I really enjoyed Red Clay. It’s a story told over multiple generations about a once enslaved family and their owners. Reading about slavery and the Jim Crow era is always difficult, but the author did a great job with this story. I definitely recommend you check out Red Clay!

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

Red Clay is a compelling historical fiction novel that masterfully intertwines the lives of two families, one formerly enslaved and the other their former owners, on the Road's End Plantation in Red Clay, Alabama. The narrative spans from the Civil War era through Reconstruction and the Jim Crow period, offering a remarkable story of resilience, determination, and perseverance.

The story begins in 1943 with the funeral of Felix Parker, a former slave, and the provocative statement by Adelaide Parker, a frail, elderly white woman who once knew Felix. The novel delves into the dangerous and complex dynamics of the Parker families on the plantation during the Civil War and the upheaval that followed emancipation.

The prose is both beautiful and true to the setting; the characters are memorable and easy to care for and root for. Readers understand their desire for freedom and respect. There are uncomfortable passages – reflective of the era, but necessary to convey the weight and depth of this existence. The novel is a moving and beautifully written portrayal of a complex, painful time in American history, making it a must-read for anyone interested in historical fiction.

See full review on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution website:

"Pennsylvania journalist Charles B. Fancher was born six years after his great-grandfather died and didn’t know much about his ancestor until a few years ago. While visiting his “decorous” 92-year-old mother, Fancher was caught off guard when she started regaling him with wild stories about her grandfather with a “roguish streak” who was born into slavery on an Alabama plantation and proceeded to build a good life for his family in post-Reconstruction South.

Intrigued and encouraged by his mother to write about his grandfather’s life, Fancher consulted with regional historians and dug through online archives. He eventually returned to his family’s ancestral hometown, a place he hadn’t visited since childhood, to interview residents and reconnect with Alabama’s iconic red clay. Fancher details this journey in the afterword of his debut novel “Red Clay,” a powerful and evocative historical family saga that brings the stark reality of transitioning from enslavement to independence in the late 19th century to palpable, vibrant life..."

https://ajc.com/things-to-do/red-clay-traces-the-lives-of-slave-and-slaveholder-in-reconstruction-era-alabama/AUYOOIONMFDS5LVIYJTAE5VQ7Q/

This book is wonderful. The writing is exquisite and the story drew me in. I fell in love with all the characters and devoured this gem of a book. Highly recommend.

This book!!!

How can a story be about one of the worst times in our history but be so BEAUTIFUL at the same. I wanted to title this review " How can a story be so ugly but yet beautiful at the same time"

Reading this book during February is quite the dare. I felt every emotion displayed in this book. Sadness, fear, gratefulness, hope, love, determination, resilience, survival, perseverance and every other emotions you can think of.

This story follows the life of an enslaved family mainly Felix and story is told by one of his previous owners Addie. It navigates their lives from the time of Emancipation of slaves, post Civil War, the Reconstruction Era and Jim Crow. This was an action packed, soul reflecting story and I would love to see it as a movie.
Not only did the men show strength and resilience but the women Elmira, Zilpha and others besides that Edna Mae (lol) also did.

After reading the afterword, the author wrote this book off the stories of his late great grandfather and I must say he did a wonderful job and without being cheesy, I felt like I knew him. I would say he would be very proud of this retelling whether true to fact or some embellishments.

This would be a repeat for me and a top recommendation for the Historical Fiction genre.

This book opens in the 1940s, at the funeral of Felix, a formerly enslaved person. His family and friends are there, as is an old white woman whom nobody knows. The old woman is Addie, the plantation owner's daughter and self-described friend of Felix as a child.

Most of the book takes place in the years around the end of the Civil War and the start of reconstruction. We follow Felix and his parents from when he is quite young through adulthood. The plantation owner (and ultimately his middle son) put their trust in Felix and his family, even giving the 8 year-old Felix a horrible secret he has to keep.

Overall, this is a good story. I definitely felt a lot of emotions about all of the main characters. I would have liked to get to know Felix's descendants (and more about his life, too!); as it is, they are merely a device to get Addie to tell the story. I wish it had been Felix telling his own story before his death. A couple of poor word choices ("unwanted sex," for example) also helped to make this a 4-star and not a 5-star review.

My thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Nelnet for giving me this ARC! Red Clay was amazing, it will be hard to beat this book in 2025. Red Clay, although historical fiction, gives readers a glimpse into how Black families lived through the agony of slavery, the elatedness of being free, and the unknown time periods odd the reconstruction era. Although the owners of Red Clay Plantation are described(by the main characters) as “there are worse” it does not discredit their feelings and shows that although they might not be as bad they still dos not have the Families best interest at heart. They were quick to jump on them when they started improving and doing better than them. Great read and beautiful writing by the author that allows you to be fully immersed in the story from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGally for the ARC! A novel spanning decades, Red Clay by Charles B. Fancher expertly navigates the difficulties faced during slavery and the Jim Crow era. The novel explores humanity, friendship, family, redemption, and hatred. Every character in the novel is complex and multi-facetted, and you find yourself caring for some characters so deeply- that they feel like your friends and family. Felix and Pleasant in particular grabbed me by the heartstrings. The novel is written excellently, and I recommend the audiobook as well. Overall, this book may just be one of the best books about the slavery era I've read in a long, long time. I enjoyed the afterward from the author about his own experiences that wove their way into the novel.

TLDR; You should really read this novel!

Wow - what a fantastic book! I love historical fiction books with a dual timeline, and I love that this book handles difficult subject matter with so much empathy and compassion. This should be required reading for all!

This man FELIXH Parker was a young boy during the Civil War. And his family were enslaved to the family. It was an interesting story because there's a lot going on and I love how the author tied everything together. I like when Felix died in the Portuguese.It was very interesting because his granddaughter wanted to know about the history.And I like how the author went backwards in time to tell this man's story and that it's an amazing way of writing. Adel AI.D.E parker was the youngest of the family and she came to his funeral and told the story about the family. She had a very interesting pass as well. They touched on a lot of differen He describedt subjects in this book and it was done very tastefully I Especially about the kuka clan And how f e l I x stood up to them. Who's a very brave thing?Especially during the jim crow laws. And he did it in a very way because he went to Charles instead. Look, I know you killed my father, He blackmailed him and this was pretty powerful at that time. They also talked about racial matters as well . Felix off, it's also cheated on his wife butt the person he did it with helped in a situation which was really critical. Also, also I like when they found his family were sold to pay for the land. There is so.
Many twists and turns in this book.You will be so surprised as you read it and how everything is tied together

This is a great book. The subject matter is serious and I took my time reading it because there was so much to get into here and the writing is just fantastic. The characters in this story reflect the gamut from resilient and persevering to desperate and willing to compromise their morals and even humanity. This is a great representation of the antebellum age and the horrors and hopes that lie within. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys deep, contemplative historical fiction.

Red Clay, by Charles B. Fancher, is a compelling multigenerational tale of two families, one Black and one White, in the American south from 1863 to 1943. The characters are three-dimensional with interesting backstories, the pace is steady, the history seems very well researched, and the story kept me engaged throughout. This is Faucher’s debut, based on his own family’s story, and it is a very impressive debut indeed. I look forward to reading more by him in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

Opening the story in 1943 with the funeral of family patriarch and grandfather Felix Parker, and the provocative statement by a frail, elderly white woman, Adelaide Parker, to the family afterwards, author Charles B. Fancher expertly recreates the historical period and the lives of the Parker families at Road's End Plantation in Alabama from close to the end of the Civil War through Reconstruction. We see how the young Felix's enslaved family and peers navigate the tricky and dangerous situation on the plantation during the war, and how much is upended once people are freed.

Fancher follows the lives of both the white Parkers, and Felix's family through the years. In 1864, Road's End owner John Robert Parker ensnares Felix in a dangerous secret, which ensures the wealth of John Robert's family. Post-war, John Robert's son Charles manages the plantation, and does cope well when his former slaves progress quickly and happily with their lives without white interference.

Felix begins building his life and livelihood as a carpenter post-war, and we see a wonderfully complex portrayal of a man who knows the ever present danger of angry whites, and how tenuous his control over his and his family's lives might be, especially with the rising of the Klan during Reconstruction.

Fancher also gives us Felix's relationships with Elmira and Plessant, his parents, and his wife Zilpha. We see love, some strife, lots of struggle, but ultimately, a strong family bond that carries through the generations that follow.

We follow the white Parkers attempt to continue their privileged lives, and the changes to laws, and the use of violence, to protect their ill-gotten gains and disenfranchise the African Americans around them.

We also see a young Adelaide Parker, initially a self-absorbed and manipulative girl, open her eyes when exposed to a wider world, and make her own complicated choices, to the disgust of her family.

The story is full of great characters, and a well researched and well conveyed history of a complex time post-Civil war in America. Fancher doesn't shy away from showing different perspectives, no matter how ugly, of this period, and uses multiple characters' experiences to explore Reconstruction.

This was a moving and beautifully written, compelling novel. I was impressed by Fancher's characterization of Felix, and loved how, by focusing on the family, the author illuminated how people begin grappling with the US' ugly history.

