Plantation Life

(Updated November 2004)

Over the years, Wolfner's Reader Advisors have noticed quite an interest in books about plantation life. So for all of you who love Scarlett O'Hara, here is a comprehensive list, reviewed by Reader Advisor Brandon Kempf, of novels set on plantations. And to expand your horizons, it includes more than the usual eighteenth century plantations of the American South. There are stories of various tropical sugar plantations, a timber plantation in Guyana, a tea plantation in Sri Lanka, an Amazon rubber plantation, and even some modern plantations!

To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our OPAC. Happy Reading!

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Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner.
RC 27313, BR 7218.
The rise and fall of a nineteenth century Southern family is reconstructed by several narrators with differing views. A Southern gentleman founds a plantation and attempts to found a dynasty, but fails because he cannot see that human values are superior to social mores.

Alex Haley's Queen: The Story of an American Family by Alex Haley.
RC 37877, BR 9463.
Completed by David Stevens, this is the final work by the Pulitzer Prize winning author Alex Haley. It tells the story of his father's family, beginning with James Jackson, his white great-great-grandfather who came from Ireland. James's son falls in love with a slave named Easter, and their daughter is named Queen. Roots Saga, Book 2. Series Code RTS.

Angel of the Outback by Patricia Hickman.
RC 43827.
In 1793, Rachel Langley finishes her seven year transportation sentence in Australia and begins to make a life for herself while searching for the killer of her best friend, Betsy. When Rachel finds work with the Prentices on their struggling plantation, her desire to find Betsy's assassin almost destroys them. Land of the Far Horizons, Book 2. Series Code LFH.

Appomattox Saga by Gilbert Morris.
Series Code: APP.
From the first rumblings of unrest and secession in the South, this dramatic saga follows the Rocklin family as they face the struggles of the Civil War and fight to keep their family haven, Gracefield Plantation.

	1. A Covenant of Love	RC 41579
	2. Gate of His Enemies	RC 41580
	3. Where Honor Dwells	RC 41581
	4. Land of the Shadow	RC 41582
	5. Out of the Whirlwind	RC 41583
	6. The Shadow of His Wings	RC 41584
	7. Wall of Fire	RC 41585
	8. Stars in Their Courses	RC 44573
	9. Chariots in the Smoke	RC 44948
	10. Witness in Heaven	RC 47740

Arrow to the Heart by Jennifer Blake.
RC 43926.
ealthy Giles Castlereagh knows he is dying and wants to be sure he has an heir to inherit Arcadia, his Louisiana plantation. However, his wife Katrine is still a virgin. Giles arranges a tournament to pick a suitable mate for Katrine. But when Rowan de Blanc wins the honor, neither he nor Katrine are willing to obey Giles's orders, until they are locked in the tower together naked. Some strong language and explicit descriptions of sex.

At Long Last by Shirlee Busbee.
RC 52242.
Mississippi, 1797. When Arabella Montgomery's younger half brother gambles away the family plantation, she seeks out the new owner, her former lover Tony Daggett. In order to provide for the family, Arabella agrees to become his mistress. Some explicit descriptions of sex, some violence, and some strong language.

Australian Destiny by Sandy Dengler.
Series Code: AUD.
Conditions in Ireland were bleak in the early 1900s, so when an offer of indenture gave Samantha Connolly and her two sisters a chance to travel, they signed up. But now that they are in Australia working for Cole Sloan, she begins to wonder if they made a mistake. Life is so different here, and Cole is having trouble keeping his sugar plantation solvent.

	1. Code of Honor	RC 41655
	2. Power of Pinjarra	RC 41670
	3. Taste of Victory	RC 41671
	4. East of Outback	RC 41672

Blue Camellia by Frances P. Keyes.
RC 15348.
Set in southwestern Louisiana in the late 1880s, this novel of frontier and pioneer life tells the story of a man dedicated to his rice plantation, of the woman who sacrificed herself for him, and of their daughter, loved by two men, who struggles to find happiness.

