Mapmaker's Children (McCoy) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
McCoy deftly intertwines a historical tale with a modern one… lovingly constructed… passionately told.... The Mapmaker’s Children not only honors the accomplishments of a little-known woman but artfully demonstrates how fate carries us in unexpected directions, no matter how we might try to map out our lives.
Washington Post


El Paso writer Sarah McCoy mined the archives for information about Brown’s daughter Sarah, an artist who is the titular character of her latest novel, The Mapmaker’s Children. The lacing of the two plots is seamless.... [McCoy]’s unquestionably a gifted author.
Dallas Morning News


[A] journey into the past that reveals the hidden depths of the lives of two very different women separated by more than 150 years.... McCoy carefully juxtaposes the past and the present, highlighting the characters’ true introspection, and slowly revealing the unusual similarities in the two woman’s lives, which leads to a riveting conclusion.
Publishers Weekly


Interspersed with Eden [Anderson's] contemporary tale are vignettes of the life of Sarah Brown, daughter of abolitionist John Brown.... [An] engaging examination of dark and hopeful times in our collective national history and in our lives...[and a] rich and textured depiction of characters possessing strength and grace. —Jennifer B. Stidham, Houston Community Coll. Northeast
Library Journal


In vibrant yet unassuming prose, McCoy tells a story of womanhood past and present, asking big questions about family, courage and love. Readers will enjoy solving the historical puzzle of the doll's origins, but the book's true strength is its portrayal of Eden and Sarah: two brave women bound together by the difficult, noble work of building worthwhile lives.
Shelf Awareness


A fascinating peek into the personal life of the legendary John Brown and keep the pages turning. The Mapmaker’s Children serves as a reminder of how objects persist, such as Sarah’s doll, and how memories connected with those objects can last through generations.
BookPage


[S]low to begin, the women's stories are engaging and emotionally charged....and reading about the Underground Railroad and the Civil War from a woman's perspective breathes new life into a familiar era. McCoy's descriptive writing catches the reader up in both time periods.... [I]t satisfies.
Kirkus Reviews