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    The Mapmaker's Children: A Novel
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    The Mapmaker's Children: A Novel
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    The Mapmaker's Children: A Novel
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Mapmaker's Children: A Novel

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    Narrated by Cassandra Campbell and Abby Craden

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Baker's Daughter, a story of family, love, and courage

    When Sarah Brown, daughter of abolitionist John Brown, realizes that her artistic talents may be able to help save the lives of slaves fleeing north, she becomes one of the Underground Railroad's leading mapmakers, taking her cues from the slave code quilts and hiding her maps within her paintings. She boldly embraces this calling after being told the shocking news that she can't bear children, but as the country steers toward bloody civil war, Sarah faces difficult sacrifices that could put all she loves in peril.

    Eden, a modern woman desperate to conceive a child with her husband, moves to an old house in the suburbs and discovers a porcelain head hidden in the root cellar-the remains of an Underground Railroad doll with an extraordinary past of secret messages, danger and deliverance.

    Ingeniously plotted to a riveting end, Sarah and Eden's woven lives connect the past to the present, forcing each of them to define courage, family, love, and legacy in a new way.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 5, 2015
    ISBN9781101889855
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The Mapmaker's Children

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      Picked this book up based on the back cover description which mentioned the quilts used for messages. In actuality, this book only mentioned those quilts in one paragraph. I did like the history side of this book. Am not a fan of the back and forth in time format. That's just me. Overall, I liked the history side of the book but was disappointed that the very reason I purchased the book was not covered in any depth.
    • 5/5
      I find it necessary to tell you that I'm an extremely picky reader when it comes to Historical Fiction. As a genre, it just never seems to hold my attention as well as most others. However, once in a while I find a gem. A book that not only captures my imagination, but enfolds me in the rich history that hides inside of it. Sarah McCoy creates this beautiful, lifelike story that just begs you to keep reading. I'm proud to say that I devoured this book, and was eager for more.

      The Mapmaker's Children brings to life the story of Sarah Brown, the daughter of abolitionist leader John Brown. While this is fiction, you can tell that there is a hefty amount of fact woven seamlessly in. Sarah's bravery, her artistic ability, her fierce love for her family, were all penned expertly into this story. I felt like I was right beside her, for all the pain and all the joy. She was such a strong woman, and I took an instant liking to her passion for the fight. With every page, I grew to love her more and more. McCoy makes you care, and it's brilliant. Brilliant, and heartbreaking.

      Tied up in Sarah's story is the story of another, more modern day, woman named Eden. In fact, The Mapmaker's Children is told in alternating chapters between these two. Generally I'm not a fan of alternating points of view. In this case though, it works just perfectly. See, Eden's home holds secrets. Secrets that, as I soon discovered, directly tied in to Sarah's history as well. I was enamored with this fact. That two women, so similar and yet so different, could be tied together by fate. If Sarah's character wasn't enough to make me love this book, seeing her history slowly uncovered in parallel with Eden's life made it all the more enjoyable. I won't spoil, but trust me when I say that it's well worth the wait.

      Truly, I could go on and on about this book. There's so much to it. It has this lushness about it that just makes you fall into the pages and not want to crawl out again. The settings are vivid, the characters are three dimensional, and the entire book has this sense of familial love to it that just made me feel at home. It takes a lot to impress me lately, but this book absolutely did. The Mapmaker's Children definitely deserves a space on your to-be-read pile.
    • 5/5
      "While Sarah's family had lost nearly everything at Harper's Ferry, the good would rise as unstoppably as a river after the storm." This one sentence aptly describes the tone of this lovely little piece of historical fiction from Sarah McCoy. The stories of two women, Sarah Brown and Eden Anderson, are told through alternating chapters where we experience the frustration, heartbreak, and joy of their lives. McCoy connects Sarah and Eden in two specific ways - they both experience transformative love in the same house, although more than a century apart, and both experience the utter heartbreak of not being able to bear children.

