John Brown's Women: A Novel
By Susan Higginbotham
As the United States wrestles with its besetting sin—slavery—abolitionist John Brown is growing tired of talk. He takes actions that will propel the nation toward civil war and thrust three courageous women into history.
Wealthy Brown, married to John Brown's oldest son, eagerly falls in with her husband's plan to settle in Kansas. Amid clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers, Wealthy's adventure turns into madness, mayhem, and murder.
Fifteen-year-old Annie Brown is thrilled when her father summons her to the farm he has rented in preparation for his raid. There, she guards her father's secrets while risking her heart.
Mary Brown never expected to be the wife of John Brown, much less the wife of a martyr. When her husband's daring plan fails, Mary must travel into hostile territory, where she finds the eyes of the nation riveted upon John—and upon her.
Spanning three decades, John Brown's Women is a tale of love and sacrifice, and of the ongoing struggle for America to achieve its promise of liberty and justice for all.
Trigger Warnings:
Deaths of young children through illness or accidents (not graphically described); implied heavy petting involving a willing minor.
Three women. One man. One cause. To bring freedom to everyone, and to get rid of slavery once and for all. John Brown is the name of the man this book tells the story of, a man who fought until his dying breath to save as many people from a life of slavery as he could.
However, this novel does not show us John’s life through his own eyes, but through three different perspectives instead – his wife, his daughter-in-law, and his daughter. And, through these perspectives, we learn how John changed over the course of his life, how his family grew and his reach expanded until his name was known across the country.
I do so love books that are based on real people because there are so many people who are lost to history, and others who are only known by a selection of people. With books like this, though, people who would otherwise not have known John Brown’s life story, or indeed, those who might not have cared about it, can follow his journey from marrying Mary, to his eventual death. This book puts you in the place of the three women, allowing you to live out their lives within the pages, and to learn as you are engrossed in the story.
After reading this novel, I know for sure that I know more about the ins and outs of the people depicted. This is a book I found vastly interesting to read, and it is one that is both informative and gripping. John’s life was anything but boring, and by finding out about it through those close to him gave an added experience of outside thoughts and opinions. His family supported him to the end, and beyond it, their own views very similar to his. However, I couldn’t help but feel he, at times, asked too much from his family. He asked his sons to follow him into dangerous situations, and, although he was fighting for good, he caused heartbreak on the way. None of the loss is left out of this book, and I felt every loss as if it was my own family.
If you are interested in the life of John Brown, this book is an absolute must. If you are simply curious, then, again, you should read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I feel more knowledgable for it. This book is certainly strong in the portrayal of the characters and historical setting, and I recommend grabbing a copy!
Susan Higginbotham
Susan Higginbotham is the author of a number of historical novels set in medieval and Tudor England and, more recently, nineteenth-century America, including The Traitor's Wife, The Stolen Crown, Hanging Mary, and The First Lady and the Rebel. She and her family, human and four-footed, live in Maryland, just a short drive from where John Brown made his last stand. When not writing or procrastinating, Susan enjoys traveling and collecting old photographs.
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Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club for giving me the opportunity to showcase this novel.
