The Third Mrs. Galway

by Deirdre Sinnott

Overview

Antislavery agitation is rocking Utica in 1835 when a young bride discovers an enslaved family hiding in her shed, setting in motion the exhumation of long-buried family secrets.

"This suspenseful novel vividly breathes life into the early years of the United States, and the burden of slavery the young Republic carries with it...This book engrosses the reader and does what historical fiction does best. In bringing the past into sharp focus, it shines a light on our present day. Highly recommended."
—Historical Novels Review, Editor’s Choice Pick

A 2021 Great Group Reads pick, selected by the Women’s National Book Association!

"Author Sinnott is a Utica native who originated her city's Abolition History Day Celebration, facilitated 'Resisting the New Jim Crow' at the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum, and is a historical consultant for the Fort Stanwix Underground Railroad History Project. She sensitively grounds her first novel in a white woman's perspective (Sinnott is white) while focusing the action and urgency around the Black Americans whose fate rests in Helen Galway’s hands."
—Literary Hub, one of Bethanne Patrick’s 5 Books You May Have Missed in July 2021 picks

"In this eloquent debut, a diverse cast of characters embodies the political, class, and racial upheavals of its time and milieu, and does it all in living local color...[A] powerful look at the prologue to Emancipation."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Potent..The book's descriptions are brutal, urgent, and realistic...In the intricate, relationship-based historical novel The Third Mrs. Galway, characters question civil disobedience and abolitionism; they also learn to be compassionate."
—Foreword Reviews

"Utica-area native and local historian Sinnott’s deep knowledge of the abolition movement in upstate New York informs this nuanced portrayal of white ambivalence and anti-slavery activism."
—Booklist

"Sinnott offers a rich history of the burgeoning abolitionist movement."
—Publishers Weekly

It’s 1835 in Utica, New York, and newlywed Helen Galway discovers a secret: two people who have escaped enslavement are hiding in the shack behind her husband’s house. Suddenly, she is at the center of the era’s greatest moral dilemma: Should she be a “good wife” and report the fugitives? Or will she defy convention and come to their aid?

Within her home, Helen is haunted by the previous Mrs. Galway, recently deceased but still an oppressive presence. Her husband, injured by a drunken tumble off his horse, is assisted by a doctor of questionable ambitions who keeps a close eye on Helen. In charge of all things domestic is Maggie—formerly enslaved by the Galway family and freed when emancipation came to New York eight years earlier.

Abolitionists arriving in Utica to found the New York State Anti-Slavery Society are accused by the local papers of being traitors to the Constitution. Everyone faces dangerous choices as they navigate this intensely heated personal and political landscape.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617758423
Publisher:	Kaylie Jones Books
Publication date:	07/06/2021
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	955,974
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Deirdre Sinnott is an author, researcher, and activist for social change. She grew up in the region of Utica, New York, and graduated from Syracuse University. Sinnott speaks nationally about the role of Central New York’s residents in the abolition of slavery. She was the originator of Utica’s Abolition History Day Celebration and has directed two award-winning documentaries on mass incarceration/prison issues. She facilitated the program "Resisting the New Jim Crow" at the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum. Sinnott’s writing has appeared in newspapers, two anthologies, literary journals, and in various online resources. The Third Mrs. Galway is her first novel. She is a historical consultant for the Fort Stanwix Underground Railroad History Project, funded by the National Park Service.

Editorial Reviews

05/31/2021

Historian Sinnott’s ambitious if uneven debut grapples with the world of abolitionism in Upstate New York during the 1830s. The story unfolds in Utica in 1835 when two freedom seekers, Imari, an escaped enslaved pregnant woman, and her son, Joe, wander onto property belonging to entrepreneur Augustin Galway. Utica is the site of raging debate between colonizationists (conservative abolitionists like Galway advocating for removal of enslaved persons to Liberia), and radical abolitionists, who want the emancipation of enslaved persons. Helen O’Connell Galway, Augustin’s wife, decides to shelter the two fugitives from the watchful eye of her husband, but struggles with her decision. Utilizing a network of Quakers, local abolitionists, and free blacks including the Galways’ domestic servant and a fishmonger , Helen succeeds in keeping Joe and Imari sheltered—until an unscrupulous doctor hired by Augustin leads slave patrollers to the secreted runaways. In the end, Galway family secrets prove pivotal to the freedom seekers’ plight. While Sinnott offers a rich history of the burgeoning abolitionist movement, exhaustive details of events such as the New York Anti-Slavery Convention don’t always feel integrated into the story, and the primary characters are underdeveloped. In a crowded field, this doesn’t quite hold its own. (July)

Publishers Weekly

2021-05-05
When an abolitionist convention comes to Utica, New York, in 1835, mayhem both public and private ensues.

