Historical fiction about a true event that occurred on the island of Nantucket. Three woman who have very different lives where the societal pressures push some of them beyond their boundaries to embrace new ideas, buck the standards for women and reach for something more to find happiness. All three of the key characters are challenged individually in this story to then get faced with a disaster on their island that could wipe all of the town. No it is not the "moment" that drives them all to be friends. That cliche is not the premise. The author gives each a very woman their own unique story that is true to the time. It isn't a book focused on feminism but is focused on a more progressive role woman had on this island since most men where out whale hunting. I enjoyed the idea and concept of that story but at times the author's writing didn't give enough depth to characters for me. I wanted to feel more empathy for the characters than I did and that explains the 3 stars. If you are looking for an easy historical read with a bit of action thrown in, then this is the book for you.

The Great Fire of 1846 provides the background of this story of 3 Nantucket women. Eliza is the wife of a sea captain, perpetually lonely and broke while her husband is at sea. Meg is a black business owner looking for equal opportunities for her family on an island with many who claim to support abolitionist principles- as long as they don’t have to put them in practice. Maria is the head of the Atheneum who longs to be able to live openly in love with her girlfriend. The three women’s lives entangle and change as they cope with the fire and its aftermath.
I thoroughly enjoyed this- thanks Netgalley for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

Thanks so much for sharing Julie's fascinating book with me.
I felt like I was there with the women of the island.

The time, place, and premise of Daughters of Nantucket by Julie Gerstenblatt are fascinating. The story, however, has a very modern feel. The neat package of the ending and the dramatic change in outlook of certain characters gives the story a less real rendering. Nevertheless, the book is successful in what I love about historical fiction - introducing me to a history that I may not otherwise have learned.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2023/12/daughters-of-nantucket.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

A wonderful historical fiction tale based in Nantucket in 1846. After a period of no rain and dry weather, wild fire threatens the homes and possessions of many of the residents of this small island. I learned that during that time in history, houses were intentionally destroyed in order to cause a fire break. Imagine being the owner of the house chosen to become that break.

While I enjoyed the overall story and the setting (time and place), the voice seemed a little inconsistent to me, and the end felt unsatisfying. Not a bad read, but not likely to recommend this quickly.

A fascinating historical fiction story set in Nantucket during the 1800’s. In this unputdownable book a fire breaks out and the women are forced to reevaluate and rebuild their lives and their island, deciding what means the most to them. The author introduces the reader to 3 main characters, Maria, Meg and Eliza. All women facing different challenges, issues and prejudices. The chapters are from each of their perspectives and reads smoothly allowing you to slowly get to know them. Maria is a woman who is forward leading and manages the Atheneum where historical items are on display as well as a collection of books. She also is interested in astronomy. Meg is fighting for equal rights for people of color and decides to sue the town of Nantucket for integration and segregation as some of the townspeople don’t want the school children intermixing. Eliza comes to terms with her own prejudices after a fire breaks out in town causing her to see her ways in a new light. Loneliness and financial hardship plague her. Her husband is at sea for years at a time and she must be the primary caregiver for her family. I enjoyed reading the authors comments in the end entitled Author notes. JG goes into detail about each woman and how she developed them. An interesting fact some were loosely based on historical figures which is fascinating to see how she spins them into her own to propel the story. She researched many books prior to developing her tale. Dimension and depth are words that come to mind in describing the words on the pages and in the cast of characters uniquely represented. A rich storyline in which you will be transported to Nantucket, forget everything around you and be completely immersed in this fascinating story about race, gender and class.

I’ve read many books situated on Nantucket, but never realized there was a horrible fire in 1846 until reading this book.
It’s a meaty read since there is a lot of build up to the actual event. Readers become acquainted with Meg, Maria, and Eliza.
I found Eliza to be quite a vexing character. I had to squelch the urge to drop her off the wharf or leave her up on the roof.
My favorite character had to be the hustler Joseph Allen. He was like Hermes, everywhere at once and knew all the latest news.
I belong to a group on Facebook that hosted the author a few weeks ago and she provided a map of Nantucket which I consulted again and again while reading.
I also believe she is planning a second book and I have to read it since I was left hanging at the end, I have to know what happens next!

Read if you like: multiple perspectives, character-driven novels
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Thanks his book focuses on multiple characters as they navigate life on Nantucket and their experiences during the Great Fire of 1846.
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I really liked how the multiple characters and perspectives showed the complexity of life on Nantucket. While the inhabitants prided themselves on their work on the abolition of slavery, certain prejudices popped up that made the characters grapple with who they are and what they believe.
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Overall a great story!

