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The Secrets of Mary Bowser, by Lois Leveen
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“Masterfully written, The Secrets of Mary Bowser shines a new light onto our country’s darkest history.”
—Brunonia Barry, bestselling author of The Lace Reader
“Packed with drama, intrigue, love, loss, and most of all, the resilience of a remarkable heroine….What a treat!”
—Kelly O'Connor McNees, author of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
Based on the remarkable true story of a freed African American slave who returned to Virginia at the onset of the Civil War to spy on the Confederates, The Secrets of Mary Bowser is a masterful debut by an exciting new novelist. Author Lois Leveen combines fascinating facts and ingenious speculation to craft a historical novel that will enthrall readers of women’s fiction, historical fiction, and acclaimed works like Cane River and Cold Mountain that offer intimate looks at the twin nightmares of slavery and Civil War. A powerful and unforgettable story of a woman who risked her own freedom to bring freedom to millions of others, The Secrets of Mary Bowser celebrates the courageous achievements of a little known but truly inspirational American heroine.
- Sales Rank: #71242 in Books
- Published on: 2012-05-15
- Released on: 2012-05-15
- Format: Deckle Edge
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.00" h x 1.12" w x 5.31" l, .81 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 453 pages
Review
“Masterfully written, The Secrets of Mary Bowser shines a new light onto our country’s darkest history. Balancing fire and grace, the story of Mary Bowser is an ethical journey we won’t soon forget, one that takes us from hatred to courage to love.” (Brunonia Barry, bestselling author of The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places)
“The Secrets of Mary Bowser is a good old-fashioned historical novel packed with drama, intrigue, love, loss, and most of all, the resilience of a remarkable heroine who forges her own destiny from the first page. What a treat!” (-Kelly O'Connor McNees, author of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott)
“Deftly balancing history, romance and adventure, Leveen honors the life and historical importance of a brave, resourceful woman.” (Kirkus Reviews)
“Told with clarity, confidence, and courage, The Secrets of Mary Bowser illuminates an untold and important story about slavery, the Civil War, and the role of women in achieving emancipation. A riveting and powerful book.” (Naseem Rakha, internationally bestselling author of The Crying Tree)
“Lois Leveen has written a captivating novel...[she] demonstrates considerable skill bringing the historical period to life. Mary’s world is nuanced and complicated, but the reader is thoroughly drawn into it, never lost. The narrative voice carries with it a seamless authority, rare in novels of this type.” (Oregonian)
“Deftly integrating historical research into this gripping tale of adventure, love, and national conflict, Leveen brings Mary to life and evenhandedly reveals the humanity on both sides of America’s deadliest war.” (Publishers Weekly)
“The Secrets of Mary Bowser is not only fascinating reading, but also historical fiction of the highest caliber.” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
“Author Lois Leveen’s meticulously researched historical fiction is best consumed with sweet tea and a porch swing.” (DailyCandy.com)
“This novel will sweep you into the world of Mary Bowser without making you feel as if you’re sitting in school instead of on the beach.” (Statesman Journal (Oregon))
From the Back Cover
Based on a remarkable true story, The Secrets of Mary Bowser is an inspiring tale of one daring woman's willingness to sacrifice her own freedom to change the course of history
All her life, Mary has been a slave to the wealthy Van Lew family of Richmond, Virginia. But when Bet, the willful Van Lew daughter, decides to send Mary to Philadelphia to be educated, she must leave her family to seize her freedom.
Life in the North brings new friendships, a courtship, and a far different education than Mary ever expected, one that leads her into the heart of the abolition movement. With the nation edging toward war, she defies Virginia law by returning to Richmond to care for her ailing father—and to fight for emancipation. Posing as a slave in the Confederate White House in order to spy on President Jefferson Davis, Mary deceives even those who are closest to her to aid the Union command.
Just when it seems that all her courageous gambles to end slavery will pay off, Mary discovers that everything comes at a cost—even freedom.
About the Author
Award-winning author Lois Leveen's work has appeared in the New York Times, on NPR, and in literary journals and anthologies. A former faculty member at UCLA and Reed College, she lives in Portland, Oregon.
Most helpful customer reviews
108 of 111 people found the following review helpful.
Risking It All For The Cause of Freedom
By Someone Else
Mary Bowser was a real person, a freed slave who spied for the Union during the Civil War. She was highly educated, but played the "ignorant darky," posing as a slave in the home of Confederate president Jefferson Davis. Letting the white people believe she was illiterate allowed her access to the war correspondence on Davis's desk. She had a photographic memory, so she would memorize the information, then convert it to code to be sent north to the Union leaders.
