Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
Buy new:
-47% $14.38
FREE delivery Thursday, January 9 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$14.38 with 47 percent savings
List Price: $27.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Thursday, January 9 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Monday, January 6. Order within 13 hrs 13 mins.
In Stock
$$14.38 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$14.38
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$8.07
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, January 10 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Monday, January 6. Order within 13 hrs 13 mins.
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$14.38 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$14.38
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

River Sing Me Home: A GMA Book Club Pick Hardcover – January 31, 2023

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 2,974 ratings

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$14.38","priceAmount":14.38,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"14","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"38","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"5Zy5pMMiGk6kFU74DMxfoa1j4C9LjCGubBgl0sh7liwK89glWfgz7HvCn2ho8luGh8v65USMNIEFW4U0MF9dhHfnCZrapqHtMh5XFymI7tZPOrlsUq9jw9qt3aN0nCPrYvus%2FhQGMhX2moPBXNphVw%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$8.07","priceAmount":8.07,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"07","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"5Zy5pMMiGk6kFU74DMxfoa1j4C9LjCGu9mRqK5SAgBFuSCN%2Bf8E5tkfUA8MLMHHl49Ey91ObIMuUig1ObsMhKPG%2FxPqHNoTzJD1rpo6ngQUE0yEbSYeXv%2FIV3eLR3Qmpcln562ZJZB2VagrRlzJg0QX%2FVilbWA4NFK3mZRe54m%2BGB7HC5I5CANkfxUjxP8AJ","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • This beautiful, page-turning and redemptive story of a mother’s gripping journey across the Caribbean to find her stolen children and piece her family back together is a “celebration of motherhood and female resilience” (The Observer).

Named One of Time’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 • A Dayton Literary Peace Prize Finalist

“A powerful novel that explores how freedom and family are truly defined”—Marie Benedict,
New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian
 
Her search begins with an ending.…

The master of the Providence plantation in Barbados gathers his slaves and announces the king has decreed an end to slavery. As of the following day, the Emancipation Act of 1834 will come into effect. The cries of joy fall silent when he announces that they are no longer his slaves; they are now his apprentices. No one can leave. They must work for him for another six years. Freedom is just another name for the life they have always lived. So Rachel runs.
 
Away from Providence, she begins a desperate search to find her children—the five who survived birth and were sold. Are any of them still alive? Rachel has to know. The grueling, dangerous journey takes her from Barbados then, by river, deep into the forest of British Guiana and finally across the sea to Trinidad. She is driven on by the certainty that a mother cannot be truly free without knowing what has become of her children, even if the answer is more than she can bear. These are the stories of Mary Grace, Micah, Thomas Augustus, Cherry Jane and Mercy. But above all this is the story of Rachel and the extraordinary lengths to which a mother will go to find her children...and her freedom.
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

This item: River Sing Me Home: A GMA Book Club Pick
$14.38
Get it as soon as Thursday, Jan 9
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$15.37
Get it as soon as Thursday, Jan 9
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$17.09
Get it as soon as Thursday, Jan 9
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Choose items to buy together.
Popular Highlights in this book

From the Publisher

River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer. A Good Morning America Book Club Pick

A powerful novel that explore show freedom and family are truly defined — Marie Benedict

A haunting and powerful debut — Kate Quinn

A story of a mother's courage told with compassion, tenderness and pitch-perfect prose — Natasha L.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of February 2023: A powerful story of loss, love and adventure. Rachel is a mother on a mission. Set in the days, weeks, and months after the British Emancipation Act of 1834, Rachel leaves her plantation and travels across the Windward Islands of Barbados, British Guiana and Trinidad to find each of her five children taken during enslavement. Uneducated and with no resources, Rachel depends on her instinct, work ethic, and the sheer kindness of strangers along the way. Step-by-step, Rachel embarks on a love driven mission to be reunited with each child–she will not stop until the mission is complete. Emotional, haunting, and beautifully written, Eleanor Shearer showcases the strength freedom brought to former slaves across the islands–but also shows the struggle many faced going against slave owners unwilling to accept the new reality. Despite struggles along the way, Rachel shows a mother’s love and determination is unmatched.—Kami Tei, Amazon Editor

Review

"Shearer’s dynamic debut… weaves together a historical accounting of the perils of British emancipation with a moving interrogation of what freedom really means."
Time

"[A] gripping novel about the resilience of a mother’s love.”
People

“A powerful novel that explores how freedom and family are truly defined.”
Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian

"An extraordinary odyssey of pain, love, and homecoming as Rachel searches not only for her children but for her own past, her own independence, and her own soul. A haunting and powerful debut.”
Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye

