Today's Throwback Thursday feature is CANE RIVER by Lalita Tademy. This fictionalized accounting of the choices made by the women of one family in order to survive is an insightful and sometimes tragic read. I love family sagas and this was a good one.
Happy Reading!
Monica
Set among the plantations in deepest Louisiana, CANE RIVER follows the lives of five generations of women from the time of slavery in the early 1800s into the early years of the 20th century. From down-trodden, philosophical Suzette, who was born and died a slave, to educated, pale-skinned Emily, whose high ambitions born in freedom become her downfall, we are introduced to a remarkable cast of characters whose struggles reflect the tragedy of slavery and, ultimately, the triumph of the spirit. This deeply personal saga - based entirely on the author's research into her own family history - ranks with the best African-American novels and introduces a major new writer.
I liked the book but it made me so sad that the later generations of the women chronicled really didn't like who they were due to society's view of them.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I enjoyed that the decisions and lives of these women are complicated and not at all comfortable. I thought that it was a good representation of how hard the choices were. It showed how the consequences were long reaching, complicated, and uncomfortable.
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