to suspend belief it is a good read. ( )

I can't believe I read this back in 2008. This is another book I can't stop thinking about.

I love Philippa Gregory's Tudor series and have read every single one (except for The Other Queen which I will read soon). I went into this book with high expectations, and I wasn't let down. It's not as good as her Tudor series, but it's still amazing. ( )

I agree that the "romance" really ruined this book. It was unbelievable and trite. ( )