Cambridge by Caryl Phillips.
RC 34999.
Emily Cartwright, an English spinster, is sent by her father to visit his sugar plantation in the West Indies. She eventually becomes involved with the estate manager, and dutifully records her racist mindset in a proper nineteenth century journal. Meanwhile, Cambridge, an older black man, tells his life story and presents a contrasting view of colonialism and slavery.

Cane River by Lalita Tademy.
RC 52281.
Tademy's fictionalized account of her maternal ancestors, from 1834 to the 1950s, begins with her enslaved great-great-great-great-grandmother Elisabeth and continues with three generations of successively lighter descendents. She describes these women's struggle for freedom and justice on a Creole plantation in Cane River, Louisiana. Some violence. An Oprah Book Club selection.

Come Love a Stranger by Kathleen Woodiwiss.
RC 21244, BR 6081.
In Mississippi in 1823, Ashton Windgate is stunned when he removes the hood of a thrown horseback rider and discovers the face of an unconscious young woman, strangely resembling his late wife. Only a year ago, he saw his wife fall overboard as pirates attacked his steamer. Who, then, is this beautiful stranger who brings back memories of his bride? Some explicit descriptions of sex.

The Darker Face of the Earth by Rita Dove.
RC 39360.
Set in the South before the Civil War, this classical tragedy is based on the Oedipus legend. A white woman gives birth to a black baby and agrees to give him up if his life is spared. Twenty years later, the woman, now plantation mistress, acquires a slave named Augustus. Rebellious but susceptible to his owner's charms, Augustus becomes embroiled in an uprising just as he learns the truth about his heritage.

Day Dreamer by Jill Marie Landis.
RC 52626.
New Orleans, 1816. After Celine Winters kills a wealthy man in self defense, she trades places with a desperate girl who wants to avoid an arranged marriage. Celine thus weds handsome but troubled Cord Moreau, who is returning to his Caribbean island plantation. Explicit descriptions of sex.

Drum by Kyle Onstott.
RC 56779.
This saga of three generations begins when handsome African Prince Tamboura is sold into slavery. Emphasizes the suffering of African Americans. Some explicit descriptions of sex.

Family by J. California Cooper.
RC 32922.
Clora, born into slavery, hovers over four generations of her family in life and death. She begins with her own desperate life on the plantation before the Civil War, a life that comes to an abrupt end. Her story continues from beyond the grave as she shares her wisdom with her daughter and watches over the children and grandchildren who are never very far from her voice and her resolute spirit.

The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat.
RC 47501.
Amabelle Desir and Sebastien Onius are young Haitians in love, living in the Dominican Republic in 1937. Sebastien cuts sugar cane, known as farming the bones, while the orphaned Amabelle is a housemaid. When Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo orders the Dominican army to slaughter all of the Haitian guest workers, up to 20,000 perish. Amabelle flees across the border and prays for Sebastien's safe passage. Violence.

The Feast of All Saints by Anne Rice.
RC 53112.
Exotic, bittersweet novel set in eighteenth century New Orleans examines the lives of free people of black extraction. Quadroon Marcel and his lovely sister Marie, children of a white plantation owner and his beautiful mulatto mistress, are supported and educated by their father, but are destined to be separated from his world by their mixed blood. Some strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex.

The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss.
RC 53906.
London, 1799. Captain Brandon Birmingham is forced to marry beautiful orphan Heather Simmons. He takes her home to his plantation near Charleston, South Carolina. There Heather adjusts to life in the colonies until her past catches up with her. Birmingham Family Trilogy, Book 1. Series Code BIR. Explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language.

Fordlandia by Eduardo Sguiglia.
RC 52207.
In the late 1920s, Henry Ford established an Amazon jungle plantation called Fordlandia, intending to grow enough rubber to meet auto industry needs. Horacio, from Buenos Aires, accepts the job of recruiting local workers, but he will encounter many obstacles on this doomed project. Some strong language.

Georgia Trilogy by Eugenia Price.
Series Code: GAT.
St. Simons Island, Georgia, 1815. As Anne Couper is about to celebrate her eighteenth birthday, she is sure something dramatic will soon happen in her life. When the British arrive and capture all the guests at a house party on a nearby island, Anne falls in love with her captor Lieutenant John Fraser. After being allowed to marry, the couple struggles over where to live, England or Georgia.