      Sarah Brown is the daughter of abolitionist John Brown who was executed after his history-making raid on Harper's Ferry just prior to the Civil War. We first meet Sarah as she is recovering from a near-death experience with dysentery which leaves her barren. She is determined that her life, that *she* will not be defined by her inability to procreate, and so she begins using her artistic ability to draw maps for slaves on the Underground Railroad. Immediately after her father's failed raid in Harper's Ferry, Sarah, her mother, and her sister Annie travel to New Charlestown to stay with the Hill family while her father prepares for his execution. While there, Sarah begins to care for Freddy Hill, son of their host. Their budding romance grows through a lively correspondence and occasional meetings, until Sarah finds herself in the position of having to refuse Freddy's marriage proposal. Sarah leaves the Hill home and returns to her studies in Saratoga, until she is called again to Freddy's side as he hovers near death after being shot in the War. Ultimately, Sarah joins her family and moves West to California, where she lives out her days, without Freddy but caring for two free-born twins sent to her for safety.

      One of those twins is the thread between the past and present in New Charlestown.

      Eden Anderson is a successful businesswoman married to the love of her life who is nonetheless broken by her inability to conceive. We first meet Eden and her husband Jack as they struggle to acclimate to a new home in the small town of New Charlestown. Jack is away on business most of week, while Eden rarely leaves her bed, paralyzed by years of fertility treatments, hormone injections, and failed pregnancies. Eden slowly comes back to life as first a puppy then a neighbor child come into her life and reintroduce her to the joy of living. Eden, fascinated by a porcelain doll head she discovers in a root cellar in her kitchen, begins the process of getting her house on the National Register of Historic Places. She enlists the aid of locals whose families have lived in the area for generations and ultimately discovers a very real connection of the past to the present which helps her begin to heal.

      When authors attempt to tell to separate stories at once with the goal of twining both together throughout and at the end, the effort can be awkward and clunky. It takes a skillful author to make the multiple transitions needed through the narrative. McCoy does a good job of that by keeping the chapters short so the reader remains connected to the past while reading the present and vice versa. There were a few moments that did not ring true and didn't really add anything to the story, but this was an ARC and some of that clunkiness may be tidied up when the final version is published. Nonetheless, this is a good read, and will appeal to readers who like a blend of history, mystery and romance in their reading.
    • 4/5
      I appreciated learning more about the history of John Brown and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. This book deals partly with the life of Brown's daughter, Sarah, after her father's death. She continued his abolitionist work and was active in the Underground Railroad. In fact she used her artistic talents to create coded maps which guided fugitive slaves along the way to freedom. The chapters about Sarah alternated with those about a present-day woman who moved into one of the Underground Railroad station houses and discovered a doll's head on which a map had been created by Sarah. The present-day story wasn't quite as interesting to me.
    • 5/5
      Two women separated by time, set in the backdrop of a house with tales to tell about life, society, and the Underground Railroad.
    • 4/5
      When I originally read this synopsis, I focused in on the codes in quilts and maps hidden within paintings. I was hoping for a DaVinci-Code-esque story set in Civil War times as slaves were being assisted across enemy lines to what they hoped would be a better life. Reading the synopsis again now that I've finished the book, it was exactly what it says, with the focus on two women in different times trying to find and fulfill their purpose in life.

      I've said before that I'm very character driven and that I need to be able to empathize with the characters of a story for it to be a success for me. It took me a little while to warm up to Sarah and Eden, probably my own fault for having several books going at once and not reading more than a few pages at a time initially. Once I got into it though, I really enjoyed getting to know these two strong women.

      I was apprehensive with Eden in the present as she adjusts to New Charleston and struggles with some difficult life decisions. I was fearful of what she would decide and how it could change her life, relieved as she begins to find her place and decide it's not so bad after all and may in fact be exactly what she needs.

      Sarah is more certain in her life's purpose. She is determined to continue the work in the Underground Railroad that was so important to her father, even more so knowing that she cannot have children of her own. She is willing to risk everything to see it through, and discovers her artistic skills are her strength in the endeavor as she is constantly kept at a distance from the true action.

      They are tied together across time by the doll's head Eden discovers in their new/old house and I came to care for Cleo, the girl next door, as she takes on the case of the myserious doll head. Cleo starts out as merely a caretaker for the puppy that Eden's husband brings home and she has no interest in, but by the end, she has become an integral part of Eden's life, and is responsible for drawing Eden out of her shell and integrating her into their new town.

