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The Loom [Paperback]

Shella Gillus
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (125 customer reviews)

List Price: $14.99
Price: $10.57 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Book Description

December 1, 2011
Lydia knew her fate. Like every other slave on the Maryland plantation, her life would end at the loom...

Throughout the pre-Civil War South, older slaves too worn out for anything else worked daily in the plantation's loom room, weaving and creating cloth for their families. Tucked away out of sight and forgotten by most everyone, the wisdom and hard-won experience of these slaves were often overlooked. But Lydia, a light-skinned house slave, listens to their words and dreams of a better life.

When running away leads to her recapture, Lydia discovers that with her pale skin, the right clothing, and pretense, she can walk into a world of freedom and wealth she has only dreamed of.

But Lydia struggles to leave behind the man she loves and the culture of a world in which she belongs. Drawing on the wise community in the plantation's loom room, Lydia chases freedom in a way no one ever expected and finds that she ultimately must choose between the love she has and the life she doesn't.

The Loom is a colorful tale of love linked to a lie and the discovery that life is not always black or white.


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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Shella Gillus received a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Arizona and earned her Screen Actor's Guild card while working in the film industry in Los Angeles. She has been crowned Miss Black Heritage and 1st runner-up Miss Black Arizona, and has done national media. The Loom is her fiction debut. She lives with her husband, Stacey, and their two children in Dallas.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 312 pages
  • Publisher: Guideposts (December 1, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0824948165
  • ISBN-13: 978-0824948160
  • Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.7 x 8.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (125 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
54 of 58 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Novel from the Old South December 15, 2011
Format:Paperback
Have you ever read a book and took your time with it? I recently received a book by Shella Gillus called, The Loom. And believe me, take my time is exactly what I did with this. It is a book that deals with some interesting plots and I can't wait to tell you about it. It will change the way you think about some things.

This is a book that is somewhat different. I haven't read many from a black persons point of view. But I found it to be eye opening. It opens with a girl trying to escape to freedom. She makes it a ways away and then gets caught and brought back. This is very sad as it shows her viewpoint of the light of freedom and then being captured. I think some authors use the slavery plight as a guilt trip, but Shella does not do that. She shows the facts as they were, in a blunt but true fashion.

I felt bad for Caroline and I wanted to slap her husband. I know that many times back then, this is how things played out, but it still didn't make it any easier. This book deals with so many aspects and this one is one of the major ones. I know the book doesn't portray it as major but to me, it was a big part of the book. The awful feeling of knowing you no longer have your husbands affection. Then when she blows up at him and everything goes back to normal. How could he?

Sadie is the young girl who tries escaping in the beginning but then she is brought back to the plantation. She gets much wisdom from the older women who work in the Loom Room. These are the women who can't work in the fields anymore or are injured too badly. She and her young man are very sweet together and I had a hard time not crying at different parts. They so badly want freedom and yet it is kept from them.

Overall this is a good book that will make you think. This is not a light romance that you will smile at and be happy when it is done. This will push your thinking towards other things. Excellent plot and well written!

I received a copy of this book for review purposes. I did not receive any monetary compensation. All thoughts are 100% mine.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Lacking Something. July 5, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I never read a book so all over the place. I had to keep backtracking just to keep up. To many Subplots just not believeable for the time period. I've just read better.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved It January 21, 2012
By Queen
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Once I began reading, I couldn't put it down! A compelling and heart wrenching story of love and redemption during a horrific time in our history! I hope this book gets as much hype and attention as other books that have reached a mainstream audience!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars heartbreaking.
when you decide to read this book, be ready for an awesome adventure. it is well written and quite enjoyable.
Published 2 days ago by gladys cross
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read
I enjoyed The Loom and will be recommending it to others to read; reading books such as this is a great reminder of how far we have come and how much our ancestors endured; I will... Read more
Published 15 days ago by Tiffany Fordfields
4.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Pass
This was a story of slave (Lydia) who skin was so light, she could pass for white. She was so pale she could have passed as her mistresses sister. Read more
Published 19 days ago by L. Rutledge
1.0 out of 5 stars Difficult to read.
Not much character development. The story doesn't flow well. You are suddenly in the middle of a situation and never know what happened or how you go there. Read more
Published 26 days ago by Phyllis Evans
4.0 out of 5 stars Great concept
Gillis' "The Loom" is beautifully written, much like poetry on many pages; the characters are well rounded for the most part; but there were FAR too many subplots and several... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jo Lane
1.0 out of 5 stars disappointed
The book discription didn't follow what the story was. It was as if the discription was for a part two as she didn't have a kid nor did she marry the white guy (you don't even know... Read more
Published 1 month ago by faith
4.0 out of 5 stars The Life of a Slave
I loved this novel. It tells of the life of a slave in the Old South through the mouth of a house slave.
However, I have two negatives. Read more
Published 1 month ago by amazin
2.0 out of 5 stars The gloom of reading this book
I got this book from the library and began to read of a slave. A forward thinking slave who despite her misfortune of being owned and worked to the bone is forward thinking. Read more
Published 1 month ago by BookDevour
3.0 out of 5 stars Good, But Loses Steam
The Loom focuses on Lydia -- a slave with light skin who yearns for freedom, and, initially, is willing to do whatever it takes to get to that point. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Zagain
5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond Interesting
This was quite the book. I'd like to write something intelligent and swaying about it but all I can honestly say is read it and try to absorb it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Empath02919
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