Eliza Lucas Pinckney is a well known name in the Carolina Low Country, and it was a real pleasure to read this historical fictionalization about her life and career. She was a brilliant and bold woman who pushed the limits imposed by her time, and Boyd does her justice. Boyd has taken a historical framework and created characters who will stay with me for a long time.

Lately, I've been searching for books that are outside the contemporary romance sphere. Has it been because I've read the same thing too many times, or are original plots about unique characters genuinely becoming more scarce? I can't say. Here's one thing I can say with certainty:

The Indigo Girl is special and it deserves to be voraciously devoured and appreciated by readers. Those who are hungry for a story that will move them and linger in their minds. You WILL soak this story up like a sponge, passionately shouting your enthusiasm to anyone who will listen.

Like me, it's very likely you'll say to yourself, "How did I not know about this incredible woman?" She was so revered and respected that our first president publicly acknowledged and honored her contributions to the country. In colonial America, women were quite literally dismissed as silly and inferior as the general rule. Yes, gender inequality is alive and well today. But there's no comparison to how women's choices were taken away and their lives completely controlled in Eliza Lucas' time. The enormity of what she accomplished is immeasurable. Especially when you consider that this was a teenage girl who shattered the limitations placed around her by society.

Eliza grew up in the Caribbean island of Antigua, and moved to South Carolina with her affluent family as a young girl. With racial and political tensions rising, moving off the island was a move considered for everyone's safety. She and her father developed a close relationship as she matured, one that grew out of respect and love. He unconventionally fostered her fascination with botany and her interest in the management of the numerous plantations they owned.

Encouraging interests outside of finding a husband was virtually unheard of in those days. However, as the oldest sibling of four, she was depended on to help as her younger brothers obtained their education in England. When her father leaves to report to the British Army, his desire to rise in the ranks of the military lead him to entrust their plantations in Eliza's capable care. Much to his wife and many neighbors' dismay.

Unbeknownst to Eliza, her family's livelihood was quickly deteriorating due to her father hemorrhaging money towards his military ambition. She soon realized that with their homes heavily mortgaged, they were barely scraping by and paying the bills. One wrong move, and the whole house of cards would come tumbling down.

Her solution was diversifying into the extremely profitable, but mysterious indigo plant. Everyone knew that the dye extracted from indigo was highly sought after and desired. The challenge wasn't just finding someone willing to share the delicate process of accurately producing it. There were few that had faith that a slip of a girl could succeed where so many men before her had failed. But she didn't let that stop her, because she had nothing to lose. With the faithful help of her neighbor, Mr. Pinckney, she set out to prove everyone wrong.

Intertwined with Eliza's urgent struggle to prove her worth and bridge an independent life for herself, is a heartrending story about forbidden friendship. Ignorance and hatred separated two children whose bond could never have been accepted. The boy she knew in Antigua had been sold, but never forgotten. And his reappearance in her life had an immense emotional impact on her.

This book made me feel so much, and not all of it was comfortable. Boyd doesn't shy away from depicting the horrors and injustice of slavery. It was enough to make your chest ache and your throat clog, thinking of the silent suffering that was endured. Eliza's mother enraged me on so many occasions. She had absolutely no sense of her daughter's strength and courage, often belittling her, or intentionally preventing her from succeeding. Her ambition for her daughter began and ended with marrying her off, while her brilliant and progressive mind was stifled.

Treachery, betrayal, and tragedy pave the path to Eliza's dreams. Told in Natasha Boyd's beautifully descriptive narrative, The Indigo Girl captivated me, inspired me, and transported me to a volatile time filled with terrible despair and fragile hope. Eliza Lucas dared to reach for the impossible and changed the course of history. Even if you're not typically a reader of historical fiction, I believe you should give this powerful book a chance. It's been almost a week since I finished reading it, and my mind is still drifting back to Eliza's remarkable story. It's one I can easily say that I won't soon be forgetting.

FINAL DECISION: I almost gave up on this story because the beginning is tremendously slow, but the true events upon which it was based were interesting enough to keep me going and I ended up enjoying this book.

THE STORY: At the age of sixteen, Eliza Lucas is left in charge of her family's plantations in South Carolina when her father travels to pursue his advancement in the military. Strong willed and independent, Eliza is determined to use the knowledge she has gained from her relationships with her family's slaves to grow Indigo and make the fortunes of her family. Working with the slaves and making an agreement to teach them to read (in violation of the law) if they will help her with her endeavors, Eliza blazes a new trail in the early 1700s.

