There are a lot of scathing reviews about this book being revisionist in terms of how Eliza Lucas managed the people who were enslaved on her family's plantation. One review I peeked at even called this book "slavery apologist," and, sure: if I'm looking at this book with historical fiction scrutiny and through my social justice lens, maybe I'd feel that way. However, I wasn't looking through that lens as I read this, because I don't always read to judge for those sorts of things.

I liked the way this book was written, I enjoyed how the author chose to portray Lucas as a young woman with a strong mind to do what she thought was right/best in her father's absence, as she was left in charge; and then to do what was right later by freeing those enslaved by her family. I loved how the author chose to have Eliza relate memories to smells and dreams. Plus, the indigo process and botany stuff was interesting.

There was a ton of emphasis in this story on how supposedly important it was at the time for a woman to marry and be taken care of, how women were still so very limited in what they could do and who they could be. That got to be pretty gross, at times, but the way Eliza handled these matters was excellent for someone her age at that time.