Northwest Passages Book Club features Martha Hall Kelly's abolitionist novel 'Sunflower Sisters'

Author Martha Hall Kelly joined Northwest Passages Book Club to discuss her latest historical fiction novel, “Sunflower Sisters,” with The Spokesman-Review’s Kristi Burns Friday.

Based on a true story, Kelly’s bestselling debut novel “Lilac Girls” introduced readers to Caroline Ferriday, a New York socialite turned philanthropist who helped 72 women escape from the Ravensbruck concentration camp.

In “Sunflower Sisters,” Kelly introduces readers to Ferriday’s ancestor, Georgeanna Woolsey, a Union nurse and ardent abolitionist. During the war, Woolsey crosses paths with Jemma, a young enslaved girl, and Ann-May Wilson, a harsh plantation mistress whose husband is fighting for the Confederacy.

Burns opened the discussion with a question about Woolsey’s mother,

→ Continue reading at The Spokesman-Review

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