OPINION: Told in first person, this book was really hard for me to get into.  Until Eliza gets busy with her Indigo business, it feels like the story is a little rudderless. I think that if I had read the real life story before I started, I would have focused more and felt like the story was going somewhere. When I got tired about 25 percent of the way through, I read the real life story information at the end of the book and that was interesting enough to push me through. Once I got far enough in the book, I was intrigued by the relationships depicted in the book and with Eliza's business sense and determination.

I want to make it clear that this book is historical fiction and not really a romance. By the end, there is a little romance, but this book is really a fictional account of Eliza's life. She was really an amazing woman who make inventive and dangerous decisions in order to advance her business. The historical events in this book are so fascinating that the story could have been told as non-fiction as this young woman with the help of slaves create the foundation of one of fundamental crops of South Carolina. (It should be noted that she is against the idea of slavery and especially the despicable treatment of slaves, but is limited in what she can do by her father's instructions).

This book is for those who are looking for an interesting glimpse at a little known historical figure and don't mind giving the story a chance to breathe before the action picks up.

WORTH MENTIONING:  This historical fiction is based on the true life of a real woman named Eliza Lucas.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE INDIGO GIRL is a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Review will be published on October 3rd.

In her afterword, the author explains how a snippet of conversation overheard whilst visiting an exhibition about indigo became the inspiration for The Indigo Girl. I was reminded of a quote I read recently by Bernie McGill, author of The Watch House: ‘As a fiction writer, I am always looking for the gaps between recorded events, the spaces in between’. In this case, the author has taken the true story of Eliza Lucas and using historical documents, including Eliza’s own letters, filled the spaces in between to produce a fascinating book about life in 18th century America. The book includes excerpts from Eliza’s letters at relevant points in the narrative.

In case this is making it sound like The Indigo Girl is a dry treatise on the process of producing indigo dye, I can reassure potential readers that it’s much more than this. It’s also an enthralling story full of action, intrigue – even a hint of romance – with an engaging central character. In The Indigo Girl, Eliza emerges as a much more lively individual than the rather formal style of her actual letters would suggest. However, the letters give a hint of the determination and independence of spirit exhibited by the Eliza of the novel.

Given charge of running the family estate in South Carolina when her father is forced to return to their holdings in Antigua, Eliza sets out to transform the family’s fortunes by growing indigo, fuelled by her interest in botany. The only trouble is the cultivation of indigo and its transformation into high quality dye seems akin to a mystical process, the knowledge of which is held only by some of the slaves on the plantation: ‘The secret has been passed down through generations, perhaps even from ancient times.’

Gaining access to this knowledge brings Eliza into conflict with one of her father’s overseers because of his cruel treatment of the estate’s slaves. And her involvement in running the estate is looked at askance by Eliza’s mother, who is worried that it will ruin Eliza’s marriage prospects by going against the norms of polite society. Much to her mother’s horror, Eliza is more interested in the accounts and researching cultivation techniques than in tea drinking and embroidery.

In her heart, Eliza knows that she has only been placed in charge because both her brothers are at school in England. Her appointment is one of necessity not a sign of female emancipation. However, she clings to the vain hope that if she can make a success of it she can escape the inevitability of marriage.

‘Three crop seasons to get it right. If I didn’t succeed by then, marriage was my only option. A marriage not to save the family or our land – a wealthy man could buy himself a more biddable wife than I – but marriage so my family would not have to support me any longer.’

After several unsuccessful attempts to grow indigo, Eliza eventually persuades her father to hire a consultant. However, this sets off a chain of events that will ultimately end in tragedy for some, their just desserts for others and happiness for the people who matter.

I knew nothing about the growing of indigo or the production of indigo dye and its economic and political importance before reading this book so I found this aspect of the book particularly fascinating. As a keen gardener, I could also appreciate the challenges of experimenting with different sowing times, growing conditions and aftercare in an effort to achieve success.

I now know that the export of indigo dye from South Carolina laid the foundation for the wealth of many Southern families meaning Eliza’s accomplishments influenced the course of US history. Indeed, the author notes that, when Eliza died in 1793, President George Washington served as a pallbearer at her funeral. I’m so glad the author was able to celebrate the achievements of this remarkable woman and, at the same time, craft such an enjoyable novel. If it were needed, this reminds me why I enjoy reading historical fiction so much: entertainment and education in one lovely package.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of NetGalley and publishers, Blackstone, in return for an honest review.