	1. Bright Captivity	RC 33002, BR 8538
	2. Where Shadows Go	RC 37209, BR 9375
	3. Beauty from Ashes	RC 41021, BR 10167

Ghost Moon by Karen Robards.
RC 51399.
When single mother Olivia Morrison returns home to La Angelle Plantation in Louisiana, childhood memories of her mother's drowning begin to surface. But before she finds love and peace of mind, Olivia must face additional shocks and horrors. Some explicit descriptions of sex, some violence, and some strong language.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
RC 33082, BR 11427.
A romantic Civil War epic in which the forceful and ruthless heroine Scarlett O'Hara and war profiteer Rhett Butler play out their tempestuous love affair against the background of the war torn South. Pulitzer Prize 1936. Also available as a descriptive video, DV 230.

A Habit of the Blood by Lois Battle.
RC 25538.
Lovely Ceci Baron, journalist and interior decorator, returns on a visit to the Jamaican plantation where she was raised. She finds her evil half brother Marsden attempting to wrest control of the estate from kindly Aunt Vivian. He claims Vivian's delightful dottiness is actually senility, and he plans to turn the great old house into a tourist trap. Some strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex.

Heart of India Series by Linda Chaikin.
Series Code: HOI.
Kingscote Plantation, India, 1793. A low caste Indian servant recently converted to Christianity dies in childbirth. Before she dies, she asks her well bred employer Coral Kendall to adopt her son Gem. But the Hindi disapprove, and Gem is kidnapped. Coral searches for her godson, aided by two men, in spite of her uncle's attempts to thwart her. Coral also has a mission to build a school for the "untouchable" children of India.

	1. Silk	RC 39768
	2. Under Eastern Stars	RC 39814
	3. Kingscote	RC 39820

Heir to Falconhurst by Lance Horner.
RC 14467.
Upon discovering that his father was black, Drum Maxwell leaves Boston's Beacon Street for Falconhurst Plantation, where he falls desperately in love with the mulatto wife of his sadistic overseer. Strong language.

The Hellion Bride by Catherine Coulter.
RC 35910.
Jamaica, 1803. Ryder Sherbrooke is investigating supernatural happenings at the family's sugar operation. He soon discovers a plot to take over the plantation, and he is also confronted by the lovely young Sophia. Sherbrooke Family, Book 2. Series Code SHE. Strong language, violence, and some descriptions of sex.

Hester Roon by Norah Lofts.
RC 8902.
Hester, a serving girl, escapes from her lecherous master and joins London 's sprawling eighteenth century underworld. Convicted of various crimes, she is transported to a slave run sugar plantation in the West Indies, where she meets the only man who dares challenge her untamed spirit.

Jacaranda Bend by Charlotte Douglas.
RC 37259.
Scottish Rowena Elliot is horrified to learn that her widowed father has promised her hand in marriage to developer Ewen Fyfe in return for some Florida land. Once in Florida, Rowena's father is murdered by vigilantes who are angry with unscrupulous Fyfe. To escape Fyfe, Rowena accepts the invitation to stay with elderly plantation owner Felicity Lindsay and her attractive son at Jacaranda Bend. Some violence.

Jubilee by Margaret Walker.
RC 41543.
Vyry, the daughter of a plantation owner and his black mistress, is reared to young womanhood as a servant in this story, which chronicles the triumph of a free spirit over many forms of bondage. Some violence and some strong language.

Just Imagine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
RC 52918.
When Kit Weston, eighteen, learns Baron Cain has inherited the South Carolina plantation where she grew up, she travels to New York City to kill him. Working as Cain's stable "boy," she gets her chance to try. Then she learns Cain is her guardian. Explicit descriptions of sex and strong language.