"A stunning debut with poetic language and real characters that lock themselves in your heart. Full of emotion and sheer determination,
River Sing Me Home is a fine example of the will and strength of the Black women who fought and clawed themselves and their loved one from the evil clutches of slavery. We stand on their shoulders and this book honors them all."
Sadeqa Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve

"[A] testament to how hard a mother will fight for her kids." 
Real Simple

"A strong and beautiful novel that stares into the face of brutality and the heart of love."
Jeanette Winterson,New York Times bestselling author of 12 Bytes and Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

“A moving and dynamic novel…. Shearer treats such a difficult and underexamined part of history deftly and honourably. She sieves through it to give us what all good novelists do; the essential without sacrificing the specific and the historical.”
The Guardian (UK)

“An incredible debut novel about the power of a mother’s love – highly recommended.”
Good Housekeeping (UK)

“Hugely profound, hopeful and emotive this is written in lyrical prose that demonstrates Shearer’s mastery of language... A book you will not forget for a long time.”
Glamour (UK)

"[T]he heart of the novel lies in its celebration of motherhood and female resilience. This is a tender exploration of one woman’s courage in the face of unbelievable cruelty."
The Observer

“An extraordinary and gripping debut. Rachel’s love for her children resonates through each page as she fights for her freedom and theirs. A must-read!"

Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of Our Last Days in Barcelona

“I followed Rachel’s journey with my heart in my mouth. Eleanor Shearer brings this story of a mother’s courage to the page with compassion, tenderness and pitch-perfect prose. A powerful debut novel from a remarkable writer.”
Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Seamstress

"An intense, absorbing debut, concerned with the power and persistence of maternal love." 
The Sunday Times

"Action-packed, the novel paints an extraordinary portrait of motherly love and hope."
—Daily Mail

"[T]ransportive storytelling and achingly stirring and evocative prose.... An excellent choice for fans of Yaa Gyasi, Brit Bennett, and those already planning their Black History Month reading list.”

Apartment Therapy

"[A] powerful debut novel... This fast paced, emotional saga transports readers throughout the Caribbean."
Sisters From AARP

“Shearer... has penned a truly memorable novel about family, love and healing. And while the horrors of slavery are quite apparent, those in need of a little hope would do well to pick up this début.”

The Free Lance-Star

"A searing debut full of love, loss, and the shadows of the past, River Sing Me Home is rich, lyrical, and full of heart. The talented Eleanor Shearer's research skills are matched by the depth of emotion with which she writes, and the result is heartbreaking, hopeful, and unforgettable. Both a powerful ode to the endless depths of a mother's love and an important meditation on what freedom really means, this is the kind of book that will stay with readers for years to come." 
Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Vanishing Stars

"
River Sing Me Home is the engrossing tale of an enslaved woman in 1834 whose haunted soul leads her to seek the children taken from her. A mesmerizing page-turner."
Denny S. Bryce, bestselling author of Wild Women and the Blues

“A Psalm for the soul--a mother's untold journey for the missing pieces of her heart. A stellar debut that brings the beauty and resilience of the 1830s Caribbean to the forefront in a lyrical narrative that will endear and entrance readers.”
Vanessa Riley, Critically Acclaimed author of Island Queen and Queen of Exiles
 
"A powerful story about the depths of a mother’s love … one you won’t be able to put down.”
—the Skimm

"In scenes of vivid horror, stirring resilience, and moving reconciliation, Shearer shows the cruel effects of slavery and its aftermath. The beautifully written depiction of a mother longing for her children makes this transcendent."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“An amazing debut novel that masterfully explores one enslaved woman’s heartbreak with love and care. It uplifts and empowers without shying away from the horrors of slavery. I can see myself reading this book again and again.”
Kaia Alderson, author of Sisters in Arms
 
“An immersive and spellbinding debut novel reminding us that the human spirit will always reach for freedom.”
Cheryl A. Head, author of Time’s Undoing

“This novel explored, with courage and capability, the illusory nature of ‘freedom’ at a critical point in West Indian history. In so many ways, like the river in its title, this novel sings… A meaningful and important addition to my bookshelf.”
Cherie Jones, author of How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House

“[A] moving testament to a mother’s love.”
Booklist

“The novel is in many ways an adventure story, but Shearer capably shifts the narrative from action to introspection, illuminating the inner life of this powerful matriarch… Recommended, especially for readers of historical fiction and Caribbean/postcolonial history in particular, with a remarkable female character at its core.”
Library Journal

"This beautiful novel is a masterclass in how to speak of unspeakable things. With great strength and great compassion, Eleanor Shearer tells us the story of one woman’s determination to find the children slavery stole from her. That journey is harrowing at times – I had a few quiet weeps – but I finished
River Sing Me Home buoyed by the powerful tale of a mother’s quiet courage"
Meg Clothier, author of The Book of Eve

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (January 31, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593548043
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593548042
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.34 x 1.13 x 9.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 2,974 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Eleanor Shearer
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Eleanor Shearer is a mixed race writer from the UK. She splits her time between London and Ramsgate on the coast of Kent, so that she never has to go too long without seeing the sea.

