Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable Book
Review: This was an enjoyable book. Not a favorite but well worth the read.
Rating: 
Summary: I did not like this book.
Review: It was a collage of events and never really focused on one. I mean, the child's fascination with the swimming pool was understandable, but overall I just didn't get the book. It was not what I expected and I am wondering why did Oprah choose this?
Rating: 
Summary: Very poetic read! Not for the "get-to-the-point" reader!
Review: Beautifully written! Great thought provoking novel. A simple read, but a passionate one as well. Thanks Oprah!
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written, a bit vague
Review: This is a book full of powerful writing, of great depth, and I do recommend it with the proviso that it can be a little off-putting in its focus. The premise of the story is strong, and the mood building is very good, though the place to which it comes at the end left me somewhat unsatisfied. Still, it is a fine first effort and has some memorable qualities
Rating: 
Summary: A story simply well told.
Review: Some of the best books I've read have been told through the eyes of a child. This is an excellent example of such a tale. Children as narrators allow us to look at, hear, understand and misunderstand life around us without the should and should nots that cloud how we perceive things. This was a quick and pleasant read. It caused me to reflect on my own life around age 12, how I understood what was going on in the adult world around me and what impact that had on my life today. I look forward to sharing this with my own daughter in a few more years. It would make a great Mother-Daughter Book Club selection for girls around Johnnie Mae's age. I'm delighted that Oprah chose it as her book selection and that I have a signed first edition. Congratulations, Ms. Clarke
Rating:
Summary: Crazy about this book
Review: This is a rich, all consuming book that kept me turning pages day after day. Few books have touched me the way this one did. I recently finished A Star Called Henry, which I loved, and The Bingo Queens of Paradise, which I also loved, and I was desperately trying to find a book that would entertain me as they had. I found it in River Cross My Heart. Give us more like this Breena Clarke
Rating:
Summary: Great storytelling,filled with wisdom.
Review: Enjoyed this book, well worth the time. Breena Clarke is an excellent storyteller. "River" is filled with wisdom sayings and reflections on cultural traditions of Blacks from the South. Those insights reflect research done within Breena's family/the kind of listening research that many Blacks fail to do with the elders in their clans. The story of Johnnie Mae is a powerful one with lessons for young and old. I recommend teachers consider this for class assignments. This book will take off with reading clubs
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely a brilliant read, couldn't put it down.
Review: This was set in Georgetown, Washington DC and even though I'm not even from the US I'd spent time there and this book caught my eye. A wonderfully told tale about how how family and friends react to the death of a young child. Great first novel
Rating:
Summary: Several times..
Review: I felt at home with this book. I wanted a piece of that lemon cake oh so very bad but this book didn't go anywhere and left me feeling like I was missing several pieces to the story. I wanted to hear more about Pearl and Johnnie Mae. I wanted to hear more about her mom and Johnnie Mae. I feel cheated but I am glad I read the story anyway!
Rating:
Summary: A Slow Simmer
Review: I'll admit that this book moved a little slow to me, but the writer got me caught up in the emotions, so I didn't mind. I often enjoy stories like this where the characters are fully developed and I can experience whatever emotions they are feeling. This one did it for me. Very moving.
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