The Keepers of Echowah by Sonny Sammons.
RC 44883.
After being orphaned at a young age, twin boys Matty and Patty MacDonald grow up on their eccentric uncle's huge hunting plantation in southern Georgia. The boys come of age as they experience adventure, young love, and eventually, military training and combat in Southeast Asia. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler.
RC 16072.
An educated young black woman is drawn repeatedly back in time to the plantation of her ancestors. Here, amidst the cruelties of slavery, she becomes the protector and teacher of the plantation owner's son, whom she knows will become her own great-grandfather.

The Last Confederate by Gilbert Morris.
RC 39725.
God's love has changed Rebekah and Sky Winslow, who have settled with their children on a plantation in Virginia. The Civil War is on the horizon, and they are suspicious of young Thad Novak, who has appeared as a fugitive from the North. But as the war rages between North and South, Thad becomes an important asset to the southern branch of the Winslow family. House of Winslow, Book 8. Series Code HWI.

Little Altars Everywhere by Rebecca Wells.
RC 36350, BR 14278.
Siddalee Walker is the oldest child of a plantation family in Louisiana. The family members' stories of 1963 feature an embarrassing mother whooping it up with her friends, who call themselves the Ya Ya Sisterhood. Later, Siddalee and her three siblings struggle with grimmer childhood memories of abuse. Strong language, some violence, and some explicit descriptions of sex.

The Longest Memory by Fred D'Aguiar.
RC 41393.
Set in Virginia in the early 1800s. Different generations of white landowners and black slaves present the experiences of plantation life. When the master's daughter teaches Chapel, a rebellious youth, to read, he falls in love with her and attempts to run away. But the man Chapel calls father, hoping for leniency, reveals Chapel's whereabouts. Some strong language.

Major Butler's Legacy by Malcolm Bell.
RC 27228.
The legacy of slavery is viewed through five generations of a wealthy Southern family in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries. The history begins with Major Pierce Butler, a South Carolina Delegate to the Constitutional Convention and a passionate defender of slavery, and ends with great-great-grandson Owin Wister, a novelist, who sold off the last of the Butler Plantations.

Mandingo by Kyle Onstott.
RC 49298.
Behind magnolia blossoms and gracious Southern plantation manners, violence and cruelty degrade both master and slave. Strong language, violence, and explicit descriptions of sex.

Margaret's Story by Eugenia Price.
RC 33789.
This historical romance focuses on the life of Margaret S. Fleming, whose island home is the plantation Hibernia, on the St. Johns River, in northern Florida. The Civil War ravages her family, with sons fighting on both sides, and virtually destroys the big house, but not the indomitable spirit of the widow. Margaret restores the house and creates a small chapel where hers was the first burial in 1878. Florida Trilogy, Book 3. Series Code FLT.

Middle Son by Deborah Iida.
RC 44379.
The story of a Japanese family with three sons on a Hawaiian sugar plantation. The youngest son is given to childless relatives and the eldest boy drowns, leaving their mother distraught. As his mother lies dying, the middle son reveals the truth of his brother's death and the tragic consequences of custom and tradition.

Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts.
RC 53204, BR 13763.
Declan Fitzgerald, tired of being a Boston lawyer, buys Manet Hall near New Orleans with plans to restore the old plantation. But he does not expect to find his house haunted by rape, murder, and betrayal. Strong language, some explicit descriptions of sex, and some violence.

Mount Vernon Love Story by Mary Higgins Clark.
RC 54585, BR 14299.
The book opens with preparations for John Adams's inauguration, as George Washington reminisces about his political career, troubled childhood, and successful marriage to widow Martha "Patsy" Custis. He continues the story as he and Patsy retire to his Mount Vernon, Virginia, estate.

Natchez by Pamela Jekel.
RC 51092.
Traces four generations of women in the Natchez region of Louisiana, beginning in 1775 with the arrival of Josiah Fleming. After losing his family, Josiah remarries, and his daughter continues to build his acreage into a thriving plantation.

North and South by John Jakes.
RC 17704, BR 8723.
Panoramic novel of two wealthy families, the aristocratic slave owning Mains of Carolina, and the Hazards, industrialists from Pennsylvania. The lives of the two families are intertwined when their sons meet as West Point cadets and become fast friends. But the families, their fortunes, and their friendship are severely tried by the impending Civil War. Some strong language. Civil War Trilogy, Book 1. Series Code CWT.