      If you enjoy stories of individuals finding their inner strengths and place in life, with a little historical mystery thrown in, you should give The Mapmaker's Children a read. It's a great example of maybe not getting what you think you wanted in life, but getting what you needed instead.
    • 5/5
      Two women separated by time, set in the backdrop of a house with tales to tell about life, society, and the Underground Railroad.
    • 3/5
      Good not greatest. Story from pre-civil war, alternating chapters with a story from today. What is wrong with me that I enjoyed the contemporary story more?
    • 5/5
      John Brown's body may be a-mouldering but his soul most certainly keeps marching on.This very interesting novel gives life to two women centuries apart. Our first heroine is Sarah Brown, daughter of Capt. John Brown of abolitionist fame, set in the days surrounding and following his death by hanging in 1859. Sarah's life becomes the main focus every second chapter. Eden Anderson is in some ways Sarah's counterpart in 2014, though she may not realize it. Although the book is written with both stories at once, chapter upon chapter, one chapter Sarah and the next Eden, the story bonds smoothly. The common factors between both women is that they are both barren, both wrestle with this in their everyday lives, both have a connection to the same house in New Charlestown, Virginia.There is something very compelling about this book. This bit of history seems to have taken on a new relevance today. Despite the hardships, I loved the book. The alternate chapters do not confuse, but meld beautifully between the two women and two centuries. Sarah is an artist and uses her talent in the Underground Railway (UGRR) painting coded maps to guide their 'guests' to the safe-houses along the route. Eden's sorrow over her lost babies drives her, until she makes a discovery about their new home that gives her a welcome boost of energy. Her husband Jack has made arrangements for a young girl next door to assist Eden and between them they bond over many things.This is such a wonderful novel. It is so smoothly written, so much truth is worked into the story, I am amazed by the entire concept. A story of love, compassion, determination and bonding. This bit of history seems to have taken on a new relevance today. I am so glad I read it, I know I will have to keep my eyes open for more from Sarah McCoy.Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book so much. My only complaint would be how often the two main characters wallowed about their circumstances? I don't think that gives too much away. But overall a great story that kept me intrigued and entertained and I would read it again. I would recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.
    • 5/5
      Book Tour: The MapMakers Children I loved this book with each turn of the page. It gave you two stories that went well together. You get a modern mystery. You also learn about history at that time.

      This book has you learn about Sarah and her family. We learn about slavery and what it like to be a part of the UGRR? The historical fiction and story go through the past to the future.

      What will happen to Sarah and helping other by being so brave? The abolitionist John Brown has a daughter that might really be talented. She and Eden have something in common. Will Eden uncover the secrets of the past to the future?

      You do learn about slavery and what our country was going through at that time. Eden may find a story that connects to the Hills from the past to present.
    • 4/5
      Any book which makes me guffaw or cry is an automatic 4 looks, and this one brought me to tears. But I am getting ahead of myself.

      The book is based on a wonderful premise: the perspective of the Underground RR from Sarah, the daughter of John Brown. As the book opens, Sarah is a girl who quickly inserts herself into the cause. There are a number of characters you will recognize, like mentions of Louisa May Alcott and Henry David Thoreau. Sarah is completely committed to abolish slavery, and dedicates her life to it.

      Parallel to the story of the UGRR is the modern-day story of Eden, who has moved with her husband Jack from their busy lives in the city to a more rural area to alleviate stress. Eden struggles with infertility and it affects her entire existence. Her almost-eleven-year-old neighbor, Cloe, brings much needed grounding to the aggrieved Eden.

      And that is all I will tell you of the story. Instead, let me explain why this book gets 4 looks from me. First of all, I am not a fan of the writing style of two parallel stories in time. I find that I am usually drawn to one story over the other, and start almost skimming the lesser storyline to get to the more compelling one. Not the case here. I was fully invested in both Sarah and Eden's stories. Each chapter went back and forth, and each provided a significant and satisfying part to that story before moving on to the next. The supporting characters were richly depicted and they added much to both stories.

      The other item I found strong was the portrayal of Eden's struggle to have a baby. I have read a few reviews that Eden was a bit over-the-top; however, I can tell you from watching my best friend go through the same thing that this portrayal was so accurate that it almost hurt me to read, another sign of a great storyteller. Fertility does take over a woman's life if she is unable to conceive. To see new mothers and hear the laughter of children is heartbreaking each and every time, and I give kudos to McCoy for bringing this to her pages. I felt Eden's pain.