In this eloquent debut, a diverse cast of characters embodies the political, class, and racial upheavals of its time and milieu, and does it all in living local color. Helen, an orphan raised in a genteel finishing school for young ladies, is wed in a quasi-arranged marriage to Galway, a prosperous older widower. Her naïveté regarding the issues of the day—in school she was taught that Southern masters treated their slaves like family—is tested when Imari and her son, Joe, escapees from a Virginia plantation, turn up in Galway’s shed. Helen’s domicile is further disrupted when Galway breaks his leg in a drunken fall, ushering quack doctor McCooke into their midst, as lecherous as he is incompetent. Meanwhile, Pryce, a young man unsure of his career path, pays more welcome attention to Helen. The streets of Utica come alive, especially as observed by minor characters—Owen Sylvanus, a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Alvan Stewart, a crusading lawyer leading the abolitionists, and Horace Wilberforce, a fishmonger and fixer. Utica’s section of the Erie Canal, where freighters are hauled by mules along a towpath, is vividly evoked. Slave catchers have arrived, not only menacing Imari and Joe, but rallying the mob against the abolitionists. Galway himself opposes abolition—instead, he advocates sending American Blacks to colonize Liberia. His servant, Maggie, who was formerly enslaved by his family, is a force to be reckoned with. Since Helen is the second Mrs. Galway, the title provides a clue to explosive family secrets. The text treads very carefully when treating the subject of slavery, and, occasionally, unavoidable echoes of today’s world lead to didactic moments that feel anachronistic. Often, when too many characters crowd into a scene, the logistics can verge on unintentional farce. But despite Sinnott’s extensive research into her hometown and its role in abolition, the pace is never slowed by excessive detail.

A localized but no less powerful look at the prologue to Emancipation.

Kirkus Reviews

"With its impressive attention to historical detail, The Third Mrs. Galway showcases novelist, researcher, and social activist Deirdre Sinnott exceptional flair for an inherently entertaining and narrative driven storytelling style."
—Midwest Book Review

"If you dig into your local history, you may be surprised at what you find. After Utica native Deirdre Sinnott began researching, an interest was ignited, and now she’s an author of a novel."
—Spectrum 1 News

"Sinnott's exciting novel looks at Northern white indifference to America’s original sin. By exposing the painful past she has created a beautiful, timely, and uplifting book with unforgettable characters who kept me guessing."
—Donna Hylton, author of A Little Piece of Light: A Memoir of Hope, Prison, and a Life Unbound

"Deirdre Sinnott is an extraordinary writer whose eye misses nothing. This compelling story is a must read—and it couldn't be more timely."
—David Black, award-winning journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and producer

"A fast-paced excursion into Utica, New York, in the mid-1830s, The Third Mrs. Galway captures the true-life anti-abolition riots against the New York Anti-Slavery Society. With lively and enjoyable prose, Deirdre Sinnott brings the story of emancipation alive."
—Paul Stewart, cofounder of the Underground Railroad History Project

"The Third Mrs. Galway offers readers romance, adventure, and poignant family drama while also providing insight into the complexity of antislavery attitudes before the Civil War. This is a historical page-turner that both enlightens and entertains."
—Barbara Weisberg, author of Talking to the Dead: Kate and Maggie Fox and the Rise of Spiritualism

"With historical accuracy, Deirdre Sinnott brings to life the surprising drama of freedom-seekers and slave-catchers in Oneida County. This book animates the history of the region and the larger Underground Railroad phenomenon in a way that street signs and public lectures cannot."

—Jan DeAmicis, cochair of the Oneida County Freedom Trail Commission

"The Third Mrs. Galway reads like Balzac, with fear, desire, terror, and love intertwined in this gripping work of historical fiction. Deirdre Sinnott weaves the stories of a cross-section of 1835 Utica, New York, into an impressive and fascinating narrative that contemplates race, class, history, and the search for justice and humanity. ReadThe Third Mrs. Galway to be swept into the uncertain, violent time of 1830s New York and to see in new ways how that moment still affects our own."
—Taylor M. Polites, author of The Rebel Wife

From the Publisher