The plot was interesting and the best part of the novel. It needed more development. The dialogue was flat and stilted. Still worth it to read though. ( )

Truly heartbreaking tale of slavery in the southern states. Narrated by two very different characters, the story weaves together seamlessly and beautifully. A real page turner, definitely recommend! ( )

Excellent story of early Alabama during slavery in the US; a good history lesson as well as a gripping story of the Allen Family Cotton Plantation and the slaves who were owned by this family and their quest for freedom. Overall I loved the book - the journey of Sarah's life both heart wrenching and encouraging. The ending however, was somehow thrown in your face that it actually changed my opinion of the main characters and left me feeling that it wasn't true to the rest of the story. I don't know if this was suppose to be a true story or not - only - the ending epilogue left me feeling that either the main description of the characters was misleading throughout the book or the ending was contrived and thrown in for shock value. ( )

This novel takes place in the antebellum south. It is told through the eyes of 3 individuals: Sarah, mulatto child of Master Allen and Emmaline, the kitchen slave, Theodora, the master's wife, and Clarissa, Master Allen and Theodora's daughter. It is your typical slavery fair...human beings beat, bought and sold. This book is pretty predictable, except for the last 2 pages, which contains 2 zingers. Actually, most of the book is not about The Wedding Gift! 3 stars, reviewed. ( )

THE WEDDING GIFT, a historical fiction, is a wonderfully crafted retelling of the dark side of our U.S. history – a time when people owned other human beings and often abused them worse than they mistreated animals. The story has been told before by many other authors, but never before THE WEDDING GIFT has anyone captured so vividly the despair the slaves, who had no control over their lives, must have felt. Ms. Bodden researched her topic well and told a compelling tale of Sarah Campbell, the slave daughter of a wealthy plantation owner in the Deep South before the Civil War. Sarah was willing to risk a beating or even death for freedom. Beatings were often so severe as to cause death.
This book was a real page-turner. I honestly could not put it down. THE WEDDING GIFT, the debut novel by Marlen Suyapa Bodden, is without a doubt one of the best books I have read. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
To learn more about THE WEDDING GIFT check our Marlen Suyapa Bodden’s website at http://marlenbodden.com/.
I received this book in a giveaway hosted by Julie Valerie’s Book Blog at www.julievalerie.com. ( )