MY REVIEW OF “TROUBLE THE WATER’ by Jacqueline Friedland

Kudos to Jacqueline Friedland , Author of “Trouble the Water” for writing such an intriguing,  intense, captivating, and riveting novel. I love the vivid descriptions of the times, the landscape and colorful cast of characters. The Genres for this novel are Historical Fiction, Fiction, with an essence of Romantic Adventure. The timeline for the story is about twenty years before the Civil War, taking place in Charleston, and England. The story centers around the time of American Slavery, the early Abolitionist  movement and the Underground  Railroad.

The author describes her characters as complicated and complex. Douglas Elling is a wealthy British, serious, and  aloof widower, now residing in Charleston. His wife and young daughter perished in a fire that is suspect as retribution against Douglas for his beliefs. Douglas lives in a mansion with lots of space.

Abigail Milton is seventeen years old,  living in England,and her once middle class parents are now in poverty. Her parents send  Abigal to live at Douglas’ house and work with a governess . Abigail’s father is friends with Douglas. The parents are hoping that Abigal will benefit, and they can recover their losses.

Both Abigail and Douglas come from England, and aren’t familiar with slavery. The wealthy neighbors have slaves and don’t treat them well. The wealthy in Charleston are having parties and balls. Abigail  has left secrets and betrayals behind and is having difficulty showing trust.  She is  having a difficult time adjusting to the new way of life. The author has a wonderful way of describing the homes and fashion of the times.

There are twists and turns and some tense dangerous events. There is deception and lies. In Charleston, for those people who feel that there should be freedom, there can be devastating consequences. I recommend this wonderful novel for those readers who appreciate Historical Fiction.