I love a good solid historical fiction and Trouble the Water was just that. Abigail Milton moves from a hard life in Britain to what should be a nice and pampered life in Charleston, SC with a friend of the family, but little does she know she is moving to the heart of race relations and into a home where the beliefs are different from the rest.

I love a book about the Underground Railroad and this book has it, but I wish it had more. It took a long while to get to that point and I just wish it had more of the ins and outs of it in the book.

BUT I did love the time period and the characters and the setting. I loved Abigail Milton and how her story unfolded. I loved how the stories of her past are revealed and how Douglas Elling reacts and takes care of her. I loved the balls and dinners and the etiquettes of the past - it is always fun to read about what goes into all the events of the past.

I think this book is Jacqueline Friedland's debut and I hope she has more to come, maybe in a different time period!

I was greatly engaged by the story that was based in Charleston. I have a great interest in the abolitionist movement and the story of Abby and Douglas intrigued me greatly!
Would read again!

A young English woman lands on Charleston’s docks after a three month sea journey looking for the benefactor who had offered a year of protection. When she finds herself alone for hours waiting for her escort she is determined to find her way to the offices of this benefactor. and comes upon a scene that is troubling and unexplained.

Douglas Elling, owner of Elling Exports and a large inherited estate is to be Abigail Milton’s guardian for a year commencing sometime in 1845. The setting remains in Charleston for much of the book and there is more than adequate description of southern society and the differentiation between races. It is at its core a love story with a few twists but ultimately an inordinate amount of handwringing and mental haranguing. The writing was admirable but the repetitiveness of the mental anxiety was exhausting.

Had I realized the depth of description of the pre civil war Charleston setting I probably would have passed on this book. The descriptions of the slavers and treatment of the slaves was revolting but all too realistic.

Thank you NetGalley and SparkPress for an ARC

An antebellum story, set in Charleston, with whiffs of The Kitchen House in its character development, this is a solid first outing by a debut author. When young Abby Milton comes to live in Charleston, all we know is the life of poverty she left behind. Yet Friedland slowly spools out the details of Abby's past, and we see how this past impacts her introduction into Charleston society and her life with her benefactor, The author does a great job of creating a strong female character that still fit into the time period, not always an easy thing to do. Abby is no wilting violet. Douglas Elling. Elling, an Englishman and shipping magnate, has a troubled past of his own, as his abolitionist past has brought him great sorrow. Slavery is white-washed a bit, but there are some incidences that show the degradation, the violence, the humiliation of the institution that were powerful parts of the book. The minor characters in this story are well developed, particularly Miss Larissa, the governess and Grace, the newly found best friend. As passions collide, the story builds to a somewhat predictable ending, and yet an explosive epilogue. If you are a fan of love stories and historical fiction, this book will suit you well.

this book was really good. the historical elements were great.