Daughters of Natucket is a great debut novel! Fast-moving action, great development of strong women characters, and lots of drama happen in the days just before and after the 1846 fire in Nantucket. If you love fiction or books set in Nantucket (or both), this book is a must read. I would give it more than 5 stars if possible!

I had trouble getting into this one but I’m not entirely sure why. We have three interesting women with three interesting stories. However we kind of just go through the motions of their stories with no real connection to latch onto. These women couldn’t have been more different yet their voices and cadences were similar. I wonder if Gerstenblatt took on too much and this would have been better if she just focused on developing one voice.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Julie Gerstenblatt's engrossing debut novel, Daughters of Nantucket, explores the options for women--white and Black--in the mid-19th century while bringing a historical tragedy to life. Nantucket Island, Mass., has a fiercely independent identity in 1846. Long known as a whaling capital, it is also socially progressive, supporting abolition and educating people who were once enslaved. Metaphorical conflagrations blaze in the background in the days leading up to the great Nantucket fire: each of three female protagonists holds a burning secret and longs for a more expansive, authentic life. Eliza Macy's husband, a sea captain, has been away for years; until he returns with valuable whale oil, she faces bankruptcy. Meanwhile, she faces temptation when the sweetheart from her youth returns to town. Maria Mitchell (the only historical figure of the trio) runs the town's Atheneum library and museum but must hide her love for women. Meg Wright, a nine-months-pregnant Black woman, hopes to open a cobbler shop but fears for her children at a time of social divisions.

The action spans two tense weeks--one week before the fire through eight days after. The women's lives collide in two climactic scenes: first, a town council meeting where Eliza, voicing the same "separate but equal" ideology that reinforces school segregation, opposes the Wrights' business proposal; then, one July night, with the fire raging, Meg's labor begins--and help comes from unexpected quarters.

Gerstenblatt's eye for detail results in sultry historical fiction perfect for Sue Monk Kidd's fans; it ponders bravery, prejudice and what is worth fighting for.

Meg, Eliza and Maria each have their own struggles. But, when fire ravages their precious island, they are thrown together. Each must prioritize what is precious in their lives and what to save.

This story starts a bit slow, but you are just getting to know the characters. Each character has their own issues. Some with race, forbidden love, and just plain life. I loved learning about Nantucket and the whaling industry during this time. How hard it was on families! Add in this terrible fire, which I knew nothing about, and this is a unique story!

This is a novel which should have been right up my alley….Nantucket in 1846! But, honestly, I think I just was not in the mood for this tale. So, read this and form your own opinion.

Need an uncommon historical fiction tale…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

The timing and the location of Nantucket’s Great Fire of 1846 is something very interesting to read about. Imagine an island only reachable by boat. And on a rigid schedule. The residents of that tiny island were isolated. This means when that devastating fire broke out, hundreds were left without homes. All of the business were lost.

While this story of the lives of three women who were powerfully impacted by that fire was fictionalized, this story held no less of an impact. The women in this story were Eliza Macy, a woman felt abandoned by her whaling captain husband as he would be gone for sometimes a year at a time. Then there was Meg Wright, a married and pregnant free Black woman fighting against segregation in the school. Lastly, there was Maria Mitchell, an intelligent astronomer who also was forced to hide her natural inclinations.

Their lives were all connected. Sometimes adversarial, but connected nonetheless.The Great Chicago Fire is something I have heard a lot about. As a resident of Massachusetts, however, I had not heard of Nantucket’s Great Fire of 1846. Julie Gerstenblatt has done a wonderful thing filling in this bit of history for me.

While gaining knowledge of that historical event was of keen interest to me, this story also showed the everyday lives and woes of Eliza, Meg and Maria before and after the fire. This story dealt with personal issues such as longing and identity, but also the very powerful issue of equality. With excellent writing and compelling stories of the three women, this was a very good read.

Many thanks to MIRA and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

If you read by blog regularly, you know I LOVE historical fiction. I also live in Massachusetts, so when the two things combine I am always interested in the story. Daughters of Nantucket is a beautifully written, wonderful story centering on three women in Nantucket in the mid-1800’s: Eliza, the wife of a whaling ship captain; Meg, the wife of a Black shop owner; and Maria Mitchell, the real-life astronomer. This is a fantastic read and I was amply impressed by the fact that this Julie Gerstenblatt’s first novel! I look forward to her next one.

Highly recommended! Thank you for my digital preview copy and for having me as part of the tour!

I really enjoyed this historical fiction story. I had never heard of this fire in Nantucket and I enjoyed the descriptions of the fire and how it was finally put out. I loved the women featured in the story. I enjoyed reading about what some women in this town might have been going through and how they handled being alone because their men were at sea for so long. I loved reading how strong these women were but also how vulnerable they were. I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Daughters of Nantucket is a compelling story of three strong women and one devastating fire.

