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cc_shelflove's review
adventurous
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This story was very good, but at times it was obvious it was written by a debut author. A sad, sad story—we follow Rachel, a slave who escapes her plantation in Barbados with a goal of finding her five children who were sold away at young ages. The book had the same sense of adventure as American Dirt without the grit, anger, and heart pounding action. I felt satisfied by the book’s ending but I was not moved to tears. Still a solid Book of the Month selection!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Racism, and Death
Moderate: Abandonment and Grief
2treads's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Shearer has written a story that I consider a reclaiming. A story that burrows its way into your heart and psyche as Rachel searches for her children. This is a reclaiming for all our enslaved ancestors whose children were taken away from them, but who they would never forget.
It is poignant in its rendering of Rachel's determination, her insecurity, and her unrelenting desire as a mother to know and understand her children's own stories, how they survived, and the freedom they chose.
As a part of our fraught and violent history, Shearer writes with a powerful tenderness, focusing on a mother's journey and fears, her strength and losses as a result of slavery, and even though she makes clear how brutal Slavery was, it never takes from the tenderness and love of this story.
But what I loved the most about this book was her depiction of each of these characters defining freedom for themselves and moving to live that freedom their way, as well as how choice was at the forefront for Rachel and her children.
It is poignant in its rendering of Rachel's determination, her insecurity, and her unrelenting desire as a mother to know and understand her children's own stories, how they survived, and the freedom they chose.
As a part of our fraught and violent history, Shearer writes with a powerful tenderness, focusing on a mother's journey and fears, her strength and losses as a result of slavery, and even though she makes clear how brutal Slavery was, it never takes from the tenderness and love of this story.
But what I loved the most about this book was her depiction of each of these characters defining freedom for themselves and moving to live that freedom their way, as well as how choice was at the forefront for Rachel and her children.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, Slavery, Pregnancy, and Grief
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