This historical fiction novel is based on the true life story of Eliza Lucas.   Lucas was only sixteen when her father left her in America to oversee and run his three plantations in South Carolina.  Lucas constantly battled against her mother who was left in her care and the outside world due to her age and most importantly her sex.  In the 1700's most did not believe a young lady could manage one plantation much less three.  In history, Lucas is most famous for her growth and manufacture of indigo dye, a new crop for the new world.

This novel was well researched and I believe stayed close to the true actions of Lucas.  It held my interest wanting to find out what would happen next.  Even though I knew she would eventually succeed in her indigo efforts, I still found myself curious about each crop she tried to develop.

In an attempt to round out Lucas's story, Boyd also covers the friendship she has with several of her slaves and also Charles Pinckney.  As history tells us, Lucas does eventually marry Pinkney but this novel expands to include the length and friendship nature the relationship held for many years before Pinkney's first wife died.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced reader copy.

An absolutely breathtaking and touching novel that I couldn't put down! Highly recommend!

OMG YOU GUYSSSSS!!! Have you ever read a book out of your normal comfort zone? Like one that isn't remotely what you would normally read but you ended up LOVING IT all the same???

❝It was so unlike me, but yet, it was me. Something was unfurling within me from behind the fear of societal expectations. Something true and deep. A part of my soul I'd always known was there but never acknowledged. I knew I'd never completely stop playing the role assigned to me in this life, but I would never ever let it compromise me.❞

'The Indigo Girl' by Author Natasha Boyd was PHENOMENAL! There was so much passion within the pages of this book that my heart ached! ACHED!

This is not a typical romance, so don't go into this book expecting that. But 'The Indigo Girl' was filled with passion; passion for life, for love and humanity. It was a story filled with guarded intimacy, and forbidden love, a story that reminds you what it is to be human! And this piece of fiction is BASED ON A TRUE STORY!!! It was incredibly inspiring.

Based on true life, 'The Indigo Girl' tells the story of Eliza Pickney. At 16, her father leaves her in charge of his plantations in the Carolinas. Her two brothers (the rightful heirs at that time) were away at school in England. So when her father had to return to Antigua, it was just Eliza, her mother, and younger sister. The family needed a Hail Mary to survive while her father was gone. They could not sustain all of the plantations they owned and her father's commission. It was up to 16-year-old Eliza to find a way to financially sustain her family.

Indigo.

One day while touring one of her families plantations, Eliza sees clothing on the women that reminds her of the Indigo her beloved Ben used to make. Having grown to love horticulture, she wondered if she could grow Indigo, there, in South Carolina. And if she could, would this be what saved her family?

Not having seen her friend in many years, Eliza petitions her father to send Ben to teach her how to grow Indigo. Her father denies her request. Both for Eliza's reputation and the safety of her friend. Ben is the first friend Eliza made as a young girl and grew to be her best friend. He was also a slave. So Eliza presses on, she studies and asks questions. She befriends people and slaves who have experience growing seeds similar to Indigo as well as those who have knowledge of Indigo.

Eliza was put in a precarious position. On the one hand, her father left her in charge of plantations and slaves. Her father wanted her to save the family of financial ruin or at the very least, keep the family afloat until her brother came of age and could take over in her father's place.

On the other, her mother was dead set on marrying her off. Women weren't celebrated for their knowledge, this was a time when women didn't have power or a voice. Her mother didn't understand Eliza's exuberance, her independence, nor her strong sense of self. Eliza wanted to work. She was strong willed and had opinions. As a 16-year-old female, men were more interested in patting her on the head or dismissing her entirely than they were with accepting that she might be intelligent enough to make good decisions. Her value and worth were only what she could bring to a marriage and how she could provide for her husband.

❝This was perhaps my only chance to show my father I was destined for more than being some man's wife. Perhaps one day. But not yet. What was wrong with being a spinster anyway?❞

I so admire Eliza Pickney. She had a strong sense of right and wrong. Her fortitude was admirable. She was strong before her time. Had she been born today, she would have been celebrated for her ideas and her intelligence.

This story evoked a myriad of emotions in me. I cried from sadness and I cried from anger. But I also gained a sense of appreciation for how far our gender has come!

I first read this author when she penned 'Eversea', and the follow-up book, 'Forever, Jack'. I liked those well enough. But 'The Indigo Girl' was a superb! I am so happy that Natasha Boyd felt compelled to tell the story of such an amazing woman. While parts may be fiction, it is clear that Ms. Boyd did her research.

