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There are currently 33 member reviews
for River Sing Me Home
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Celia P. (Melbourne, FL)
A Mother's Love
The author clearly states her laudable reason for writing this book:
... to bring to life a story about the Caribbean in the aftermath of slavery - a time and place that is not well known or widely understood.
Rachel is the main character - a mother of many; some sold away from her; some died of fever.
She searches for those sold across the Caribbean in 3 different countries: Barbados, British Guiana, and Trinidad.
This story of a mother's love and her painful search for her daughters is compelling.
The three different locales that it includes made it a must read for a world literature lover such as myself.
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WDH - Kentucky
Excellent Read
Really enjoyed this book. The writing is lyrical, the characters are full and the story evokes empathy, anger and great imagery. A few parts in the second half seemed a bit slow, but not enough to detract from the overall story. I did notice what seemed like some inconsistencies in speech patterns in a few places. I would recommend this book to friends and book groups.
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Wendy F. (Kalamazoo, MI)
A story that must be told
River Sing Me Home is a triumph of tragedy and hope. Joining Rachel's journey to find the family that she lost over many years of slavery was sometimes difficult but always with a glimmer of anticipation that she would be reunited with her loved ones. Eleanor Shearer's lyrical prose and story that is in need of being told to everyone touched my heart. We cannot allow this type of history to be repeated. Thank you Eleanor for keeping the hope alive that a better world is within our grasp.
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Kristen H. (New Bern, NC)
Fortitude
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. It was a story of love of family and struggles. What one woman risked to find her children was incredibly brave. The author did a wonderful job bringing the story to life. Highly recommend.
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Becky S. (Springfield, MO)
A mothers love
I really loved River Sing Me Home! My heart just felt for Rachel as she looked to find each one of her children that was torn away from her. The history of slavery in the Caribbean Islands was new to me, and I enjoyed learning more about that. Such a sad time in our worlds history, this book made me feel all the feels. Very few books can make me cry, but the last page of this one was a real tear jerker for me. Great character building in this one! I connected with almost everyone, but none more than Rachel.
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Mary B. (St Paul, MN)
River Sing Me Home
River Sing Me Home is a beautifully written novel. Ms Shearer states in the Acknowledgements that the main character's story(Rachel) is inspired by a real person. It is the story of a mother who is a slave and her courageous, desperate, and heartbreaking attempt to find the children that were ripped from her by plantation owners. The events take place i the early 1800's. The story starts in Barbados and follows Rachel's journey to other parts of the Caribbean.
Ms Shearer's story telling paints a very vivid picture of the characters, the feelings, the settings, and history of the time period. This historical piece was not something I had read about in the past.
I would highly recommend this touching book.
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ER (Vista, CA)
Powerful beyond words
This was one of the best books I have read in ages! Imagine a novel that grips your entire being both physically and emotionally throughout the story. Every aspect of this story was so well crafted, from the scenery (I was always there with the characters), to the credibility of the storyline, to the characters. I cannot find any fault but highly, highly recommend reading this story that takes place at the end of slavery in the Caribbean. This book shares strength of character, love, fear, determination but mostly, hope.
I can't wait to read this author in the future…what a marvelous debut!
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