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The Secrets of Mary Bowser, by Lois Leveen
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Review
“Masterfully written, The Secrets of Mary Bowser shines a new light onto our country’s darkest history. Balancing fire and grace, the story of Mary Bowser is an ethical journey we won’t soon forget, one that takes us from hatred to courage to love.” (Brunonia Barry, bestselling author of The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places)“The Secrets of Mary Bowser is a good old-fashioned historical novel packed with drama, intrigue, love, loss, and most of all, the resilience of a remarkable heroine who forges her own destiny from the first page. What a treat!” (-Kelly O'Connor McNees, author of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott)“Deftly balancing history, romance and adventure, Leveen honors the life and historical importance of a brave, resourceful woman.” (Kirkus Reviews)“Told with clarity, confidence, and courage, The Secrets of Mary Bowser illuminates an untold and important story about slavery, the Civil War, and the role of women in achieving emancipation. A riveting and powerful book.” (Naseem Rakha, internationally bestselling author of The Crying Tree)“Lois Leveen has written a captivating novel...[she] demonstrates considerable skill bringing the historical period to life. Mary’s world is nuanced and complicated, but the reader is thoroughly drawn into it, never lost. The narrative voice carries with it a seamless authority, rare in novels of this type.” (Oregonian)“Deftly integrating historical research into this gripping tale of adventure, love, and national conflict, Leveen brings Mary to life and evenhandedly reveals the humanity on both sides of America’s deadliest war.” (Publishers Weekly)“The Secrets of Mary Bowser is not only fascinating reading, but also historical fiction of the highest caliber.” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)“Author Lois Leveen’s meticulously researched historical fiction is best consumed with sweet tea and a porch swing.” (DailyCandy.com)“This novel will sweep you into the world of Mary Bowser without making you feel as if you’re sitting in school instead of on the beach.” (Statesman Journal (Oregon))
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From the Back Cover
Based on a remarkable true story, The Secrets of Mary Bowser is an inspiring tale of one daring woman's willingness to sacrifice her own freedom to change the course of historyAll her life, Mary has been a slave to the wealthy Van Lew family of Richmond, Virginia. But when Bet, the willful Van Lew daughter, decides to send Mary to Philadelphia to be educated, she must leave her family to seize her freedom.Life in the North brings new friendships, a courtship, and a far different education than Mary ever expected, one that leads her into the heart of the abolition movement. With the nation edging toward war, she defies Virginia law by returning to Richmond to care for her ailing father—and to fight for emancipation. Posing as a slave in the Confederate White House in order to spy on President Jefferson Davis, Mary deceives even those who are closest to her to aid the Union command.Just when it seems that all her courageous gambles to end slavery will pay off, Mary discovers that everything comes at a cost—even freedom.
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Product details
Paperback: 453 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (May 15, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780062107909
ISBN-13: 978-0062107909
ASIN: 0062107909
Product Dimensions:
5.3 x 1.1 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.6 out of 5 stars
484 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#27,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
For years I have been intrigued by Mary Elizabeth Bowser, the freed black women who agreed to become a slave in the household of Jefferson Davis in order to spy for the North. What a find when I read in LIAR, TEMPTRESS, SOLDIER, SPY by Karen Abbott and in Elizabeth R. Varon’s book, SOUTHERN LADY, YANKEE SPY, that the elusive, savvy Bowser had multiple aliases. Since then I have found documentation of her activities in several historical novels.Lois Leveen appears to have unearthed the most recent findings on this spy’s life. Last night as I finished reading her page-turning novel, THE SECRETS OF MARY BOWSER, I felt I had been eyewitness to the inner lives of the families who endured the hardships of war as well as the battle strategies and atrocities on the battlefields. The unjust, inhumane treatment of slaves in the South and free blacks in the North is not glossed over.This author skillfully pictures the inner lives and turmoil of the blacks as well as their determination to never give up their fight to be free. It’s not always a pretty picture…more of an eye-opener to many of us far removed from the black/white struggles. Still it’s a story of undaunted courage and written so well it’s hard to believe it’s a first novel.I recommend this book to all who like historical novels, especially Civil War tales. I also recommend it to those writers who study the well-crafted novels of others in order to improve their own skills. (I am in that camp!)_Hope Irvin Marston, author of AGAINST THE TIDE: THE VALOR OF MARGARET WILSON
