Rating: 
Summary: A Great Epic
Review: This was a great novel of several generations of slave women, who are actually real people that the author is related to.At first I thought that the writing was very elementary, but the story sucked me right in. I was riveted by the lives of these women, how they endured what was put upon them, and how the survived. One thing that I kept doing was referring back to the family trees because it was hard to keep track who was who, particulary the white men who took up with these slave women. Just be warned: the ending is a bit sad, but not in the traditional sense of sad endings. Another great thing about this book was that the author included real photos of these people and other documents.
Rating: 
Summary: A caring look back at a painful time
Review: In this fictionalized account of her ancestors, Lalita Tademy tells a remarkable multigenerational tale of slavery and freedom through the eyes of four mothers and daughters. During slavery, these women struggle to keep their families intact as they are too often reminded that their bodies are not truly their own and as their men and children are sold away. When slavery ends, the women and their family must adjust to a societal bullwhip that keeps everyone, black and white, in what is supposed to be their proper places. This book makes you feel the complicated and devastating impact of slavery and color on both interracial and intraracial relationships.
Rating:
Summary: STUCK TO MY HANDS..
Review: I JUST COULDN'T SEEM TO PUT THIS BOOK DOWN FOR VERY LONG AT A TIME. I WANTED TOKNOW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT TO THE LIVES OF THAT FAMILY. I FOUND THIS BOOK TO BE WELL WRITTEN VERY INFORMATIVE TO THE TIMES AN RELATIONSHIPS OF BLACK AND WHITE AMERICANS. I'VE READ SEVERAL BOOKS OF THIS TYPE AND IT BEGINS TOSTAND OUT TO ME THAT WHILE IT'S COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDABLE THAT A WHITE MAN WOULD FALL IN LOVE WITH A BLACK WOMAN, IT DOESN'T HOLD TRUEFOR THE REVERSE....I DON'T BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE I SEE IT HAPPENING MORE AND MORE.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT!
Review: This is one of those books that you start and finish all within a few days - just because you just can't put it down. The fiesty and entertaining women in this book will cause you to cheer for them as they outwit their circumstances, and cry for them when they are knocked down. I give this book 5 stars and encourage everyone to read it!
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!
Review: Each and every member of our book club truly enjoyed Cane River. The only complaint was that we all wanted the book to continue. I hope to see a sequel that takes us through the rest of the generations. It will be interesting for the story to end with the apparent successes of Lalita Tademy. I learned more from this book than a high school textbook.
Rating:
Summary: A Touch of Excellence
Review: Lalita Tademy rises to the occasion in this cleverly written one hundred year journey that focuses on her female ancestors and their relationships with white men during and post slavery. Most of the novels I have read about slavery, except the ones by Lance Horner and Kyle Onstott, do not delve into the aftermath of the forced or voluntary liaisons between white men and women of color that were so common in those days and certainly not into the lives of their children. Tademy takes us inside the lives of three of these women (Philomene was my favorite) as they are each first possessed, then discarded by white men when the pressures become too great. These women remained strong afterwards drawing their strength, comfort and protection from their love for each other and family.
The only criticism I have of this book is the lack of emotion in the narration of the rape of the adolescent Suzette (for that is exactly what it was) and the day at the auction block. I think the neutral language and mild depiction fail to capture the extent of the abuse and brutality of what must have been very horrifying experences. It is a disservice to those who actually endured these traumas to write of them so gently.
Summarily, I found Cane River to be an almost flawless debut novel. Though a little long, it remains interesting throughout. With the right casting and direction, Cane River would make an excellent movie or mini-series.
Rating:
Summary: Very Interesting
Review: I enjoyed it immensely! Reading everything I can about the free people of color. Thanks Lalita for the jump-start.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating historical perspective
Review: I loved this book! However,the more I read, the angrier I became over the mistreatment of black women in the South during this period. It was not only the "slavery issue"; it was the white man's perceived notion that black women, any black woman (whether the white man "owned" them or not), were theirs for the taking. And after using them, they tossed them aside for a white woman to bear their "heirs" (even though they may have had several heirs by their black slave mistresses). The women in the book, even though they were thoroughly used, were extremely strong and proud. A wonderful book!
Rating:
Summary: Best book ever!
Review: Cane River was one of the best books I ever read. Ms. Tademy knows how to tell a story!!! I couldn't put this book down. This multi-generational story kept me fascinated and I didn't have any problem keeping up with the characters. I really hope Tademy writes another novel. I will be first in line to purchase it!
Rating: 
Summary: Cane River keep flowing
Review: It was a story, not a particularly good or engaging story but a story. If you want to read the same old stories about slavery, Cane river is the book for you. The only thing that gives it any value is that is it based on real people with real names that are identified in the story.
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