      Finally, when the parallel stories started to weave together, it was delightful. There was a tendril here, a creeping vine there, and before I knew it, the two stories became a wonderfully covered arbor. The way the characters from the past colored and imbued the future brought smile after smile to my face as I read. I was entranced.

      And I won't tell you why I cried, or which storyline elicited it. I will only tell you this: read this book!

      I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this honest review.
    • 4/5
      This is a book told in alternating chapters with two protagonists in different time periods. Sarah's story is set in the 1860s; she is the creative, intelligent and strong-willed daughter of abolitionist John Brown. She is the mapmaker of the title and makes cleverly executed maps to aid the abolitionists. Eden's story is set in 2014. She invents a recipe for dog biscuits. I can't imagine wanting to read about her. Linking people in two time periods sometimes works for me, but sometimes it feels like a tortured, "authorly" contrivance. In this case, it felt contrived to me. Sarah and Eden are linked by both a New Charlestown, West Virgina house that figured in the Underground Railroad and by their shared inability to bear children. It was the latter linkage that felt most contrived. I didn't like the whiney Eden and didn't really care for the 2014 story. I'm sorry the author included it. After a while I just skimmed those chapters and focused on the chapters set in the 1860s.On the other hand I was very interested in Sarah's story. Her work with the abolitionists was important and daring and her emotions felt real. I thought the Sarah story, told in part by letters, was very touching. I would have liked more history and less contemporary angst. My rating for this book is for Sarah, not Eden, but I did enjoy the historical fiction aspects of this book. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
    • 4/5
      I received this book from the Goodreads Giveaway. The Mapmaker's Children is a historical novel that tells the story of Sarah Brown, daughter of the famous abolitionist John Brown, and how she employs her artistic skills to paint pictures that are actually maps for the underground railroad. In alternating chapters, the author also tells the present day story of Eden and her crumbling marriage. An old historic house with hidden secrets in West Virginia and the inability to bear children link the two woman and their stories. Sarah McCoy does an exemplary job of mixing fact and fiction. The stories move quickly and I found it was hard to put the book down. I look forward to reading more of Sarah McCoy's work.
    • 3/5
      I wish I had read the author's note at the end of the book first! I'm impressed with the work McCoy went to in finding the background for the development of this novel. The back and forth in time really helped the story--it provided a "what happened" later. The history is there but nicely added to with McCoy's imagination.
    • 4/5
      A novel told during two time periods, one the present and the other the mid 1800's. The central focal point of the book is the daughter of the violent abolitionist John Brown (Sarah). The book follows her life during the trial and execution of her dad and her experiences beyond as she and her family are treated more or less like outlaws. The modern story involves a young lady who moves to the town where Sarah Brown once lived. She hopes to get her home listed on the historical register and must accumulate evidence to prove its worth to authorities. For fans of historical fiction.
    • 3/5
      To be fair to this book, I have to review it for a young adult. Then I can compliment its historical fiction that does not delve so far into the history of the Civil War, the Underground Railroad (UGRR), and Sarah Brown's role in the UGRR that it turns off the early teen who is reading for enjoyment, not history class. THE MAPMAKER'S CHILDREN also holds young adult interest by alternating historical fiction chapters with chapters about a modern-day couple who are unaware they live in a home along the UGRR in West Virginia. These chapters do have some problems, though, that may not bother a young teenager as much as they would an adult. I particularly was not happy with the modern-day Eden. She was so unlikeable in the first few August 2014 chapters that I couldn't like her even in the later chapters. I think a young teenager will feel Eden redeems herself.It is particularly pleasing, though, when present and past stories are connected. We see this mostly at the same time we see Eden try to make us like her.
    • 5/5
      Bravo, Sarah Mc Coy, I have finally read a book that I really enjoyed. It's been awhile with picking up and starting things I haven't cared for. The Mapmaker's Children ticked all the boxes that I require for good Historical Fiction. I really enjoyed how the author ties in the current to the past - bringing two stories together as one. I highly recommend this book for readers like myself that want to dig their heels into good historical fiction.
    • 5/5
