whitneydaniell

Summary

Ballereine Plantation is the only home sixteen-year-old Junie has ever known. It’s been eight months since the death of her sister, Minnie, and Junie is navigating life without her. Cooking and cleaning behind the McQueen family, Junie serves as maid to their daughter, Violet. Having grown up alongside Violet, their relationship is more complex than that of a master and her property.

Now seventeen, Violet has reached the age when she should be properly courted by a man of status. When her father, William McQueen, meets wealthy Beauregard Taylor III of the Delacroix, Louisiana Taylors, he is convinced he has found a suitable suitor for his daughter.

While the Taylors are visiting Ballereine, Junie fears that any marriage between Violet and Beau will mean she will be torn away from the only family she has left: her grandmother, Muh; her grandfather; her Aunt Marilla; and her cousin, Bess.

When her worst fear begins to take shape, Junie realizes she may be out of time to finish what her late sister Minnie started. With the help of the Taylors’ valet, Caleb, Junie begins to dream in color and dares to imagine a life beyond Ballereine Plantation—a place that harbors her darkest and most horrifying secrets.

With time ticking down, Junie begins to push against the harsh current that has controlled her entire life. As she grapples with an increasingly unfamiliar world in which she has little control, she is forced to ask herself: When we choose love and liberation, what must we leave behind?

Character Summary

Delilah June—though everyone calls her Junie—is an inquisitive, bright young woman, wise beyond her years yet as foolish as they come. Often lost in the fictional worlds of her books, she tends to slack on chores or forget important tasks, leaving Bess—or previously, Minnie—to pick up the slack. Sheltered by her family for most of her life, Junie is blind to many of the ugly truths around her and tends to see the good in people, even when none exists.

Violet McQueen, only daughter of Innis and William McQueen, is the heir to Ballereine Plantation, a cotton farm in rural Alabama. A lifelong lover of literature—Wuthering Heights being her favorite—Violet once had no one with whom to share her passion. She taught Junie to read so they could discuss books together, creating a pseudo-friendship inappropriate for the time. Violet is expected to marry Beau Taylor, who stands to inherit his uncle’s cotton plantation in Selma. For William McQueen, Beau’s wealth represents salvation from the financial ruin brought on by his drinking and philandering.

Beauregard Taylor III, arriving from New Orleans with his sister Beatrix and their coachman Caleb, is a force to be reckoned with—but not in a good way. Where Beatrix is refined, cultured, and shares Violet’s love for opera and literature, Beau is an uncultured brute, offering little of substance. Caleb, however, is kind and generous to Junie, helping her even when it risks his own safety. Their friendship soon blossoms into something deeper as they both navigate loss and longing.

Muh and Tom, Junie’s grandparents, have lived on the plantation longer than they can remember. After Junie and Minnie’s mother, Charlotte, was sold, they took on the role of raising the girls. Muh, once the head housemaid, now focuses on sewing, nursing, and cooking in her old age. Tom works as coachman for Mr. McQueen, often accompanying him on trips to Montgomery. Aunt Marilla, Tom’s sister, serves as Ballereine’s cook, while her daughter Bess works as a housemaid.

My Thoughts

Why would it end like that?!

This story is such a refreshing take—slavery and racism aside—because Junie is portrayed first as a young girl with dreams and aspirations like any other her age. Yet she is stifled by the laws of the land and forced to exist as someone else’s property. She loves poetry and searches for meaning in the verses she clings to. But Junie is also flawed: she escapes into her imagination, often missing the danger around her.

Fighting the current don’t hurt the river, it just wears you out.

I’ve said before that African-American historical fiction can sometimes feel overwhelming because… slavery. But this story toes the line well and doesn’t lean into graphic violence or excessive cruelty. There are racial slurs, but nothing so gut-wrenching that it derails the story or overwhelms the reader.

By whatever measure one might use for a slave master, Mr. McQueen isn’t the worst—but if that even matters is another question entirely.

Junie’s grief is another unique element. While her family seems to carry on with “business as usual,” Junie struggles. Slaves at the time often had no choice but to harden themselves against loss—they couldn’t afford to crumble. This theme resonates even today in parts of the African-American diaspora.

no matter how much we keep on loving, they ain’t coming back. Grief will make you want to waste every breath on prayers that don’t get answered.

The story starts off slow—around the 60% mark it finally picks up. There’s a lot of world-building and backstory early on, but once the pacing shifts, it gets so good. And then that ending… it frustrated me so much! I need to know more.

Final Verdict

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can see why it was so hyped. It strikes the right balance between heavy realism and creative fiction.