Free Spirits

This book was interesting and well researched. I enjoy reading about slavery during the Civil War and the Underground Railroad.
Pub Date 25 Jun 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Cameron Publicity & Marketing Ltd for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Underground Railroad, slave patrols to keep blacks in their place on the plantations of their owners, the struggle for freedom, all stand as the backdrop for this well written, fast paced novel. Very well researched and accurate.

Highly recommend this novel of historical fiction. Well written, well researched, and a story of love. Set during the the most shameful time in American history.... 1860’s slavery. It tells the story of people who gained freedom with a price, people who faked who they were for survival, and the meaning of true love. A book for the ages. Kudos to the author.

This is a great story about the Underground Railroad. Over the years I have read many books dealing with this subject, some very vividly descriptive of the horror and others geared for a much younger audience. This book would be a good one for anyone over the age of 15 or 16. The characters working for the Underground Railroad vary from escaped slaves and freemen, to doctors, teachers, lawyers and simple farmers. The idea that even if the slaves were treated well, they were still prisoners emanates from this story. Of course the risks that both the slaves and those helping them escape took were immense and it could cost them both their lives. The fact that the females were okay to have relations with, but the children resulting from this were not only their offspring but still their property to sell or do what they wanted with. The main character of Jack Ruffin was an interesting character and of course this could actually have happened. He was actually 1/8 negro so could pass easily for white, especially with his adoptive parents being white and very respected in the community. He wasn't as strong physically as some of those he rescued, but he certainly was determined and loyal to the cause. Tracker, a freed black man was also integral to the story as well as Grace. You will see some famous names in this story as they also believed in the Underground Railroad. Overall, a very good story with a lot of details that were well researched. This would make a wonderful book to be read in a junior high classroom studying this period in time. A book that everyone should read to learn about this terrible time in history.

An exceptionally well written read about the underground railroad and those involved with it.
There is a lot to take in with this read and those involved with the release of the slaves.
Such an excellent and we'll characterised book I am tongue tied and unable to describe it fully.
All I can say is ready it, it will be worth your time and effort.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review. If you are interested in the Underground Railway and the people who aided slaves to escape tyranny in brave and clever ways, this book is for you.
Apart from the frequent typos, which became distracting after a while, this book is extremely written. Although it's a fictionalised account, it combines plenty of fact to satisfy historians. It's a great novel about a part of history I knew nothing about.