RIVER SING ME HOME (Berkley) by Eleanor Shearer is inspired by the true stories of the brave woman who went looking for their stolen children after the abolition of slavery in 1834. It's hard to believe its a debut novel, because Shearer's prose and narrative are so powerful and complex. River Sing Me Home is the story of Rachel, a woman slave who has given birth repeatedly and had five children survive only to be taken away and sold.

The British King declares the Emancipation Act effectively ending slavery, but the plantation owners announce they are now apprentices and have to work on the plantation for six more years. It's at this point Rachel decides to run and search for her five children. She doesn't know if any of them are alive, but she is driven by the fact, a mother cannot be free without knowing what has become of her children.

She begins her dangerous journey in Barbados, then on a river deep in the forest of British Giana and finally across the sea to Trinidad. She's always aware that she is technically not free, she's being hunted and if found can be taken back as a slave at any time.

River Sing Me Home is Rachel's extraordinary story to find out what happened to Mary Grace, Micah, Thomas Augustus, Cherry Jane and Mercy. It is the deeply brutal and moving story of the astonishing lengths a mother will go to find her children... and her freedom.

I love reading historical fiction, respect history and I'm grateful to have learned about this time in the past. From the beginning of the book I was thrust into Rachel's dangerous journey. River Sing Me Home is a fearless, hopeful, and loving read. I often found myself holding my breath during her search. Thank you BookBrowse, Netgalley and Berkley for providing an early copy of this novel, which will be published January 31st, 2023.

River Sing Me Home proved to be lyrical, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking. Inspired by the real-life women who fought to put their families back together after the abolition of slavery, this novel delicately succeeds in bringing back the stories and memories of people who refuse to be forgotten. This book explored the impacts of love, motherhood and survival and will stay with you long after you've finished.

A powerful, melancholy epic tale. Set in the Caribbean Rachel escapes enforced apprenticeship in search of the children cruelly separated from her. This book is gorgeous, moving and unbearable sad - loved loved it

The author clearly states her laudable reason for writing this book:

... to bring to life a story about the Caribbean in the aftermath of slavery - a time and place that is not well known or widely understood.

Rachel is the main character - a mother of many; some sold away from her; some died of fever.

She searches for those sold across the Caribbean in 3 different countries: Barbados, British Guiana (now Guyana), and Trinidad.

This story of a mother's love and her painful search for her children is compelling.

The three different locales that it includes made it a must read for a world literature lover such as myself.

The book also became extremely meaningful because of the author's sharing in her Author's Note. TY Eleanor Shearer.

5 stars

This book is lovely. The reason that Shearer wrote this book is big and its important. The story of Rachel is the story of so many and that fact breaks my heart. The story of the Caribbean slaves was largely unknown to me so learning about the history of emancipation and apprenticeship was enlightening.

However, I never felt truly connected to the characters or the story. The characters stories were compelling, but there was a deeper emotional connection that I didn't quite find. I cared about Rachel's plight, I thought it was courageous that she ran away from enslavement to find her children. But it was all surface level for me.

I think its a worthy story to read. I think its a story more people should read. I think its a story that needed to be told. And emotional connections to characters and stories are very subjective. What I find to be holding at an arms' length, others may be completely entranced by.

Shearer's writing is beautiful. The book is very well researched. Its well paced. And there are plenty of emotional moments sprinkled throughout the story, particularly for Rachel.

This book was wonderful! It was much more of an adventure than I expected. The main character, Rachel, travels about in search of her children and encounters so many interesting situations along the way. Rachel’s love for her children shines throughout the novel and carries the reader through it to each of her destinations in her search.

Rachel is a runaway slave in Barbados in the 19th century. The slaves have been told that they are free as the King ends slavery but now their plantation owner informs them that they must stay on to work as his apprentices...Rachel decided to flee. The main purpose is not for "freedom" per se but to find her children who were taken from her over the years.