The first half of the book covers Mary's life before the Civil War, first as a slave in Richmond, Virginia, then as a free person in Philadelphia, where she was sent at age 12 for her education. When the war began, she chose to return to Richmond, risking everything to serve the cause of freedom. The second half covers that Civil War period. Mary Bowser was incredibly brave for one so young, working with the Underground Railroad as a teen and then as a spy in her early twenties.
If you like to use fiction to fill in the gaps in your knowledge of history, this book is worth a little patience in the reading. I recommend looking at the bonus material in the back of the book before beginning the novel. It provides valuable context, and there are even some photos of buildings and people important to the story.
Readers who prefer strict adherence to fact in their historical fiction should note that this is an imaginative reconstruction of Mary Bowser's life. Records were not kept of the lives of black people, so the author took what little was known and used her expertise as a historian to fill in the rest. At the back of the book, Leveen does make clear specifically what is known and what had to be imagined.
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful.
A book group must-read
By Christopher Lord
Here's something fresh and new--a Civil War story you've never heard before--and some of it is true.
First-time author Lois Leveen shows in her new novel, The Secrets of Mary Bowser, a freed black woman who, after going north to be educated, returns to the south to serve as a spy in the Confederate White House.
Mary Bowser has lived in Richmond, the property of the Van Lew family, until the aging ingénue of the family, Bet Van Lew, secures Mary's freedom and sends her to Philadelphia to be educated. But in spite of these privileges, Mary has an agenda--freedom for her father, still enslaved in Virginia (by another owner) and, ultimately, freedom for her people. So she puts her freedom at risk, first by becoming involved in the Underground Railroad and then, even more audaciously, returns south to masquerade as a servant in the home of Jefferson Davis.
Leveen, a scholar of African American literature and no dilettante in American history, has wisely left much of her scholarship in her notes, giving us vivid portraits of freed blacks in the north, and the ravages of war-torn Richmond. The opening scenes are rich in detail; later scenes back in Richmond move with the fiery pace of the war itself.
In addition to the first-person narrator of Mary, Leveen creates vivid secondary characters--the rebellious Bet Van Lew, Mary's former mistress; the spy and Underground Railroad Scotsman McNiven; and, perhaps Leveen's most intriguing portrayal, "Queen" Varina Davis, the First Lady of the Confederacy. Mary's insider view of the Confederate White House is compelling, and Leveen handles those scenes with a deft touch.
Since Leveen can't do much with historical reality (this is no alternative history where the South wins the war) or with the real Mary Bowser (about whom little is known), she instead gives Mary a Forrest Gump-like opportunity to stand in the place of the many African Americans who (mostly) anonymously contributed to their freedom from enslavement. There's no surprise at the end of the book, but Leveen gives Mary a final moment that, tailor-made for the movies, is deeply emotionally satisfying.
I would highly recommend The Secrets of Mary Bowser to book groups, and particularly to younger readers as an alternative to those inexplicably popular vampire novels. Mary Bowser is a young woman who feels that fulfillment can only come with freedom, not enslavement, and she puts her life at risk so that she, and others, can achieve it. The message in this novel is one of empowerment. And if your group invites authors to attend in person or by Skype, consider inviting Ms. Leveen, as my group did. We can attest: she's a hoot.
37 of 42 people found the following review helpful.
The best book I've read in months
By Anne M. Hunter
The Mary Bowser in this historical novel grew up as a slave to
northerners living in Richmond, Va, who freed her and sent her north
for schooling. She was bright, stubborn, hardworking, and not afraid
to make really tough choices. Mary only appears in the historical
record a few times, it seems, so that the author has created a plausible
character set against the lead up to the Civil War and the War itself.
Her courage is amazing. I found it surprising that the author was
quite negative about the white woman who freed Mary and her mother,
who also worked hard at enormous risk to get information to the
Union during the War. Perhaps it was to keep the reader focused
on Mary as the hero of this book.
I didn't find this book to be horribly dark, despite the deprivation
and violence, or a hard read. It was a page-turner that I tore
through in just a few days, and I was very sorry when I came to the
end.
Anybody interested in women's history, the Civil War, slavery, or
just looking for a good read would enjoy this book, I believe.
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