This book surprised me. Author Tademy gave up a plumb job at Sun Microsystems, I believe it was, to research her roots and bring us this novel (she's since written a second.).

The story is strong and vividly written, with characters it is easy to love and who stay with you for a long time after you close the book.

This is one I liked so much, I've picked up spare copies to spread around.

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this book is great! It is a historical account of Ms. Tademy's family heritage. Three generations of women play major roles in this book. It was very touching and heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

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This story will tear your heart to pieces over and over again. It's an incredible account of several generations of women who live through slavery, emmancipation and every kind of hardship that can strike a family. Even though we're too old for books with pictures, the photos in this book speak just as many words as the text does. It's a miracle that the author was able to locate original documents from the plantations, and you'll be compelled to study them. I can't believe I'm parting with this book, but it's just too wonderful not to share it. Feel free to email with any questions. ~LeAnn

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A friend recommended this book to me and after the first 30 or so pages I thought - Hmmm... I'm not so sure about this one. So many different names - I was having a hard time following the story and all the characters. But, wow - it didn't take long after that. I loved the story. I loved the relationships between the women, the vivid descriptions of the events and the real emotion that came through all of their experiences. Great book!

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I liked this book a lot. It did not dwell upon the detailed cruelty of slavery but rather the strength of the people who endured through generations of changes. It was an interesting look at plantation life in central Louisiana for over 125 years.

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This is a FABULOUS book for many reasons.

If you'd like the details, please check out my complete review ... it's just too long to post it all here.

Also, if you have any interest in researching your family history you'll find the author's efforts fascinating.

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Good reading

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Epic novel of four generations of African American women, based on one families actual researched past, unforgettable storytelling

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The story of several generations of slave women in the deep south before, during, and after the Civil War. Their stories are told in depth, much heart break, surprises, and a glimps of the strength of these women. I highly recommend, especially for women of all ages.

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Very interesting story.

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I really enjoyed this book -- it's a true story of a slave woman and her descendants through freedom and how they survived once slavery was abolished.

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unabridged

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This is a fascinating blend of historical fiction and Tademy's family narrative through several generations beginning in the antebellum South. It's a tribute to strong women who faced complicated and painful "color lines" .

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This book is about a family who was brought to this country as slaves. The story tells about each generation and how life was for them. It tells how the mothers wanted to improve life for themselves and for their children and grandchildren.

I am white, but I must tell you I am a little jealous that I haven't had a book written about MY family like this one. Its a good read.

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****

Had read The Help not long ago. This is a much better book.

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Good read also gives an understanding to how the times were back when.

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This is one of the best novels I have ever read. I purchased a signed hard cover because I think so highly of it.

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Covering a century's period of time, "Cane River" tells the story of a family born into slavery. Four strong women--in their own ways--Elisabeth, Suzette, Philomene and Emily each strive to better the lives of their children. It's a true story but has been fictionalized (like "Roots") and the author is a marvellous storyteller.

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Amazing story...very moving and disturbing!

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Very interesting. From Back Cover: This is a epic novel of four generations of African-American women, a work based on the author's acutal past. It is on a medium sized Creole plantation owned by a family name Derbanne that the stories of four astonishing women who battled vast injustices to creat a legacy of hope and achievement come to life. They were women whose lives began in slavery, who weathered the Civil War, and who grappled with the contracictions of emancipation through the turbulent early years of the twentieth century. Through it all, they fought to unite their family and forge success on their own terms. Amid small farmhouses and a tightly knit community of Frency-speaking slaves, free people of color, and whites, Tademy'ds great-great-great grandmother Elisabeth would bear both a proud heritage and the yoke of slavery. Her youngest daughter Suzette, would be the first to discover the promise-and heartbreak-of freedom. Suzette's strong-willed daughter Philomene would use determination born of tragedy to reunite her family and gain unheard-of economic independence. And Emily, Philomene's spirited daughter, would fight to secure her children's just due and preserve their future against dangerous odds.

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This is an exceptional read. Not only is it a wonderful story but very educational as well. I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages!

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