Free Enterprise: A Novel of Mary Ellen Pleasant

by Michelle Cliff

Book Overview

In 1858, two black women meet at a restaurant and begin to plot a revolution. Mary Ellen Pleasant owns a string of hotels in San Francisco that secretly double as havens for runaway slaves. Her comrade, Annie, is a young Jamaican who has given up her life of privilege to fight for the abolitionist cause. Together they join John Brown's doomed enterprise and barely escape with their lives. With mesmerizing skill, Cliff weaves a multitude of voices...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0872864375
• ISBN13: 9780872864375
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: City Lights Books
• Length: 213 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

A Harrowing Piece of Historical Fiction

Michelle Cliff has an uncanny ability to make the reader feel the characters' emotions. This book is definitely not for the passive reader, but for those who want to walk away enlightened and changed, which is what good historical fiction is meant to do. While this novel doesn't shy away from depicting the brutality and horror of slavery and oppression, Cliff creates two strong female leaders who defy the restrictions placed on them and rise above their circumstances.

No Regrets

Most of us have heard of John Brown and his unsuccessful raid on Harpers Ferry. But how many of us have heard of Mary Ellen Pleasant? Mary Ellen Pleasant was a civil rights leader before there was an official movement, yet she is often omitted from history books. In FREE ENTERPRISE Michelle Cliff uses a mixture of historical fact and fiction to create a complex tale that highlights the life of this often overlooked phenomenal woman. The book takes place in the mid 1800's and focuses on the lives of Mary Ellen Pleasant, a wealthy hotelier from California, and Annie Christmas, a young Jamaican who left her home to make a life in the United States. In addition, special attention is paid to the relationship the two women shared and their involvement in the abolitionist movement. The story is not told in a linear fashion; instead the author takes readers back and forth in time. In addition, the story is told from through the voices of several different characters in a series of vignettes. The result is a complex and richly detailed story told with a strong literary flair. I thoroughly enjoyed FREE ENTERPRISE; it is a thought-provoking and enjoyable tale. It is a weighty read, and requires full attention and thought. As Michelle Cliff alternates from time to time, place to place, and voice to voice, she provides intricate details that when woven together result in a powerful tale. I particularly loved the fact that all of the major characters in the book were women, and that the author depicted them as strong, intelligent and well-rounded, especially considering the time period in which the story took place. FREE ENTERPRISE is a well-written, literary read with strong female characters, and a pleasant mixture of history and creativity. This is the kind of book you could read several times and each time take something new away; definitely a story to savor. Reviewed by Stacey Seay of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Catch it if you can

'Free Enterprise' is fabulous. There are many counterpoints in this novel which is filled with historical reconstructions. Catch this novel if you can, as soon as you can. It offers almost a perfect balance between historicity and creativity. If you have some literary theory behind you then the novel is particularly suited to a postcolonial readng. so you'll want to read the novel several times so as not to miss anything.The novel presents a perfect balance between historicity and creativity. Catch it if you can.