Phenomenal! Exquisite! Passionate! I didn't want it to end!

Indigo Girl is an excellent read. It's based on the life of Eliza Lucas Pinckney and how she developed the important cash crop for colonial South Carolina. The author follows the real life of Pinckney fairly closely, relying on her letterbook in which Pinckney copied all the missives she sent to people. Pinckney wouldn't have been successful without the knowledges and labor of the enslaved people, who deserve as much credit, if not more, than she. It was very interesting to read about the processing of the indigo plants.

“1739

The Negroes were singing.
Light danced over the dark, inky ocean, and I blinked my eyes awake.
No ocean.
Just the faint blue of a breaking day casting over the white walls of my bedchamber.
A dream still clung damp to my bones. Always the same since I was a child. Sometimes threatening. Sometimes euphoric.
Breathing in deeply, I fancied the day held the weight of destiny.”

Thus begins Natasha Boyd’s The Indigo Girl.

This is a story of conspiracy and deception, love and romance, ambition and sacrifice, secret alliances and betrayal, of intimidation and trust. Trust given and trust earned. A story of free men and slaves, of a young women who dared to insist on her right to choose to marry, or not, who dared to assert herself as a woman as competent as the men who tried to intimidate her. A woman who dared to choose her path in life in Colonial-era South Carolina. Eliza Lucas was a woman who dared to be kind to her childhood friend from Antigua; a friend who returns to her life as a slave owned by the man her father has sent to teach her the ways of growing indigo and turning it into dye.

This would be a wonderful historical, fictional, story, a story that would inspire many, but what makes this an exceptionally moving and inspirational story is that Eliza Lucas lived and breathed, was a real woman who became known as the woman who changed agriculture in South Carolina. The Indigo Girl.

In the South Carolina of old, young sixteen-year-old Eliza Lucas is left in charge of her family’s plantations, her father has left in order to further enhance his position with the military, and has returned to Antigua, leaving Eliza, her mother and her younger sister there. It hasn’t been that long since he brought his wife and daughter to this plot of land seventeen miles outside of Charles Town, six by water originally purchased by her father’s father. Her two brothers are attending school in England, but in a few years, her brother George will be able to take over for her.

Eliza has had a formal education in a finishing school in England when she was younger, but she was encouraged from a young age to seek out more knowledge, to read, to follow her inquisitive nature. One of her interests was botany.

She has plans, which include a grove of oak trees with an eye to future ships needing the wood, but she is drawn to the indigo plant. She remembers the clothing she saw back in Antigua, and when she sees two women wearing skirts of that same rich blue when in town, she decides to look into growing indigo. A plant notoriously difficult to grow in South Carolina, subject to many failures in growing and many more failures in the process of being turned into dye.

Based on an immense amount of research including many historical documents and Eliza Lucas’ own letters—excerpts of some are included in this story—this is the story of a woman who was so highly regarded that, upon her death, George Washington requested to serve as a pallbearer at her funeral. In 1976, a marker commemorating the location where Eliza Lucas planted indigo seeds in 1741 was erected.



Pub Date: 03 Oct 2017


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Blackstone Publishing

The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd is historical fiction at its very best! It was a gripping read that I could not put down. Its fascinating main character was a REAL PERSON at whose funeral in 1793 George Washington served as a pallbearer. But it was also very well researched with documentation at the end explaning which plot details and characters were fact and which came from the author's imagination and supposition. Eliza Lucas Pinckney-- at the young age of 16--changed the course of American history in an era when women had few rights and were not thought to have much stamina. In 1739, she is left in charge of her family's three estates in rural South Carolina, while her father goes off to pursue his military ambitions. Her father spends too much money chasing those ambitions and her mother seems to undermine everything that she does to keep their family afloat, but Eliza perseveres in ways rare for a young woman of her age or any age. She looks for new and inventive ways to make their plantations pay, and when she hears about the premiums paid for Indigo grown in the French Caribbean, she dreams of growing it in the Carolinas. No one believes she can do it except an aging horticulturalist neighbor, and two family friends from Charlestown, an older lawyer and his wife. Growing it is a tricky process, and she needs someone to teach her how, so she strikes a deal with a slave who agrees to teach her the process if she will teach her slaves to read. The law says you cannot teach them to write, but says nothing about reading. The author does such an excellent job of bringing this historical person alive, and making the reader care about all of the hurdles she has to overcome. Excerpts from Eliza's real-life letters are interspersed throughout the book. I highly recommend this book which is currently available for preorder prior to its October 3, 2017, publication date and thank NetGalley and Blackstone Publising for the Advanced Readers Copy and allowing me to review it.

