Dorothea Hubble Bonneau
Inspired by the life of the author’s ancestor…
HEAVEN’S HILL PLANTATION, upriver from Georgetown, South Carolina, 1807: Sixteen-year-old Alexandra de Gambia is the daughter of a wealthy African-American planter and a social-climbing mother who can pass for white. But, balancing the tightrope between girlhood and the complicated adult world is a treacherous undertaking. One misstep could ruin a young woman’s prospects forever.
Alexandra yearns to establish her own place in the world as an accomplished violinist. She assumes her talent and her family’s wealth will pave her way to success—however, her life becomes a nightmare when her mother dies and her father is murdered by bigoted officials eager to seize Heaven’s Hill for their own.
Alexandra and her little brother, Jimi, heirs to Heaven’s Hill, have targets on their backs. They are forced to flee for their lives and for their freedom.
What the future holds is uncertain. Sometimes fate has its own plans.
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Reviews
In this historical novel by Bonneau (To destroy you is no loss, 1992) a young, biracial girl in South Carolina struggles with her status as the heiress to a plantation.
It’s October 1807, just three months before Alexandra de Gambia’s 16th birthday. For the duration of her young life, she’s thought of a black girl named Lulu as her playmate. Now, as she grows older, she must confront the fact that their relationship is that of mistress and slave. Heaven’s Hill, the plantation owned by her parents who live apart, is divided in two. Her biracial mother, Josephine, rules over the big house and its slaves, and her father, a prosperous, black landowner who goes by the nickname “The Panther,” lives with other free people of color in a village that’s a replica of his Gambian ancestors’ home. The trans-Atlantic slave trade is on the brink of being outlawed, and Alexandra is torn between two worlds: Her mother wants her to “pass” in so-called “high-born” white society. Alexandra wants Lulu and the other slaves to get their freedom. Alexandra overhears local white men planning to burn down her father’s stables because they think that it “Ain’t right for a darkie to own all this land,” and then a brutally racist new sheriff arrives. Will she be able to bridge the gap between black and white townsfolk?
This is a riveting story that addresses the often overlooked and controversial topic of free black people owning slaves in America. Bonneau is a skilled storyteller who also ably weaves African spirituality into her plot. Alexandra’s internal battles with an African ghost, which visits her when she’s weak or fearful, are fascinating: “‘You don’t have the courage to do this thing,’ the Ahoelra whispers. ‘I do have the courage,’ she whispers back.” Alexandra is a tenacious heroine who’s easy to root for, and the author elegantly articulates her precarious position between white and black society. Overall, this novel explores issues of equality and personal freedom in thought-provoking ways.
Sharp writing, an original plot, and a strong female protagonist make for an engrossing read.
- KIRKUS REVIEWS
Devastation, courage, and inspiration hallmark Once In A Blood Moon, a remarkable historical novel from author Dorothea Hubble Bonneau. This talented writer reminds us of all of the fragility and the strength of the human spirit. Losing her life of privilege and being sold into slavery forces Alexandra Degambia onto a path of self-discovery and reinvention in early 1800s America. The young woman endures soul-shattering heartbreak in her quest to survive, discovers unexpected allies, and inspires with her strength and dignity as she reclaims her identity as a free person of color, a gifted musician, and a teacher of her African heritage. This tale of desperation, injustice and courage is a much-needed addition to our grasp of our nation’s history. A 5-star reading experience. Highly recommend!
- LAURA TAYLOR,
6-Time Romantic Times Award Winner
I highly recommend this book for the depth of its analysis of the human race, including the social, emotional, physical, and spiritual elements. With over 15 years of research, I believe this is one of the most important books of our time. A great book is one that makes us think and want to discuss further.
I believe this book should be included as required readings for students of American history and literature.
