There's absolutely nothing *wrong* with "Amity" by Nathan Harris. The premise is compelling – former slaves escaping the South to forge a new life in Mexico. The characters are original, the atmosphere is well-crafted, and there’s plenty happening plot-wise. And yet, I kept finding my mind wandering, never fully invested in the story.Maybe I would have been more focused if I'd read a physical copy instead of listening to the audiobook?Or perhaps it's simply that "Amity" leans too heavily into ad...

A few years ago, I read Nathan Harris' debut book The Sweetness of Water and I loved it so much it made my top ten for the year. When I read that Harris had a new book coming out, I knew that I would have to read it. While the time period is much the same, the story of Amity is quite different than Sweetness of Water. *Amity* merges two historical events: the settlement of the Black Seminoles in Mexico and the resettlement of former southern slave owners in Mexico. The book shifts in perspect...

Utterly dull and boring, both in its writing style and overall content. Nathan Harris's *Amity* fails to capture any real interest. If you're looking for captivating book reviews, steer clear of this one.

5 stars. I absolutely loved "Amity" for the sheer range of emotions it evoked. This book is such a heartfelt and inspiring story, beautifully written with richly drawn characters who evolve so realistically throughout the narrative that you feel completely immersed. It's easily one of the best stories I've read this year. I highly recommend the audiobook version; the narrators did an exquisite job bringing Nathan Harris's "Amity" to life. 🎧 Pub. 9/2/25 [Keywords: book review, audiobook]

New Orleans, 1866. The Civil War is over, and slaves have been emancipated… but June and her brother Coleman have spent their entire lives with their owner, Wyatt Harper, and his family. They can't imagine going anywhere else or how they would survive if they left. Wyatt decides to head to Mexico, thinking he'll strike it rich building railroads and mining for silver. He takes only June with him because he wants her above all else, leaving behind his wife and grown daughter. Coleman is now alone...

The year is 1866, and Coleman, formerly enslaved, now works as a servant in the Harper family's home. The line between slavery and freedom feels razor-thin. Wyatt Harper had taken his older sister, June, to Mexico, then under French rule, chasing dreams of fortune. Coleman had been left behind with Mrs. Wyatt and her daughter, Florence. Soon, they journey to Mexico to reunite with Mr. Harper and help him find June, who he informs Coleman, by letter, has been abducted. Through June's storytelling...

"Amity" is a gripping story about a brother and sister, emancipated from slavery but still searching for true freedom, and their odyssey across the deserts of Mexico to finally reunite, all while escaping a former master still intent on their bondage. Looking for compelling historical fiction? Look no further.It is just after the Civil War when Coleman leaves New Orleans with his master's daughter and wife to find his master and sister, June. Although emancipated, they find their harrowing journ...

3.5 stars A book that chose me... and came with a little NetGalley confession.Confession time: I snagged this from Camp NetGalley partly out of a little publishing pettiness. This publisher used to approve me, and now I’m stuck in auto-decline purgatory. Seriously—why??So when Amity popped up, I snatched it, read it, and now I’m reviewing it and hoping to no longer be a ghost from the past.Then I realized it was by the same author as The Sweetness of Water, which I still haven’t read (yet), but ...

3.5 stars (according to Goodreads, 3 stars = "I liked it") Nathan Harris's *Amity* is a work of historical fiction set in the American South and Mexico in the years immediately following the Civil War. The story alternates between the perspectives of siblings Coleman and June, who were formerly enslaved by the family they now serve after the North's victory. Still bitter from the Confederacy's defeat, the family's patriarch takes June with him to join a group of other disgruntled Southerners se...

Nathan Harris proves once again that he is one of the greatest literary minds of our generation. The aptly titled *Amity* is a mightily engrossing tale, filled with magnificently realized and unforgettable characters in a world that is so thoroughly imagined. Harris employs such careful, balanced storytelling, crafting a novel that is at once harrowing and gentle, dangerous but romantic. Readers will find that for every sorrow there is a joy and for every fool there is a lesson. And it is all wo...