The Indigo Girl

The year is 1739. Eliza Lucas is sixteen years old when her father leaves her in charge of their family’s three plantations in rural South Carolina and then proceeds to bleed the estates dry in pursuit of his military ambitions. Tensions with the British,and with the Spanish in Floridajust a short way down the coastare risingand slaves are starting to become restless. Her mother wants nothing more than for their South Carolina endeavor to fail so they can go back to England. Soon her family is in danger of losing everything.Upon hearing how much the French pay for indigo dyeEliza believes it’s the key to their salvation. But everyone tells her it’s impossibleand no one will share the secret to making it. Thwarted at nearly every turneven by her own familyEliza finds that her only allies are an aging horticulturalistan older and married gentleman lawyerand a slave with whom she strikes a dangerous deal: teach her the intricate thousand-year-old secret process of making indigo dye and in return-against the laws of the day-she will teach the slaves to read.So begins an incredible story of lovedangerous and hidden friendshipsambitionbetrayaland sacrifice.Based on historical documentsincluding Eliza’s lettersthis is a historical fiction account of how a teenage girl produced indigo dyewhich became one of the largest exports out of South Carolinaan export that laid the foundation for the incredible wealth of several Southern families who still live on today. Although largely overlooked by historiansthe accomplishments of Eliza Lucas influenced the course of US history. When she passed away in 1793President George Washington served as a pallbearer at her funeral.This book is set between 1739 and 1744with romanceintrigueforbidden friendshipsand political and financial threats weaving together to form the story of a remarkable young woman whose actions were before their time: the story of the indigo girl.