Publication date UK format 15/2/22 audio time 9hrs 18m book 304 pages
I would like to thank the author, publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to pick this to read and review all my reviews are honest.
Synopsis
Already excerpted in the New Yorker, Black Cloud Rising is a compelling and important historical novel that takes us back to an extraordinary moment when enslaved men and women were shedding their bonds and embracing freedomBy fall of 1863, Union forces had taken control of Tidewater, Virginia, and established a toehold in eastern North Carolina, including along the Outer Banks. Thousands of freed slaves and runaways flooded the Union lines, but Confederate irregulars still roamed the region. In December, the newly formed African Brigade, a unit of these former slaves led by General Edward Augustus Wild--a one-armed, impassioned abolitionist--set out from Portsmouth to hunt down the rebel guerillas and extinguish the threat. From this little-known historical episode comes Black Cloud Rising, a dramatic, moving account of these soldiers--men who only weeks earlier had been enslaved, but were now Union infantrymen setting out to fight their former owners. At the heart of the narrative is Sergeant Richard Etheridge, the son of a slave and her master, raised with some privileges but constantly reminded of his place. Deeply conflicted about his past, Richard is eager to show himself to be a credit to his race. As the African Brigade conducts raids through the areas occupied by the Confederate Partisan Rangers, he and his comrades recognize that they are fighting for more than territory. Wild's mission is to prove that his troops can be trusted as soldiers in combat. And because many of the men have fled from the very plantations in their path, each raid is also an opportunity to free loved ones left behind. For Richard, this means the possibility of reuniting with Fanny, the woman he hopes to marry one day. With powerful depictions of the bonds formed between fighting men and heartrending scenes of sacrifice and courage, Black Cloud Rising offers a compelling and nuanced portrait of enslaved men and women crossing the threshold to freedom.
My Review
This novel has a really good story line that I thoroughly enjoyed. I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrator who really brought out the wonderful atmosphere and tension that the author created. I felt so much emotion while reading this book. It covers its a rather controversial subject at that time period and I thought the novel did an amazing job at bringing out the race struggled faced in this time period. This book was well written and I just loved learning about the struggles and injustices faced in history and I applaud the author for this. There was plenty of action throughout this book that at times I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next.
Many thanks to the author and publishers for bringing us this very interesting and thought provoking novel that I really enjoyed reading.
Where you can buy this book
Amazon US K $9.45, AUDIBLE, PB $9.99
Waterstones HC £19.99
B&N HC $27.00 N $20.49 , AUDIOBOOK
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-cloud-rising-david-wright-falade/1139847189?ean=9780802159199
Amazon UK K £20.55 PB £12.51
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HAPPY READING
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