Fox Creek is a southern plantation in northeast Louisiana, set in the mid 1800’s. It follows the story of Monette, a mulatto child whose white planter father adored and grants all the privileges of favorite child to. When he dies, the planter’s son sends Monette and other slaves from the plantation to the auction blocks of New Orleans, where she is bought by the owner of Fox Creek, as a playmate for his own daughter. She enjoys many of the Big House privileges she has become accustomed to, until the planter’s mother determines she’s become too “uppity.”
While the story is easy reading, it portrays the stereotypes and tropes the general public has come to assign to this period of American History. I found it to be dismissive of the diverse slave population, illustrating them all as unintelligent and fearful. It also portrayed women to be weak and not suited to “unladylike leanings” …anything other than motherhood. It felt like the kind of novels popular in the 1960’s where women and slaves were all portrayed as lustful animals. While the author is a good storyteller, I didn’t care for the story she told.
Fox Creek was published September 1, 2025, by Sly Fox Publishing, LLC. I appreciate the review copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher.
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