by Kathleen Grissom
In 1790, Lavinia, a seven-year-old Irish orphan with no memory of her past, arrives on a tobacco plantation where she is put to work as an indentured servant. When she violates the order of plantation society, she unleashes a tragedy that exposes the worst and best in the people she has come to call her family. Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin.
Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk.
The book follows about 15 years of Lavinia's life. I absolutely loved this book. It was hard to put down. I love the character development. The author did a wonderful job and describing each character's personality and evolving them. Definitely recommend.
