Review: "Edenland" by Wallace King

This was an exciting historical fiction. The setting is the beginning of the Civil War in the south. It starts in the Great Dismal, a terrifying swamp. Here, Bledsoe, a runaway slave, finds himself lost and scared. Although his father was the master of the plantation, his mother was a slave condemning him to a live a life of servitude. He meets Birdy as she is burning down her decrepit log cabin with an old woman in it. Her dress accidently catches on fire and he helps to extinguish it but then flees because he thinks she is a murderer. Birdy is an Irish orphan who was adopted by the old woman after her mother passed away. She lives in squalor and is forced to help the old woman conjure up spells and rob her neighbors. Both are outcasts from a hypocritical society that will neither accept nor help them. Bledsoe reluctantly joins with Birdy to try and find their way north.

Ms. King does a wonderful job of character development. Although Bledsoe and Birdy are strangers in the beginning, by allowing me glimpses into their past and present lives and experiencing their emotions, I began to commiserate with them and was routing for their success at the end. Also, on a deeper level, this story points out the cruelness of society. If you were not of the wealthy class, you were completely overlooked as if you didn’t exist. Even if you were outside of polite society, there were lines that could not be crossed without severe consequences for both.

This book can be read and enjoyed by young teen readers to adults who like historical fiction. It is strictly a story that allows a glimpse into southern attitudes. It is a great story to take to the beach or poolside and get lost in the past.

I requested and received this book for review from NetGalley.