What readers think of River Sing Me Home, plus links to write your own review.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

In Eleanor Shearer's remarkable debut, River Sing Me home, the author takes her reader into territory not often addressed: a mother in search of the children stolen from her through the ravages of slavery. Moving from Barbados to Trinidad, we follow Rachel as she searches, exploring themes along the way of not only slavery but also love, freedom, and colonialism. The the writing is lyrical and emotional, the characters fully fleshed-out and real. This one is a keeper, folks.

“River Sing Me Home” brings to life and awareness the depth of emotions and the true impact of slavery on victims. It is a close-up experience of the despair, desperation, and, in this case, the determination of a mother to locate and retrieve her taken children, wherever they may be. Rarely is the effect of slavery on the person relayed so comprehensibly, providing the reader with a heart-wrenching dose of reality. The author, Eleanor Shearer, has provided a masterpiece that I was hard pressed to put down before completing my read. Excellent!

Rachel has birthed children, many children. Yet she is alone. Some of her children were stillborn, others died as a result of the harsh conditions on the plantations. Those who survived into their teens were stolen from her to do the owners bidding or sold to do the bidding of others in places far away. But now it is 1834 and the British Empire has abolished slavery in most of the British colonies. At Providence, Rachel's plantation, the slaves are informed, while they are free, they are now apprentices with a six-year indenture. Rachel interprets freedom literally, successfully escapes from the apprenticeship and begins a journey to find her children.

A journey to find lost children can be a predictable story line but Shearer circumvents predictability using vibrant descriptions of place and developing memorable characters in tenuous situations. Shearer draws on research and family lore to tell the story of the slaves of the Caribbean, a people forced into servitude yet utilizing all means to maintain hope that one day they can reunite with lost family. River Sing Me Home is a story that illuminates the history of slavery, the power of familial ties and the resiliency of human beings in the face of adversity. Highly recommended.