A Plantation Mistress on the Eve of the Civil War: The Diary of Keziah Goodwyn Hopkins Brevard, 1860-1861 (Women's Diaries and Letters of the Nineteenth-Century South) [Paperback]

John Hammond Moore (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This diary by a 57-year-old widowed South Carolina plantation owner vividly evokes the mundane concerns of the antebellum plantation period as well as events leading up to the fall of Fort Sumter and the beginning of the Civil War. Skillfully edited by Moore, a chronicler of South Carolina's history and society, the book is the sixth in the publisher's series of diaries and letters by 19th-century Southern women. Keziah's account of her stewardship of a large plantation and her reports on crops, wine-making and weather reflect a keen mind and a capable, independent though spiritually tormented character. Significant, also, are her observations about many of her 200 slaves whose hostility, with the exception of a few favorites, she deplores and whom she considers for the most part a "multitude of half barbarians . . . not prepared for the freedom" advocated by "the rabble of the North." Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: University of South Carolina Press (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570031258
• ISBN-13: 978-1570031250
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #437,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read, June 30, 2011

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Texasgoldengirl - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Plantation Mistress on the Eve of the Civil War: The Diary of Keziah Goodwyn Hopkins Brevard, 1860-1861 (Women's Diaries and Letters of the Nineteenth-Century South) (Paperback)

I would recommend this book. I enjoy reading letters and diaries that take place during this time period, especially those written by women since their voices were rarely heard at the time. I found this to be a captivating read.