One of the strongest parts of this book that stood out for me was the depth and breadth of the characters, particularly the women. This novel is a fictional depiction of the author’s own family tree for six generations exclusively through the female line with one exception: her grandfather. The personalities and portrayals of all the people throughout this novel are so real that it felt like I personally knew each one of them. I could picture each one like a finely detailed pen and ink portrait that is then filled in with watercolour shadings applied with a thin brush.

I was also deeply impressed by the honesty of these depictions. There is no candy-coating of flaws or quirks of personality – these are all layered generously on the portraits. Underlying the surface and the day-to-day interactions, are the qualities that are passed down through each generation like a family legacy: inner strength, the ability to endure and persevere, respect for others – especially their elders – and above all, dignity.

Yes, the earlier generations were slaves and forced into humility when serving their masters, yet they did so with dignity. Some people in this family were bought and sold, females were subjected to being used sexually by their masters, yet dignity remained. Largely, this seemed to come about because no matter what – no matter who the fathers were - each child born became part of the women’s family. They were loved, cared for, and taught to uphold the family values.

There were also separations and illnesses and conflicts and deaths. Through these six generations, there were wars and there were gains and losses. There were times of freedom, yet in the Louisiana of the day, that freedom came at great cost, too, and that freedom only went so far.

This family saga, based on hundreds of documents and years of research, carried me on a journey to a place and a time that feels so much more familiar to me than it ever did before. Through the stories of this family, I was able to live a part of history and come away inspired by the courage and determination they utilized to move them through some of the hardest years of those times past.

I am grateful, and I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys reading historical family sagas. I also look forward to reading more of Lalita Tademy’s novels.

Cane River covers 137 years of a rich family history by the author. In the beginning of researching her family, this was not destined to be a novel, however I am so glad author Lalita Tademy saw it differently and brought us a spell binding work of fiction to be enjoyed by those of us who love this genre in the days when working hard for a dollar by women takes on a whole different meaning. Elizabeth, Suzette, Philomene and Emily (great grandmother of the author) are the best.

How did I miss this book? Lalita Tademy's family story is so well written, and the product of such excellent research that it could be considered history. Tademy not only gives us her family saga based upon stories, historical documents, but she gives us a picture of slavery in Louisiana. Of course, I knew that many French people settled that area, but I didn't realize that French men didn't have the aversion to Negros/ slaves that was characteristic of most white slave owners. Some French farmers fell in love, lived with negro women and loved their children by those women. But law didn't allow them to marry or pass property to them. This is also a story of the strong women in Tademy's heritage. Starting with her great-grandmother, Elisabeth, through three generations, the women who chose or were forced to bear children of the French men, the family becomes a lighter skin color. Also these women could not hold property through the years, but plot and persuade fathers of their children to give them money and eventually hold land. So the family gradually bring themselves out of slavery. It is a fascinating story and so well told. These were real living people who fostered strong family ties. I'm so thankful to Lalita Tademy for leaving her Sun-Microsystems, where she was a vice-president, to research and write this book.

I picked up this book after I read the author's story in Chicken Soup. I admire her, having taken that leap of faith, deciding to leave her top corporate job, just so she can concentrate on her mission to find out about her family, her roots. She herself admitted that she didn't really know what compelled her to resign; and she didn't have any idea then where that decision would take her. Well, it took her to a two-year long discovery of he lineage, and eventually to a bestseller.

The author, Lalita, is of the seventh generation down from Elizabeth in a mixed-race family who went through the tough times of slavery and discrimination from as early as the 17th century. It demonstrates the strength of women, so evident nowadays, but it had been so even before. They may have been looked down upon, but they bore the weight of the hard times and made sure that their children were raised right under whatever circumstances.

A good story to draw strength upon.

Wonderful and Soulful

Publishers description: "Five generations and a hundred years in the life of a matriarchal black Louisiana family are encapsulated in this ambitious debut novel that is based in part upon the lives, as preserved in both historical record and oral tradition, of the author's ancestors. In 1834, nine-year-old Suzette, the "cocoa-colored" house servant of a Creole planter family, has aspirations to read, to live always in a "big house" and maybe even to marry into the relatively privileged world of the gens de couleur libre. Her plans are dashed, however, when at age 13 a French migr takes her as his mistress. Her "high yellow" daughter Philomene, in turn, is maneuvered into becoming the mother of Creole planter Narcisse Fredieu's "side family." After the Civil War, Philomene pins her hopes for a better future on her light-skinned daughter, Emily Fredieu, who is given a year of convent schooling in New Orleans. But Emily must struggle constantly to protect her children by her father's French cousin from terrorist "Night Riders" and racist laws. Tademy is candid about her ancestors' temptations to "pass," as their complexions lighten from the color of "coffee, to cocoa, to cream to milk, to lily." While she fully imagines their lives, she doesn't pander to the reader by introducing melodrama or sex. Her frank observations about black racism add depth to the tale, and she demonstrates that although the practice of slavery fell most harshly upon blacks, and especially women, it also constricted the lives and choices of white men. Photos of and documents relating to Tademy's ancestors add authenticity to a fascinating story."~~~~~~~
I picked up this book on a whim and was worried I wouldn't enjoy it due to it's volume. However, once I began reading, I was unable to stop. This is a book for any woman who wants to walk in the life of those who came before her, to really appreciate the hardships women have endured in order to make this life for current women possible. Engrossing, wonderfully and vividly written, your emotions go up and down with the characters'.

