We had a good-sized group (11) at Cheri's last evening for Book Club, and an in-depth discussion of The Indigo Girl, by Nastasha Boyd.  The ladies all enjoyed it, as did I.  Eliza was most certainly a young woman ahead of her time!

Set on South Carolina’s plantations beginning in 1739, this excellent historical novel by Boyd (Eversea) is based on the true story of Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1722–1793). Sixteen-year-old Eliza Lucas is charged with running her father’s three heavily-mortgaged plantations while he pursues a military career in the Caribbean. He has trained Eliza well in business, agriculture, and plantation management, and she is bright, considerate, and ambitious. Eliza sees the production of indigo dye as the family’s financial salvation, but indigo is risky to grow, and dye-making is a valuable but well-kept secret so she must approach her new assignment with caution. Kindhearted Eliza is independent and forward-thinking. She defies the Negro Act of 1740 and teaches her slaves to read, seeks their advice, and banishes the lash. As a marriageable young woman she rejects all suitors and expects to be a spinster, but as the plantation booms and her public stature grows, so does her affection for a married gentleman friend. Add threats of war with Spain and the strict social and cultural codes for Southern women, and Boyd has crafted a captivating novel of Southern colonial history.

Our next selection is Becoming Mrs. Lewis, by Patti Callahan.

In the improbable love story of Bronx native Joy Davidman and beloved Christian author, C. S. Lewis, Patti Callahan gives voice to historical figures often overlooked. Becoming Mrs. Lewis, written in first person from the viewpoint of Joy Davidman Lewis, paints a vivid, realistic portrayal of a woman’s struggle to break through society’s narrow confines of womanhood in the 1950s. When Joy finally does, she finds the love she has always craved and, more importantly, becomes the person she was meant to be.

I woke at 3:20 this morning, and sadly never could fall back asleep.  

Might have taken a sleep aid if I didn't have to be up this morning for my tax appointment.