Pretty good, but didn’t quite meet my expectations based on the author’s earlier work. The plot was slooooooow and it took so long to set up that the action I was hoping for, really never arrived.

A gripping read about a young girl-Ady-enslaved in New Orleans-and how she works within a group of black women -both free and enslaved-to undermine the slaveholders and the Confederacy. Historical fiction at its best-a genre I have always enjoyed.

This was a novel I expected great things from but sadly it never quite reached its potential. I could not become attached to the characters which makes reading a novel difficult. I hope to pick up more of the authors work and give them a change.

In THE AMERICAN DAUGHTERS, we follow Ady, a young and sharp girl enslaved alongside her mother in New Orleans. We watch as she comes of age amidst immense trauma and obstacles, yet with a solid footing in her knowledge of her worth and true self. As the story unfolds, Ady develops friendships with free Black women and works to dismantle the Confederates from the inside out.

Ady and Sanite, her mother, were great main characters to spend a novel with. Both were independent in spirit and willful. This was a coming-of-age story as we watched Ady suffer through physical hardship, the loss of family, and enslavement. The author kept the majority of the violence off the page, which I appreciated. It felt like his focus was more so on Ady and her discovery of self, rather than on recreating the trauma she endured.

Where I think this book suffers is in the marketing. The summary covers about 90% of the plot, and we don't even see Ady meet up with The Daughters until about 60-70% of the way through. That's going to set up the expectation that this will be a thrilling spy novel full of action and intrigue, but it simply isn't that. Go in knowing this is more of a slower-paced, coming-of-age historical fiction novel and you might be pleasantly surprised.

Lastly, I have to add that I found the epilogue to be incredibly bazaar and unnecessary. It was a complete change in genre that's worth skipping.

This amazing book by Maurice Ruffin was really incredible. He had me at the first paragraph! Andy and her mom, Sanite, were icons. Strong women, independent thinkers who were both stuck in a horrific time in this nations history. Slavery is a blight on American History!! I love how Mr. Ruffin described Lenore, Ady and all the American Daughters. I would like to believe there truly were heroic women like them in our history. I loved this book! Thank you to Mr. Ruffin, NetGalley and Penguin Random House Publishing for the arc!!
Highly recommended reading!

This was an excellent book. I was hesitant at first to read it because I didn’t want to have to read about Black Trauma. It makes me upset, but once I began reading the book and understood the premise I knew I was going to be in for a joyful reading experience. I will not give away anything or spoil the book for anyone, but this is an excellent book and a must read for anyone who likes historical fiction.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This work of historical fiction takes the reader to the French Quarter of New Orleans in the time before and during the Civil War.

Ady and her mother, Sanite, are enslaved together but are eventually split up. Although Ady has grown up in slavery, she sees "free women of color" in New Orleans and learns what life could be like. She is befriended by Lenore at the Mockingbird Inn. Lenore introduces her to a group of women called "The Daughters," who are working underground against the Confederacy.

I learned a lot about New Orleans during this critical time in our Nation's history and how black women helped the Union cause in the fight to abolish slavery.

This book was a pleasant surprise, just a bit longer than I thought it should have been. I really did enjoy it though and will be recommending it to my followers as it has great characters and a creative plot!

Sanite, enslaved to a businessman in the French Quarter, struggles against the bonds of slavery. When she walks into the Mockingbird Inn she meets Lenore, a free black woman. The two become friends and Lenore invites her to join a secret society called the Daughters. The Daughters spy and pass their information on to the abolitionists and others fighting against the south.

The book had an odd format, which I did not really like. The beginning was extremely rough, where the story moved back and forth in time without really presenting the characters. Once the book settled on a younger Ady, it began to draw my interest. Overall, I think the book seemed haphazard and ill planned. 3 out of 5 stars.

Ady is a young enslaved woman in New Orleans in the time just before the Civil War. She and her mother dream of freedom and escape from the men who own them and rule their lives, but when her mother dies Ady is left alone and at the mercy of the man who uses her any way he sees fit. When Ady stumbles upon a group of free Black women she is drawn into their efforts to sabotage the Confederacy despite the very real danger such a group can bring. This novel is another look at the evils of slavery at a time and place rarely seen, as well as a look at yet another group that worked to end the practice.

The American Daughters is a beautifully written novel that details the lives of an enslaved woman and her daughter. Ruffin's writing is powerful and evocative, capturing the nuances of each character's experience. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a compelling and thought-provoking read.