Nantucket’s Great Fire of 1846, a turning point in the life of the island and its residents, was a historical catastrophe that’s relatively little-known today. In her debut, Gerstenblatt tells an emotionally gripping tale from the viewpoints of three determined Nantucket women whose personal stories resonate as strongly as that of the terrible event they live through.

Meg Wright and her husband, Benjamin, a free Black couple, anxiously await the birth of their next child while aspiring to move their cobbler shop to a prominent spot on Main Street. Standing in their way is Eliza Macy, a whaling captain’s wife anxious about her family’s finances; her husband Henry’s years-long voyage was extended, the bank won’t approve another loan, and her son-in-law’s business competes with the Wrights’ store. Eliza’s stance kindles a conflict with friend and neighbor Maria Mitchell, an astronomer and librarian at the Nantucket Atheneum who hides her attraction to another scientifically-minded young woman. Tensions emerging from racial prejudice and clandestine desires are already heating up when the fire breaks out, forcing everyone to choose what’s most valuable to them.

Nantucket stands apart for many reasons: thirty miles from the Massachusetts mainland, it’s grown prosperous through the production of whale oil (“sleeping liquid gold”), and with many husbands absent, the women are self-sufficient by necessity. The island’s widespread Quaker beliefs also grant women equal standing. The social milieu and geographical environment, from the bustling downtown to the Wrights’ multiethnic New Guinea neighborhood, integrate well into the plotline. Wisely, Gerstenblatt doesn’t force the women into a contrived sisterhood but allows their individual personalities and principles to shine. Seeing the women through each other’s eyes—particularly Eliza, whose self-image contrasts with outsiders’ views—adds new facets to the character portraits. Engaging to the finale (which leaves one plot thread tantalizingly open), this novel would be a great book club choice.

What a great new writer in the historical fiction genre. I learned a lot about Nantucket and the horrific ways in which this great fire spread. I was not familiar with this historical fire. The family relationships were complex and the stories behind the stories were well written. Formal review and links to come!

Daughters of Nantucket
Author Julie Gerstenblatt

Thank you, @getredprbooks, @mira_books_, @netgalley, and @juliegerstenblatt, for my #gifted e- arc!

What a unique story of three very different women and their experiences set against Nantucket's Great Fire of 1846.

Well- researched about a time in our history that I knew nothing about, Gerstenblatt explores what life was like for women and the black community during this time in the late 19th century. A tale of friendship, strength, and learning to prioritize the more important things in life, Daughters of Nantucket is written with emotion and optimism that beautifully shares the story of how these courageous and independent women's lives intertwine.

This historical fiction book about the Island of Nantucket narrates the hardships the island faced during and after it's great historical fire. The story follows three women as they cope with different challenges. Segregation, affairs, religious beliefs, and more segregate the women until they have nobody to turn to but each other.

I really enjoyed this book. The author did a great job building the characters, some of which are inspired by true people and events.

I quickly found myself fully immersed in Daughters of Nantucket just from the writing alone.

Daughters of Nantucket follows the story of three women with varying life perspectives in the days before, day of, and days after the great fire in Nantucket. I haven’t read any books about this historical event, so bonus points there!

This book covers so many issues - sexuality, race, discrimination and more. I had a visceral reaction to some of the situations, and really respect how it was all addressed and navigated.

Overall, a beautifully written read that you will be absorbed into fully.

The Daughters of Nantucket by Julie Gerstenblatt
Thanks to the author, Harlequin Trade and NetGalley for this ARC

Nantucket 1846. An island refuge for former slaves, native Americans, and white settlers, Nantucket seems to be an idyllic island far in advance of the rest of the nation in regards to equality of the races and women’s freedoms. The story evolves around three strong female characters Eliza, whose husband is a whaling captain, Maria, the town museum and library director, and Meg, a free black owner of a shop. When Meg and her husband try to open a new shop on Main Street, they meet opposition and racism from Eliza and others in the town. When the fire breaks the three women are thrown together in a situation that changes the lives of all of them. A well crafted historical novel of a momentous event on the island.

On July 13, 1846 a devastating fire destroyed most of Nantucket. This is the story of three women who lived there at that time: Eliza Macy, the wealthy, bitter wife of an absentee whaling captain. Maria Mitchell, Atheneum curator and amateur astronomer, a child of Quakers who is staring down her sexuality and spinsterhood. And Meg Wright, a pregnant Black woman and entrepreneur who gets caught in the crosshairs of bigotry as she tries to work and raise her children in a place that only claims to be progressive.

I thought this was a fascinating and well researched look at a time and place I previously knew nothing about. I especially enjoyed unraveling the complicated relationships between the three protagonists and learning more about Maria Mitchell, a real historical figure. This novel really brings Nantucket alive for readers and having visited before, I loved learning more about the islands history.

