Skip to main content

Book Review: The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy


Sarah Brown's father is the well-known abolitionist John Brown, who is determined to end slavery in the mid-19th century. Her mother and sisters are sheltered from his work, but when Sarah learns she cannot bear children, she puts all she has into his movement, using her artistic talents to create maps to be used on the Underground Railroad. In modern times, Eden is a troubled woman who has just moved into an old home with her husband. Here she discovers a relic from the Civil War era hidden in a root cellar in her pantry. It has the potential to change her life.

The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy is a wonderful blend of historical and contemporary fiction that alternates between the voices of Sarah in the 1800s and Eden in 2014. Through Sarah's story, we see the effects of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry and the horror of the Civil War. We get a view into the culture of the time and the way people came together to get through difficulties. I loved learning more about the Underground Railroad and this time in history.

Eden's story brings the history forward into modern time. She and her husband are struggling with infertility and their relationship is suffering. When Eden finds an old doll head in the root cellar, she hopes it will help to get their home listed in the National Register of Historic Places so she can sell it and move on with her life. But a dog, a little girl and an amazing little community give Eden a nudge in a different direction.

I found The Mapmaker's Children to be a heartwarming, quick read. I had a hard time putting it down since I kept wanting to read the next chapter in Eden or Sarah's story. I also longed to see how it all came together in the end. I was not disappointed. If you enjoy a mixture of historical and contemporary fiction, I highly recommend The Mapmaker's Children.

My Rating: 5/5

Visit Sarah McCoy on her website, Facebook or Twitter
Visit the other stops on this tour!

This review was written based on a copy of The Mapmaker's Children that I received from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This post includes Amazon Affiliate links.



The giveaway has ended.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Labels:

Comments

  1. heather tApril 22, 2015 at 9:07 AM

    Wow! Sounds like a really great book.

    ReplyDelete
  2. trishApril 22, 2015 at 2:36 PM

    I don't know enough about the Underground Railroad. What an interesting setting!

    Thanks for being on the tour!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JulieApril 28, 2015 at 9:22 AM

      It really was a cool setting and I learned quite a bit.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Popular posts from this blog

Banned Books Week: Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park

This is the end of Banned Books Week and unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of time to write about banned books this year. But I did want to include at least one post about it, so today I wanted to share one of the book series that it seems most people are surprised to find on the list: Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park.

According to Wikipedia:
The Junie B. Jones series came in at #71 on the American Library Association's list of the Top 100 Banned or Challenged Books from 2000-2009. Reasons cited are poor social values taught by the books and Junie B. Jones not being considered a good role model due to her mouthiness and bad spelling/grammar. This is an interesting example of a banned book. Many times there are serious, controversial topics featured in books that are challenged. Things like homosexuality, drugs, vulgar language, etc. You can actually understand why people may not want their children to read those books, and why they may challenge their inclusion in school libra…
10 comments
Read more

Book Review: I See You by Clare Mackintosh

Title: I See You
Author: Clare Mackintosh
Genre: thriller
Published: February 21, 2017
Format: ebook (NetGalley)
Source: publisher
Buy on Amazon(affiliate link)


Have you ever felt like someone was watching you? You will after reading Clare Mackintosh's latest release I See You. Told from the perspectives of two women, one who appears to be targeted by a criminal and the other who is the police officer working the case, this psychological thriller will have you looking over your own shoulder by the end.

Zoe is a typical working mother who takes the Underground through London to her office every day. Like most commuters, she has a routine that she follows every day, leaving home at the same time, sitting in the same train car, taking the same route to work from the station. It's habit. But she starts to realize this may not be a good idea after seeing her own photo in an advertisement in the newspaper. Another woman who appears in the advertisement is murdered and Zoe starts to ge…
2 comments
Read more

Guest Book Review: The Author Training Manual by Nina Amir

Today, I'm excited to welcome a dear friend and aspiring writer, Kelly Gropp, founder/blogger/editor of Chubs Lived Here lifestyle blog. Kelly is here to review The Author Training Manual by Nina Amir.

About the reviewer: Kelly has nearly done it all yet is still plugging away at her bucket list with style! Kelly is a former operating room secretary, medical biller, one-hour photo technician, photographer, grocery store clerk, factory worker, waitress, Avon lady, bridal consultant, realtor, and entrepreneur. She is your neighbor, your co-worker, and your best friend. Her career as a legal secretary at one of the country’s top international law firms doesn’t keep her from reading and writing for enjoyment, decorating and redecorating, rescuing and advocating for pit bull type dogs, and sharing all the miscellany mishmash we call life. Oh, she is a cancer survivor too! You’ll get a giggle, shed a tear, and knowingly nod as you mm-hmm in agreement when you follow Kelly’s journey at Ch…
2 comments
Read more