So it was just the 3 stars reading experience for me. As a result book does not read smoothly and I failed to develop much of the emotional involvement with any of the main characters.

The historical/sociological/political background which is there is full of details but delivered in kind of dry way, and often feels almost like forcefully introduced into plot. Even though I read previous books, it was a while ago, and it was quite a struggle to keep track of who is who and what happened to them in the past. Also later on big fragments of narration relate to the past events in the lives of multiple people. First 30% of the book is mainly a recap of previous 2 books. But I found this third book, “Golden Poppies”, the weakest in the series. The second book, “Mustard Seed” was an enjoyable solid 4 stars read for me. The multiple friends and members of extended families of both of them are the other protagonists in the story that follows 4 generations. The story starts from introducing a very young white daughter of plantation owner, Lisbeth, and her slave black nanny, Mattie. I would give it 6 stars if I could, the extra star because of absolutely amazing audio performance by Bahni Turpin.

First of all I wanted to state that I loved the first book, “Yellow Crocus”. I highly recommend this novel.This book is a 3-rd installment in three book saga.

A fast-paced read that will have you constantly turning the pages as you witness love, loss, a racial division and the effects it has on those caught up in the middle of it. This is an intensely emotional story, one that pulls at your heartstrings from start to finish. Will the two ever regain the close bond they once shared? After a series of events Mattie and Lisbeth apart, Mattie struggles between her love for Mattie and her parents’ expectations. Although the divide between master and servant begins to increase, Lisbeth finds herself drawn into the white world and begins to see that divide more clearly.

As Lisbeth grows, she views Mattie as a substitute mother, picking up the traditions and the customs that Mattie has taught her. Mattie’s own son, Samuel, is kept in the slave quarters. Yellow Crocus, set in the antebellum era, tells the story of Mattie, an enslaved wet-nurse, living at Fair Oakes, a Virginia plantation, and the white baby she cares for, Lisbeth.

Yellow crocus book review