      The Mapmaker's Children has moments in it that make you want to cry, others that make you mad, and more that make you happy. It is the twisting of two intertwined stories, Sarah Brown's one of the 1850's past & Eden's one of contemporary time. The two go into a lot of detail & you feel like you are right there in the story with them. Then they are all tied in together. Sarah McCoy really sets it all up well.Sarah's family is involved in the UnderGround RailRoad, at a time when it was not safe to do so. Sarah's father John is caught, convicted and killed for his role in helping slaves escape. Sarah is an artist who makes maps for the fugitive slaves to follow. Since most cannot read, she makes simple pictures of the routes to take.Eden is caught up in a lot of turmoil, because she has always wanted a baby & has undergone fertility treatments & hormones and her life is a mess. Her husband loves her, so things will be okay, if she can get past wanting a child.
    • 4/5
      It has been a long time since I have read a story that had to do with the Underground Railway. I have always been fascinated by stories related to this event in history. The brave souls that helped these people. So this is the reason that I was draw to check this book out. While I liked this book and the people in it a lot, I felt that I sharded a strong, instant connection with Eden than I did Sarah. This surprised me a bit as I thought due to my love with the past that I would share a quick connection with Sarah. There was something about Eden that made me feel for her. Maybe it was due to her loss and longinf ro a child of her own. Also Cleo, the neighbor girl was a charming addition to this book. As was Cricket, the dog. However as I got futher into the story, I did like Sarah and grew more interested in the past and the events. The switching between the past and the present and visa versa was a smooth transaction. An enjoyable read.
    • 5/5
      The book's synopsis gives enough away and yet the beauty of the book is difficult to describe without spoilers, which I shall not do. I cannot praise this book enough and recommend it to everyone, especially those who enjoy historical fiction.
    • 4/5
      School children learn about John Brown and the raid on Harper's Ferry in history class. Who he was, who his family was, and the whole of the life that he sacrificed for a cause greater than himself is rarely covered. And yet he left behind family, including his daughter Sarah, who loved him and believed in the abolitionist movement too. In The Mapmaker's Children, Sarah McCoy imagines the life and purpose of Sarah Brown, beginning just before her father's capture and on into her adult life, weaving this historical story with a modern day tale of a woman facing her own personal fight and living in a historic house in New Charlestown, WV. After Sarah Brown overhears the devastating news that she will never be able to bear children, she devotes herself to the cause that is so dear to her father: abolition and the Underground Railroad. Sarah is an artist and she finds her purpose in drawing maps to aid escaped slaves on their flight to freedom. She is wholeheartedly invested in her role when her father is captured. Traveling to New Charlestown with her mother and sister to be near her father when he is executed, the small family stays with Brown's friends, the Hills. Although the Hills might believe in different methods of fighting slavery, they are kind and congenial people with whom Sarah forms a close bond that will last forever, through her father's hanging, her continued schooling, the Civil War, and beyond. In present day New Charlestown, Eden and her husband Jack have moved into an historic home, hoping that moving from the bustle of the city to a small community will help them finally overcome the infertility that is destroying them. Their marriage is collapsing under the strain of disappointment, anger, and helplessness. When Eden finds the strangely painted porcelain head of a doll in the root cellar of their home, she hopes that either the doll or getting the house placed on the registry of historic homes so she can sell it will bring in enough money for her to flee her marriage and all of the unhappiness tied up in their lack of a baby. What she doesn't expect is to become invested in the people and the community and to uncover long lost information about her house and a friend. Each of the story lines is interesting and well drawn. Initially, the ties between Sarah and Eden seem to be primarily based on their infertility and the way each, in turn, comes to an acceptance of her life but those ties broaden and expand as the women's stories move forward. Each of the main characters is realistic and flawed, clinging to her notion of the future and how to get there, but in the end, each of them learns to let go allowing them to grow in far different ways than they ever expected. The connection between the past (in Sarah) and the present (in Eden) is not a hard one to figure out but McCoy does a good job making those connections actually come together. In the beginning, the stories seem so very disparate that the reader does wonder how the story lines can ever come to compliment each other beyond the most tenuous of associations, that they do is to McCoy's credit. The historical detail is beautifully done and although not much is known about the real Sarah Brown, this story easily feels like it could be true and faithful to what little we do know about her. This is an enjoyable read that not only fleshes out American history, but connects it to the present and reminds us that the past very much underlays everything. It reminds us that the paths we travel might not be the ones we would have chosen but that we can never go wrong by investing in our hearts, our friends, and our communities.
