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The Wedding Gift

by Marlen Suyapa Bodden

Published: 2013-09-24
Hardcover : 320 pages

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Recommended to book clubs by 10 of 10 members

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Introduction

In 1852, when prestigious Alabama plantation owner Cornelius Allen gives his daughter Clarissa's hand in marriage, she takes with her a gift: Sarah—her slave and her half-sister. Raised by an educated mother, Clarissa is not the proper Southern belle she appears to be, with ambitions of loving whom she chooses. Sarah equally hides behind the façade of being a docile house slave as she plots to escape. Both women bring these tumultuous secrets and desires with them to their new home, igniting events that spiral into a tale beyond what you ever imagined possible. Told through the alternating viewpoints of Sarah and Theodora Allen, Cornelius' wife, Marlen Suyapa Bodden's The Wedding Gift is an intimate portrait of slavery and the 19th Century South that will leave readers breathless.

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Discussion Questions

Suggested by Members

Did you suspect the ending?

discuss how you felt each turn of events was planned by Sara.

Why did Sara just stay?

by Bettina223 (see profile) 05/22/14

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Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 10 of 10 members.

Member Reviews

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by veronica E. (see profile) 02/28/20

by Eliza H. (see profile) 08/13/15

"THE WEDDING GIFT"by SHELLY B. (see profile) 06/10/14

This book was engrossing. The story of two half-sisters, one white, one black. the story takes place before the Civil War. The story tells of the differences and the cruelty about slavery. I recieved... (read more)

"The Wedding Gift"by Bettina H. (see profile) 05/22/14

The last two paragraphs made for a very lively discussion. We all enjoyed the book and each had insights regarding the story line and the characters.

by Mary Jo R. (see profile) 05/22/14

"The Wedding Gift"by Pat M. (see profile) 05/22/14

This book became a surprise to me. Very well written with great Character development. Found myself wanting to go pick up the book to see what happened next. And the ending you will never see coming.... (read more)

"The Wedding Gift"by Sharon S. (see profile) 03/07/14

This book made for interesting discussion at bookclub.
The parallels of all of the female characters limitations was insightful of the time period in which it was set.

"The Wedding Gift"by Barbara M. (see profile) 11/14/13

The book started off somewhat slow but it got better as you read along. Interesting in regards to the way of life back then. Unfortunate how human beings were treated and ghastly how family... (read more)

"The Wedding Gift, Marlen Suyapa Bodden"by Gail R. (see profile) 11/01/13

This story is told in two voices, one is that of the mistress of the Allen plantation, Theodora Allen, and the other is that of the slave, Sarah Campbell. This particular slave is the illegi... (read more)

"The Wedding Gift"by Elizabeth P. (see profile) 09/20/13

Poignant, heartbreaking, and unfortunately true.

THE WEDDING GIFT is beautiful in the sense of how the story is told in the author's marvelous prose and flowing style, but ugly in the har

... (read more)

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