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rubberrosebooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
brewdy_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
ππͺπ΄π΅π°π³πͺπ€π’π ππͺπ€π΅πͺπ°π― β’ ππͺπ΅ππͺπ€ β’ ππ’π€π¦ β£
ππΆπ£ππͺπ΄π©π¦π₯ 31 ππ’π―πΆπ’π³πΊ 2023β£
There is no force on Earth more powerful than a mother's love. It is as big as the sky and as deep as the ocean.
Itβs unimaginable to put myself into the shoes of a woman whose 5 babies were stolen & resold into slavery as children. My mama bear heart couldn't survive it.
Emancipation β or the "what came after" slavery is the subject of this book. After being declared βfreeβ, Mama Rachel goes on the run in order to discover the fates of her 5 adult children, to reunite her family.
Although a bit far-fetched at times, because this is fiction it worked. I appreciated the unique arcs of each of her children. I teared up several times and I wanted them to all have a happy homecoming, even though I knew that was unlikely/unrealistic. This book was both heartbreaking and also full of love, hope, courage, and determination.
It highlights the injustices of slavery, but also how post-emancipation life was not all that different than indentured servitude. How many black people were still killed by whites without repercussions.
I would highly recommend the audio format in order to get the best reading of the accents and speech used throughout the book.
ππΆπ£ππͺπ΄π©π¦π₯ 31 ππ’π―πΆπ’π³πΊ 2023β£
There is no force on Earth more powerful than a mother's love. It is as big as the sky and as deep as the ocean.
Itβs unimaginable to put myself into the shoes of a woman whose 5 babies were stolen & resold into slavery as children. My mama bear heart couldn't survive it.
Emancipation β or the "what came after" slavery is the subject of this book. After being declared βfreeβ, Mama Rachel goes on the run in order to discover the fates of her 5 adult children, to reunite her family.
Although a bit far-fetched at times, because this is fiction it worked. I appreciated the unique arcs of each of her children. I teared up several times and I wanted them to all have a happy homecoming, even though I knew that was unlikely/unrealistic. This book was both heartbreaking and also full of love, hope, courage, and determination.
It highlights the injustices of slavery, but also how post-emancipation life was not all that different than indentured servitude. How many black people were still killed by whites without repercussions.
I would highly recommend the audio format in order to get the best reading of the accents and speech used throughout the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
haleysversion's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Classism
micaelamariem's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
From a perspective that helps one see the different culture and understand the brutal history of slavery in the Caribbean, this book is great. It really tugs at the heartstrings as you follow a mother who escapes slavery to search for her sold children. The descriptions of the landscapes are also great. However, when it came to the characters, I found them, apart from Rachel, a bit one-dimensional and like their descriptions were more βtellingβ than βshowing.β I also was frustrated that Rachel didnβt start her quest until about 100 pages in of a 300 page bookβthe slow beginning made me less inclined to really immerse myself into the story. Overall it was good, but I think it couldβve been better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
jordynkw's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
beth_s0730's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
greatlibraryofalexandra's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I valued this story a lot. The books about slavery I read are usually focused on the US, so it was good to expand my horizons here and read about the Caribbean. The writing was truly beautiful, quiet and painful. It reminded me of "Homegoing" (Gyasi) and "Roots" (Haley), though I will say I enjoyed both of those books more. I loved Rachel's determination, her journey, and her reflections on suffering one chooses and how it emboldens you, versus the suffering one is subjected to and how it wears you down. I also really valued the examination of what "freedom" really means, in both a legal sense and a larger, more ideological sense. I think we're still examining this question every day.
It feels very wrong to call a book this full of trauma and suffering "serendipitous," but to me it was at least a bit too serendipitous in that Rachel was able to either find out find out what happened to all of her children, despite hopping between islands of thousands of people. It relied a little too much on convenience and while I don't think it was necessarily a happy story or a happy ending, it was a farfetched to me that she was able to have so much closure - even if it was also a peaceful thing to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
miranda_rhonda's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, and Slavery
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I felt a little bit thrown off when the plot seemed to hit the ground running and legit just have the reader be swept up in the plot right away. But once the storyline found its footing, it was smooth sailing from there. I felt myself rooting for Rachel & her search for her children.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Minor: Physical abuse
bringmybooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was an astoundingly beautiful debut novel and I can't recommend it highly enough.
β¨ ππ₯ππ‘π β¨ BΜ·OΜ·RΜ·RΜ·OΜ·WΜ· BΜ·YΜ·PΜ·AΜ·SΜ·SΜ·
While not shying away from any of the realities of the history (with the content warnings to match - it's beautiful, but hard to read at times), this novel still manages to uplift your soul with the way it allows you to be a part of Rachel's journey. I'm not a mother myself, but I commend Eleanor Shearer on her ability to make you feel so connected to things that you have never had to experience. Rachel's love for her children, the way she remembers them, the way she yearns for them, the way she feels guilt and love and frustration and joy and deepest heartache; you are intimately involved in these feelings with her and it made the book very strong.
The history of slavery (&especially the Emancipation Act of 1834 and how that affected those enslaved in the Caribbean) was completely unknown to me, and I thought Shearer did a really good job adding a lot of factual information in a way that felt woven throughout the story as opposed to info-dumping it.
I was especially moved with the way water and the rivers played an integral role in the story, and the complicated nature of how Rachel and those around her felt about them.
This was an emotionally resounding novel that will definitely be one I find myself recommending.
β¨ ππ₯ππ‘π β¨ BΜ·OΜ·RΜ·RΜ·OΜ·WΜ· BΜ·YΜ·PΜ·AΜ·SΜ·SΜ·
While not shying away from any of the realities of the history (with the content warnings to match - it's beautiful, but hard to read at times), this novel still manages to uplift your soul with the way it allows you to be a part of Rachel's journey. I'm not a mother myself, but I commend Eleanor Shearer on her ability to make you feel so connected to things that you have never had to experience. Rachel's love for her children, the way she remembers them, the way she yearns for them, the way she feels guilt and love and frustration and joy and deepest heartache; you are intimately involved in these feelings with her and it made the book very strong.
The history of slavery (&especially the Emancipation Act of 1834 and how that affected those enslaved in the Caribbean) was completely unknown to me, and I thought Shearer did a really good job adding a lot of factual information in a way that felt woven throughout the story as opposed to info-dumping it.
I was especially moved with the way water and the rivers played an integral role in the story, and the complicated nature of how Rachel and those around her felt about them.
This was an emotionally resounding novel that will definitely be one I find myself recommending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment