Cane River

A New York Times bestseller and Oprah's Book Club Pick-the unique and deeply moving saga of four generations of African-American women whose journey from slavery to freedom begins on a Creole plantation in Louisiana.

Beginning with her great-great-great-great grandmother, a slave owned by a Creole family, Lalita Tademy chronicles four generations of strong, determined black women as they battle injustice to unite their family and forge success on their own terms. They are women whose lives begin in slavery, who weather the Civil War, and who grapple with contradictions of emancipation, Jim Crow, and the pre-Civil Rights South. As she peels back layers of racial and cultural attitudes, Tademy paints a remarkable picture of rural Louisiana and the resilient spirit of one unforgettable family.

There is Elisabeth, who bears both a proud legacy and the yoke of bondage... her youngest daughter, Suzette, who is the first to discover the promise-and heartbreak-of freedom... Suzette's strong-willed daughter Philomene, who uses a determination born of tragedy to reunite her family and gain unheard-of economic independence... and Emily, Philomene's spirited daughter, who fights to secure her children's just due and preserve their dignity and future.

Meticulously researched and beautifully written, Cane River presents a slice of American history never before seen in such piercing and personal detail.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Extraordinary... illuminates the soul of heritage... historical fiction of the highest order."—Philadelphia Enquirer

"Evocative and convincing."—The Washington Post Book World

"Astonishing... bold, breathtaking, and unforgettable."—Essence

"A long-overdue response to Alex Haley's Roots."—San Francisco Chronicle

A little slow!

I did not get what I expected with this book it seemed to drag. The characters all kind of ran together in my opinion. I would not recommend it.

Thought-provoking story

Where does Cane River rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The story was thought-provoking in many ways.

Would you be willing to try another book from Lalita Tademy? Why or why not?

Possibly. This storyline jumped around a lot which I realize may be necessary when so many characters are involved over such a large timeframe. It just made it hard to follow and I wanted to learn more about specific characters rather than jumping over time periods in their lives.

How could the performance have been better?

I thought the reading came across as dull and uninteresting. It was a struggle to finish the book as a result.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The beginning was quite good. And throughout there were good lines that made me take pause.

good read

Thi sis my first book by this author and I could not turn off my ipod. The story was compelling and interesting and the narration was excellent. A great historical look at bi-racial and master slave relationships during pre and post civil war. I feel like I know this family and look forward to more books by the same author.

great story

Can't wait to ready more of her books . Great story telling everyone she read

Extremely well done!

This is the first time I have read a work by this particular author and I am a fan of hers now. I will most likely read more works by her. I believe that this story itself is realistic as we know these things occurred. Sad as it is but true never the less! The narrators were inviting and it was very well done!