Rating: 
Summary: 352 Pages of Crap!!!!
Review: I normally read a book a week; sometimes two; but it has taken me at least 4 weeks to wade through this maze of mess. I have read all of Colin Channer's books and was extremely disappointed in the style that he wove this tale. I enjoy the Island theme in all his books it is usually very educational and romantic; but this format was aggravating and annoying!!!! I will think twice about reading anything else he writes if this is going to be his new way of telling a story....
Rating: 
Summary: Once again ...
Review: Channer has well-established himself as more than just a mere novelist. I assure you his works will have him named amongst the great authors of literary fiction. Hence, I find dissatisfaction with the inadvertent (perhaps not) way he leaves the reader craving more. Not because of lack of story closure, rather due to masterful story-telling. Luckily, PASSING THROUGH is preceded by two wonderful novels ("Waiting In Vain" and "Satisfy My Soul") that one can discover or revisit.
PASSING THROUGH, unlike his previous novels, is like an individual medley - each story is self-contained, different and unique, yet linked. I was infatuated with certain characters while taken on a journey through time and places described with delicate detail. The stories are intricate and involving; I found myself going back to previous pages to make certain that I didn't miss anything and saying, "A ha!" when I got the gist. PASSING THROUGH is very entertaining and engaging with elements of sensuality and passion that extend beyond the physical. Warning: If you recognize great writing, page one will hook you and the Letter's to the Editor are FANTASTIC! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: The Voice of a Generation
Review: Colin Channer is one of the best writers I've ever read, and this book just proves it. Passing Through is funny and tragic, spellbinding and classic. It speaks to anyone who wonders what love really is, what strength really means, and what life is really all about. The characters are related, by both blood and life, but they're different enough to make you want to know everything about them. I couldn't put the book down until I was finished. It's his very best one.
Rating:
Summary: What a Journey!
Review: Colin Channer takes me into his world, on to his island and into the lives of all his marvellous characters. I just finished reading the entire collection and have started it again much to the dismay of my girlfriends who all want to borrow it. But not this time, girls, you all have to buy your own copy. This one is staying right beside my bed with all the "good" parts highlighted and pages marked so I can find them easily!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Just passing through
Review: Colin Channer's latest release, PASSING THROUGH, is not your typical novel. Instead, it is a culmination of characters and their lineage, represented in short stories that almost take on the characteristics of journal entries. Letters from one of the major characters to the government of the island where the stories take place are also included in the book. These letters are key informational components; if I would have skipped these letters, much of the background and connecting information would have been lost to me.
PASSING THROUGH possesses an underlying theme of heritage and also of people who come into one's life for a brief or fleeting moment, yet leave their essence behind, be it in a positive way, or in a way that scars a person for life. Channer connects everyone he introduces in the book in one way or another, whether it's by blood, love, or just passing through, as the title suggests.
Before PASSING THROUGH, I had not read any of Channer's works, although I have heard many a reader rave about the soul that his characters embody. These claims have been substantiated and corroborated as I passed through this fabulous book. Channer's writing is powerful, as he enlists metaphors, lyricism, and fluidity to make this reading experience a moving and intense one.
Reviewed by CandaceK
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Rating:
Summary: Witty and Wise - An Island Odyssey
Review: I am not one for overly gushing accolades, and have never before felt compelled to post an online review - complimentary or otherwise. However, having recently completed "Passing Through" I feel I must encourage others to experience this vivid and stimulating world exposed by Mr. Channer. You will be struck by the depth and intensity of the characters, moved by their pettiest struggles and loftiest ambitions, and thoroughly enchanted by the scenery along the paths, roads and highways that the pages will lead you through. This is a love story, a suspense thriller, a docu-drama, a comic farce, and yet none of these things - all at once. It feels as real as a letter from home or a telephone call from a distant, but much-loved, friend. You will probably suspect that the writer must have once met your scary cousin Lou or your cool Aunt Jane, and used them as the basis for a couple of characters. Passing Through is a "must-read" for those of Caribbean heritage, as the sights, sounds, smells and experiences the narrative evokes will refresh your spirit like nothing else can, short of actually returning home. However, it has a message for everyone - sometimes basic, sometimes profound, but always subtle. The story does not preach, but nevertheless manages to inspire. No review that I can write could fully capture the essence of this tale. I highly recommend it for the discriminating reader who seeks the world of meaning which lies just beyond the mundane, and for anyone who simply wants to relax and enjoy a truly great read.