Three courageous women battle to save everything in the historic Nantucket Fire of 1846. Eliza faces financial struggles as she maintains the household while her whaling captain husband is away for long stretches of time. Meg is a pregnant and free Black woman who fights for the right to move her business to the heart of downtown. Maria is an astronomer and runs Nantucket’s Atheneum by day and studies stars by night. The fire brings them together in unique ways as they rely on each other, save what they can, and think about rebuilding.

I appreciate being treated to a strong sense of place through vivid details and descriptions. It immersed me completely in the story from page one. I can envision walking the streets in that small community, attending a community meeting, running from the fire, trying in desperation to save valuables, and watching in horror and disbelief as Main Street burns.

Daughters of Nantucket is told alternately from three perspectives, and we grow to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of three very different women and the choices available to them in 1846. The book’s first half is devoted to character development, and we arrive at the page-turning action later. All three characters are meticulously drawn, fascinating, and likable…well, eventually likable! Eliza is not likable at first but she probably represents the time period. Eliza is the first character to whom we are introduced, so her rough edges and perspectives might discourage you, but trust me, all three colorful characters grow and develop throughout the story.

Because Maria Mitchell is a real-life person (the first female astronomer and first female professor of Astronomy at Vasser), I Googled her before I read the story. The author portrays her as gay which might be accurate, but I didn’t come across that in my Google reading. The author doesn’t mention it in her notes, so it left a lingering question in my mind during and after my reading experience.

I enjoyed the strong themes of women supporting women, community spirit, compassion, (eventual) friendship, and rebuilding after a disaster.

I’m recommending this unique and riveting story for fans of historical fiction, for readers who love Nantucket, and those who love stories of strong, independent women.

Thanks #NetGalley @HTPBooks (Mira) for a complimentary e ARC of #DaughtersOfNantucket upon my request. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely adored Daughters of Nantucket. This is historical fiction for true lovers of the genre. There's a weight to the narrative that gives it the flavor of a literary classic, while still maintaining a suspenseful plot.

The author does a fantastic job at including evocative detail so that we feel we are in Nantucket right along with the characters. Astonishingly, she's able to keep this up with each of our 3 POV characters: Eliza, Meg, and Maria. I really enjoyed each of their perspectives. Eliza perhaps has the most depth because she makes a number of mistakes. It's nice to follow along her journey as she struggles with those mistakes. Meg is sympathetic because of the racial issues and her understandable desire to own a store with her husband where they want to and have her child go to a desegregated school. The social issues are woven seamlessly into the narrative. Lastly, Maria's interest in astronomy is fascinating, and I loved reading about the Atheneum's treasures. Maria's budding romance is also quite lovely.

The pacing at the beginning of the novel is a bit slow, but it picks up as we get closer to the fire and its aftermath. The author wraps up everything nicely with the ending. These characters have stayed with me since I finished the book.

A must-read for fans of historical fiction and one of my top reads for 2023 thus far. I look forward to more from this author.

Daughters of Nantucket takes place in 1846 on the island of Nantucket. The book focuses on the lives of three women, Eliza, Meg, and Maria, who are all of different backgrounds and each have their own struggles. While they don't see eye to eye, when a fire sweeps through Nantucket burning everything in it's path, they realize they'll have to rely on each other to make it through the night and ensuing days. As they become aware of more aspects of each other's lives, they see that their impressions of each other may not have been accurate. Readers of historical fiction that feature women's stories or vivid settings will enjoy this one.

I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This novel is particularly interesting given the roles of women in the 19th century Nantucket community. However, I found the blind and somewhat ignorant perspectives of Eliza Macy to be irritating to read. While admittedly they were not necessarily out of touch with the time or era of the story, it felt frustrating that Eliza was so motivated by her own issues that there was very little opportunity for the characters to connect with her in a more meaningful way until farther into the plot. Although the other characters were interesting they felt like they were only supporting cast for Eliza's story.

The plot had enjoyable sections, with overall growth and change for the main 3 characters, I wasn't as captivated by the writing, or Eliza's character which made it difficult to read through the entire novel.

I strongly recommend this novel for an audience that may be interested in reading about women in history, but it might be necessary to approach it from the perspective that all of these characters will grow and change throughout the story, rather than seeing Eliza as your main protagonist.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story is set against the backdrop of a fire that destroyed Nantucket in 1846. Three women, daughters of Nantucket, whose lives are intertwined whether they would like them to be or not. Eliza, a mother and wife of a whaling ship captain who has been gone 4 years; Meg, a a black business owner, mother and wife, and very pregnant; and Maria, something of a librarian, in search of a comet, a daughter in a large Quaker family. They all live very different lives but get thrown together when the town goes up in flames.