Thanks to NetGalley and One World for an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and this book did not disappoint. Set in the time of slavery, this story features many strong women -Ady, her mother Sanite and Lenore, a free black woman. The depictions of slavery are brutal and necessary. Ady had everything taken from her, even her name. Ady is determined and literally has nothing to lose when she joins with the group of spys. She is fearless and wants to make a difference which she does. Although it was upsetting to read at times, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Riveting. Filled with history & imagination & beauty despite brutal repression. I'm rooting for The American Daughters and Maurice Carlos Ruffin is a helluva storyteller.

Ady is not a free woman nor is her mother but she has been given a long leash that allows her to walk the streets of New Orleans where she is housed at her master's townhouse. At the Mockingbird Inn she finds a group of free women who become friends, family and partners in a spy ring to thwart the growing Confederacy. They become her only outlet from a life of pain and a respite from her master. Told in the third person as well as journal entries and imagined research documents from the future this is a story of a group of brave women who risked everything to outsmart the powerful men who held their future in their hands but not their spirit. A story of the horrors of slavery and the power of community told in authentic language. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Review of Advance Reader’s Copy

Ady [Adebimpe] and her mother, Sanite, sold to a businessman in the French Quarter of New Orleans, are sometimes leased to others while he, John du Marche, is away. It is a difficult life for the two, made more so by the cruel treatment slavery brings.

When Ady and Sanite are separated, Ady has the good fortune of meeting a free black woman, Lenore. Through her, Ady learns about the Daughters, a secret society of spies.

Will Ady join the Daughters? And will she one day find a path to freedom?

=========

The discovery of Ady’s journal is, according to the prologue, the impetus for the telling of this tale. Unsettling and often cringe-worthy, the narrative shines a line on the cruel and harsh treatment of slaves. What is endured is often painful to read about, difficult to imagine it being endured in real life.

The women are strong characters; The Daughters is an intriguing group that, sadly, almost seems to be an afterthought in the telling of this tale. Readers are likely to wish for more of the narrative to focus on the work of the spy ring as the women battled the Confederacy.

Readers may find the futuristic epilogue a strange choice for concluding the story preceding it. While the historical details are important, the epilogue feels, in many ways, as if it trivializes Ady’s story.

I received a free copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group –-- Random House, One World and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#TheAmericanDaughters #NetGalley

Interesting view of New Orleans just before the Civil War. The main character was well-drawn. Her mother was less clear, more vague. Throughout the book, you felt like there was a secret about her, and there was.

It felt like a true-to-life rendering of how slavery worked.

The women banding together to fight for freedom and wreak havoc on slave-holders was awe-inspiring.

I would recommend this book. It would be a good one for book groups. I gave it 4+ stars

This historical fiction, told primarily through Ady's diary, is a vivid portrait of slavery up to and during the Civil War. From her childhood, she and her mother are subjected to intolerable conditions at her owner-father's "slave labor camp also known as plantation." We follow her on her unsuccessful attempt to escape, her loss of her mother, then her capture and enslavement again, this time at her father's New Orleans house. What sets this story apart from others is the introduction of an organization, The American Daughters, a group of women who sabotaged the Confederacy in both subtle and dramatic ways, facilitating the outcome of the Civil War.

The American Daughters provided a previously unknown perspective of this period in history. It would be interesting if the author is planning to expound on the lives of the daughters in future writing.

This was an interesting novel to be sure.
Ady is an interesting character who makes friends along her journey and I found myself enjoying in getting to know this particular character as well.
This is well written story and one I couldn't put down until I finished.
I loved the scenery that was described and I appreciated the author who made me feel a part of Ady's journey.
I loved the cover of the book too.
It definitely is interesting.
Here's a quote that somewhat defined The American Daughters
“It’s good to know how someone acts in a truly perilous situation. You can’t be one of the Daughters if you can’t maintain yourself.”“Daughters?” Ady said. “Nah,” Tremaine said “The Daughters.”“In honor of our mothers,” Lenore said. “It’s one of our codes for identifying who is in our numbers."
And here's another quote one I feel quite strongly about myself.
If I could go back in time I would love to change a few things about my life myself but not possible. So I feel like Ady in that regard
“Sometimes I wish that I could change everything in a blink.” “It may come to that,” Lenore said. “I wouldn’t wager against it.
I love how this novel portrays characters that are not perfect but do everything in their power to help make certain things right.
Not always easy considering that things can awry in a blink of a moment.
I learned a few things while reading this novel that I never heard of before including The American Daughters. Interesting to say the least.
When I first seen this title I was fully expecting something else altogether but as I got immersed into the story I began to understand a lot of things that were happening.
However; I wasn't too crazy about the surprise towards the end. In fact, I was disappointed.
I'm giving this novel a solid 4 stars for the not so good surprise.
For the most part I did enjoy the story until the end.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Ady meets Lenore who will change the direction of her life in many ways. I liked this book.