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A review by passionyoungwrites
Cane River by Lalita Tademy
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Don’t try to match one misery against another. Field or house, we’re all in the same web waiting for the spider to get home.”
.
Learning. Teaching. Applying. Realizing.
Those are the words that come to mind when I think of the four generations of women we follow here in this novel. Elisabeth, Suzette, Philomene, and Emily initially on and near a Creole plantation on Louisiana’s Cane River.
All of these women living in similar times with small differences who shape them as mothers and as people. The three eldest women navigating slavery, and eventually freedom. Baring children by men that they could not marry, and the ones that could marry (in a sense) were devastated when it was time to be sold to other plantations. Manipulated but also navigating decisions that would ultimately lead to family stability but at the same time hoping that things didn’t get worse.
.
Even though these women progressed throughout the years, individually and as a family, they were struck with discrimination (as expected with the times) due to their color and because of their choice in men.
Some were color struck and felt that the lighter their skin the more advantage they would have in the world. While the others felt that they would still be labeled as colored and mixing with white men was merely “bleaching the line”.
.
Given the times, I feel that each of these women did what they needed to do to protect themselves to the best of their ability and provide for their family.
In the end, they saw some of their line education, owning land and having the ability to see the truths that always remained the same.
.
Spanning over 137 years of family history, Cane River, covers the authors family written as fiction. Surprisingly, there are photos of wills, family trees for each of the women and a combined tree for the entire family; photos of every family member that’s spoken of and a very much appreciated Authors Note and Acknowledgements that bring this story full circle.
.
Learning. Teaching. Applying. Realizing.
Those are the words that come to mind when I think of the four generations of women we follow here in this novel. Elisabeth, Suzette, Philomene, and Emily initially on and near a Creole plantation on Louisiana’s Cane River.
All of these women living in similar times with small differences who shape them as mothers and as people. The three eldest women navigating slavery, and eventually freedom. Baring children by men that they could not marry, and the ones that could marry (in a sense) were devastated when it was time to be sold to other plantations. Manipulated but also navigating decisions that would ultimately lead to family stability but at the same time hoping that things didn’t get worse.
.
Even though these women progressed throughout the years, individually and as a family, they were struck with discrimination (as expected with the times) due to their color and because of their choice in men.
Some were color struck and felt that the lighter their skin the more advantage they would have in the world. While the others felt that they would still be labeled as colored and mixing with white men was merely “bleaching the line”.
.
Given the times, I feel that each of these women did what they needed to do to protect themselves to the best of their ability and provide for their family.
In the end, they saw some of their line education, owning land and having the ability to see the truths that always remained the same.
.
Spanning over 137 years of family history, Cane River, covers the authors family written as fiction. Surprisingly, there are photos of wills, family trees for each of the women and a combined tree for the entire family; photos of every family member that’s spoken of and a very much appreciated Authors Note and Acknowledgements that bring this story full circle.