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Matthew Penny knew that to be a fact: as a lawyer, he’d seen
many men strung up and his new client, a traveling salesman,
was meant to be next. Penny was sure the man wasn’t guilty,
though, but it was 1860 on the frontier, corruption was
common, and the man’s beautiful, exotic accuser seemed to
have the judge under her spell.
And as it turned out, the salesman was convicted and harshly
punished but things could have been worse. He would’ve hung,
were it not for the quiet black man who approached Penny and
whispered that the trial was rigged.
Weeks later, in Penny’s Portland office, it was time to pay
for that information.
Worthy Brown had once been a slave in Savannah, and had
traveled west with his owner, Caleb Barbour, who was
escaping debt. But slavery was illegal in Oregon and Brown
was now a free man, though Barbour still held Brown’s only
child, Roxanne. The law was on Brown’s side but Barbour was
smart, and well-connected.
Brown needed Penny’s help.
Penny understood loss all to well. Traveling westbound two
years prior, his beloved wife had drowned during a river
crossing, and he sorely missed her. He knew Rachel would
want him happy – but what would she say about his growing
romance with the daughter of Portland’s wealthiest citizen?
That vexed him greatly, but there wasn’t time to dwell on
it. Saving Brown’s daughter from her captor was more
important. And since Barbour had started collecting
supporters, there was no chance for error on Penny’s part…
Good and bad. That’s this book.
Author Phillip Margolin admits that he took license with
history in order to write Worthy Brown’s Daughter
and, indeed, the premise of this novel bears rather small
resemblance to the true events it’s “loosely” based upon.
The real-life tale of “several” unlawfully-held former slave
children is surely one of fascination and outrage - but
here, it’s watered down by fiction that mostly seems to get
in the way, and that turns what might’ve been a stellar
novel into just another courtroom drama.
And yet – there’s Worthy Brown.
Margolin makes his title character someone who’s steadfast
and solid, someone you desperately want to win. Brown is
just one man in this well-populated story, but his presence
alone will keep your nose buried in this book.
Overall, I think that if you’re looking for historical
accuracy, you’ll be happier looking elsewhere. This ain’t
what you want. But if you need a decent enough novel to pass
the time and you think Worthy Brown’s Daughter is it…
you might be right. |