As the granddaughter of Caribbean immigrants who came to the UK as part of the Windrush Generation, Eleanor has always been drawn to Caribbean history. Her first novel, RIVER SING ME HOME (Headline, UK & Berkley, USA) is inspired by the true stories of the brave woman who went looking for their stolen children after the abolition of slavery in 1834.

The novel draws on her time spent in the Caribbean, visiting family in St Lucia and Barbados. It was also informed by her Master's degree in Politics, where she focused on how slavery is remembered on the islands today. She travelled to the Caribbean and interviewed activists, historians and family members, and their reflections on what it really means to be free made her more determined than ever to bring the hidden stories of slavery to light.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
2,974 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the story moving and emotional, with a rollercoaster of emotions. They describe the book as an enthralling, touching historical fiction that shares important history and culture. Readers appreciate the thought-provoking insights and expand their horizons. The characters are easy to imagine and empathize with, showing great courage and determination. The strong family bond is also mentioned. However, opinions differ on the writing style - some find it well-written and beautiful, while others feel there is too much introspection and lack of detail at times.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

20 customers mention "Heartwarming story"20 positive0 negative

Customers find the story moving and emotional. They describe it as a rollercoaster of emotions, events, and strife that makes their hearts race along with theirs. The story is well-told, weaving together sacrifice and hope. Readers appreciate the theme of hope and the bravery and faith of one strong woman.

"River Sing Me Home is a powerful story of the strength and perseverance of a mother's search for her five children, all of whom had been taken from..." Read more

"This story is so well told, woven together with sacrifice and hope. And strong family connection, even when separated by cruelness and disdain...." Read more

"...I felt the hope, resilience, trepidation, fear, and gratitude right along with the main character, Rachel...." Read more

"...It shares the story of motherhood and external and internal journeys. In a river town, Shearer skillfully immerses readers in their journeys...." Read more

19 customers mention "Story quality"15 positive4 negative

Customers find the story engaging and touching. They appreciate the well-researched historical fiction that explores the Caribbean and slavery. The narrative style is praised, with suspenseful moments. Readers mention the book shares important history and culture.

"This story is so well told, woven together with sacrifice and hope. And strong family connection, even when separated by cruelness and disdain...." Read more

"Narrative style is really important to me when I read books...." Read more

"This is a good historical fiction focused on the Caribbean and how slavery impacted the islands...." Read more

"The book River Sing Me Home by Elenor Shearer is a story of a complex journey. It is a novel that captures the possibility of what memory can have...." Read more

12 customers mention "Insight"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and insightful. They say it expands their horizons and has a powerful message about love, family, determination, and survival. The book is described as moving, poignant, and hopeful. Readers praise the author's research and look forward to her future works.

"...The end of the book is a hopeful one, yet the powerful message of the book is universal. A mother's love fuels self-sacrifice...." Read more

"...River Sing Me Home is a thought-provoking read that is highly recommended for those seeking a profound exploration of the impact of familial bonds...." Read more

"...Bought it on KU before I even left. It’s such a moving, poignant book. Highly recommend." Read more

""River Sing Me Home," by Eleanor Shearer is a fascinating and poignant story of Rachel, a runaway slave/apprentice in Barbados whose mission became..." Read more

8 customers mention "Survival"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's story about survival and perseverance. They say it comes in good condition.

"River Sing Me Home is a powerful story of the strength and perseverance of a mother's search for her five children, all of whom had been taken from..." Read more

"...I felt the hope, resilience, trepidation, fear, and gratitude right along with the main character, Rachel...." Read more

"Just got this book, so excited to read. But it came in a good condition" Read more

"...A beautiful story of hope and determination and resilience. A story of a mother who has to find her children no matter the obstacles...." Read more

4 customers mention "Characterization"4 positive0 negative

Customers like the characterization. They find the characters easy to imagine and empathize with. The main character is strong and displays great courage, perseverance, and determination.

