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Summary: River, cross my heart.
Review: Thats the most beautifull interesting book I had ever took
on my hands.
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Summary: A gifted storyteller who hasn't quite honed her craft...
Review: The author paints wonderful pictures with her words, but I feel she was let down by less-than-skillful editors at her publishing house.
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Summary: MASTERFULLY WRITTEN, STORY LACKING
Review: River Cross my heart is a heartwarming novel about the Bynum family and how they cope with the loss of Clara, the youngest child. The author, Breena Clark, is brillant in her use of descriptive vocabulary. Clark is at her best in allowing the reader to feel the pain that family endures. In addition, readers will find the setting to have the satisfaction of their Mama's down-home pecan pie. Georgetown is an easy-going town which is as simple as it is complex. Clark has also crafted an excellent blend of characters. Alas, It's like a poor cake made with the finest ingredients. Maybe its overdone, maybe its underdone: who knows! But after wrapping up this novel I can't say I've come away with anything new. At certain points the story seemed to a drag. After the first couple a chapters it just became a string of events with no real coherence. You'll find yourself struggling to figure what the point of this whole novel is. So that's it: The writing is good but the story is lacking.
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Summary: Hardships !
Review: This book is a really great book. Breena Clarke really took it as if she were a part of that time. She gives lots of lessons but there is one I really liked. Whenever a person dies, the lesson taught is life goes on and the family gets stronger. When the Bynum's daughter dies in the Potomac River, it was a sad time for them and living in the time that segregation was around was hard time for the Bynums and everyone eles. Over all, I really think everyone should read this book. In the book Clarke talks about talking to people who were a part of the segregation.This book showed me that people still have a good heart.
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Summary: Refreshing Read
Review: I'm used to reading mysteries and novels by Stephen King, so this novel was a refreshing break from the norm. I recently started a book club at my place of employment and this was our first title to explore. In the novel Johnnie Mae's character overcomes the times of hardship with remembrance of a lost loved one. Johnnie Mae's sister, dies a sorrowful death at the beginning of the novel, and all through she morns the loss while blaming herself, the novel, envelopes you in interesting characters and new friendships as Johnnie Mae grows and develops. In the end, she comes to terms with her loss, and joins with her sister in a sort of spiritual bond. This is a refreshing novel of courage and commitment.
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Summary: A thought-provoking read. . . .
Review: Imagine living in North Carolina noy many years after slavery was abolished. This African-American family wanted to get out of the south where oppression was at an all time high and move to the north to raise their family in a what they considered to be a better town . . Georgetown that is. Georgetown was thought to be a safe haven for "colored folks" back in that day. This town is too segregated this community holds it binds together to make through. This book centers around Johnnie Mae a young child who is forced to deal with why the world is the way it is. It centers around the community swimming pool, the water is beautiful, it is brand new, and it it for whites only. Johnnie Mae loved to swim and was an excellent swimmer by nature. She had the responsibility of watching after her younger sister, Clara. While Johnnie Mae is cooling off in the Potomac River, her younger sister Clara drowns, and Johnnie Mae feels responsible. This story is about Johnnie Mae trying to find her place in the world, to figure out who she is. The only way to do it, is to swim. But Johnnie Mae's obsession with swimming was her parents hatred because of their beloved daugther lost in the river. This book really made you think about life as you read. The author touched on some very strong feelings when she talked about how her mother greived her daughter's death. This book shows how the African-American community deals with life, death, racism, placism, and about the river across many of our hearts. Well done Breena Clark, well done.
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Summary: Waste of Time....
Review: This story started out somewhat interesting but it never really went anywhere. I found myself struggling to get through the book. I kept thinking, I've got to continue reading because SOMETHING has to happen. Nothing ever did. Usually I like Oprah's picks but this one was way off the mark.
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Summary: River, Cross My Heart
Review: I was sucked into this book over a weekend and loved every minute of it. If you like the other Oprah books you will not be disappointed. Great beach or weekend read.
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Summary: Disappointed
Review: Although the main characters are somewhat memorable the book fails to develop any of them with any degree of depth, therefore falling short of its claim to depict an entire community. I will say that at times the prose itself is beautiful and at times dreamlike, but the story itself is lacking. The novel just moves along centered along one tragedy but doesn't quite carry it thru. Without giving an ending away, let's just say, it ends abruptly and prematurely and at least I was left thinking "what did that mean"?. And I don't usually miss the meaning of a book.
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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.
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