This is the first book I've read by Kathleen Grissom, and I must say I enjoyed it immensely. GLORY OVER EVERYTHING is not a fast read, but instead, a slow-moving, eloquently written historical that focuses on the character Jamie Pyke. The book goes from past to present, moving through the story of how he became James Burton and touches on racism, slavery, but mostly on what it was like to be free, yet still enchained by fear. Fear that escaped slaves had of getting found and sent back to the bonds of slavery. Fear of persecution. And even your own fears of who you are and how the discovery of who you really are could destroy you.
Jamie Pyke is raised by his grandmother and is brought up with an education and the belief that, like her, he is white. After the shocking discovery that he is only half white despite his pale complexion, he is faced with the fact that his father, the white owner/master of the plantation where he lives, plans on selling him as a slave. Defending himself, he kills his father and with the help of his mother, a slave, and others who care for him, he flees.
When he makes it to the Northern free states, he meets Henry, a black boy, also on the run. It is then that Henry helps him get his start, and insists he live as a white man.
Later in the book, Jamie takes on Henry's son as a favor and eventually must face his fears, and his past, when the boy gets stolen for a slave and Jamie must bring him back.
There is so much going on in this book. Jamie falls in love with a white woman, whom becomes pregnant with his child, his true identity gets discovered, he must leave his home, and so much more. Though a slower read (until the end where it's fast-paced), this book was great. I loved Pan, Henry's son, and many of the other characters Kathleen present to us. Though at times I got frustrated with some of Jamie's decisions, it's understandable why he was so scared all the time, always looking over his shoulder and having to pretend to be someone that he wasn't, harboring the secret that he is really biracial in such a volatile time. I was so glad with his decisions at the end, to finally see him come full circle and decide to be so brave.
I would definitely consider reading more books by Kathleen!
4 of 5 stars!
*I was given a this book free in exchange for a fair and honest review.
PURCHASE
Description
The author of the New York Times bestseller and beloved book club favorite The Kitchen House continues the story of Jamie Pyke, son of both a slave and master of Tall Oakes, whose deadly secret compels him to take a treacherous journey through the Underground Railroad.
Published in 2010, The Kitchen House became a grassroots bestseller. Fans connected so deeply to the book’s characters that the author, Kathleen Grissom, found herself being asked over and over “what happens next?” The wait is finally over.
This new, stand-alone novel opens in 1830, and Jamie, who fled from the Virginian plantation he once called home, is passing in Philadelphia society as a wealthy white silversmith. After many years of striving, Jamie has achieved acclaim and security, only to discover that his aristocratic lover Caroline is pregnant. Before he can reveal his real identity to her, he learns that his beloved servant Pan has been captured and sold into slavery in the South. Pan’s father, to whom Jamie owes a great debt, pleads for Jamie’s help, and Jamie agrees, knowing the journey will take him perilously close to Tall Oakes and the ruthless slave hunter who is still searching for him. Meanwhile, Caroline’s father learns and exposes Jamie’s secret, and Jamie loses his home, his business, and finally Caroline.
Heartbroken and with nothing to lose, Jamie embarks on a trip to a North Carolina plantation where Pan is being held with a former Tall Oakes slave named Sukey, who is intent on getting Pan to the Underground Railroad. Soon the three of them are running through the Great Dismal Swamp, the notoriously deadly hiding place for escaped slaves. Though they have help from those in the Underground Railroad, not all of them will make it out alive.
Published in 2010, The Kitchen House became a grassroots bestseller. Fans connected so deeply to the book’s characters that the author, Kathleen Grissom, found herself being asked over and over “what happens next?” The wait is finally over.
This new, stand-alone novel opens in 1830, and Jamie, who fled from the Virginian plantation he once called home, is passing in Philadelphia society as a wealthy white silversmith. After many years of striving, Jamie has achieved acclaim and security, only to discover that his aristocratic lover Caroline is pregnant. Before he can reveal his real identity to her, he learns that his beloved servant Pan has been captured and sold into slavery in the South. Pan’s father, to whom Jamie owes a great debt, pleads for Jamie’s help, and Jamie agrees, knowing the journey will take him perilously close to Tall Oakes and the ruthless slave hunter who is still searching for him. Meanwhile, Caroline’s father learns and exposes Jamie’s secret, and Jamie loses his home, his business, and finally Caroline.
Heartbroken and with nothing to lose, Jamie embarks on a trip to a North Carolina plantation where Pan is being held with a former Tall Oakes slave named Sukey, who is intent on getting Pan to the Underground Railroad. Soon the three of them are running through the Great Dismal Swamp, the notoriously deadly hiding place for escaped slaves. Though they have help from those in the Underground Railroad, not all of them will make it out alive.
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