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.

Daughters of Nantucket follows the stories of three women in the mid-1800s on the island of Nantucket. The first half of the book is dedicated to introducing these characters and their relationships with each other and others on the island. Eliza, Maria, and Meg are all capable strong female characters, but their lives are difficult and island living is lonely and challenging. The story comes alive when the Great Fire happens, and these characters are forced to evolve into their new reality. As often happens, a tragedy brings a community together and gives people a new perspective. This certainly happens to all three women and their evolution is enjoyable to read. I was interested in these characters and especially loved the pace of the book after the fire. If you like a bit of history with your fiction, this is a great option! Thank you, Net Galley!

I received a temporary digital advanced copy of Daughters of Nantucket by Julie Gerstenblatt from NetGalley, MIRA, and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

1846 Nantucket - three women - Eliza Macy, Meg Wright, and Maria Mitchell live on the small island of Nantucket, but lead vastly different lives. Eliza is the wife of a whaling captain, Meg is a free Black woman and Maria is a librarian by day and astronomer by night. Their lives cross often due to the small size of the island and not always under the best of circumstances. Although Nantucket is an extremely progressive town, Meg and her family still face discrimination often which she vehemently fights along side Maria and sometimes friends like Eliza have to face their bigotry or suffer the consequences within their personal relationships. When the largest fire the island has seen to date breaks out, will Maria, Meg and Eliza be able to put their differences aside and help one another?

4.5 stars rounded up - the Daughters of Nantucket quickly captured my attention from the gorgeous cover to the rich abolitionist history of Nantucket to the depth of the characters. I highly recommend this read as Gerstenblatt's writing is detailed and well-researched.

I wanted to enjoy this one but had to DNF about 100 pages in as I was not invested in the story or the characters and found the prose hard to follow.