Stand the Storm

Stand the Storm

by Breena Clarke (Author)

Synopsis

Even though former slaves Annie Coats and her son Gabriel have managed to buy their freedom, their lives are still marked by constant struggle and sacrifice - to the extent that Annie secretly recalls her days on the plantation with fondness. Washington's Georgetown neighbourhood, where they are seeking to build their new lives - with Gabriel, a tailor, producing uniforms for soldiers and fine suits for pompous politicians, and Annie, a seamstress and laundress, catering to the nearby brothels and stately homes - is supposed to be a safe haven, a 'promised land' for former slaves, but is effectively a frontier town, gritty and dangerous, with no laws protecting black people. In fact, the city's own emancipation efforts in 1862 serve only to compromise the family's status, putting Gabriel's three young daughters (each of them born free of free parents) at risk of becoming the property of the family's former master...

$25.72

Quantity

10 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Edition: Reprint
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 06 Aug 2009

ISBN 10: 0316007056
ISBN 13: 9780316007054
Book Overview: Calling all book clubs! Breena Clarke, whose River, Cross My Heart was a 1999 Oprah pick scores again...She tells the deeply affecting story of a family of freed slaves in an evocative, historically rich book that brings the turbulent Civil War period alive' - Time

Media Reviews
.,. 'Stand the Storm' is a powerful story quietly told. -- The Denver Post Robin Vidimos
Almost a decade later, Stand the Storm is a fulfilling follow-up, written with the same restraint and sensitivity that made her earlier novel such a hit. Krista Walton, Washington City Paper
A gripping novel about a family's heart-wrenching journey out of slavery. Felicia Pride, Baltimore Sun
Clarke again delivers a gripping story and seemingly effortlessly captures the bond between a mother and son and the price of freedom. Ebony
Fans of River, Cross My Heart will instantly recognize the author's poetic sentences and the powerful emotional scenes that leave us breathless. Mika Ono Benedyk, Essence
. .. 'Stand the Storm' is a powerful story quietly told. Robin Vidimos, The Denver Post
Calling all book clubs! Clarke, whose debut novel, River, Cross My Heart, was a 1999 Oprah pick, scores again with this Civil War-era saga, set in Washington. She tells the deeply affecting story of a family of freed slaves in an evocative, historically rich book that brings the turbulent period alive. The author neither averts her eye from, nor sugarcoats the truth about, the uphill struggle for dignity in this gritty town. A- TIME
.. . 'Stand the Storm' is a powerful story quietly told. Robin Vidimos, The Denver Post
Author Bio
Breena Clarke grew up in Washington, DC, and was educated at Webster College and Howard University. Her one previous novel, RIVER, CROSS MY HEART, was a selection of Oprah's Book Club and became an international bestseller.