Publication Date: June 19, 2023
Rich with history, the geriatric romance in Two Rivers entertains and educates. Without fear of causing “discomfort” to some, Two Rivers takes us deep into the lives of two peoples—Africans and Europeans—in 1854 near Charleston, South Carolina.
In Two Rivers, the parallel courtships of enslaved widow Ella wooing 84-year-old widower Posey and Tiffany Plantation manager James’ pursuit of Jacqueline, daughter of a bank president, reveals the side-by-side lifestyles of enslavers and the enslaved.
Attorney James’ dream was to join the elite planter-banker class by any means necessary. Rebuffed by Congressman William Aiken’s daughter, James turned to Jacqueline. Meanwhile, Angolan Ella was determined to marry Posey, whose ancestry was Igbo.
Though enemies from the day James arrived, both Posey and James respected Senator John C. Calhoun—but for vastly different reasons. For James, Calhoun represented the “rule-maker class” he wanted to join. Posey welcomed Calhoun’s prediction of war between white people.
By 1854, the Tiffany family had enslaved over 300 Africans for more than a century on the 1,100-acre slave labor camp that they called the Tiffany Plantation. The Tiffanys were the largest rice producer in South Carolina’s Colleton District. While the toil of enslaved Africans earned untold riches for the Tiffanys, the Africans endured violence inflicted to force increased rice production and profits followed by the indignity of the bodies of loved ones being stolen from their graves and delivered to a medical school.
Rich with history and a cast of unforgettable characters, Two Rivers is a sweeping saga of two peoples—European immigrants and African abductees. Together, they experience courtships, infanticide, homicide, rape, rebellions, revenge, sabotage, storms, high-stakes gambling, grave-robbing, counterfeiting, slave mortgage-backed securities, and more.
“De troubles Posey be sees” in Two Rivers reminds one of Southern Gothic storytelling.
Long-held myths about enslaved individuals in the South are confronted in a rich historical account of life on a rice plantation in South Carolina.
Author Bob Rogers demonstrates his research abilities in bringing characters to life in Two Rivers: De Trouble I Be See. While the Gullah dialect is present in some of the story’s conversations, it isn’t overwhelming.
This book introduces a unique peek into the lives of those living on the rice farm in 1854. Regardless of skin color, the characters share common ground, with the exception of one color being free while the other is enslaved. The manager of the farm underestimates the workers, thinking he can kidnap a slave’s wife for his own selfish interests.
Led by an octogenarian, change soon comes. The author adds plenty of description to illustrate the struggles of being considered less of a person during this time period.
Two Rivers provides a thoughtful look at history with a solid mix of real and fictional characters.
Bob Rogers is the author of the historical novels First Dark and The Laced Chameleon, which earned critical acclaim from Kirkus Reviews, San Francisco Review, and Baltimore Examiner. Bob is a meticulous researcher, known to spend extra time, magnifying glass in hand, deciphering 18th and 19th-century handwriting for “just the facts, ma’am.” Bob, a former U.S. Army captain and combat leader during the Vietnam War in Troop A, 1/10 Cavalry, finds his topographic experiences useful in field research. If not closeted in libraries or museums, you are likely to find him walking centuries-old rice fields, battlefields, or in a canoe following the river trails of his characters.
He studied at South Carolina State University and the University of Maryland.
Bob tends his flowers, okra, and tomato plants in Mérida, Yucatán, México.
Oct 23 – Liese’s Blog – books spotlight
Oct 24 – Pick a Good Book – books spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Oct 25 – StoreyBook Reviews – books spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Oct 26 – Novels Alive – book review of FIRST DARK / giveway
Oct 26 – Book Corner News and Reviews– book review of FIRST DARK / giveaway
Oct 27 – Book Corner News and Reviews– book review of TWO RIVERS: DE TROUBLE I BE SEE / giveaway
Oct 30 – Welcome To MLM Opinion’s Reviews – book review of FIRST DARK / giveaway
Oct 31 – Leanne Bookstagram – book review of FIRST DARK
Nov 1 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of FIRST DARK / giveaway
Nov 1 – Leanne Bookstagram – book review of TWO RIVERS: DE TROUBLE I BE SEE
Nov 2 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review of FIRST DARK / giveaway
Nov 3 – Authors on iTours: Let’s Talk Books – book review of FIRST DARK
Nov 6 – Stephanie Jane – books spotlight / giveaway
Nov 7 – Welcome To MLM Opinion’s Reviews – book review of TWO RIVERS: DE TROUBLE I BE SEE / giveaway
Nov 8 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of TWO RIVERS: DE TROUBLE I BE SEE / giveaway
Nov 8 – Novels Alive – book review of TWO RIVERS: DE TROUBLE I BE SEE / giveaway
Nov 9 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review of TWO RIVERS: DE TROUBLE I BE SEE / guest post / giveaway
Nov 10 – Authors on iTours: Let’s Talk Books – book review of TWO RIVERS: DE TROUBLE I BE SEE
