Rating: 
Summary: A snap shot of Segregation of the early 1900's
Review: RIVER, CROSS MY HEART starts with the accidental drowning death of Clara, younger sister of Johnnie Mae Bynum. Johnnie Mae blames herself for the drowning, because she was supposed to be watching over Clara as they were playing in the waters of the Potomac River, and the story continues as we see Johnnie trying to make sense of Clara's death. The girls were swimming in the dangerous waters of the river because they were not allowed to swim in the public swimming pool, which was for Whites Only.Although one would think this was a story of a family trying to come to terms with a death in the family, it is not. This book is a series of disjointed snapshots about various friends and family members related to Johnnie Mae, and through these snap shots we get a broader picture of what life was like in Georgetown in the 1920's, if one was black. Water seems to play an important part in this book, although again somewhat disjointly. Water was what killed young Clara, but water was also what brought joy to Johnnie Mae, who excelled at swimming and finds freedom when in the water. Although the book is more of a snapshot than a cohesive story, one can say that there is a theme involved where water is such a force that it can destroy, or build. I can't give this book a 5 star recommendation, but I did enjoy the images that Breena Clarke painted in each of the chapters.
Rating: 
Summary: Charming, touching and exceptional
Review: Brenna Clarke must have had some real experience with death. Only this would allow her to right such a truthfull, soul wrenching and heartfelt novel. The story about a young girl and her courage, perserverance and struggle to deal with the guilt and pain associated with passing is truly unique and extremly on-point. It took a very difficult and emotional subject (the death of a child) and in the end made it educational, positive and almost uplifting. It was also very interesting to learn more about life in Georgetown during this time (especially being from the DC Area). It was so ironic to learn that what is now the epitomy of hoity=toity yupiness in the DC metro area; originally regined as the lower-class (god forbid) black area. I admitt that since reading this I walked throught the streets of Gtown and up and down the Canal looking for the house of these girls and trying to see if I could spot the exact spot of the tragedy! I guess that says a lot for the author's descriptivness through-out the novel and the emotional bond that develops between reader and characters. I would most highly recommend this charming, quick and enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Snapshot of African-American life in 1920s Georgetown
Review: A picture of segregation, menial labor, and superstition in a "progressive" northern city--a city promising a better life than the Carolina tennant farms. Twelve-year-old Johnnie Mae is drawn to water--whether the sluggish Potomac or the crystal azure of the whites-only pool on Volta Place. Johnnie Mae is a natural-born swimmer: sleek and graceful, as powerful in her strokes as the water around her. But water also brings tragedy as the mighty Potomac lays claim to her young sister, Clara. Feeling responsible, Johnnie Mae struggles with life. It is unclear, however, whether this struggle is due to Clara's death or coming of age. Because this is a snapshot, we see the people in the picture, but we don't know much about them beyond what we see. The story lacks connectedness. The incident of Clara's drowning is simply an episode in each character's life. The feeling that Clara's death had an impact is lost--even on Johnnie Mae. Perhaps this style is meant to show that life goes on...it always does though in reality it is changed somehow. There was little feeling that a life in this story was changed.
Rating: 
Summary: It is the kind of book to keep you reading.
Review: I love the book it had interesting characters and wonderful stories about each one. I liked when the 2 girls decided to go for a night swim in a white only pool and escape from the policeman on patrol. The lil sister dying in the river was sad. Unique was how all the towns folk pulled together to get the family through their loss and helpe each other cope with the loss as well but carry on with their lives. This is true friendship without color,race, or money having to be part of it.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly written with no story - waste of time
Review: I usually look forward to selections in the Oprah'sBook Club. Here is the first one I felt was terribly written with no story. The beginning of the book starts to sound interesting apart from the authors attempt to use big words conversationally wchich really sets off a bad tone. After the first chapter you wait and wait for a storyline with no reprieve, a waste of money and time.
Rating:
Summary: It is hard to believe this is a first novel...
Review: The richness of the characters, and the compelling stories evolving around Johnnie Mae, as she grows up in a sweltering black neighborhood. Just a few blocks away, in feeling the injustice as the "white" kids swim in a pool "for whites only" and after a terrible tragedy, Johnnie Mae comes into her own, and her determination changes her life. This story is not JUST ABOUT racism; it's what we think of ourselves, regardless of our place in society, and what we do, to be the best we can be. I loved this book. I hope to read more of Breena Clarke. I hope someday, I can "make-a-positive difference" in a childs life.
Rating:
Summary: true rating would be 3.5 stars
Review: This book does not quite deserve 4 stars and yet it's not a 3 star book either. Like the other reviewer I found it to be an interesting slice of African -American history. I found the characters to be believable and sympathetic. However, I also found that the story really didn't have much of a plot. It doesn't really lead anywhere and yet it does hold the interest of the reader. If this is your first Oprah book, don't give up. Her other choices such as Here on Earth, Back Roads, & A Map of the World are excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Good Characters
Review: I enjoyed this book. The author has a voice that is quite descriptive without being long-winded. What I found enthralling, was her manner of interplay and interaction among her characters. She captures the subtle nuance of complex human emotion & motive without using lengthy conversation among the characters. Rather, the author reveals her characters' minds and hearts and shows us into their lives, often through brief description of non-verbal communication or a discussion of the characters' thoughts. I found this device compelling. In one description of Alice Bynum's mixed emotions about her souring maid job for financially overextended white folks, the author reveals a mixture of emotions where the negative emotions of peevishness dominate the ideal positives of human compassion and empathy. I felt the character's chagrin at this shortfall of attaining the ideal mind set. The author painted complex emotional pictures in my mind without using extensive descriptive passages. In a few sentences, Breena Clarke can summarize a character's complex emotions. Johhnie Mae, the oldest daughter of Alice and Willie Bynum, is confused as she enters puberty at the same time her mother is expecting a new baby. The author summarizes Johnnie Mae's heart when Johnnie Mae wonders how the new baby will effect the balance of power in her family: " Again there was a shift, a realignment of the tectonic plates of the family ground. The earth beneath them was shifting and they would be moved by it........" All in all, a very interesting read. The author has a powerful voice.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting...AT FIRST
Review: It WAS interesting...for the first 10 pages or so..then I dont know what happened...there was a plot at first, Clara's death. After that it died off, and was jerky.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting vignettes but somewhat disjoint as a novel
Review: River, Cross My Heart is the story of a black family in Georgetown, DC in the 1920s. Early in the book, the youngest daughter Clara drowns when she follows her older sister Johnny Mae and friends to the river, where they're forbidden to go. The book is billed as the story of how the family deals with this tragedy. Although that theme plays a role, the book is just as much the story of Johnny Mae growing up, and the life of her mother, Alice Bynum, and her friends and relatives in the neighborhood. Although there were some interesting themes and characters in the book, I found that the story was fairly disjoint. One of the more compelling themes is Johnny Mae's obsession with the white people's pool and her indignation that she's not allowed to swim in it. Another little vignette is about Alice's job as a housekeeper for a white family and her relationship with the woman she works for. We also learn about Johnny Mae's odd friendship with a painfully shy new student, Pearl, and how Pearl gradually develops confidence. We learn of Pearl's mother's expectations about being welcomed by and invited to the church. We get a very brief glimpse of the life of Johnny Mae's father and an even vaguer view of the men of the neighborhood. We meet the neighborhood "medicine woman" who cures people with mysterious concoctions. There is some evolution to the family's acceptance of Clara's death, but again, that theme wove through the story only in the background, and it never seemed to be fully resolved. Although some of these vignettes and personalities kept my interest, in the end, I don't believe they hung together well as a novel.
| 