I absolutely LOVED this book!! About a year ago I read Liar, Temptress, Soldier Spy, (I believe the author is Karen Abbott), which is nonfiction about women spies during the Civil War. It profiles 2 from the North & 2 from the South & is an outstanding book. I never knew there were women spies as well as women who fought in the war disguised as men. When I saw this book as a special offer on bookbub.com since I loved the other one so much I had to get it. It is so well written! I felt as if Mary Bowser was sitting across from me in my living room telling me her story. I could hardly put it down! Yes, some of it is fictionalized but the main characters & many events are true. When I got to where Mary goes to work for Jefferson Davis I knew I had read about her & Bet (Elizabeth Van Lew) in the other book. I had forgotten their names but remembered the situation, which made it all the more compelling. Now I am going to reread that one. Plus, it is so thought provoking & equally compelling to read about those times from the perspective of the slaves just like in Ginny Dye's Bregdan Chronicles. She tells those times from several different perspectives, which has altered how I think about them then as well as situations & attitudes now. That is also an outstanding, highly recommended series.I have gotten way more interested in the Civil War the past year or so. It began 25 yrs ago with the Ken Burns series The Civil War on PBS but stopped there. I was so glad that was recently rereleased now that my interest has grown. Also I have found Confederate Civil War records of some of my ancestors, which really drew me in. I've read several excellent books on the Civil War & The Secrets of Mary Bowser will certainly always be among my favorites. I especially loved the last sentence! What a great way to end the book!
Here's something fresh and new--a Civil War story you've never heard before--and some of it is true.First-time author Lois Leveen shows in her new novel, The Secrets of Mary Bowser, a freed black woman who, after going north to be educated, returns to the south to serve as a spy in the Confederate White House.Mary Bowser has lived in Richmond, the property of the Van Lew family, until the aging ingénue of the family, Bet Van Lew, secures Mary's freedom and sends her to Philadelphia to be educated. But in spite of these privileges, Mary has an agenda--freedom for her father, still enslaved in Virginia (by another owner) and, ultimately, freedom for her people. So she puts her freedom at risk, first by becoming involved in the Underground Railroad and then, even more audaciously, returns south to masquerade as a servant in the home of Jefferson Davis.Leveen, a scholar of African American literature and no dilettante in American history, has wisely left much of her scholarship in her notes, giving us vivid portraits of freed blacks in the north, and the ravages of war-torn Richmond. The opening scenes are rich in detail; later scenes back in Richmond move with the fiery pace of the war itself.In addition to the first-person narrator of Mary, Leveen creates vivid secondary characters--the rebellious Bet Van Lew, Mary's former mistress; the spy and Underground Railroad Scotsman McNiven; and, perhaps Leveen's most intriguing portrayal, "Queen" Varina Davis, the First Lady of the Confederacy. Mary's insider view of the Confederate White House is compelling, and Leveen handles those scenes with a deft touch.Since Leveen can't do much with historical reality (this is no alternative history where the South wins the war) or with the real Mary Bowser (about whom little is known), she instead gives Mary a Forrest Gump-like opportunity to stand in the place of the many African Americans who (mostly) anonymously contributed to their freedom from enslavement. There's no surprise at the end of the book, but Leveen gives Mary a final moment that, tailor-made for the movies, is deeply emotionally satisfying.I would highly recommend The Secrets of Mary Bowser to book groups, and particularly to younger readers as an alternative to those inexplicably popular vampire novels. Mary Bowser is a young woman who feels that fulfillment can only come with freedom, not enslavement, and she puts her life at risk so that she, and others, can achieve it. The message in this novel is one of empowerment. And if your group invites authors to attend in person or by Skype, consider inviting Ms. Leveen, as my group did. We can attest: she's a hoot.
Lincoln, Grant, Lee, Jefferson Davis no matter North nor South these names are universally known. Who among North and South can recite Bowser, Van Lew and know with certainty that these were among the names that shaped the destiny of a nation. This rendition of history is intimate, accurate as to detail, telling of the climate and emotions of a nation.In the 21st century this novel can give understanding of a long and arduous struggle within the US that is still unwinding. Perhaps, with insight we can all empathize and help mend a people.
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