"Can I possibly manage three plantations? What if Mama's health grows worse and Papa is not close by to make decisions? Oh, God, please take away my selfishness and protect my father. Pray protect us as well."
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Water to My Soul:
The Story of Eliza Lucas Pinckney by Pamela Bauer Mueller Pinata Publishing
book review by Sheila M. Trask
Accustomed to the tropical breezes of the West Indies, young Eliza Lucas suddenly finds herself managing colonial plantations in South Carolina in Mueller's fourth historical novel. Set in the mid- 1700s, the story details the life of a soldier's daughter as she meets the challenges of agriculture, economics, politics, and family in her father's absence. Mueller uses excerpts from Pinckney's own journals, which chronicle not only her groundbreaking work growing indigo for dyes in the harsh Carolina climate, but also her personal dramas. Through diary entries and informed descriptions of an 18th century Charles Town, Mueller brings to life a people on the cusp of revolution. Photographs from the South Carolina Historical Society and other sources document the real people and places Mueller describes.
Given the historical expertise Mueller brings to these pages, it is surprising that much of her dialogue resorts to romantic breathlessness as Eliza swoons over a marriage proposal or the scent of jasmine in the air. On one page, Eliza is a capable manager, ridding herself of the scoundrel who would adulterate her precious indigo dye. On the next, she is obsessed with fashion and hairstyles. The different sides of her personality clash somewhat, but perhaps these apparent paradoxes serve only emphasize the complexity of a woman's role in colonial America. Pinckney did indeed have important roles in history, both for her part in creating an economy independent of the British and for mothering sons who went on to serve in the new government of the United States of America.