Fascinating and fabulous. An insight into 18th century plantation life, the trials and tribulations (and expectations) of a young woman plus how to create indigo dye... (who knew it was quite so difficult)

I absolutely loved this book - was very taken with Eliza - and even more so when I discovered that her sons became founding fathers of the USA

5* highly recommended

I loved loved loved this book, it is one of the best historical fiction books I have read in a while and I am sad to have finished it.

The story is very interesting and gives a detailed view on the way of life in the 1700s in terms of industry and society and the language used in the book is apt but well used so you can get a feel for the time but still read it easily.

I loved the characters and the waves of emotion it takes you through, Eliza is a true heroine and I was rooting for her the whole way.

Thank you for such a great book!

A book has not truly touched my soul like this one has in a LONG time! Even though this book has 346 pages in it's hardcover edition it felt like a much shorter read because it was just that good! It was not a book that you say to yourself, geeze I have to slog through this to finish it. It kept me captivated throughout the whole book! It was so fascinating learning about the flower Indigo. It explained the while process from planting the seeds through harvesting the plant through the dyeing process of cloth and how you prepare the dye. I had heard of the color indigo and knew the color came from a plant but never knew it was an actual flower grown in South Carolina. At times I just wanted to scream at the injustice of things I had read and I actually had to take a short break from reading at the unfairness of things that had made me sad. The story contained within is based on a true events and historical documents. Brilliantly fascinating. I will be looking for more books by this new to me author,Natasha Boyd.
Pub Date 03 Oct 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Other than the language being rather too modern, there was nothing overtly wrong with the technical writing of this story other than the usual issues with Amazon's crappy Kindle app mangling the formatting. Publishers need to quit using Kindle format and go with Nook format or with PDF. I detest Microsoft but even Word format is better than Kindle.

My problem with it was the introduction of a farcical and completely fictional relationship with a slave. That sounds racist on the face of it and I certainly do not feel qualified to compete with the President on that score, but this story was set in 1739 in South Carolina (just five hundred miles from the source of presidential shame!), so hopefully you can see the problems arising already.

The problem isn’t even the relationship with the slave per se, but the fact that this story is about a real-life person who had no such relationship. To put it baldly, the author is lying to us about what this woman did. I know, all authors of fiction are liars! It’s at the very heart of what such writers do, but here, there is no reason at all to justify willfully entering this pitfall, and there are clear and valid reasons to avoid it.

Elizabeth Lucas, who went by Eliza, and later by Eliza Lucas Pinckney, was a far-sighted, pioneering, and successful businesswoman who succeeded when it was almost entirely unknown for a woman, and especially not a teenager, to be in charge of not one, but three plantations, let alone flourish in those circumstances.

Eliza did marry someone she loved, yet this author cheapens even that real romance by putting it on the back burner while she turns her main character into a sleazy stalker, chasing a guy named (when she knew him as a child) Benoit Fortune, and then by Ben Cromwell as a grown man. The "relationship" ends not when Eliza starts acting in character, but only when the author kills off Ben (based on a real historical event when a slave drowns after a boat sinks).

This whole affair simply defies credibility not only from what this author herself writes, but from what I’ve read about the real Eliza. To suggest that she would have behaved in this way towards any man - regardless of who he was and whether he was black or white or anywhere in between - is farcical. Way to besmirch an upstanding woman with a storied list of accomplishments!

It beggars belief that a female author would do this to a female character, but it happens all the time in YA literature, and here it is again. In making this grave mistake, the author cheapens a very real life which needs no ornamentation to be outstanding, yet in true tradition amongst young adult authors, we have yet another main female character being hobbled in fiction with the asinine "need" to be validated by a man. Eliza Lucas deserves a far better tribute than to have her entire life wiped out like this and that’s why I do not consider this novel to be a worthy read.

The story is arguably racist too, since of the three people who betray Eliza (yet more fiction it has to be said), two of them are black, and both of those were deliberately invented as far as I could tell, purely for the sake of having them betray Eliza!

The real life Eliza was sixteen when her father (in the British Army and with ambitions of becoming governor) returned to Antigua, where Eliza was born. Since Eliza’s mother was rather sickly (in more ways than one as depicted here), and since he had no older male children, he left the rest of his family behind in South Carolina, with Eliza in charge of his holdings, and she did a sterling job.

