The Indigo Girl

The Indigo Girl is a historical fiction novel that depicts the early struggles of Eliza Lucas, one of colonial America’s foremost figures in agricultural innovation, in her groundbreaking quest to produce indigo dye in South Carolina. Written by best-selling author Natasha Boyd, the novel was first published in 2017 by Blackstone Publishing; it was long-listed for the Southern Book Prize and a Southern Independent Booksellers’ Association Okra Pick.

Best known for writing romance novels, Boyd has collected a vast array of nominations for her works, which include her highly decorated The Butler Cove series. With The Indigo Girl, however, Boyd takes on the challenge of depicting colonial South Carolina from the viewpoint of a young girl left to manage her father’s plantations and navigate the skewed power dynamics of the enslavement era on her own. Committed and resilient, Eliza seeks to earn a measure of personal success and independence that has long been denied to women, and she finds a way to reach her goals despite the opposition of those who would prefer to see her fail.

This guide refers to the Blackstone Publishing e-book edition distributed by Google Play Books and published on October 3, 2017.

Content Warning: Both the source text and this guide include depictions of the dehumanizing and violent treatment of enslaved individuals that reflect the historical realities of the colonial period and the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved people.