The Mapmaker's Children

Title: The Mapmaker's Children

Author: Sarah McCoy

Genre: Fiction, Historical (Civil War)

I really enjoyed this book, which surprised me. Typically, I'm not a huge fan of Civil War novels: they're bloody, they're heartbreaking, and they fill me with immense national shame. "Slavery is WRONG," I want to yell at everyone. I'm so glad we're done with slavery. Now on to equal rights! We're still working on that, but the fact that we're working is positive, and I pray we can see a day where our children will look at all people and say, "They're people, and we're all different, and it's cool because their moms cook awesome food and their accents are fun to listen to." Or something like that. But before I start on my "everyone is awesome so get over the differences" rant, let's talk about The Mapmaker's Children. 

Typically, I'm not a fan of John Brown. I admire his pluck and courage, but I do not support the violent actions he took at Harper's Ferry. Talk about the wrong way to start a rebellion. If you're going to do something that drastic, be sure it's going to succeed! Anyhow, our Civil War era protagonist is Sarah Brown, John's daughter. I like her a lot. She is everything you'd want a forward-looking young lady to be: not hung up on love, devoted to a cause, brave, and willing to speak out on her beliefs. She is an active participant in the Underground Railroad, working hard to get concealed maps to conductors and slaves during the turbulent 1850s and 1860s era. Read the book; I'm not going to spoil her story here. 

Since this book shifts between 1859-1864 and 2014, our modern-era protagonist is Eden. I did not care for her at first. She definitely had to grow on me. The supporting ensemble of characters were much more interesting and less whiny. Of course, we have a lot to learn about Eden, so there's plenty of opportunity to figure out why she's whining. Eden's stake in this novel starts with her moving into an historic home and discovering a bizarre doll head in her cellar. It turns out her home was part of the Underground Railroad, and the more Eden learns about her house, the more she learns about herself.

This book was a quick read for me. I hope you'll enjoy it. Post a comment and let me know what you thought!

***DISCLAIMER***
A publishing company sent me this book for an honest review. All opinions are, quite naturally, my own.