The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd
The year is 1739. Eliza Lucas is sixteen years old when her father leaves her in charge of their family's three plantations in rural South Carolina and then proceeds to bleed the estates dry in pursuit of his military ambitions. Tensions with the British, and with the Spanish in Florida, just a short way down the coast, are rising, and slaves are starting to become restless. Her mother wants nothing more than for their South Carolina endeavor to fail so they can go back to England. Soon her family is in danger of losing everything.
Upon hearing how much the French pay for indigo dye, Eliza believes it's the key to their salvation. But everyone tells her it's impossible, and no one will share the secret to making it. Thwarted at nearly every turn, even by her own family, Eliza finds that her only allies are an aging horticulturalist, an older and married gentleman lawyer, and a slave with whom she strikes a dangerous deal: teach her the intricate thousand-year-old secret process of making indigo dye and in return -- against the laws of the day -- she will teach the slaves to read.
So begins an incredible story of love, dangerous and hidden friendships, ambition, betrayal, and sacrifice.
Based on historical documents, including Eliza's letters, this is a historical fiction account of how a teenage girl produced indigo dye, which became one of the largest exports out of South Carolina, an export that laid the foundation for the incredible wealth of several Southern families who still live on today. Although largely overlooked by historians, the accomplishments of Eliza Lucas influenced the course of US history. When she passed away in 1793, President George Washington served as a pallbearer at her funeral.
This book is set between 1739 and 1744, with romance, intrigue, forbidden friendships, and political and financial threats weaving together to form the story of a remarkable young woman whose actions were before their time: the story of the indigo girl.
Review: This historical fiction novel is told from the perspective of teenager Eliza Lucas, who is left in charge of her father's South Carolina plantations in 1739 while he is away. After learning how much the French pay for indigo dye, Eliza decides to pursue this new crop in order to try to turn a profit. She makes a deal with her slaves to teach her the intricate process of making indigo dye in exchange for teaching them to read. But at nearly every turn, she is met with obstacles and enemies who thwart her ambitions.
I was curious to read this novel after learning that it was based on a true story. Eliza Lucas really was left in charge of her father's plantations as a teenager, and she really did eventually grow indigo into a profitable trade out of the Carolinas. Just like the fictional Eliza, she seems to have been independent and took her own future into her hands at a time when most girls had their lives dictated by their fathers and society. She also appears to have been relatively well intentioned to those enslaved on her property and is known to have taught them to read and freed at least some of them.
I loved that Boyd's story brings Eliza's story to life and resurrects a true historical figure that seems to largely be forgotten. However, the portions of the story that are fictionalized - largely the interactions between Eliza and the slave Ben that she is supposedly best friends with - seemed far-fetched. I understand that Boyd wanted to put her own flair to Eliza's story, as well as giving some agency to the enslaved people that make up this world, but Eliza's story had more than enough of a plot without needing to embellish. The book also made much of the slave Sarah and how much animus she seems to feel towards Eliza, but this is never really fleshed out or explored fully in the end. Boyd also chose to make Eliza's mother one of the more villainous characters in this book and I would love to know if this was based off of any historical discoveries or purely fictional speculation. I also would have loved the novel to continue to tell the story of Eliza's marriage and even after, because we know that Eliza managed her husband's estates after her husband's death.
I sincerely applaud Boyd's choice to bring Eliza Lucas back to life through the pages of this book. Eliza left significant letters behind and it's clear that Boyd did considerable research on her life and the setting in writing this novel. I had never read anything about indigo dye before and I loved learning more both about the person and the time period, albeit through a fictional lens.
Stars: 3.5
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