Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Awful! Who is the author trying to fool? Mammy was born in the Robillard great house in Savannah and was raised on a pallet in Solange's room. Who is this strange orphan child some French soldier rescues from a massacre in Haiti that the author is trying to pass off as Mammy as a child? Not following the established history of the (supposed) main character of your own novel is really poor form! This novel is touted to be well researched. How is the reader supposed to believe that if the writer couldn't be bothered to learn where his character was born and raised? And how is changing important little facts like Solange's maiden name from Prudhomme to Fournier, and Pierre Robillard's name to Henri going to make these bastardized characters believable or familiar? Beyond the epic failure in research, the writing is really dry and choppy. And tucking in a thousand words in French in 10 pages is not helpful to setting the scene. Yeah, we get it. French people in Haiti fighting with Napoleon to suppress the uprising. Say that! And en englais, sil-vous-plait. Long review short? Bad writing made worse by bad research. If I hadn't received this book as a gift, I would be crying for my money back. As it is, I pity my friend who wasted money on this nonsense only to line the pockets of a really bad writer.