Now Face to Face by Karleen Koen.
RC 41900, BR 10371.
Financially ruined by her late husband's involvement in a scandal, young Barbara Devane flees to Virginia to grow tobacco on her grandmother's plantation. She eventually takes an active role against slavery. Meanwhile, George I and James III battle for control of the British crown. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex.

On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon by Kaye Gibbons.
RC 47320.
Emma Garnet recounts her life story spanning the Civil War. She contends with a vexatious father, but is championed by Clarice, a free black housekeeper. Escaping her Southern plantation upbringing by marrying a Northern doctor, Emma's happiness is cut short by wartime horrors. Some strong language.

The Orchid House by P.S. Allfrey.
RC 26877.
West Indian novel set on a Dominican plantation after World War 2. The master and the madam have just moved to their country house called L'Aromatique or the Orchid House. The story is narrated by their black nursemaid Lally, who has an omniscient memory of their lives and the prosperous past before the first World War.

Plantation: A Lowcountry Tale by Dorothea Benton Frank.
RC 53043.
New Yorker Caroline Levine swore she would never return home to South Carolina. Then her brother Trip calls begging her to come see about Mother. Caroline, finding a person who is the same yet greatly changed, learns what it means to come home. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex.

Plantation Trilogy by Gwen Bristow.
Series Code: PLT.
In the 1770s, teenager Judith Sheramy travels to Louisiana with her family, where she meets Philip Larne. Against her parents' wishes, she marries Philip and moves onto his newly acquired Ardeith plantation. Her family settles nearby, and her brother soon marries a Cuban woman. In the following decades, the families are altered by illness and infidelity, but the plantations survive. Some strong language and some violence.

	1. Deep Summer	RC 35466
	2. Handsome Road	RC 35467
	3. This Side of Glory	RC 35468

Roots by Alex Haley.
RC 53160, BR 3234.
This eloquent epic captures the fictionalized history of the author's own family, tracing his origins back to his roots in eighteenth century Africa. A testimonial to the indomitability of the human spirit that speaks to all peoples and all races. Roots Saga, Book 1. Series Code RTS.

Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather.
RC 45259, BR 11305.
In the period prior to the Civil War, Sapphira Colbert develops an irrational jealousy of Nancy, one of her house servants. Sapphira's husband is fond of Nancy and ignores the situation. Their daughter Rachel, however, decides to take matters into her own hands. Her decision changes Nancy 's life forever. Some strong language.

Scarlett: The Sequel by Alexandra Ripley.
RC 33024, BR 11428.
Scarlett O'Hara returns to Tara after Melanie's funeral, but then makes her way to Ireland where she struggles to get Rhett Butler back into her life. The author was chosen by Margaret Mitchell's heirs to write this sequel to Gone with the Wind (RC 33082, BR 8519).

Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin.
RC 14880.
A slender, high spirited black girl of fifteen marries the wildest young slave on the plantation and is deserted within a year. She maintains her cheerfulness as she fills her house with a new child year after year. Reveals the fine qualities and the superstitions of the Gullah African Americans of South Carolina. Pulitzer Prize 1928.

The Spring of the Tiger by Victoria Holt.
RC 53504, BR 4193.
The lively, sheltered daughter of a celebrated London actress is forced to live with two spinster aunts after a scandal ends her mother's career. They live on the ancient estate Ashington Grange, where she learns about her father's life in Ceylon. She marries a tea plantation owner, and soon her world becomes a nightmare.

St. Simon's Island Trilogy by Eugenia Price.
Series Code: SST.
In the early nineteenth century, James Gould grieves for a lost love and moves to the South despite his Yankee upbringing. Successful as a lumberman and contractor, he marries Janie and they build a family together on a St. Simon's Island plantation.