At times a difficult story to read but Rachel is fierce & nothing will stop her from finding her 5 children. The people she meets, the travels she takes & what she finds along the way are all with that same mission of finding all of them.

A slow paced story with many twists & turns.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. It was a story of love of family and struggles. What one woman risked to find her children was incredibly brave. The author did a wonderful job bringing the story to life. Highly recommend.

This is a must read!!

River Sing Me Home is a triumph of tragedy and hope. Joining Rachel's journey to find the family that she lost over many years of slavery was sometimes difficult but always with a glimmer of anticipation that she would be reunited with her loved ones. Eleanor Shearer's lyrical prose and story that is in need of being told to everyone touched my heart. We cannot allow this type of history to be repeated. Thank you Eleanor for keeping the hope alive that a better world is within our grasp.

River Sing Me Home is a beautifully written novel. Ms Shearer states in the Acknowledgements that the main character's story(Rachel) is inspired by a real person. It is the story of a mother who is a slave and her courageous, desperate, and heartbreaking attempt to find the children that were ripped from her by plantation owners. The events take place i the early 1800's. The story starts in Barbados and follows Rachel's journey to other parts of the Caribbean.
Ms Shearer's story telling paints a very vivid picture of the characters, the feelings, the settings, and history of the time period. This historical piece was not something I had read about in the past.
I would highly recommend this touching book.

From the first time you meet Rachel her strength and determination will be an example of the human spirit and its ability to carry on no matter how hard the task. I couldn’t stop reading this story and thinking about it after reading each chapter. Three things make, for me, this one of the best books of the year.
1. It is historical fiction of what life was like in the Caribbean islands.
2. It shows the determination of a mother to find her children who have been taken from her and sold at a young age.
3. The writing is so good that it puts you in the story, you can feel the heat, the rush of the river, and all the feelings and paths Rachel must follow.
I recommend this is a very readable, interesting book.

“All her life, nothing had belonged to her, not even the children pushed out of her own body.”

Rachel was born a slave on the island of Barbados. However, when slavery is abolished in 1834, her life remains unchanged. Though no longer a slave, she is re-categorized as an “apprentice” and is forced to continue providing free labor to her masters. Upon learning that her newfound “freedom” results in nothing more than continued servitude, Rachel makes a run for it.

What begins as a terrifying run through a dark tropical forest ultimately transforms into an island-hopping journey through the Caribbean as Rachel searches desperately for the children slavery had stolen from her. With no idea where they may be, or if they are even alive, Rachel perseveres. Forced to rely on the kindness of strangers, as well as the ruthlessness of overseers, she will not stop until she knows their fate. From Barbados to British Guiana, and ultimately to Trinidad, this is the story of the unconquerable love of a mother who will stop at nothing to reunite her family.

It is impossible to describe the range of emotions one will experience while reading this extraordinarily fast-paced story. Feelings ranging from fear to despair to elation are all to be expected as one accompanies Rachel on this epic journey. In the end, however, one cannot help but feel they have experienced a literary adventure not easily rivaled.

A five-star debut novel by Eleanor Shearer that will leave the reader breathless at the end!

Special thanks to my friends at @bookbrowse and @netgalley for the privilege of allowing me to review an advanced readers copy (ARC) of “River Sing Me Home”. Look for it in bookstores in the United States in early 2023.

This is one of the best books that I have read this year. The writing is exquisite. I was totally committed to the characters. They felt like family to me. This was a story about British slavery which was unknown to me. Please do yourself a favor and read this book.

“River Sing Me Home” brings to life and awareness the depth of emotions and the true impact of slavery on victims. It is a close-up experience of the despair, desperation, and, in this case, the determination of a mother to locate and retrieve her taken children, wherever they may be. Rarely is the effect of slavery on the person relayed so comprehensibly, providing the reader with a heart-wrenching dose of reality. The author, Eleanor Shearer, has provided a masterpiece that I was hard pressed to put down before completing my read. Excellent!