All We Were Promised is the story of three young Black women in Philadelphia during the 1830s. Philadelphia was home to many free Blacks at this time and it was also a volatile community with so many people of different political beliefs in close proximity. This story begins on this note, as Charlotte- a teenager who has been living free for four years since running away from slavery in Maryland- observes that the day seems just right for a riot to break out. 

Charlotte's circumstances are unique, she is working as a housemaid for her father who now passes as white and has a budding woodworking career. Next we meet Nell, the daughter of an affluent Black family who is expected to marry soon but is instead focusing her time on the abolition movement. And third, we read from the perspective of Evie, a young woman who is enslaved to Kate who has brought her up to Philadelphia on vacation. 

The three women's lives intertwine and they take on a monumental task. I liked the character development in this book, especially by the end when we learned more about James who has been passing. However, I felt the book had consistent pacing issues. It was a slow start, a somewhat steady middle, and then a very drawn out and slow ending. I also felt that the words servant, maid, and slave were used interchangeably and they are certainly not equivalent. The beginning of the novel avoided the word slave when it would have been entirely appropriate and would have conveyed the gravity of the situation. I also felt that chattel slavery was portrayed in a way that hid the violence and horror, almost putting rose colored glasses on it but not quite. I will say this tapered off as the book went on and the descriptions, while not graphic, were true to the reality of the horrors of the time. 

I look forward to what Lattimore publishes in the future because the bones of this book present a talent for telling a story with ample historical research and accuracy.