Berkley Books
River Sing Me Home: A GMA Book Club Pick
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A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK - This beautiful, page-turning and redemptive story of a mother's gripping journey across the Caribbean to find her stolen children and piece her family back together is a "celebration of motherhood and female resilience" (The Observer).
Named One of Time's 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 - A Dayton Literary Peace Prize Finalist
"A powerful novel that explores how freedom and family are truly defined"--Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian
Her search begins with an ending....
The master of the Providence plantation in Barbados gathers his slaves and announces the king has decreed an end to slavery. As of the following day, the Emancipation Act of 1834 will come into effect. The cries of joy fall silent when he announces that they are no longer his slaves; they are now his apprentices. No one can leave. They must work for him for another six years. Freedom is just another name for the life they have always lived. So Rachel runs.
Away from Providence, she begins a desperate search to find her children--the five who survived birth and were sold. Are any of them still alive? Rachel has to know. The grueling, dangerous journey takes her from Barbados then, by river, deep into the forest of British Guiana and finally across the sea to Trinidad. She is driven on by the certainty that a mother cannot be truly free without knowing what has become of her children, even if the answer is more than she can bear. These are the stories of Mary Grace, Micah, Thomas Augustus, Cherry Jane and Mercy. But above all this is the story of Rachel and the extraordinary lengths to which a mother will go to find her children...and her freedom.
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780593548042
EAN:
9780593548042
Binding:
Hardcover
Pages:
336
Authors:
Eleanor Shearer
Publisher:
Berkley Books
Published Date: 2023-31-01
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Loved this book! Can’t believe this is a debut novel! I want more from this author.
This is a song for all people, not just one. It is in the being, in family, in heritage and love, that pulls together what is broken. If you dare to share it. See it. It can change you.
This story really described slavery in the islands. I liked that it was loosely based on a real life. I would have liked too see how their lives progressed in the free town but the story held my interest throughout.
The "Turning Pages" club members felt that although this book had a slow beginning, it was a journey with "Rachel", worth traveling to locate her children.This was a story that has not been shared often about slave mothers trying to locate their children after emancipation.This is a book worth reading to learn about the lives of island slaves.The author provides great character development and scenery description.
Beautful, heartbreaking story. Well written, history based book. The bravery shown by Rachel is indicative of former slaves searching for their family. I highly recommend it.
