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4.25⭐️

“As the self-proclaimed cradle of liberty, Philadelphia was already a city of broken promises, with accommodationists straining to silence antislavery speech and Southerners shuttling their very much not-at-liberty slaves in and out of the city’s borders. Where abolitionists were concerned, it was fast becoming a city of broken contracts as well.��

Set in 1837 All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore is a captivating novel that sheds light on the activism, the politics, the socio-economic and racial divide in the pre-Civil War Philadelphia. Though Pennsylvania was a “free state�� with an active free Black community, racial tensions were high, bigotry and rioting prevalent, with laws that protected Southern slave owners passing through. A combination of fact and fiction, the immersive narrative features several prominent activists and abolitionists from that era and references true events like the burning of Pennsylvania Hall ( 1938) by an anti-abolitionist mob. The author is unflinching in her depiction of bigotry, cruelty and racially motivated violence.

The narrative is shared from the perspectives of three women :
Charlotte is a housemaid and former runaway who is forced to hide her truth �� a secret that could upend the lives her father has built for himself, though her life is not what would have hoped for in a “free state��. Nell is the daughter of an affluent Black family who is motivated to do more for those in need of assistance. She is disillusioned when she faces resistance while appealing to the Philadelphia Female Antislavery Society to approve a committee that would play a more active role in aiding runaway slaves. Nell and Charlotte are friends, but she is unaware of Charlotte’s past. They frequently attend Antislavery Society meetings together�� a secret Charlotte keeps from her father, fully aware that he would rather she stay within the confines of their home.

Charlotte is forced to confront her past when she sees Evie, an enslaved sixteen-year-old in Philadelphia with her mistress Kate, in the market. Kate was the wife of the man who owned Charlotte and her father and Evie took Charlotte’s place after they ran away. Evie knows the kind of life that awaits her and is desperate to escape, She approaches Charlotte for help and Charlotte agrees. But Charlotte knows that she alone would not be able to help Evie and enlists Nell’s help to formulate a plan.

Revolving around themes of friendship, sacrifice and courage, this is a thought-provoking story with well-written characters (even the unlikable ones). The romantic track was subtle and skillfully woven into the primary narrative. The author brilliantly captures Nell’s idealism, Charlotte’s vulnerability and Evie’s desperation - three young women from different circumstances with stories that intersect �� shared experiences that enable them to gain perspective, face harsh realities and find their own voices. As they embark on their individual journeys, it is evident that the road ahead will not be easy, but we will want them to succeed. I did feel that certain aspects of the story could have been explored further, but overall, I thought this was a promising debut and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

The Author’s Note is well-written and informative and definitely enriches the overall reading experience.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on April 2, 2024.

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