An engaging story of a special friendship between two young girls brought together by orphanhood and set against a background of slavery.

Stori am gyfeillgarwch arbennig dwy ferch amddifad gyda hanes caethwasiaeth yn Lerpwl y 1860au yn gefndir iddi.

This well-paced story begins with the body of a black woman washed up on the shores of the Mersey. It moves quickly to the dramatic appearance of Xanthe in thirteen-year-old Patience’s life, and then on to rural Wales and more mystery and drama.

The friendship between Xanthe and Patience develops against the background of the last days of the slave trade in the early 1830s, when the Anti-Slavery Movement was at its height, and there were high hopes for the passing of the Abolition Bill to bring an end to it. Xanthe’s experiences as a slave have already shaped her future, but Patience has to learn to develop the virtue her name describes when she thinks of her own future; in doing so, she grows up.

Although Xanthe is not as convincing a character as Patience, the details of her circumstances are well researched, and the novel paints a vivid picture of the age and its concerns.

This is an enjoyable and affecting story with an evocative title and a cover that will appeal especially to girl readers. I would be pleased to have this book in my school library as a resource for projects on slavery.

Mari Strachan

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.