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![Scarlet Carnation: A Novel by [Laila Ibrahim]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51FP5ur33tL._SY346_.jpg)
Scarlet Carnation: A Novel Kindle Edition
Laila Ibrahim (Author) See search results for this author |
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In an early twentieth-century America roiling with racial injustice, class divides, and WWI, two women fight for their dreams in a galvanizing novel by the bestselling author of Golden Poppies.
1915. May and Naomi are extended family, their grandmothers’ lives inseparably entwined on a Virginia plantation in the volatile time leading up to the Civil War. For both women, the twentieth century promises social transformation and equal opportunity.
May, a young white woman, is on the brink of achieving the independent life she’s dreamed of since childhood. Naomi, a nurse, mother, and leader of the NAACP, has fulfilled her own dearest desire: buying a home for her family. But they both are about to learn that dreams can be destroyed in an instant. May’s future is upended, and she is forced to rely once again on her mother. Meanwhile, the white-majority neighborhood into which Naomi has moved is organizing against her while her sons are away fighting for their country.
In the tumult of a changing nation, these two women—whose grandmothers survived the Civil War—support each other’s quest for liberation and dignity. Both find the strength to confront injustice and the faith to thrive on their chosen paths.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherLake Union Publishing
- Publication date1 April 2022
- File size6008 KB
Product description
From the Publisher
In her sixth novel, author Laila Ibrahim tells the story of two women in heart-wrenching situations, whose lives have been entwined by their grandmothers’ shared history. May believes she’s finally going to be able to start a new chapter in her life, but one unexpected decision forces her to rely on her mother for support yet again. Naomi has finally bought her family a home of their own, but her new neighbors aren’t rolling out the welcome mat, no matter that her sons are off fighting for them all. They will each face injustices and support each other in their quests for liberation.
It’s uncanny how closely the themes in Scarlet Carnation reflect our current times. While a pessimist might say we haven’t made much progress, Ibrahim writes inspiring stories about faith and persistence in the face of obstacles because she fervently believes that liberation and equality are possible.
—Jodi Warshaw, Editor
About the Author
Laila Ibrahim is the bestselling author of Golden Poppies, Paper Wife, Mustard Seed, and Yellow Crocus. She spent much of her career as a preschool director, a birth doula, and a religious educator. That work, coupled with her education in developmental psychology and attachment theory, provided ample fodder for her novels.
She’s a devout Unitarian Universalist, determined to do her part to add a little more love and justice to our beautiful and painful world. She lives with her wonderful wife, Rinda, and two other families in a small cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Her young adult children are her pride and joy.
Laila is blessed to be working full-time as a novelist. When she isn’t writing, she likes to take walks with friends, do jigsaw puzzles, play games, work in the garden, travel, cook, and eat all kinds of delicious food. Visit the author at www.lailaibrahim.com.
Product details
- ASIN : B09DYD5HYZ
- Publisher : Lake Union Publishing (1 April 2022)
- Language : English
- File size : 6008 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 314 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 1542020751
- Best Sellers Rank: 27,340 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 569 in Women's Sagas
- 606 in Women's Historical Fiction
- 1,666 in Family Life Fiction (Kindle Store)
- Customer reviews:
About the author

I continue to be surprised and grateful to be full time writer. When I finished Yellow Crocus agent after agent and editor after editor told me essentially, "Great writing, but nobody wants to read this story." At that time it was at once heartening and heartbreaking. The only reason I started writing was to get this story into the world! But I was glad to hear my writing wasn't horrific :) .
I was stunned when the writing bug bit me. The idea for Yellow Crocus was planted in 1998 when someone mentioned that Tiger Woods identifies as much as an Asian person as an African-American person. I thought to myself, "Of course he does, his mother is Asian. You form your core identity in relationship to your primary caregivers. It's a basic part of the attachment process."
Then the image of Lisbeth, a white baby, breastfeeding in the loving arms of Mattie, an enslaved wetnurse came to me in a flash. I thought about what it would be like for Lisbeth to dearly love Mattie and then be taught by society that she wasn't a full person. I wondered how it would feel for Mattie to be forced to abandon Samuel, her own child, in the slave Quarters. Then I imagined what the experience would be like for Miss Anne, the birth mother, to have her own child twist away from her to get into Mattie's arms. These characters started to haunt me. Various scenes popped into my head. Though I had never written anything, I was being called to tell this story. For my fortieth birthday, I began the personal marathon of writing my first novel. I hope you will come to love these characters as much as I have.
Living Right, my second novel, also popped into my head. I imagined a scene in hospital room with a young, Evangelical Christian confiding in his sister that he had attempted suicide because he could not live with the shame of telling his parents that he was gay. I wanted to know what happened to that young man and his family. I hope I've written an honest story with compassion.
Mustard Seed was a natural outgrowth of my interest in what happen to Lisbeth and Mattie after the war. I knew little about the reconstruction period, so it has been interesting--and painful--to learn about the laws and practices that were put in place by the owning class to continue to get low and reduced price labor.
My fourth jumped times and places again. This one starts in southern China in the Guangdong province and the city of Guangzhou--what Westerners called Canton. The main characters family has fallen onto hard time due to war and famine. They arrange a marriage for her to a young widow from California. She travels with him and her two-year old (step) son through Angel Island to the San Francisco Bay Area.
I just finished the third companion novel in the Yellow Crocus group. GOLDEN POPPIES took me between Chicago and Oakland in the late 1800's. It's been sweet to discover what happens to these character I love so much and a joy to research more about local Bay Area history.
My experiences and education in developmental psychology provided ample fodder for my stories. I've worked as a preschool teacher and director (Woolsey School!), a birth doula, and as the Director of Children and Family Ministries at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland.
I'm a devout Unitarian Universalist, determined to do my part to add a little more love and justice to our hurting world. My wonderful wife, Rinda, and I live in a small co-housing community in Berkeley, California with two other families. Our amazing young adult children, Kalin and Maya, are kind enough to text, FaceTime and call me on a regular basis. We are delighted to have our goddaughter Wynnie in our household too. I'm blessed to be working full time as a novelist and writer. I love calling/Skyping into bookclubs and classes if my schedule allows it. Feel free to get in touch to arrange via my website where you can also read the blog I wrote a few years ago: http://www.lailaibrahim.com
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The two families - one white, one black are friends with a long history which began in slave times.
They now live in San Francisco, and the time is the early 20th century just before WWII .
There is still racial prejudice and blacks are struggling to be accepted in parts of the city and also looking for the right to vote.
Spanish flu is also part of the story which rings bells for us at this time with people wearing masks. TB is also an issue.
The story keeps you wanting to read on and I loved how we have seen their two families grow and change over the years in the three stories.
Can stand alone perfectly well, but perhaps makes more sense if you've read the precursors to this novel.
The book can easily stand alone on it's own merit but it is a follow on to Yellow Crocus and Mustard seed and Golden Poppies and reading the previous books will give a greater understanding to the characters back story.
The book is set during the First World War in America and explores the lives of both Lisbeth and Mattie's families.
The author has a wonderful way of making the reader really connect with the characters and gives insight into some of the trials of tribulations of people post slavery days.
Although a work of fiction the author has clearly researched the time period and weaved in actual events like the Houston riot, which is a subtle but great way to educate the reader on times and events they may never have been aware of.
All in all a great read.....I can't wait for Laila Ibrahim's next book!
It was interesting and made me think
The treatment of babies born with challenges and unmarried women is also handled with Frank honestyy
A must read book