- GISELLE NGUYEN
Dorothea Hubble Bonneau is a master storyteller and character builder who was inspired to write her book by a true story and one of her ancestors. Readers will viscerally experience the sudden and tragic turn of events for sixteen-year-old Alexandra Degambia, the daughter of a wealthy African-American planter and social-climbing mother who can pass for White. The young, educated violinist leads a privileged existence in 1807 South Carolina. But when her parents die, she endures captivity and suffers humiliation and loss beyond her wildest nightmares. Is there any escape? Can she maintain the courage and grace necessary to save her life and the lives of others? Prepare to learn. Prepare to be astonished.
- SHERRILL JOSEPH, author
Once in a Blood Moon is a fascinating historical novel about free blacks in South Carolina in 1800. Alexandra is sixteen, a talented violinist, and is about to become a debutante when a law is passed declaring her and all blacks to be slaves. This is a thrilling story of terror, conflict and survival interwoven with African spirituality and mysticism. I learned a great deal from this outstanding book, especially about the first blacks arriving in South Carolina in 1526. There are excellent references documenting this little known fact. This riveting book is a great educational resource in our current growing awareness of racism and police brutality.
- Dr BEULAH AMSTERDAM, author
This was the perfect book for the times we are in. If you need a reminder about how horrible slavery was and how people were treated—read this book!! A beautiful piece of literature and the surprise at the end when I read about the author brought tears to my eyes. In some ways, I felt like I was reading about the current time. I am off to find if Dorothea Hubble Bonneau has other books, if not, I cannot wait for something else. Amazing.
- MICHELLE BLAKE, Goodreads
Poignant and beautifully written. Full of so much history and great themes that go hand with important state the world is in today. Get lost in the history and learn so much from this amazingly captivating heroine.
- GINA STAMPER, Goodreads
Once in a Blood Moon is a well-crafted novel, and much more. Bonneau has done extensive research for both the facts and the sensory details of this true story. It is timely this novel launched at the same time that people around the world are protesting the needless death of George Floyd.
Get ready for some rich and meaningful surprises your history books never revealed about the African American and White foundations of the American South. Learn how the boundaries between black and white were more complex than we might have ever learned. Experience how Bonneau wraps her skill as a novelist around the historical truth that human kindness and heroism of any color can prevail over avarice and greed of all colors.
- Dr BARBE CHAMBLISS,
Author of Women Peacemakers, Amazon
Once in a Blood Moon is a fascinating historical novel about free blacks in South Carolina in 1800. Alexandra is sixteen, a talented violinist, and is about to become a debutante when a law is passed declaring her and all blacks to be slaves. This is a thrilling story of terror, conflict and survival interwoven with African spirituality and mysticism. I learned a great deal from this outstanding book, especially about the first blacks arriving in South Carolina in 1526. There are excellent references documenting this little known fact. This riveting book is a great educational resource in our current growing awareness of racism and police brutality.
- BEULAH AMSTERDAM, Amazon
I really enjoyed Once in a Blood Moon. The arc from beginning to end was huge, and the action never let up. The out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire series of events that unfolded was engaging and also felt true to the harrowing journey of the protagonist. The characters, especially Alexandra, were well drawn and multi-faceted, and their actions were the result of a tension between what they thought was right, what they needed to do to survive, and what they felt compelled to do by the world in which they lived. I also appreciated that the history informed the novel but was integrated in a way that didn't diffuse the action. I highly recommend this novel.
- CHAD FISK, Amazon
This should be a movie!!! An alternative truth to "Gone With The Wind" that tells another true story of the south, with intrigue, deception, courage, and love. Bonneau has done her homework and has made this delightful romance/adventure novel more enlightening by staging the characters in a framework of early US history not usually told.
- SALMONLADY, Amazon
A quality book-well researched and extremely interesting about a period in history that has largely been forgotten. Profound and entertaining.
- DANIEL P. LINK JU, Amazon
I loved, loved, loved this book and it totally hit me in all the feels!
This is definitely going to be one of my favorite books of the year if not of all time together with “Gone with the wind”.
It is a though but beautiful, aggravating but heartwarming, sad but hopeful and happy read.