    • 5/5
      Well written and researched.
      Made me want to read more of the true history of the UGR.
    • 3/5
      I knew little about the abolitionist John Brown and his family, so I appreciated the author's research into this unique family. I also felt the two stories, that of 19th-century Sarah Brown and contemporary Eden Anderson, intertwined neatly, resulting in a compelling narrative. That being said, I completed this book wanting something more. In a few scenes, I felt like the revelations were a bit of a letdown for all the buildup and explained entirely too quickly. Overall, an interesting book and likely of interest to those interested in Civil War-era historical fiction.
    • 4/5
      This book uses historical fiction and modern day fiction blended together to tell a beautiful story of two women who's lives connect through an unexpected doll's head found in the cellar of a home. It is fascinating how Sarah McCoy weaves the stories together to tell the story of a very famous event in history... the Harper's Ferry Incident... to bring us face to face with the daughter of John Brown, Sarah, and her quiet but poignant story in the history of our nation. I don't want to give too much away but if you love historical fiction as well as stories with great characters and stories that are messy and imperfect like real life then this is a great read for you. It is not all tied up in a pretty perfect package. It is real people living with hard things and they don't always make the best decisions along the way but there is healing and reconciliation and resolution in surprising ways.
    • 5/5
      When Sarah Brown, daughter of abolitionist John Brown, realizes that her artistic talents may be able to help save the lives of slaves fleeing north, she becomes one of the Underground Railroad’s leading mapmakers, taking her cues from the slave code quilts and hiding her maps within her paintings. She boldly embraces this calling after being told the shocking news that she can’t bear children, but as the country steers toward bloody civil war, Sarah faces difficult sacrifices that could put all she loves in peril.Eden, a modern woman desperate to conceive a child with her husband, moves to an old house in the suburbs and discovers a porcelain head hidden in the root cellar—the remains of an Underground Railroad doll with an extraordinary past of secret messages, danger and deliverance.
    • 4/5
      I am so very torn with this book; it’s really two stories in one as the author ties the present to the past by way of the town in which the novel takes place. The book alternates chapters between the story of Sarah Brown, daughter of the abolitionist John Brown and Eden, a woman living in the current era who likes to whine.I loved the chapters that shared the story of Sarah Brown. This brilliant young woman was unknown to me and I’m glad that I’ve now learned about her. I’m going to try and find something else to read about her. She was strong in her convictions at a time when it was very dangerous to hold them. Ms. McCoy really brings her to life as she grows from a child to a woman.On the other hand Eden, a fictional character doesn’t come across as well. She is selfish and only concerned with how the world has wronged her. Her way of dealing with life just doesn’t ring true to me. I really didn’t care about the chapters that took place in the present. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters in this half of the book. They all seemed a little one note where the historical characters were far more developed.I appreciate the intent to tie the past to the present but for me it just didn’t work. I would have been happier reading a fictionalized tale of Sarah Brown and her life without all of the bits of this and that brought in from the future.Rating: Sections in the past 5, sections in the present 2. Overall rating: 3.5
    • 4/5
      The Mapmaker’s Children spans two centuries with overlapping areas of commonality. But first, we must meet the two women who are the story’s main protagonists: Sarah Brown is an artist and the daughter of abolitionist John Brown. A century and half later, Eden Anderson is starting a new life in West Virginia with her husband Jack. Told in mostly alternating chapters, Sarah’s story occurs in the years between 1859 and 1889. Eden’s story is much more condensed and lot less well developed; it occurs 2010-2014. Sarah’s story could have stood on its own, but the addition of Eden’s and her discovery about the house she lives in succeeds in uniting the two women.When readers first encounter Sarah, she is very sick. The severe dysentery leaves her barren. Eden and Jack have been trying everything to conceive a child for the last seven years.Barely well, Sarah rises from her sick bed upon hearing the voices of her father and two of his most trusted allies. She volunteers to paint landscapes that can be used as maps in their work with the Underground Railroad. She has learned the quilt codes and other means of communicating to the runaway slaves the path to freedom.After her father’s hanging for his instigation of the raid on Harper’s Ferry, the Brown family stays in close contact with the Hill family of New Charlestown, West Virginia. She and one of the Hill sons, Freddy, develop deep feelings for each other. Those feelings grow, but Sarah refuses his proposal due to her infertility. When Jack brings home a new puppy, Eden wants nothing to do with the golden furball. She is considering leaving Jack. Yet is the newly christened Cricket who finds the door to the root cellar. As it is opened for the first time in many years, Eden finds a porcelain doll’s head. As fascinated as she is by the discovery, it becomes a secondary plot in Eden’s sections of the book, yet it is important as it unites Sarah and Eden and the house they both share. The main plot in Eden’s chapters is watching her develop close ties with the neighbor girl, Cleo, whom Jack hires as Cricket’s caretaker.Thankfully neither woman is subjected to a sappy the-doctor-was-wrong-now-and-I’m-pregnant ending. It’s much better.I give The Mapmaker’s Children 4 out of 5 stars.I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.
