Mustard Seed

If I skip over the fervour of the author 's religious beliefs that are generously introduced throughout this book and one particularly long American history lesson, then I can honestly say that I found it interesting. However, it wasn't quite as an enjoyable read as the "Yellow Crocus" or the "Purple Wisteria". The characters are credible even though there are so many intertwined relationships to follow. At least the book was well-researched and informative.

4.5 stars This book follows on from Yellow Crocus but is set a few years later, after the Civil War. Lisbeth decides to visit her family after a letter from her mother to tell her that her father is dying. Unknown to her, Mattie and her daughter Jordan visit at the same time, to try to persuade Sarah to leave. I found the book a little slower to engage me than Yellow Crocus but once it did, it was a great story. I had assumed that slavery stopped with the emancipation legislation. Plantation owners were their own law and they still bought and sold their workers. There were some exciting scenes in the book and it built to a great ending. Very worthwhile reading.

This book is every bit as good as the first. It was really good to follow on to the next stage in the characters lives. You are certainly kept on the edge of your seat not knowing what is going to happen next. It is certainly hard to read about man's cruelty to another human being. Looking forward to reading the next installment the series.

Just finished the book Mustard Seed. Just like the yellow crocus I could not put it down. The author has such a way of writing - conjuring up the feeling, emotions, the atmosphere between Ohio and Virginia, where even the ending of slavery, the South platation owners could not and would not change their views and any exslave still living on in their homes on the plantations were still treated as slaves even though they where technically free. These slaves were uneducated, those who were born on the plantations and mid aged to elderly people who were either too scared to leave and worried about how they would survive outside of the plantations. In places this book was harrowing, in others frustrated because Jordon, Matti and Samual could not get any information regarding Sarah's two girls who where taken from their Mum Sarah and sold on in Carolina. Elizabeth and Mattie regain the closeness they once shared and they all become stronger for it. I would say this book is just as good as Yellow Crocus and I would recommend reading both this book and Yellow Crocus. I have just pre-ordered the next book Golden Poppies which comes out in May 2020. These books give a good insight into how those who were slaves where treated and those who owned these enslaved people viewed them. and I believe there where worse plantation owners as well.

I read it as a sequel to Yellow Crocus so already familiar with the main characters. Without that background I would have struggled to understand the story. As it was I found that I needed to stop and think about who was who. Good story and told part of the reality of what was happening in the southern states after the emancipation of slavery - which apparently was not the freedom history teaches. Well done the writer!

This sequel to Yellow Crocus is good where it continues the first tale but also flawed. It dwells too much on the first book story going over and over it. It also has a lot of preachy religious content unlike the first book.

Gorgeous follow on book and so well written - parts of it had my stomach in knots. Very talented writer

What a wonderful book, sequel to The Yellow Crocus. It is appalling to think that so many people had to endure the suffering of slavery, and there is still so much suffering going on. This inspiring book is very recommended

This is not the sort of book I usually read but I thought it was a wonderful story and very well written. It was very informative for me as well about conditions for the slaves who were supposed to be free and how difficult life was for them. Well worth reading.

Amazing combo of facts and fiction.. it has been long since a book enchanted me so much.a must read for people who want to get a glimpse of past

I AM THERE. It’s difficult for me to describe my feelings right now, what is possessing my mind as I begin this novel. The characters, good or not-so-good, have in a few moments become intimate friends. And I am THERE, in 1868 America, experiencing the inner lives of former slaves, their children and families, and the inner lives of honest and caring people with no slavery background but life-forming connections. ALTERNATING FIRST PERSON, THIRD PERSON narration blends into an easy flow, keeping me present with the characters. I've rarely felt so much a part of folks like these and cheering for them, even praying for them. I know that sounds weird since they're fictitious; and if not fictional, they're no longer living. But yes, they are living in today's world and folks. CARING ABOUT THE CHARACTERS. Jordan Freedman, 19 years old, is a teacher in a racially diverse one-room elementary school. Her family'a heritage is being slaves. You got to love her and sympathize with her devotion to her students: “God, help me to be a worthy guide for these hearts, souls, and minds. Amen.” Lisbeth, 30-years-old, was born into the privileged class in the antebellum South fo slave-owners. Her beloved nurse from babyhood is Mattie, Jordan’s mother. All these women develop a bond deeper than just being friends. But that bond is tested when Lisbeth returns to her former home, a plantation in Virginia. There she faces smothering animosity from her Confederate family who feel she betrayed them by marrying an abolitionist. TENSE AND TENDER PLOT. So too Jordan and her mother Mattie return to their former home. They want to save their family who still are being oppressed by their former owners and other whites. Will young Jordan and Mattie be able to bring some liberation for their beloved family? This is both a tense and tender novel as both families seek to come to terms with the past and free themselves from lingering hatred and present fractures. The author writes from her in-depth research plus her own background as founder and director of Woolsey Children’s School. Both her heart and experience enrich this amazing story she shares. I’m sure this book's people will invade my emotions for many years to come, as it likely will yours. I look forward to reading more books by this very human and skilled author.

Mustard seed è il proseguimento della storia di "il primo fiore di zafferano". Dopo la guerra civile Lisbeth e Mattie oramai stabilite in Ohio decidono inconsapevolmente l'una dall'altra di ripartire per la Virginia: Elisabeth per raggiungere il padre morente; Mattie per rintracciare e salvare il resto della sua famiglia rimasta alla piantagione .......non aggiungo altro perché la storia è assolutamente da assaporare passo per passo, altrettanto meravigliosa ed emozionante come il primo libro. Adoro la grande sensibilità e semplicità in cui questa scrittrice rappresenta fatti e personaggi. Non credo purtroppo che il libro sia stato tradotto in italiano, lo consiglio però vivamente a tutti coloro che comprendono la lingua inglese.

This book is so well written! It is the 2nd book in a series by this author. Character & plot development are so well done, you'd think the author herself experienced life during & after the civil war in the U.S. regarding slavery. Both sides of the civil war suffered greatly of course, and families were split apart. I never realized just how heroic were efforts required for former slaves to get free and make a life for themselves. I felt the emotions of the characters. I im am now on the 3rd book in this series.. Laila is my new favourite author.