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A review by chrissie_whitley
Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo
3.0
Ellen and William Craft's story is nothing short of extraordinary. In 1848, this enslaved couple made one of the boldest escapes to freedom by disguising themselves: Ellen as a wealthy, disabled white man and William as "his" enslaved companion. Traveling over 1,000 miles through the South by train and steamboat, they narrowly evaded slave traders and military officers, even crossing paths with people who could've exposed them.
Their journey didn't end with their escape, though. Their story captivated this nation, and they became prominent voices in the abolitionist movement. But the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850 sent them fleeing once again, this time out of the country and across the pond. Master Slave Husband Wife captures the courage, love, and resilience of this couple as they navigated their fight for freedom and pioneered a new life for themselves.
A book of halves.
First, the five-star half.
To say that this first half was riveting, nail-biting, and edge-of-your-seat would be an apt description. Woo sketched the backstories, the setting, and the dangers with perfect pacing and clarity. But as their escape neared its end, I grew suspicious about what was left to tell and how it would be delivered. If the pacing had remained consistent throughout, making different structural decisions, this would easily have kept its five-star rating. Unfortunately, my suspicions played out.
Second, the remaining two-and-a-half star half.
Once Ellen and William completed their initial harrowing journey, the second half became uneven, with too much focus on secondary and tertiary figures, leaving me increasingly bored. Additionally, as I chose the audiobook, I was baffled by what prompted the narrators' switches. Their alternating didn't mark any shift in perspective, but rather seemed to follow a set schedule, like a classroom reading session where everyone gets a turn regardless of what's on the page. Ultimately, the second half weighed down the experience, and I found myself thinking that readers might be better off enjoying the first half of the book and turning to Wikipedia for the rest.
Their journey didn't end with their escape, though. Their story captivated this nation, and they became prominent voices in the abolitionist movement. But the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850 sent them fleeing once again, this time out of the country and across the pond. Master Slave Husband Wife captures the courage, love, and resilience of this couple as they navigated their fight for freedom and pioneered a new life for themselves.
A book of halves.
First, the five-star half.
To say that this first half was riveting, nail-biting, and edge-of-your-seat would be an apt description. Woo sketched the backstories, the setting, and the dangers with perfect pacing and clarity. But as their escape neared its end, I grew suspicious about what was left to tell and how it would be delivered. If the pacing had remained consistent throughout, making different structural decisions, this would easily have kept its five-star rating. Unfortunately, my suspicions played out.
Second, the remaining two-and-a-half star half.
Once Ellen and William completed their initial harrowing journey, the second half became uneven, with too much focus on secondary and tertiary figures, leaving me increasingly bored. Additionally, as I chose the audiobook, I was baffled by what prompted the narrators' switches. Their alternating didn't mark any shift in perspective, but rather seemed to follow a set schedule, like a classroom reading session where everyone gets a turn regardless of what's on the page. Ultimately, the second half weighed down the experience, and I found myself thinking that readers might be better off enjoying the first half of the book and turning to Wikipedia for the rest.