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Overview
Josiah Winship, tenant farmer and religious fanatic, apprentices his lovely daughter, Suzanna, to kindly Charlotte Hitchins, owner of Scarlet acres Plantation.The loving relationship between them enrages Miss Charlotte's dissolute son, Beriah.
His quadroon lover, Lutie Mae Pickens, is pressuring him to become mistress of the plantation, and his gambling cohorts are calling in their IOU's. He needs money, but his mother has cut him off.
Miss Charlotte's mysterious death exposes a quagmire of secrets and dark passions that ultimately end in violence and murder. Suzanna's loyal friend, Martha, convinces her cousin, Steve Freeman, that he must protect Suzanna from Beriah. Can the handsome, black attorney save his white friend from a similar fate?
Scarlet Acres is a depression era saga of greed, rape and matricide. But it also depicts unselfish love and sacrifice as Steve Freeman struggles with a forbidden desire for Suzanna that cannot cross color barriers. It is the riveting story of a tenant farmer's daughter and her rise from poverty to riches despite impossible odds.
Reviews:
I love a good historical novel and this novel was that plus more! It was a gripping story from start to finish, and covered it all; love, sex, greed, rape and murder! This book gave a vivid depiction of the depression era south, how tenant farmers or "sharecroppers", both white and black, struggled with poverty and hungry during this time period. The character of Susanna Winship was well developed and you felt you were there with her during all her struggles, trials and tribulations. This book was full of memorable characters, both villains and heroes. I think you will find this book a good, entertaining read. The only thing missing is a sequel to Scarlet Acres! - Fannie Farmer
After reading the first five chapters of Polly Craig's Scarlet Acres, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this craggy old cynic still has a touch of the romantic in him. The story begins with a bright fourteen year old sharecropper's daughter who is sent to the land owner's house to work as a domestic. From that point on I wanted to know how this determined teenager would overcome the many hardships in her life and manage to follow her dreams. Polly colors her descriptions with smackingly creative phrases that pop out of the pages. One that I particularly liked was, "Her eyes are gritty, her tongue dry as barn straw". I'm expecting a kindle for Christmas and can't wait to use it to read the rest. - Bobby Harwell