‘Daughters of Nantucket’ by Julie Gerstenblatt was atmospheric, gripping, well-researched, vivid, character-driven, extremely moving, and romantic. I really liked it. Absolutely recommend!

This was an enjoyable historical fiction set against the Great Fire of 1846 in Nantucket following three strong and very different women. Each has their own secrets, their own baggage, and their own troubles. Initially they seem to clash but when chaos hits, they are able to put aside their differences and come together, all walking away with very valuable life lessons, one more than the rest. This book shed some light on the hypocrisy of the North and how while they were supports of abolition and integration, in practice they had very different feelings to the reality of what they so bold supported vocally. It was a very interesting read. My reasoning for 3.5 stars is merely at times I found my attention unfocused and in fact about 40% into it I set it aside to finish a couple of other reads before coming back to it. Then the fire event pulled me back in and overall it gets you in all the feels. It really sounds like a lovely vacation spot to visit one day…but I would never want to be trapped on an island that go so easily burn again.

The gorgeous cover of Daughters of Nantucket caught my attention. The compelling story held it.

Daughters of Nantucket is set on the island of Nantucket in 1846, shortly before the great fire that devastated the community that summer. We meet three women that live on Nantucket, each dealing with her own issues: Eliza Macy, financially strapped wife of a whaling captain who’s gone more often than he’s ashore; Meg Wright, a free Black woman hoping to build a business with her husband and a better future for her children; and Maria Mitchell, curator of the Atheneum, who’s wrestling with her sexuality and her single status.

The three women’s lives intersect in ways both positive and negative as the story unfolds. Eliza is barely hanging on financially. Her husband Henry has been at sea chasing whales for years, and the bank is threatening foreclosure. That’s why she speaks out against the Wrights buying a building for their new shop close to where her daughter-in-law and son have a shop of their own. Or that’s what Eliza tells herself. Meg will soon be giving birth to a baby that she prays will survive more than ten days. She is weary from being in the last stage of pregnancy and weary of fighting racism in this place that talks a good game about freedom and equality, but doesn’t back the talk up with actions. Maria has dedicated her life to intellectual pursuits because she’s attracted to women, and she knows that won’t square with what’s acceptable in society.

But disaster changes everything, and on July 13, 1846, disaster struck. A fire broke out in the business district, in the heart of town. In the heat of summer, with buildings made of flammable materials, the fire spread quickly and decimated Nantucket. The three women find themselves thrown together, trying to decide what really matters and what can – and should – be saved.

When I started this story, I thought Eliza was a stuck-up cow. The way she treated Meg in particular was pretty awful, and it didn’t seem like there was anything likable about her. But as her story unfolded, she became more sympathetic. It still didn’t excuse her actions at the start, but she was the character who showed the most growth. When it mattered, she did the right thing, and she tried to learn from her mistakes.

Maria and Meg are also wonderfully drawn characters. Maria has left the Quaker faith that her parents still hold, and she isn’t interested in getting married because she isn’t interested in men. She’s dedicated her life to her astronomy and to the Atheneum and the educational opportunities it offers the town. But will the beautiful Linley Blake be the one to win Maria’s heart? Meg wants better for her children, and when the supposedly anti-slavery/freedom for all Nantucketers decide to once again segregate the schools, Meg knows she can’t stand for that. She makes a plan and takes action to right a major wrong. Her plans are bumped off track by the fire, but the book leaves you with the impression that those plans are just delayed, not stopped.

I didn’t know anything about the Nantucket fire of 1846. I learned a lot in reading the story, both about the fire and about the whaling industry during that time. I had never really thought about how a community that’s on an island, thirty miles out to sea, would deal with the destruction of almost all of their food, building supplies, businesses. How do they rebuild? It was interesting to consider (and no doubt a terrifying situation to live through).

I highly recommend Daughters of Nantucket if you want a well written work of historical fiction about a time period that isn’t often depicted in stories. I also recommend for anyone who appreciates strong female characters who will make you want to hug them and shake them and cheer for them in turn.

We follow three very different woman in Nantucket. Each one of woman faces different challenges leading up to the Nantucket fire of 1864 and the aftermath.

Eliza is a whaling captains wife who hardly sees her husband as he is on the seas for months or years at a time, while raising children.

Meg is a free black business owner Maria is librarian and astronomer.

These women will face prejudices, forbidden love, pregnancies, and loss as they are dealing with the fire and life. With devastation like a fire, you learn what is truly important.

Each of these characters is well written and unique. This was my first novel by this author, and I will be looking for more. I knew nothing about Nantucket or the great fire. It is on my bucket list.