	1. Lighthouse	RC 23288
	2. New Moon Rising	RC 10711
	3. Beloved Invader	RC 33235

Straight for the Heart by Marsha Canham.
RC 43087.
The stakes are high for Amanda Courtland, a lady gambler on the Mississippi riverboats disguised as "Montana Rose." She and her brother are trying to save the family plantation from ruin after the Civil War. Her true identity is discovered by dashing Yankee Michael Tarrington. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex.

Surrender to Love by Rosemary Rogers.
RC 18619.
At her debutante ball, Alexa Howard, the beautiful young daughter of a rich plantation owner, meets her cynical and arrogant cousin with whom she develops a volatile relationship. Some strong language and descriptions of sex.

Tempest in the Tropics by Roumelia Lane.
RC 26779.
When handsome, self assured forester Brance Mackenzie orders a halt to the logging enterprise at Springlands, Lindsey vows to stop at nothing to save her father's Guyanese timber plantation. Even if that means marrying wealthy, lackluster Nick Mollenda.

Tender Betrayal by Rosanne Bittner.
RC 39104.
While young Audra Brennan is away from her father's plantation, she meets Lee Jeffreys, a New York attorney who is vehemently against slavery. The two fall in love but agree that a relationship would never work. To preserve her family's way of life, Audra marries a much older friend of her father, only to discover that he is cruel and abusive. The Civil War changes everything. Strong language, violence, and explicit descriptions of sex.

Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell.
RC 46240, BR 11889.
The famous saga, first published in 1932, of Jeeter Lester and his shiftless family. Their bawdy adventures along Tobacco Road, once a flourishing plantation, attract a lusty preacher named Sister Bessie. Explicit descriptions of sex.

Twilight of the Dawn by Elizabeth Dubus.
RC 30467, BR 7954.
Gabriele Cannon and her brother Tom reside on Felicity Plantation in Louisiana at the outbreak of the Civil War. Tom, aided by his college roommate Alex, helps a beautiful slave escape. Gabriele falls in love with Alex, her father gets yellow fever, and the young men go off to war, only to return and move to Texas.

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
RC 50070, BR 12749.
First published in 1852, this tale of slavery recounts the hardships of Uncle Tom, who was sold to brutal Simon Legree. Also relates the story of gentle Little Eva, and of Eliza and her child, who escape from bloodhounds.

The Unvanquished by William Faulkner.
RC 10576.
Seven short stories, rewritten in novel form, depict the unvanquished Sartoris family on their Mississippi plantation during the latter days of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

The Waiting Time by Eugenia Price.
RC 44609.
Coastal Georgia, late 1850s. When Abigail Banes of Boston marries plantation owner Eli Allyn, she accepts that he owns slaves because she knows he will treat them well. But when Eli drowns, Abby is left to run the plantation, and she begins to sympathize with the abolitionist cause.

The Wake of the Wind by J. California Cooper.
BR 12608.
Africa, circa 1764. Kola and Suwaibu, boyhood acquaintances, are captured and transported to America. One hundred years later, Mordecai and Lifee, two of their descendants, marry on a plantation just prior to the Civil War. After they are freed the family starts on a journey to find a home. Some violence.

A Whistling Woman by Louise Shivers.
RC 38035.
In 1867, widowed mother Chaney Weeks accepts a position as caretaker for Worth Fleeting, an elderly plantation owner. A few years later, Chaney's teenaged daughter, Georgeanna, becomes pregnant. Chaney hides Georgeanna while pregnant and raises the grandchild as her own. Not until she is dying does Chaney explain her actions. Some violence and some descriptions of sex.

The Wind Done Gone by Alice Randall.
RC 52453, BR 13501.
Characters from Gone with the Wind are recreated in a novel that examines plantation life and nineteenth century Southern society through the eyes of a biracial woman. Cynara resents her privileged, legitimate, white half sister, but during Reconstruction she comes into her own as an independent woman. Some strong language.

Yesterday by Fern Michaels.
RC 50078.
Callie Parker's wealthy father brings a foster son and two poor girls to his South Carolina plantation to play with Callie and be watched over by her beloved caretaker Pearl. Years later, when the four friends gather for Callie's wedding, long held secrets reveal that their childhood was built on lies. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex.