Rating: 
Summary: pretty good
Review: I usually avoid any book that was an Oprah pick but River Cross My Heart was really pretty good. This coming of age story will touch you. Johnnie Mae's baby sister was drowned in the Potomac. Johnnie Mae and her family live in segregated Georgetown. Racism is alive and dangerous. Johnnie is afraid that her parents blame her for Clara's death. Each of these situations is enough to make a book but Breena Clarke manages to blend the deep hardships facing her young heroine and brings it all to a satisfying conclusion. It will be interesting to see what kind of book Ms. Clarke writes next. Kimberley Lindsay Wilson, author of Eleven Things Mama Should Have Told You About Men
Rating: 
Summary: A First Novel shows promise
Review: Although it would probably seem an insult to say that this book is "Good, for a first novel," it is nonetheless appropriate. Clarke's omniscient narration is intriguing, but unbalanced. The reader is much absorbed by Johnnie Mae's growing pains and attachment to her dead sister, but the other characters are only pseudo-developed. There are interesting splashes of color with Ina and Ella Bromsen, but the reader is left unfulfilled with the "haint" of Pearl. The novel is elegant in its portrayal of the hardships and struggles of African-Americans in Georgetown, balanced with characters who connect through plights other than just race. The end of the novel was too abrupt, but this is symptomatic of many a first novel. This is an enjoyable read, well-balanced in smiles and tears. Along the lines of James Agee's classic "A Death in the Family."
Rating: 
Summary: One of the Better Books that I've Read
Review: This was a beautiful piece of literature that seems to have been woven by the threads of the purest parts of the mind. The author uses words beautifully and in exactly the right context. I love the storyline and the themes. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has enough time to read and not put it down until you've finished! This is wonderful and I am hoping and praying that she writes another book soon.
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING FIRST NOVEL
Review: The story takes place in a black Georgetown neighborhood in Washington, D.C. starting in 1925. .....A little girl, Clara, drowns in the Potomac River and her sister Johnnie Mae blames herself because they were together at the time of the accident......Johnnie Mae cannot get Clara out of her mind.....The author weaves a tale that brings out all the emotions of the people that Clara has left behind.....A genuine masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: I didn't know who she was...
Review: I didn't know who Breena Clarke was until I read this story, and it's unforgettable! This is a sad, poignant story. Something to pick up and read for the weekend.
Rating:
Summary: "River" won my heart
Review: This book opens in 1920s Georgetown when the town was still a new part of Washington DC and regarded as a place of opportunity for African-Americans. The story centers around the Bynum family, newly arrived from North Carolina, and the tragic drowning of the younger daughter Clara in th ePotomac River while she is in the care of her older sister Johnnie Mae. The family (mother Alice, father Willie, aunt Ina Mae, and Johnnie Mae), as well as others in their Georgetown community, strive to live life in a time when African-Americans are free but not equal in their civil liberties and rights. There is also a fear that Johnnie Mae, a headstrong girl now marked by tragedy, will continue to strive for the opportunities that everyone admits are hers but she just can't have them right now, for her own safety. Mixed into this is Johnnie Mae's new friendship with the quiet Pearl, who reminds her of her drowned sister and is getting involved in Johnnie Mae's misadventures as they come of age.
Rating:
Summary: waiting for something to happen
Review: This book was just good enough to keep me reading to the end. Several times I considered moving on to something more rewarding, but the subject of life among African-Americans in segregated Georgetown (Washington, DC) in the 1920s is such an interesting one that I kept waiting for this book to fulfill its promise. There's just no plot here. The book's focal point, the drowning of a young girl in the Potomac, happens right at the beginning. Then, people come to town, talk with each other, go to school, have babies..... this could be taking place anywhere. The characters don't have distinct voices. Possibly the most interesting character is Ella, who does country medicine, but we never find out anything about her as a person other than that she has a stilted way of speaking and an odd smell. I've probably read a dozen of the Oprah Book Club books and this is the first time that one has so utterly failed to carry me away. Ah, well. Has to happen some time.
Rating:
Summary: Issues not resolved
Review: Ms Clark has set the story in historic Georgetown, Washington DC. It was nice to read a story placed so near to home. I found that I would have liked to visit the places that I read about, and even asked a few friends about the locations. Although the story did have enough happening to keep me intrested, I was not sure where the plot was going. I thought some issues would have been solved that were not. Too much was left unsaid. River.. left me guessing. It raised some family and racist issues that were not seen thru to the end. I did enjoy reading about black family life in a segregated community and its effects on different family members esp. Johnnie Mae. Overall, a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Very well written
Review: River, Cross My Heart is about Johnnie Mae and her family, and how they cope with the death of Johnnie Mae's younger sister. There are also other issues involved in the plot, such as growing up and racism. Scenes of Johnnie Mae's everyday life are painted vividly, and the author makes otherwise boring details like cooking the family meals into interesting little images. Instead of the story flowing as a constant plot, each chapter is a different scene from Johnnie mae's life, and the plot winds its way through.
This novel was extremely well written with very original use of language. This was what made the novel truly entertaining, even with the lack of tension, suspense or excitement. The novel has a relaxed style, which is a good change from some of the more intense books around.
The characters are developed and their feelings are explored in depth, and the ways in which the characters change are an important part of the story. The setting is described well, with the houses and appearance of the characters telling you as much about them as the descriptions of the actual characters.
Unfortunately, the plot did not seem to be going anywhere, and it was hard to figure out why the author had written about certain things which were irrelevant to the plot. It could have been better without a plot at all, like illustrations of Johnnie Mae's life, rather than the weak plot that it had.
This is a lovely novel to read though, as long as you don't mind a poor plot.
Rating:
Summary: I could not put this book down!
Review: I thought this book was one of the best I have read on Oprah's book list. While it did not have deep meaning, the story of the effects of a young girls death on a black community kept me interested. I finished this book in less than a week!
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