Golden Poppies: A Novel

I am so enjoying this series of books. They make one wonder at the cruelty of the human race although this has ever been so. Historically correct, this series is a work of fiction and extremely readable. Highly recommended.

I read Laila Ibrahim's 'Yellow Crocus' several years ago and found it really enjoyable. When I spotted that one of this month's Amazon Prime First Reads was another of her books, I grabbed it without hesitation. When I realised it was a continuation of the 'Yellow Crocus' characters, I was even happier with my choice - although I have to admit I did read the whole thing without realising I'd missed the volume that goes between 'Yellow Crocus' and 'Golden Poppies'. The great thing is that I didn't need to have read 'Mustard Seed' (the middle book) or to have any detailed memory of 'Yellow Crocus' in order to enjoy this one. If you ask me "Can I read this without reading the others?" I'd say you can, but you might get a bit more context if you've read at least one of the previous books. In 'Yellow Crocus' Ibrahim took on the issues of slavery and the ownership and abuse of other human beings. Time has passed and 'Golden Poppies' is set in the late 1800s, at a time when slavery is no more, but prejudice is still rife. It focuses on the cross-racial relationships and friendships of the two families descended from Mattie the black slave-woman who was wet nurse to Lisbeth, the slave-owner's daughter. Younger generations come to the fore in this book and themes include the campaign for women's rights, and the campaign to prevent the lynching of black men. We're also introduced to wage inequality between the races, 'passing off', and domestic abuse between experienced by the characters. As a Brit reading about the campaign for Universal Sufferage in the USA, I'm at a disadvantage because the historical characters are not so familiar to me as they would be if the book were set in my home country. I may, therefore, miss some of the significance of the famous characters introduced, but that didn't stop my enjoyment. I really like Laila Ibrahim's style of writing and her willingness to take on controversial story-lines and put her characters through the wringer in sometimes extreme ways. I now REALLY need to go back and read Mustard Seed.

I very much enjoyed this book, it is different from my usual reading matter and that's why I enjoy First Reads. This book is a saga about two families which takes in women's suffrage, colour prejudice, slavery and the hardships of mid 1800 America and it is shocking that some of the platforms are still being fought for today.

Golden Poopies is the weakest of the 3 books even though I still enjoy it. The characters aren’t complex they’re one dimensional. What the book makes up for is the historical background. I learn so much from these three novels especially about the USA post the Civil War and pre- the two World Wars. It’s very informative and makes one despair how long and hard the struggle for equality has been for black people in America and people of colour. The book draws some parallel with women’s struggle for equality with that of black people’s. Then show us the powerful currency that whiteness is. That in order for white women to achieve universal suffrage, they had to divorce themselves from black women’s struggles. That’s the power of this book in spite of its flaws. Still enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this book. It has well drawn, strong female characters, written with much care and detail. I always think that the first challenge for a writer is to get the reader to care what happens to the characters; to become engrossed in their lives. This author had me at page 1. I did not know that there were earlier books involving some of the characters until much later in the book when this was made obvious. However, the book can stand alone. I like books that are woven around real events; they inform and educate. I read this during the Black Lives Matter protests; the theme of deep routed discrimination and the struggle against this resonated with what is happening today. I hope that there is another book about the families; to find out what happens next for the characters.

Really enjoyed reading all three books. While the main characters are fictions the historical details are accurate. The story is basically about two families - one who owns a plantation and one who are slaves living on the plantation. It tells of their lives and interactions through slavery and liberation with sometimes sad situations. It tells of the strength of the slaves before, during and after liberation and how they overcome difficulties. The story also tells of the white people's dependence on the liberated family.

This is a great follow on from The Yellow Crocus and The Mustard Seed. It is now set at the end of the 1800’s . The characters from the first two books are now older Lisbeth her daughter Sadie, Jordan and her daughter Naomi set the story. It covers the time in USA when women were trying tog get votes for women and how unfair the rights for the Blacks were with regard to jobs and pay.. This is. Wonderful book that I couldn’t put down I absolutely loved it and hope there will be a 4th book in this series as I want to know what happens to the characters next. Thank you Laila I got so much enjoyment from it. Perfect for the current COVID pandemic I bought all three books for my twin sister on our birthday in June. She is loving the first one .

I have thoroughly enjoyed this third instalment in this series of books. Again, we meet these really strong women who are fighting for the equal rights of women. Their stories are brilliantly written and you face every emotion possible during the story. It is unbelievable how cruel people can be. These are very strong women who face some really challenging situations. I'm really looking forward to reading the fourth book.

Really enjoyed this book. And is so informative 👏 I really enjoyed the main characters. Showed what real is all about 🥰

Great read and enjoyed the book.

I'm so glad I realised there were two books prior to this before reading this one. I love the continuation of Lisbeth and Matties stories, and how their families remain intertwined despite everything that changes.

This story touched my heart more than I expected. It only seems yesterday that women were fighting to get the right to vote. It seems poignant that we still fighting discrimination when we are all God’s children. The scene where Heinrich is dangling his child by the window really touched me that a father could do that to his child! I hope that we can live long enough to see discrimination be wiped from the earth. Beautifully written!

The book is unique.It traces the racial disparities in America and the social life of those days.It ends on a positive note.A well written book.