All We Were Promised is a compelling and page-turning story of family secrets and abolition in pre-Civil War Philadelphia by an author of color.

All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, Pre-Civil War, Abolition, Anti-Slavery, Racism, Women Supporting Women, Philadelphia

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Summary:

Thanks #NetGalley @RandomHouse #BallantineBooks for a complimentary eARC of #AllWeWerePromised upon my request. All opinions are my own. Pub Date: 4/2/2024

All We Were Promised is a complex and suspenseful, pre-Civil War story told from three perspectives. Charlotte and her father have escaped from a plantation down South. To avoid detection by slave catchers and hide their identities, her father passes as white and Charlotte, who is darker, portrays herself as his servant. Nell is a young black woman of privilege who is passionate about the abolitionist movement. Her path crosses with Charlotte whom she befriends. Evie is a slave who Charlotte knows from her previous life, and Evie’s household is visiting Philadelphia from the plantation. Charlotte and Nell conspire to rescue Evie. This dangerous escape plan is further complicated by race riots and attacks on abolitionists. All their lives are in danger.

My Thoughts

Do you have debut authors of color and diverse reads on your bookshelf?

Historical Events

The author immerses us into 1830s Philadelphia as she introduces us to three young black women navigating the complexities of the “free” north and the polital turmoil of the time. We experience the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society and the 1838 Convention of Anti-Slavery Advocates at Philadelphia Hall (and the fire).

Multi-Layered

I love a complex, multi-layered, page-turning, well-told story! As mentioned in the summary, we are introduced to three young black women who face different challenges but work together to achieve a common goal. The early part of the story spends time introducing us to the three main characters. Eventually, these characters connect and the story’s intensity and suspense accelerate. This is a perfect example of a balanced plot-driven and character-driven story. My very favorite!

Three Perspectives

I appreciate the three perspectives presented in this story: an escaped slave, a current slave, and an abolitionist. Each perspective is compelling and their elaborate and daring plan drives the story’s pace as the story progresses. Each perspective is well-presented and we root for all three women.

Themes

Thought-provoking themes include friendship, women supporting women, passing as white, strong convictions, family loyalty, the complications and complexities of a “free” north, slavery, and racism.

Recommending All We Were Promised

All We Were Promised earned a place on my 2023 Most Memorable Reads of the Year List. I’m enthusiastically recommending this for fans of thoughtful, riveting, well-researched histfic with a side of suspense. This is an impressive debut from Ashton Lattimore, and I look forward to reading more by her. If you enjoy supporting authors of color and thoughtful storytelling, you will want to add this to your TBR.

Star Rating: 5 Stars

Met the Author of All We Were Promised, Ashton Lattimore

Ashton Lattimore is an award-winning journalist and a former lawyer. She is the editor-in-chief at Prism, a nonprofit news outlet by and for communities of color, and her nonfiction writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, Slate, CNN, and Essence. Lattimore is a graduate of Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and Columbia Journalism School. She grew up in New Jersey, and now lives in suburban Philadelphia with her husband and two sons. All We Were Promised is her first novel.

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QOTD:

Is this engaging debut on your TBR?
Do you have a favorite book from a debut author?

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 I’m linking up with Deb @ Deb’s World, Sue @ Women Living Well After 50, Donna @ Retirement Reflections, and Jo @ And Anyways… for the February installment of #WhatsOnYourBookShelfChallenge.

I’m linking up my review today with the #2024NewReleaseChallenge hosted by Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog.

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