I went back and forth between the prose and the audio of this novel, and the talented Dion Graham's skill at inhabiting characters was on full display. I'm familiar with this actor's work, and it was such a pleasure listening to many sections of this book through his wonderful acting.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Blackstone Publishing and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for these ARCs in exchange for my review.

4.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this story from the very first page. Fancher’s writing felt as if I was listening to my granny telling me about her upbringing. I found myself rooting for Felix, Plessant and Elmira through the whole story. I can’t wait to read what Charles writes next!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! This was a wonderful, moving debut novel set during the Reconstruction Era. I found myself reflecting on parallels with current day America as I read.

Thank you Net Galley and Blackstone Publishing Inc for my ARC. Red Clay is a historical fiction book about slavery. It starts at the end of the Civil War and ends at Reconstruction. It follows the life of Felix, a 9 year old slave and Addie his slave owner’s daughter. I highly recommend this book.

When Eileen Epps learns of her grandfather’s passing, she returns to her hometown of Red Clay to grieve and lay him to rest. While she knew some of his past, she never expected the missing pieces to be revealed by the most unexpected person.

From the moment I read the synopsis, I knew this was a story I had to experience—and it did not disappoint. This novel beautifully traces the life of Felix, from childhood to adulthood, showing how being born into slavery shaped not only his fate but also the lives of the family that owned him. This story one that’s is immersive and emotional.

For anyone looking to explore historical fiction, this book is an excellent place to start. It delivers on everything it promises and more. Highly recommended!

“I am Miss Adelaide Parker…. and a lifetime ago, my family owned yours.”

Prior to this startling revelation, Eileen has no knowledge of Addie Parker, or any of the family history her beloved grandfather, Felix, chose not to divulge. But after Felix’s funeral in 1943, she pays rapt attention to Addie’s long and soul-searching story. Back in 1864, John Robert Parker owned a plantation outside of Red Clay, Alabama. A studious gentleman more suited to an academic career, he renounced Princeton after the untimely death of his father. Portrayed as a good man with a hard edge, he can justify his ownership of slaves, but may one day have to salve his growing conscience, as the Civil War draws to a close. He adores his wife, Marie Louise and their three children—Jean Louis, who can’t escape plantation life fast enough; sixteen-year-old Claude, who eagerly awaits custodianship of his own property; and nine-year-old Addie, a peculiar girl with a sharp intelligence and a spiteful streak. On the property list, along with 1,100 acres, house, barn, and livestock, are household cook, Elmira; husband, Plessant, the master’s valet; and their eight-year-old son, Felix, all portrayed with credible dignity in the face of justifiable hatred. One memorable day in 1864, Felix is burdened with a secret, a burden no eight-year-old should have to bear.

Portrayals of Black, white, good and bad are multifaceted and convincing. Of particular note is the vindictiveness wrought by those who have nothing, against those they believe have more, explored through the abuse Felix experiences as a cotton-field water-carrier. Lies, secrets and double-dealing dominate, but there is also room for kindness and forgiveness. It is worth noting that Fancher places both narratives in times of war. Beginning as research into his great-grandfather’s life, Fancher has fictionalised a far-reaching tribute to everyone touched by the travesty of slavery.

Red Clay is an emotionally charged story that I simply did not want to put down. It’s historical fiction at its finest and is a deeply moving and tense story that grips your heart from the very first page. Through his powerful writing, Fancher takes you on an unforgettable journey through the layered complexities of love, legacy, and healing. His vivid storytelling transports you to the red-dust roads of the South, weaving together the past and present timelines effortlessly with a heart-wrenching plot. Despite the challenges these characters faced, I loved that the story still contained moments that brought on a sense of optimism for the characters’ futures.

I took this one slower than usual only because I really wanted to savor it which allowed me time to immerse myself into this story with these characters that I’ve found myself missing ever since I finished the book. 🤧

RED CLAY isn’t just a story—it’s a powerful reflection where Fancher uses his own family’s lineage to highlight the enduring impact of racial injustice across generations. 

Why You Should Read It:
💔 Deeply emotional and thought-provoking.
🫱🏻‍🫲🏾 Reconstruction Era efforts toward rebuilding unity and integrating formerly enslaved individuals into society.
🌾 Rich, atmospheric Southern setting that pulls you in.
🔄 A powerful story of redemption.
🆔 Captures the complexities of identity.
🌳 Stunning exploration of family, love, loss, and legacy.
🎯 Perfect for fans of historical fiction with a heart!

After finishing this book, I just realized this is the narrative I’ve been missing. I read a lot of historical fiction. US based and abroad. I cannot recall ever reading anything about the immediate aftermath of the emancipation proclamation. Often times, when I’ve read a book it feels like there should be more to the story or that something is missing. This is that something!