    • 5/5
      I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour for a fair and honest review and rated it 5 out of 5 stars and gave it a recommended read.What makes a family? Does a family only exist when there are parents and children? Or is family something we each have to define for ourselves? You might think those are strange questions to begin a book review but they’re just some of the questions I asked and answered for myself while reading The Mapmaker’s Children by Sarah McCoy. A beautifully written literary novel, Ms. McCoy’s tale is told by two very different women who were born generations apart. Alternating her characters voices by chapter, Ms. McCoy deals with some very heavy topics; slavery, freedom, human rights, infertility, marriage and family. If you like books that alternate between the past and the present, deal with important and often difficult issues, and make you laugh and then cry, this is a book you’ll want to put at the top of your reading list.Ms. McCoy begins her story by introducing us to a house in New Charlestown, Virginia. A house purchased by a father and son, who plan to “flip” it and make a profit, however as things often happen when family members attempt to do business together feelings get hurt, insults are hurled and the house sat empty for a couple more years. Ms. McCoy then introduces us to the two main characters who will tell us their stories – Sarah Brown, daughter of the famous abolitionist John Brown, and the mapmaker of the book’s title, and Eden Norton, a modern day woman dealing with infertility and a marriage that’s falling apart. While separated by time and circumstance, Eden’s life will forever be changed by what she learns about Sarah. I easily connected with Sarah’s character and found her to be intelligent, brave and determined. I had a harder time connecting to Eden, she was difficult to like at first, but she did grow on me and I eventually found myself equally invested in both women’s story.The secondary characters; Sarah’s family, friends and her “children”, along with Eden’s husband Jack Anderson, her neighbor’s granddaughter Cleo and their neighbors in New Charlestown, were all well developed and contributed a lot to both stories. Ms. McCoy did a good job blending the historical background and events that could have taken place in Sarah’s life and also did a good job with the current timeline. One of my favorite characters of course is “Cricket”, the dog Jack brings home after another attempt at IVF(Invitro) has failed, who brings everyone in the current timeline together.Will Eden discover that there’s more to “family” than blood relations? Will she give Jack, and their marriage another chance? Will Eden and Cleo’s investigation into the history of a doll they discover in the house help them uncover Sarah’s history and what happened to “her children”? You’ll have to read The Mapmaker’s Children to find out, I loved it and can’t wait to read another of Ms. McCoy’s books.
    • 4/5
      Title: The Mapmaker’s Children (A Novel)Author: Sarah McCoyPages: 336Year: 2016Publisher: Broadway BooksMy rating is 4 stars.The Civil War era is a personal favorite of mine to read about either in fiction or nonfiction. For me, this is the first of Sarah McCoy’s books to read. Here she takes readers between two time periods. One is at the time of the Civil War, John Brown and the Underground Railroad. The other is the present day where a married couple is wrestling with infertility and find out the home they now own was once a part of the Underground Railroad.Both Sarah, who is John Brown’s daughter and Eden are trying to find their place in life as women who are unable to bear children. Children are usually expected or desired in marriage and depending on culture, it’s a sign the marriage is successful. Eden’s character is very different by the time the reader reaches the end of the book, which is captivating.Sarah’s story for me was more interesting as it was full of historical scenes and time is taken to develop her story. Eden’s tale happens within a shorter time frame and perhaps because it is more present day I didn’t find it as interesting or captivating. Either the author could have written two separate novels in order to develop Eden’s story better or just shared with reader’s Sarah’s journey. So much more could have been included about the Underground Railroad, John Brown’s life and Sarah’s artistic gift. Overall though the novel was enjoyable and interesting, I will be watching for what the author decides to share with us next! At the end of the book the author shares her pictures and interesting notes from her research.Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”