Short Synopsis
Even though Sewing Annie Coats and her son, Gabriel, have managed to buy their freedom, their lives are still plagued by constant struggle and sacrifice, in this novel marked by love and tragedy.

Full Synopsis
Even though Sewing Annie Coats and her son, Gabriel, have managed to buy their freedom, their lives are still marked by constant struggle and sacrifice. Washington's Georgetown neighborhood, where the Coatses operate a tailor's shop and laundry, is supposed to be a "promised land" for former slaves, but it is effectively a frontier town, gritty and dangerous, with no laws protecting black people.

The remarkable emotional energy with which the Coatses wage their daily battles—as they negotiate with their former owner, as they assist escaped slaves en route to freedom, as they prepare for the encroaching war, and as they strive to love each other enough—is what propels Stand the Storm and makes the novel's tragic denouement so devastating.

"Clarke's sensitivity and her lyrical, earthy narration bring a freshness to the somber subject matter." ---Kirkus Starred Review

"Clarke gets the details---emotional, political, domestic, religious---right across the board and crafts complex and appealing characters." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Breena Clarke has written another stirring work of historical fiction that weaves the passionate, dramatic and uplifting story of the African American aspiration for true freedom into the great American tapestry." ---The Washington Post

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner

Kirkus Review

Publishers Weekly Review