BOOK BY: Kim Vogel Sawyer
Freedom’s Song is a beautiful illustration of what it means to be free spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It inspires hope and the realization that physical bonds have no bearing on true freedom in Christ.
Fanny is a riverboat singer, indentured for safe passage for her family to America. When it looks like the terms of the contract her father signed will not be honored, Fanny prays for a way to find freedom from enslavement. A fire provides the escape she needs, and sends her off across the country on foot.
The first half of the story kept me glued to the pages. Fanny is rescued by a group of runaway slaves who are traveling the underground railroad. Beautiful friendships are forged and Fanny is challenged in ways she hadn’t been before. I loved the depth of emotions the author created in this small troupe, and appreciated the parallels drawn by Fanny, but not so much that Fanny felt she was equal to them. By far, these characters were my favourites.
The riverboat captain is overcome with grief at the loss of his money-making singer. Not only was she beautiful, but she was kind and never gave him trouble. Fanny’s faith was evident aboard and reminds him of his family he left behind. He searches for Fanny’s body in the river and won’t rest until he finds her – dead or alive. We see his internal struggle to find peace and contentment while battling his life goal of building his fortune. Fanny was his ticket to fortune.
Readers are pulled into several states at a time when slavery was still acceptable, and when immigrants struggled to work the land and make something in the land of opportunity. The second half of the book finds Fanny without money and looking for a way to make money in order to get to her family in New York. She makes the mistake of singing for her supper and for a few coins….
The story ties up all the loose ends in a neat package. However, I wasn’t completely convinced that the riverboat captain had changed as much as he did in the end. For the majority of the book he was driven to find Fanny. Then the ending that was given to him didn’t quite seem the right ending.
I would have liked to see more of the runaway slaves as they were fascinating characters. I wasn’t as taken with the characters in the second half, the ones that helped Fanny find her satisfactory ending.
All in all, a satisfying read.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.