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Cover of HEIRESSES
4.80

Based on 5 Goodreads ratings

HEIRESSES

by virtue of their wealth, became sought\u002Dafter wives by men of all classes. These heiresses owned, managed, or had financial interests in plantations that depended on slave labor, which the women were well aware of and condoned. All, Kaufmann asserts, willfully disregarded the suffering their fortunes depended on. Drawing on family papers, letters, diaries, and portraits, Kaufmann offers richly detailed biographies of the women, along with many of the men and women whom they enslaved. She depicts the back\u002Dbreaking labor required of plantation workers, their degrading living conditions, and the abuse they suffered at the hands of owners, overseers, lawyers, and governors. She depicts, as well, those who rebelled: Betsy Newton, for example, one of 400 enslaved people on a sugar plantation in Barbados, who traveled to London to petition for freedom for herself and her children. The heiresses profiled, Kaufmann reveals, are only a small number of at least 150 other women whose marriages brought wealth to Britain. And plantation owners were only part of the nation’s profiteering from slavery: Britons “invested in slaving voyages, either through direct ownership or by becoming shareholders. Some insured the ships.” Others provided manacles and guns. Importers bought sugar, rum, coffee, and tobacco produced by enslaved workers. Kaufmann discovered that some of her own ancestors were involved in trafficking Africans\u003B two family members were Liverpool slavers. She hopes, through this examination of Caribbean women, to raise awareness of the web of connections to slavery throughout Georgian Britain—connections that persist into the present—and to begin a process of making amends."

Book Details

Publisher:Of
Published:2024-01-01
Format:paperback
Language:English
ISBN:9781639368

Reading Info

Age Range:12-18

About This Book

This gripping novel plunges readers into the glittering, cutthroat world of ultra-wealthy teenage girls, where immense fortunes and family legacies dictate every friendship and rivalry. The story fol...

Our Review

This gripping novel plunges readers into the glittering, cutthroat world of ultra-wealthy teenage girls, where immense fortunes and family legacies dictate every friendship and rivalry. The story follows a group of young heiresses navigating the treacherous social landscape of elite boarding schools and high-society galas, where every interaction is a calculated move in a high-stakes game. Beneath the surface of designer clothes and lavish parties, the narrative masterfully explores the intense pressure of living up to a famous name and the heavy burden of inheritance.

What sets this young adult drama apart is its sharp, unflinching look at the loneliness and expectations that come with extreme privilege, making it far more than a simple tale of glamour. Teen readers who devour complex character studies and stories about friendship, betrayal, and forging one's own identity will be instantly captivated. The author delivers a potent and thought-provoking page-turner that questions the true cost of a life where everything—and nothing—is handed to you.

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