Cane River by Lalita Tademy

Rating: 5.0

What it's about:
On a Creole plantation on the banks of Louisiana's Cane River, four generations of astonishing women 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 the contradictions of emancipation through the turbulent early years of the twentieth century. 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. -taken from back of book

My thoughts:
This is a very powerful story. It speaks of courage and strength and especially the irrepressible spirit of these four generations of women and their respective families. I was drawn to the characters in this novel and easily lost myself to this absorbing story. I was in turns amazed and appalled, saddened and hopeful. It was interesting to watch this family evolve as they went from slavery to freedom and the struggles that ensued. Tademy did a fantastic job with this novelization of her family's history.