"Slow start but got hooked and then couldn’t put it down! Characters were great and locations were fascinating!..." Read more

"...The characters are easy to imagine and empathize with...." Read more

"...The main character is so strong and the characterization of everyone in the book is perfect...." Read more

"...She displays great courage, perseverance, and determination. If you like historical fiction, you will surely enjoy this book." Read more

3 customers mention "Family bond"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the strong family connection even when separated by cruelness and disdain. They find the book an amazing read about love, family, determination, and survival.

"...And strong family connection, even when separated by cruelness and disdain. Amazing book." Read more

"The family unity and determination" Read more

"...An amazing read about love, family, determination and survival." Read more

7 customers mention "Writing style"4 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style. Some find it well-written and inspiring, while others feel it's too introspective at times, lacks description, and leaves out important details.

"...is interesting - I had not read anything about this before - and very well written. The characters are easy to imagine and empathize with...." Read more

"...The story is not very plausible. A few important details were missing. Not a favorite for me." Read more

"...of actor Paul Shearer and an Oxford graduate, Shearer has written a polished and lovely story of a mother looking for her long-separated children..." Read more

"...An inspiring and beautiful book. Definitely one of my favorites of this year." Read more

Powerful hist fic about a mother’s love
5 out of 5 stars
Powerful hist fic about a mother’s love
“All grief has power, but the grief a mother feels for a child is the strongest of all.”To be honest, I feel like any review I try to write will not accurately do this book justice. It’s a beautiful story of love, family, vulnerability, and most of all, hope. I could not put it down.The story behind the story is also quite impressive, as Shearer shares in the author’s note that she was inspired by an oral history of a woman who walked across Antigua to find her stolen children. But her added depth and emotion truly brought this story to life, especially with the illustration of so many underrepresented moments in Caribbean history.It is so beautifully written (and this is a DEBUT?!?!?) in a way that makes you fully connect with and root for the characters from the gate. I can’t say enough good things about this book.💚 🅡🅔🅐🅓 🅘🅕 🅨🅞🅤 🅓🅘🅖:-Inspiring women/strong female leads-quotable reads-family/found family storylines-historical fiction-well-written prose-character-driven stories⚠️🅣🅦:-slavery/oppression-loss of a child
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2023
    River Sing Me Home is a powerful story of the strength and perseverance of a mother's search for her five children, all of whom had been taken from her during her time as a slave on a sugar cane plantation in Barbados. We follow the protagonist (Rachel) across land and sea, through forests and up rivers as she searches, and finds, one child after the other. Now grown, each child has come to their own way of life, always with a driving force of surviving as a slave (or former slave) on a Caribbean island in the days and months after emancipation has been declared. What Rachel finds is not always what she expects or hopes, and she is called upon to accept each child's reality, painful as some may be.
    Along her way Rachel meets characters that are of great help to her, from the emancipated dressmaker in Barbados, to a nomadic former slave who gives up his life on the sea to join Rachel and one of her first found children.
    The end of the book is a hopeful one, yet the powerful message of the book is universal. A mother's love fuels self-sacrifice. That same love allows us to accept—often painfully—the individual journeys and associated outcome of our children's lives. And human resilience is required to accept that the freedom we imagine is very often not the freedom that actually awaits.
    If you're looking for shocking twists and turns this book is not for you. In reading the book, I felt that I was on a linear journey right along side this courageous mother and her companions, traveling across seas, over land and upriver. Especially resonant for those readers who relate to the pain of losing children and the strength of the never dimming love for those children that fuel courage and sacrifice.
    15 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2024
    This story is so well told, woven together with sacrifice and hope. And strong family connection, even when separated by cruelness and disdain. Amazing book.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2023
    Narrative style is really important to me when I read books. It plays a key role in actually transporting the reader into the world created by the author. I found myself completely immersed within just the first few pages. I felt the hope, resilience, trepidation, fear, and gratitude right along with the main character, Rachel. The author did a extraordinary job describing just enough to inspire empathy in the readers without capitalizing on sensationalizing the horrors of slavery through shock and awe. Although resolution of some events in the story seemed fortuitously coincidental, I disagree that it took away from the story. I felt that it enriched the story. There are plenty of horrendous events that slaves have had to endure in order to survive that were acknowledged in the book. But the overall theme of this story is not about the horrors of life and the worst possible scenarios that every event can play out. This book is about the courage of a mother through her love for her children. It's about the resilience of people who continue to find hope in hopeless situations. It's about the kindness of people who continue to give when they do not even have enough for themselves. It's about highlighting humanity against the face of greed and cruelty.
    11 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2023
    This is a good historical fiction focused on the Caribbean and how slavery impacted the islands. That being said, it mostly focused on Rachel’s story/narrative, so you really didn’t learn that much of the nuances as I probably would have liked, although it still told the important story of a mother searching for her children that were cruelly torn from her.