I enjoyed this book. The first half was a little slow, but the second half really moved along. This was a really interesting historical fiction novel.

A devastating fire on Nantucket throws together a cast of strong women who bicker and bond with each other.

This book takes place in the 1800s and centers on three women, with different backgrounds and different societal challenges. I will admit, for most of the book I wasn't sure that it was something I was going to be interested in. It caught my attention because of where it takes place... I'm always interested in historical fiction books and non-fiction books that take place in my home state. However, I usually prefer mystery and suspense over what I'd call feel good stories. This book grabbed me as the fire started to grow... was everything going to burn down? Who was going to survive? And what was going to survive (the books and holdings of the Athenaeum!)? I'll admit I didn't know much about the fire in Nantucket as I'm more familiar with the great fire in my own city about 60 years after the one in Nantucket. Anyway, I did enjoy the growth of the characters and how they (and their community) pulled together when faced with this type of disaster. I do wish it had extended out just little further to see how they all recovered but I can understand why the author ended it where she did. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the area and/or likes feel good stories. There are a few sad parts but overall it's a mostly happy ending that ends with a high level of hope for what comes after.

Daughters of Nantucket is a historical fiction story set against Nantucket’s Great Fire of 1864. It follows three women and the challenges they faced leading up to the fire, during the disaster and immediately after. While each of them live different lives (Eliza Macy- whaling captain’s wife, Meg Wright- free black business owner, Maria Mitchel- successful astronomer/ librarian) their stories intersect in a way that shows the true inner strength of women during that time period.

If anyone has ever visited Nantucket before or loves reading about stories set on the island, this book is a must. It was well-researched, compelling, atmospheric and perfectly paced, never feeling too long despite being 400+ pages. I particularly enjoyed how the book went into issues of race, education, religion and equality on the island, which taught me a lot. I also liked how the ending didn't neatly tie up all loose ends, making the story feel more realistic.

Read if you like:
-US Historical Fiction
-Female centered stories
-Alternating POVs
-LGBTQ+ rep
-Nantucket setting

Thank you GetRed PR and HTP for the ARC. Pub date 3/14/23

A huge thanks to Mira/ HTPfor a copy of Daughters of Nantucket

I spent a wonderful spring & summer working at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut in their education department where I did programs on life in an whaling town and have a decent knowledge of whaling so reading this was like taking a step back to a former life.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre and I absolutely love that this book looks at a topic and era that is unique with 1846 Nantucket! Told through three women's viewpoints before and during Nantucket’s Great Fire of 1846, this novel tells the story of these different women’s experiences from a wealthy whaling captain's wife, a pregnant free black business owner and a young astronomer/Librarian.

I really enjoyed this book, the writing was beautiful and there was so much historical research which I loved! I liked how interwoven their stories were and how strong and independent these women were as well as sharing more about how unique Nantucket was in the 1840s. I only wished for more after the fire, but I think that's part of the beauty of the book as well.

If you're looking for a different era/genre historical fiction, I highly recommend checking this one out when it publishes March 14th!

This is a lovely historical tale about the intertwined lives of 3 very different women in 1846 Nantucket. Many, many kudos for a well-written and evocative historical novel about a place and time I wasn't already intimately familiar with. Ship Captain's wife Eliza, Scientist/Librarian Maria, and African American Businesswoman Meg were all different, and compelling characters, with a shared love of their island, and their hard-won lives. The realities of fire on an island that made it's fortune on the creation and sale of oil, something inherently flammable, are hard to escape. I loved the details about Quaker life, and the push and pull of racial tension in a society where slavery would still be legal for almost 2 decades. Daughters of Nantucket is a slow-build, but once we reached the climax and tension of the fire, I was fully invested in finding out how each of these women would re-make their lives. The novel does leave us with a lot of open questions, but I think we can imagine how some of those scenarios would play out. I will recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a strong female protagonist, and any readers of historical fiction who are tired of the never-ending parade of WWII focused historical fiction.

I fell in love with the gorgeous cover and liked the well researched and compelling story.
Atmospheric, gripping and vivid: a good historical fiction that made me learn something new.
The characters are fleshed out and interesting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This is wonderful historical fiction. I'm from Massachusetts and never had heard of the Nantucket Fires. I could not put this book down. The characters were so believable in their strength and courage. The lives of women in general and those of the whalers' wives and the Free Blacks were beautifully portrayed. Thanks to the author for bringing their stories to light. ARC

In my mind there is nothing better than historical fiction that sheds light on a topic I know nothing about. Daughters of Nantucket follows three very different women through the week leading up to the Great Fire of 1846 and the weeks following the devastation. While very different in societal positions, all three women have an inner strength that helps them through very harrowing times.