Title: Yellow Crocus

Author: Laila Ibrahim

Publisher: Flaming Chalice Press 2011

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 240

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Monthly Key Word - March; Women Authors; 52 Books -- W14

In 1837, Lisbeth Wainwright is born to the white mistress of a sprawling Virginia plantation. Seconds later, she is delivered into the arms of her black wet nurse, Mattie. For a field hand like Mattie, her transfer to the big house is supposed to be considered an honor—except that the move tears Mattie away from her beloved grandfather and her infant son, Samuel. But Mattie is a slave, with no say in the matter, and so she devotes herself to her master’s daughter, though she longs to be raising her own child. Growing up under Mattie’s tender care, little Lisbeth adopts the woman’s deep-seated faith in God, her love of music and black-eyed peas, and the tradition of hunting for yellow crocuses in the early days of spring.

As the years pass, Lisbeth is drawn slowly back into her white parents’ world and begins to learn the ins and outs of life for a high-born young lady. Still she retains her connection to Mattie, befriending Samuel and drifting comfortably between the two worlds. She accepts her parents’ assertion that their slaves depend upon them for guidance and protection, yet that notion becomes more and more difficult to believe as she gains awareness of the inequality of life in the big house versus the slave quarters. When, on the threshold of her society wedding to debonair Edward Cunningham, Lisbeth bears witness to a shockingly brutal act, the final vestiges of her naiveté crumble around her. Just twenty-one years old, she is forced to choose between what is socially acceptable and what is right, a decision that will change her life forever.

Overall, I thought that this was a good historical fiction novel.  I was intrigued by the relationship between Lisbeth and Mattie.  I loved to see the growth with the characters.  The side characters were also interesting. My one complaint was the brevity of the novel.  Spanning 20 years, I felt that 240 pages didn't do all the years justice.  I would have liked to hear more about the intervening years between when Mattie leaves and Lisbeth leaves the plantation.  I would have liked a bit more from the storyline.