    I liked that all of Rachel’s children had different stories…not everything was a happy reunion, or a painful meeting - but everything was so incredibly nuanced and I think Shearer did a solid job of landing that there are different types of freedom for the characters involved.

    I enjoyed this novel and it went by pretty quickly for me as I was fairy invested. That being said, it was obviously a debut novel. Some things were repetitive, the author, although she had a way with words that were quite beautiful at times, still erred no the side of telling more than showing. And she also left a lot of things up to the “vibe”. Ie, when Rachel and the others met with Nuno’s people, how much Rachel “understood.”? That was really confusing to me how she could infer meaning from languages she couldn’t speak.

    All in all I’ll give this a solid 3.5 stars.
    9 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2023
    The book River Sing Me Home by Elenor Shearer is a story of a complex journey. It is a novel that captures the possibility of what memory can have. What opportunities for someone have to go back into one's history to find their family? It shares the story of motherhood and external and internal journeys. In a river town, Shearer skillfully immerses readers in their journeys.
    Shearer's vivid descriptions bring the setting to life. River Sing Me Home is a thought-provoking read that is highly recommended for those seeking a profound exploration of the impact of familial bonds. I would rate it a ⅘ for its way of telling stories impacted by erasure through such vivid explanations.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2024
    I read the back of this book while waiting in line at the library to vote. Bought it on KU before I even left. It’s such a moving, poignant book. Highly recommend.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Conditions
    Reviewed in Canada on October 29, 2024
    Was in like new condition
  • angel4
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gives insight into a time in history
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2024
    This makes a fascinating read. I bought the book after reading a review in the WI magazine. I do recommend it to aid understanding of a period in history… this is fiction but it is written from researching stories from the past
  • Bukola Akinyemi
    4.0 out of 5 stars Caribbean. Slave abolition. A mother’s search
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2023
    Historical fiction about slavery set in 1830s Barbados.

    When England declared the abolition of slavery, the white plantation
    owners in Barbados had other ideas.
    They told the slaves that they were now apprentices that had to work for them for another six years. It was freedom in name only. They could not leave.

    This is a story of a mother’s undying love and bravery.

    After living through 40 years of slavery, Rachel had birthed and lost six children. Micah, Mary Grace, Thomas Augustus, Cherry
    Jane and Mercy. She would recite their names daily, she refused to forget them, she would find each one.

    Rachel takes us through the Caribbean islands from Barbados to British Guiana to Trinidad.

    Beautiful inside and out, Eleanor Shearer tells a traumatic story with endearing descriptions. A mother’s love runs through like a golden thread, its full of hope and love, two things that rise above the trauma of slavery and being on the run.
    Customer image
    Bukola Akinyemi
    4.0 out of 5 stars Caribbean. Slave abolition. A mother’s search
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2023
    Historical fiction about slavery set in 1830s Barbados.

    When England declared the abolition of slavery, the white plantation
    owners in Barbados had other ideas.
    They told the slaves that they were now apprentices that had to work for them for another six years. It was freedom in name only. They could not leave.

    This is a story of a mother’s undying love and bravery.

    After living through 40 years of slavery, Rachel had birthed and lost six children. Micah, Mary Grace, Thomas Augustus, Cherry
    Jane and Mercy. She would recite their names daily, she refused to forget them, she would find each one.

    Rachel takes us through the Caribbean islands from Barbados to British Guiana to Trinidad.

    Beautiful inside and out, Eleanor Shearer tells a traumatic story with endearing descriptions. A mother’s love runs through like a golden thread, its full of hope and love, two things that rise above the trauma of slavery and being on the run.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    Customer image
  • Samuel Barber
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Character Development
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2024
    I didn't think I would like this book but it was better than I expected. It's not the quest so much that's interesting (although set in 1834 after the abolition of slavery in the Caribbean held an interest), but the characters that Rachel meets along the way and her observations of them. For a debut novelist this is good. I am almost couldn't put the novel down because it just got better and better.
    Mercy is probably the least interesting of her daughters and closer to Mary Prince in terms of being whipped whilst pregnant. Actually, Cherry-Jane is the most interesting daughter out of the lot. She changes from her middle-class facade to an empathetic woman who can feel for others.
  • chiddlers
    3.0 out of 5 stars Lacklustre
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2023
    Sorry to say but this was disappointing. Very little accurate historical research and had a lightweight, predictable, plot. Gave up two thirds of way through and jumped to end. An underwhelming read