My Home is Over Jordan by Sandra Forrester

But the small town of Willoughby, North Carolina, where they settle, is not exactly welcoming, and some of the young black men seem as determined to stir up trouble as the belligerent whites are. With the Civil War over, Maddie Henry and her family are free and hope to work their own land. From Kirkus Reviews:Ī sequel to Sound the Jubilee (1995, not reviewed) that does not stand on its own, but which will be welcomed by readers of the first book. Smoothly written and evocative of its time, this book will find a ready audience among history lovers.?Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MAĬopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. Other characters are not as fully developed, but they are believable as people. It is not necessary to have read the previous novel to enjoy this one, but readers are apt to like the heroine so much they will want to read the earlier book as well. Forrester writes with a sure touch, working the historical threads neatly into her story and making Maddie come alive for readers. Maddie herself has much to contend with as she tries to care for a wild orphan girl, considers a marriage proposal, and attempts to earn the money that will enable her to head north to Oberlin College. A home of their own secured, the family finds that there are still plenty of white people who are only too ready to make life difficult, if not impossible, for them. Their path crosses that of another small band of former slaves who tell them of a nearby town where an enlightened plantation owner is willing to sell land to Negroes.

Forced to abandon the home they had made in Roanoke when the white owners returned after the Civil War ended, the Henry family is seeking land that they can farm. Forrester picks up the story of Maddie Henry that she began in Sound the Jubilee (Lodestar, 1995).

My Home is Over Jordan by Sandra Forrester