What do readers think of Remembrance by Rita Woods? Write your own review.

The premise of this book really intrigued me and the writing reeled me in immediately. Unfortunately, in spite of beautifully descriptive writing, the plot was not to my liking. I was very excited to read about 3 different historical periods and how the author would tie them together. The book however is not the historical fiction I imagined but a mystic fantasy with very little in the way of tying it all together in the end. I read to the end wondering how it would work and even imagined a few ways it might have but was sorely disappointed. There were many loose ends that didn't need to be.

Remembrance is an interesting alternative to the tragic history of slavery and slave hunters. The book spans over several centuries into present day. Beginning with the slave country of Haiti and the decades before the slave rebellion there. I think the topic of slavery is a very sensitive one and this is reflected in the book by the way some slave holders treated their slaves in a somewhat humane manner, while others were extremely cruel. Also how the concept of slavery, once fully understood, could change a slave hunter into a slaves' friend.

I liked the book, I thought it was interesting concept how it tied scientific theories into the plot. The idea of a perfect Eden for ex-slaves as an idealistic community, a bypass of the underground railroad. A community that is under the direction of an "Omnipotent Mother". A self sufficient community with little connections to the outside world, other than the Abolitionist, Quaker Mary. A perfect protected Eden, until the boundaries to the outside world are compromised.

The main characters were unique in that they possessed hidden and sometimes latent mystical powers and voodoo. The book was a little confusing at times how the chapters went from character to character though the different centuries. The characters and events seemed to blend together through the centuries in time and space. As I continued reading, the chapters narrowed to focus on three main characters. I also felt the chapters were redundant in some ways going from one character to another in order to retell events from each characters prospective.

I think this book would raise many interesting discussions for any book group. Discussions could range from the Slave Rebellion in Haiti, Abolitionists movement, runaway slaves and the slave hunters, Voodoo and mysticism practices.

Similar book of interest:
Isabel Allende, Island Beneath the Sea. About the slave rebellion in Haiti.
Susan Monk-Kidd, The Invention of Wings

Rememberance is a book of magical properties, heroines, freedom, fantasy and a little tragedy. I enjoyed this book but found that going back and forth thru the years was somewhat confusing.

It took me a long time to finish Remembrance, and I'm not sure why. In the end, I thought it was too long and could have used more editing. I liked the interconnected stories, especially those between Margot and Winter, and thought that the author wrote lovely descriptions of places - Haiti, New Orleans and Remembrance. The scenes with the slavers were so intense. Frank and Colm could definitely be the cause of bad dreams. Mysticism and magic usually bother me, and I often have a hard time relating (e.g. Colson Whitehead's, The Underground Railroad.) However, it seemed to work, for the most part, in this book. The ending wasn't satisfying to me. I'm not sure I really understood Josiah. I would have liked to have known more about Gaelle - she didn't seem well-developed. Upon reflection I would give this book a 3.5.

This book was just an average story about slavery. I wanted more about the magical place "remembrance". I wanted more description about the people who lived there and the spirit world that created this safe place. That would have made this book different and more interesting.

I REALLY wanted to like this book. But 240 pages into it, I really didn't care what happened to anyone I was reading about. I was into the first part of the book but when they crossed over into the imaginary world of Remembrance, they just lost me. It's a compelling enough story on its own, why insert fantasy into the mix?

I was expecting to read an historical novel but instead found that Remembrance was more a mystical adventure story about slavery and the Underground Railroad. What I liked was the location which was a very new approach for me. I found myself in Haiti and for a short time in New Orleans during the time of slavery. The author beautifully described the setting in each location bringing the sights, smells and sounds to life. But unfortunately for me, the story took a turn to a more unrealistic narrative employing spirits and conjuring. There were several timelines and for a while I couldn't see how the author was going to bring them together but in the end I think she did a satisfactory job. I liked the beginning and the end but the middle of the book, on a tangent I didn't expect, and don't usually like, was a disappointment for me. If you approach this more as a magical enterprise with historic overtones, it might be what you're looking for.

The author writes well and clearly has a story in mind, but I found her message hard to follow. The history of Afro-American culture was interesting, but had no real purpose as far as I could discern. Maybe the voodoo and black magic didn't appeal to me, but try as I might, I could not finish the book. One of the few stories in my experience that I could not finish. Sorry- can't recommend.