When other planters were focused on rice (this was before cotton became a staple - ironically it was the year Eliza died, 1793, that the cotton gin was invented and cotton replaced both rice and indigo as the 'slave crop' of choice), Eliza recalled the indigo plants of her childhood years. Obtaining seeds (and later producing her own seed crop) and experimenting over the next several years, she and her enslaved workers succeeded in showing that indigo could be produced at a profit. From there on out, production and sales sky-rocketed. Until those cotton-pickin' bales killed it all.

Eliza married her neighbor Charles Pinckney when his own wife died, not caring that he was several years older than she. This was the real romance, and they raised children together, descendants of whom live on today. That’s the real story and why the author felt that real and true story lacking, to the point where she needed to screw it up 'Mandingo style' remains a mystery. I’d recommend reading a biography rather than this disrespectful, sensationalist, and insulting fiction which I cannot recommend.

This book needs to be made into a film. Powerful, factual, thought provoking and a pleasure to read. It is so well written that you can visualise it all. An author to follow.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story! Natasha Boyd’s magical pen has worked miracles again and in a brand new gender for her. She managed to merge historical facts and people into a fascinating tale that kept me transfixed till the last page.

Eliza Lucas is a woman ahead of her time. And I say woman because even if she’s only 16 years old she is mature in mind and spirit beyond her age. A twist of fate has Eliza, instead of marrying off to some featherheaded nobleman to appease her mother, stepping in her father’s position as head manager of his estates in South Carolina, at least until her younger brother becomes of age to assume responsibility.
Eliza is no stranger to the estate’s affairs, her father’s been training her for many years and she’s been acting as his aid keeping his correspondence and accounting books.
It’s unfathomable the burden that is laid upon her young shoulders. Not only she has to make profitable decisions about crops, sales etc, she also has to discourse with managers, bankers, sales-persons and manage the slaves, all in her father’s name because she is a woman and her gender induces no respect.
Her courage is inspiring, her determination admirable. With her kind heart, fairness and ambition she manages to overcome all obstacles and win over respect from her slaves to her most strict competitors.
There were times in the story that I totally hated her mother. Not only she is incapable to provide the smallest amount of help in managing the household, she keeps sabotaging Eliza’s attempts. But then, she’s the typical woman of her age and can’t help herself from being small-minded and socially confined.
I have to cut half a star from my rating because I was annoyed by the evolution in the relationship between Eliza and Ben. I have to say that the whole romance aspect of the book was unsatisfying for my tastes but the rest of the story is so powerful that I find this lack insignificant.
The reading experience is enhanced by the interval addition of original letters from the real Eliza Lucas sent to her father in Antigua and her nanny in England that shows her hopes, aspirations and frustrations and are in total harmony with the person’s character presented by Natasha Boyd.
An excellent attempt at historical fiction! I would recommend it to EVERYONE who loves the gender.

Long before women took part in the Women's Liberation movement Eliza Lucas managed to run the family's plantations. She turned he love of botany into a profitable venture as she learned how use indigo dye.

If you love historical fiction, and spunky women, you will love The Indigo Girl.

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

From the first page, this book captures the romance, strife and heartache of the time. I found myself rooting for Eliza's success. The author superbly weaves an intriguing blend of historical fact with fiction. I definitely recommend this as a good read.

Having enjoyed the contemporary book writing of Natasha Boyd I was thrilled to see that she was giving us a historical tale. I’m a lover of period tales and jumped at the chance to read this book. A great five star read for me.

This book is historical fiction so although there is some conjecture about interactions ad other bits there is also a lot of fact that underlies the whole book. This is a story set in the 1800’s and gives a story about a courageous and intelligent girl who was far, far ahead of her time. At the tender age of sixteen Eliza Lucas is taken by her father to oversee his plantations while he follows his military pursuits elsewhere.

It is hard not to admire Eliza Lucas and be extremely impressed by her forward attitude and the goals she sets. As her father is bleeding his estate dry to feed his military ambitions she tries to be successful and make changes for the better. In order to be the success she wants Eliza enlists the help of some close confidents but there are many who are threatened by her.

Ahead of her time in how she views herself and her own self-worth as well as those around her. It is because of her attitude and spirit that make this such an interesting and engrossing read. I will always pick up books by Natasha Boyd but I thrilled that she told this story that she was obviously very passionate about.

I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reviews have been posted on Goodreads and online retailers.