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There are currently 33 member reviews
for River Sing Me Home
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Mary S. (Bow, NH)
Grit can take you far
This engrossing novel is a must read for anyone wanting to see grit and determination in action. Our hero, Rachel, is technically a formerly enslaved person because the novel begins with the declaration of emancipation in 1834. However, emancipation was a farce as local laws were quickly enacted to keep people enslaved under what were called apprenticeships. Rachel rejects her apprenticeship status and runs away from the plantation to find her children that, over a course of many years, had been taken away from her and sold.
The first child that Rachel finds is her mute daughter working in Bridgetown – the largest city in Barbados both then and now. The daughter is going by a different name than her birth name, because being mute and illiterate cannot convey her name to others, and yet Rachel finds her through sheer determination. The two of them and a sailor named Nobody (there's a story there) join forces to find the rest of the children. The travels take them to another side of Barbados, to boarding a ship for British Guiana, where they most travel for weeks by canoe up a seemingly uninhabited river, and then by boat again to Trinidad.
The descriptions of people and places are compelling. Like the film director, Alfred Hitchcock, the author is a genius as providing just enough description and then letting your imagination fill in details to complete the imagery. As with Hitchcock, this technique can make an event more emotional and compelling than if the author used five more paragraphs of description.
At times this book was hard to read because of the cruelty of the world at that time, however, it was always interesting. Further, the author struck a good balance to keep the story line from becoming morose. It is very much worth reading to learn more about the enslaved people in the Caribbean and just to read a great book.
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Susan B. (Fort Myers, FL)
Terrific story
From the first time you meet Rachel her strength and determination will be an example of the human spirit and its ability to carry on no matter how hard the task. I couldn't stop reading this story and thinking about it after reading each chapter. Three things make, for me, this one of the best books of the year.
1. It is historical fiction of what life was like in the Caribbean islands.
2. It shows the determination of a mother to find her children who have been taken from her and sold at a young age.
3. The writing is so good that it puts you in the story, you can feel the heat, the rush of the river, and all the feelings and paths Rachel must follow
I recommend this is a very readable, interesting book.
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Rebecca G. (Havertown, PA)
So powerful
Occasionally I read a book that stops my heart, takes my breath away and pulls at all the emotions I can possibly feel at one time. River Sing Me Home is that book. It's the heartbreaking story of slavery in the Caribbean, those that did the backbreaking work on the sugar cane plantations. It's the story of the power of a mother's love and the sacrifices that slave mothers made to be reunited with their children that were torn away and sold. It's the story of friendship, determination and the desire of every human to find freedom whatever that means. I'm in awe of this book and the pain, hope, and love I felt in constant conflict with each other. It's a must read for every person
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Paula K
An Amazing First Novel
Oh how I loved this book: lyrical, heart-wrenching and so well-crafted. At its heart, "River Sing Me Home" examines slavery just after the "emancipation" of slaves in the Caribbean islands, primarily in the sugar trade. But more importantly, it is an allegory of Rachel who refuses to be bound by the life others would have her live and begins a search for her children, all taken from her to sell into slavery. Pretty much used for breeding, Rachel had 11 children, five who survived and taken from her at various ages.
More than Rachel's journey, what struck me was our interconnectedness and the beauty of helping one another navigate life's rough roads. From the book's early chapters, Rachel receives help from Mama B who comments on "the connection between all things.... We can't just take; we also must give." And "Because someone help me when me need it. And you should not take help if you not gon' give it when the time comes." As Rachel gains confidence and strength, she flowers in the help she gives to others, paying forward what she received.
Her discovery of each child was fascinating and each so different. There were no fairy tale reunions but the bitter reality of reconnecting after suffering so much trauma.
"River Sing Me Home" was an impressive, moving first novel by Eleanor Shearer and hopefully we will have more of her beautiful writing in the years ahead.
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Jodi S. (Goldens Bridge, NY)
A Different View of Motherhood
This book looks at slavery from a completely different perspective. Everyone knows slavery was horrible and wrong, but have you ever thought about it from the perspective of a mother? Not only is she working all day in the fields under unbearable conditions for people who treat her as less-than-human, but also one day she comes home from the fields and her child has been taken away, sold to another plantation who-knows-where!
This is the story of Rachel, who escapes her life of slavery. She realizes that she wants, she needs, to find her children. She won't rest until she knows what happened to the five that survived childhood and were taken from her.
I really liked this book as it's not like any story I've ever read before. Most of what I've read on slavery is takes place in the southern United States, this book takes place in the Caribbean. I've read about people whose children have been taken and the families try to reconnect. But this book takes place in such a different time, when Rachel had to risk her life just to start the search, and had to keep from being found as well.
I liked the writing style, but sometimes found the events int he story to be a bit over-simplified. I find it difficult to believe that Rachel might just run into one of her children just by walking down the street in a new town. But I could overlook that because Rachel was such a relatable person and I really wanted her to find all her children, be happy, and for them all to live together and be free.
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Kevin D. (Morristown, NJ)
A Literary Triumph
What begins as a terrifying run through a dark tropical forest ultimately transforms into an island-hopping journey throughout the Caribbean as Rachel, a runaway, searches desperately for the five children slavery had stolen from her. With no idea where they may be, or if they are even alive, Rachel perseveres. Forced to rely on the kindness of strangers, as well as the ruthlessness of overseers, she will not stop until she knows their fate. From Barbados to British Guiana, and ultimately to Trinidad, this is the story of the unconquerable love of a mother who will stop at nothing to reunite her family.
It is impossible to describe the range of emotions one will experience while reading this extraordinarily fast-paced story. Feelings ranging from fear to despair to elation are all to be expected as one accompanies Rachel on this epic journey. In the end, however, one cannot help but feel they have experienced a literary adventure not easily rivaled.
A five-star debut novel by Eleanor Shearer that will leave the reader breathless at the end!
Thank you to BookBrowse for the privilege of reviewing this ARC. Look for "River Sing Me Home" in stores in the United States in February 2023!
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Ilene M. (Longmont, CO)
Wonderful story
This is one of the best books that I have read this year. The writing is exquisite. I was totally committed to the characters. They felt like family to me. This was a story about British slavery which was unknown to me. Please do yourself a favor and read this book.
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