Customer Reviews

The Incomparable Miss Brady

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This book was written in 1980, a long time ago but not far enough in the past to understand why the author chose to have the American heroine visit London and Paris with her slave in tow. At the beginning of the book this was excused by the heroine explaining "Joshua is as well off as any paid servant - better than most, in fact, for he was born into our family and is tied as much by bonds of affection as any notion of servitude." I almost threw the book away at that point, but persevered thinking maybe there was a sub-story of redemption here. Not a chance. The issue of slavery was never addressed and the character was a minor one. He is supposed to be pleased by the clothes she dresses him in, and the book occasionally mentions the "Negro" or the "Black" in reference to him.

In the course of the tale, the heroine rallies to the cause of prostitutes, servants who became pregnant, and street waifs. Never does she confront her criminality in owning a slave. The attitude of the author seems to be one of pure and simple racism. At the end of the book the young man (he is always referred to as a "boy" but is old and strong enough to drive a pair of horses and seems to be at least 18) is hurt when his mistress is abducted and he is distraught, wondering "...who was to care for him if she didn't come back!"

My conclusion is though accurate as to the truth some Americans owned slaves in Regency times, this sort of attitude is unacceptable today. I will never buy a book by this author again, and I urge you to avoid her as well.