What I’m Reading: Leaving Coy’s Hill

I am popping in today with an extra book review.  I know many people only read a couple of books a year.   I know they are looking for a great summer read.  I think I might have found the book for you.  I wanted to let you know about it as summer is slipping away.

I was on Hoopla the other day and was looking for a book.  I was hoping to find a good one…a really good one.  It’s been a long time since I have been deeply engaged in a book.  Sure, I’ve had some I liked…some that were good, but not one that was crazy good.

The first book that was featured was this book, Leaving Coy’s Hill by Katherine A. Sherbrooke.  I read the description and thought, yep, I’ll try this one.  The description said it was about Woman’s Suffrage.  I have plans to go with my friend Doreen to an upcoming play about Woman’s Suffrage so I thought this would be perfect.

What did I think?  I loved it.  The book was the perfect mix of triumph and tragedy.  It was a story of strong determination and perseverance to fight for a person’s beliefs.  It was a story about working to fix the wrongs of the world.  It was also a story of dealing with life’s blows and still standing strong.  I loved the book.

Here is what Amazon had to say: “Born on a farm in 1818, Lucy Stone dreamt of extraordinary things for a girl of her time, like continuing her education beyond the eighth grade and working for the abolitionist cause, and of ordinary things, such as raising a family of her own. But when she learns that the Constitution affords no rights to married women, she declares that she will never marry and dedicates her life to fighting for change.

At a time when it is considered promiscuous for women to speak in public, Lucy risks everything for the anti-slavery movement, her powerful oratory mesmerizing even her most ardent detractors as she rapidly becomes a household name. And when she begins to lecture on the “woman question,” she inspires a young Susan B. Anthony to join the movement. But life as a crusader is a lonely one. 

When Henry Blackwell, a dashing and forward-thinking man, proposes a marriage of equals, Lucy must reconcile her desire for love and children with her public persona and the legal perils of marriage she has long railed against. And when a wrenching controversy pits Stone and Anthony against each other, Lucy makes a decision that will impact her legacy forever.

Based on true events, Leaving Coy’s Hill is a timeless story of women’s quest for personal and professional fulfillment within society’s stubborn constraints. And as an abolitionist and women’s rights activist fighting for the future of a deeply divided country, Lucy Stone’s quest to live a life on her own terms is as relevant as ever. In this “propulsive,” “astonishing,” and “powerful” story, Katherine Sherbrooke brings to life a true American heroine for a new generation.”

Amazon readers gave the book 4.8 stars.  I think I’m going to agree.  The book was wonderful.  The thing that I think was lacking in the book is that there was not an author’s note at the end.  I wondered if the book was based on truth or a completely fictional story.  I wondered if the book was true, where did the author find the information.  Was the book based on letters?  When authors write about stories based on fiction, I really appreciate an author’s note explaining these types of things.  On Amazon’s page, it does say, “based on the remarkable life of pioneering feminist and abolitionist Lucy Stone”.  That’s all we get.  I was wishing for more.

Still, it doesn’t deter from the story of the book, fact or fiction, it is still a good book.

You can find the book HERE on Amazon.