Although this novel is historical fiction, it makes a strong case for descents of enslaved people to receive reparations. When you read this, you are equal parts drawn to the strength and resilience of a long line of Black women forced or otherwise into miscegenation, and horrified by all they endured. It gives credence to the stereotype that Black women are physically stronger than other races thereby not needing as much medical attention or overall care. Lalita Tademy took on such an amazing feat here by diving into her family’s complicated lineage, and it makes me want to do the same. What an excellent read.

I liked this book about a world that is foreign to me but so interesting - the deep South just prior to just after the Civil War. Based on facts the author discovered about her family and wove into a novel, this book deals with distinctions based on race and traces several generations of strong women from slavery through freedom. I like novels that trace generations and ones that are people-centered - this one fits the bill.

CW: rape, racism (that’s a given since it’s about slavery), general human cruelty

I’d consider this a 4-5 star read. Honestly, for the most part, it was really engaging. I got to know and respect these women. It felt like reading Warmth of Other Suns. I know that Warmth is nonfiction written like a novel while this is a novelization of our character’s family life, but I think that Tademy did a really great job at keeping the reader engaged. Sometimes, it did feel a little stretched out but I think that that’s because she had so much to write. Im glad that I gave this book a chance.

Really not good. Which I knew by around page 5. But I read all 500 pages to the end, mostly because my next set of books from Amazon hadn't arrived yet. Interesting story and concept, but the writing is just stinky. It's definitely got the vibe of "I quit my job at Sun to write a fiction book." The dialogue is really bad and the characters are just poorly developed (even though they're real people).

From the author: “Cane River covers 137 years of my family’s history, written as fiction, but deeply rooted in years of research, historical fact, and family lore.”

I love me a generational historical fiction!! Ms.Tademy did that! Very well written, especially for a debut novel. She was dedicated to telling her family history. I loved that she made it historical fiction in order to fill in the blanks and tell a complete story. In doing so she brought these real people to life and had my heart invested in this family.

“There were gaps I filled in based on research of the events and mood of the place and time. I presupposed motivations. Occasionally I changed a name, date, or circumstance to accommodate narrative flow. I tried to capture the essence of truth, if not always the precision of fact, and trust that the liberties I have taken will be forgiven.”

It was clear how Ms.Tamedy’s story and dedication to her research inspired The Love Songs of W.E.B DuBois. Cane River would be the one I would recommend. This one was more palatable as it wasn’t overly graphic. Of course we know certain things happened, but we were spared the heartbreaking details and I was very appreciative of that.

An enjoyable read. Not a full 5, as it didn’t take me where Homegoing did (that book has my heart forever

So..I wrote an in depth review of this but Goodreads didn't save it so in short I loved this book! The fact that it was loosely based on Lalita's own personal family history adds an extra layer of love to it. Even though there's many characters, we mostly focus on 4 generations of women and they have such depth to them. They each are very unique in what they want out of life and for their own children. Some make decisions that are hard but understandable based on their circumstances. We follow this family through slavery, civil war, reconstruction and the Jim Crow Era. I love a good family saga that isn't cluttered and this was perfect. I would definitely reread this long but fast paced novel.

I was a little cautious entering this book. First off, it's an Oprah book choice and those are generally a bit on the depressing side. Secondly, what I knew of the plot of the book was that it was about a family of women slaves during the Civil War era....which could be depresing, graphic, etc. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Granted, some of the situations that happen to the family of women in the book are sad, and make me frustrated that people were ever treated that way, the overall tone of the book, for me, was one of hope. These women hoped for a better future for their children. They perservered through all of the hard times with hope in their hearts, along with some other well deserved emotions. Another pleasant surprise with this book is that it is not graphic - there were plenty of times when some white master came to the slave women and the author could have let these situations be pretty awful - but she didn't. It was a relief to not have to cringe when I was reading.