Throughout the novel there is a contrast between good and evil,
which is personified by the different slave owners. For example, Rose was raped by Jedidiah
Rogers’ only son Henry Rogers, still in his teens. Rose became pregnant and ordered to be sent
away to have the child which was an embarrassment to the white owners. Rose wanted to stay in her slave quarters at Moss
Grove, a cotton plantation, to have her baby where she was close to people she
knew. However, she was put into a wagon
and taken to the home of Massa Rogers’s kin near Baton Rouge to bear him a
nigger grandchild. The servants treated
her very well, giving Rose her own room and cared for her like family. Immediately after the baby was born, Sarah,
Moss Grove’s Mammy, handed over the baby to the new parents that would care for
him. This broke Rose’s heart. She wanted to keep her son, and despised
Henry for raping her and stealing her innocence.
The arrival of their first grandchild touched Jedidiah and Ruby
deeply, naming him Thaddeus. Jedidiah
and Ruby really didn’t care if the baby was a mixed colored baby living in the
house. Jedidiah felt free to bend the
social mores of Louisiana and the South.
One day, another slave was brought to work at Moss Grove by the
name of Faris. Not only was he used for working
the cotton fields, but also for breeding with Rose. The two wed, without any objections and moved
to their slave hut in Moss Grove. They
had a son named Matthew, who was baptized in the plantation’s small
chapel. There was a real connection
between Faris and Rose; one that would help heal some of her wounds from the
past. Although, she never told Faris
that she was attacked by Henry Rogers.
On January 9th, 1861 the Civil War began. Louisiana and other southern states followed
suit. Within weeks the confederacy had
been officially established with Jefferson Davis as its President. Soon after, Henry married Elizabeth Williams,
which was a small Moss Grove family affair. Shortly after his wedding Henry went to join the war.
Things began to change. Ruby passed away, Jedidiah became very depressed; his son was off to
war, and even Thaddeus had run off to war for a brief time. Faris decided he wanted to be free of Moss
Grove. He wanted to try and find a
better life for himself and his family. Unfortunately,
before he had the chance, Faris was killed and his body brought back for burial
by the militia.
Carole Eglash-Kosoff did a remarkable job capturing universal
human emotions and frailties; whether it's the loving relationship a mother has
with her child that she isn’t permitted to know, the wisdom there can be
happiness in a forbidden interracial relationship, the pain and blame that
haunts a wife when her husband is murdered, or the inability to see others as
they really are. This is a sweeping saga
of the people of the American South, spanning from antebellum to Civil War to
the Reconstruction. The author illustrates the high
purposes for which the South fought the war and also demonstrated the utter
futility of the Southern position and the senseless nature of most conflicts.
This is an incredibly well written book about the death of a
civilization and the struggles to survive in the new era. Carole Eglash-Kosoff successfully incorporates
the primary thoughts of plantation owners, slaves, and visitors in the South to
powerfully illustrate in a straightforward manner what plantation life really
felt like. The dialogue is simply
smashing. The characters are realistic and resonate on a soulfully deep level. She makes you
feel what each character felt, especially the love that Thaddeus and Amy have
for one another; a love which could have them killed. The end of the story isn’t a traditional
happy ending, and you will really feel the strong bond Thaddeus and Amy had for
one another. Carole Eglash-Kosoff makes you feel sympathetic to people with
totally different values from your own, which is by no means an easy feat. When
Stars Align should not be missed, particularly for those who enjoy
historical fiction.
Featured book for the month of June, 2011