Rating:
Summary: An intriguing , well written story
Review: I read Passing Through on a Sunday afternoon. The character development is excellent and diverse. The story moves quickly but is complex and thoughtful. To my pleasure , it even has a historical timeline. Mr. Channer's style is sexy, yet intellectual and senstive. I'll reflect on the determination and strength of Estrella (one of the main characters) again and again.
A really enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling...
Review: I've read most of CC's work. Passing Through is the most impressive in the way it combines history, sensuality, emotion, and cultural insight with great storytelling. The writing is versatile and superbly crafted, and the styles of the stories roughly mirror the historical periods of their settings.
The memorable characters in these compelling stories tell fascinating truths about Caribbean cultures. CC is able to show how the political becomes the personal, and vice versa, in fresh ways. And there's lots of sometimes biting wit and humor, particularly in the latter stories.
Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Fictional Island Comes to Life with Superb Writing & Theme
Review: In Passing Through, Colin Channer's collection of interconnected stories set on the fictional Caribbean island of San Carlos, a divergent cast of characters are portrayed in matters of the heart, race, class, culture, and the frailties of the human spirit. At the apex of the storyline is St. William Rawle, whose witty epistles at the beginning of each story, is a window into the soul of the book.
The stories extend over a century beginning in early 1900s. In the High Priest of Love, Eddie Blackwell is an American priest with an interracial background of black and white parentage. He has gained the respect and trust of the locals while all along he is fighting the demons of his lust when he chucks it all and takes sail on a ship. There he encounters his underage lover, Eugenia, who is of mixed blood and able to pass for white and Rosalyn, a woman who is classified as a lady of pleasure and dark-skinned, who both vie for his affections and his soul. What happens on that ship is the catalyst for the ensuing storyline.
The Girl with the Golden Shoes is symbolic on so many levels. Estrella Thompson's dreams of books and learning literally drive her from her small, backward village onto a sojourning quest of self-awareness. Her travels take her to a village of East Indians, through a tribe of Caribe Indians, among Island blacks, Creole Spanish and Whites where she learns the hierarchy of racial superiority. Her quest for the shoes that will give her the respect and status she desperately seeks will also give her the backbone and tenacity to become the kind of woman that will chart her own course despite her African heritage. Relationships and love was a reoccurring theme and it was not always acceptable love by society's standard. Incest and lesbianism were handled with sensitivity and a poignant carefulness that explored the frustrations of women and men who are bound by tradition. In the title story, Passing Through, we meet Rebecca who is Arab and Cornelia, an American Black, among a myriad cast of other characters of various ethnicities and cultures who come together at a dinner party that becomes prophetic.
The witty Poetic Justice in present day San Marcos will have readers guessing just how much poetic license the author took with his characters, as they are strikingly familiar. Blacks of the Diaspora are featured as they are in Revolution (anthologized in After Hours edited by Robert Fleming) and throughout the book. As a matter of fact, the global nature and sense of place in this well-written book is as much a part of the author as was related at his book signing at Marcus Book Store in Oakland. Channer waxed philosophically about his writing process and how this book came to be. He was very adamant about his feelings regarding Black writers expanding their scope in writing about characters who are other than Black, as it is known that White writers feel very comfortable writing about us.
Superb and lyrical, this reviewer reread passages over and over, not because it was difficult but because I became lost in the fluid language and the eloquent handling of prose and wanted to read out loud. The whole time, characters, theme and setting are knitted and threaded together and seemingly meshed in a logical and satisfying ending. As in his last novel, Satisfy My Soul, this is a work of literary art that should be appreciated and promoted to crossover appeal. Channer's love of storytelling as well as his love of women shines through. I am already pining for his next offering.
Dera Williams
APOOO BookClub
Rating:
Summary: Channer does it again!!!
Review: In true Colin Channer fashion, he strikes gold again with passing through. As if Waiting in Vain and Staisfy my soul were not intriguing enough he took us "there" again with Passing through.
I always knew he had a vivid imagination and a way with words but his character references and character "realness" made me feel like I was right there with Estrella on her journey.... I want to learn Sancoche!!! I want her Moxie!!!
Thanks Colin for bring us adventure after adventure.
Gwaan wid iit!!!!
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