Rating: 
Summary: Jeffrey Lent may be the new Faulkner
Review: I have recently read "In the Fall" by Jeffrey Lent.I don't know about you, but if you enjoy Faulkner's "Light in August" you will enjoy this novel. Jeffrey's sentences stretch beyond the imagination and take flight beyond themselves. Have you ever read something so meandering and true that you remembered what it felt like to be on the point bank of a long lazy river just whiling away the time? It is beyond dispute that he has captured the South. And, all that there was to tell about us and more. What is most interesting to me is that Jeffrey Lent tells us something we all know. That we are all one race, one people. This is still not an acceptable thing to say. He tells us our history in a way that makes us all understand how this came to be. Now, we need to accept it. Barbara
Rating: 
Summary: All but the middle!
Review: I agree in part with most of the other readers' reviews. To the reader from Baltimore, I hope you'll continue to read this one...because Foster's story is by far the most interesting and the best written portion of the book. I found Jamie's story tedious...and in need of more critical editing. Much of the dialoge between Jamie and Joey seemed contrived and not true to the time period. Lent does redeem himself with Foster's portion of the novel and his beautifully descriptive prose is made it difficult to put the book down.
Rating: 
Summary: Hmmmm
Review: I haven't finished the book, to be honest, and I feel that the author does have an interesting story. But, ahem... hey guys, have you analysed some of this guy's sentences? May I ask where the editors were on this one? Does this guy have delusions of Faulknerian granduer or what? I mean, if someone can straighten me out, "I'm all ears," in the words of Ross Perot. Can someone explain what is meant by these "run-on" sentences? Or can anyone get published these days? Does that mean there might even be hope for me? There is one particular sentence that is 76 words long. And, I'm sure there are some that are even longer. Have we returned to the era of Dickens where we're paid by the word?
Rating:
Summary: Family Secrets
Review: I have read many books this summer, but this first novel by Jeffrey Lent was the one that will stand out for me. It has everything a reader could possibly want: a bit of American history, incredible use of imagery, poetic prose, love stories throughout the generations, believable characters, and a mystery story to hook you completely until the end of the novel. When I reached near the end of the novel, I didn't want the book to end, but of course it had to. I have a small problem with the ending, which I won't go into in this review. However, this is a must read book for nearly everyone. It's been a long time since I've read a book and wanted to go straight to the end and find out the family secret, butI forced myself to wait. Three generations of living breathing characters await those who choose to read this novel. And while the characters are not typical, they are filled with the human emotions we all carry within us. Enjoy this incredible novel. We will surely hear from and about Jeffrey Lent again.
Rating:
Summary: Toooooo long.....
Review: I enjoyed the story, but it took too long to get through the book. Too much detail I just didn't care about, and the end of the book when Foster visits the old man is just painfully slow. I couldn't wait to be done with the book!
Rating: 
Summary: a book worth sticking with
Review: Yes, this is a book about slavery. But it is so much more. It is a book about the "evil thread" (I've returned the book to the library so I can't quote that passage) that weaves itself through the generations and grows larger in so doing. I especially relished the last third of the book in which Uncle Alex expounds on life -- things he has pondered for years, and things relevant to all of us. By the time I got to this part of the book, the structural elements that had slowed me down earlier vanished, and I was totally immersed. The end is powerful, not just a place to finish as have been so many of my recent reads.
Rating:
Summary: Intense, emotional read
Review: Dynamite! Lent's dialogue style and descriptive abilities are reminiscent of Frazier's Cold Mountain, maybe better. I wanted to savor almost every page - I found myself numerous times putting the book down and looking off in to the distance just to keep the taste of the previous passage in my consciousness. I have read historical novels extensively and this is easily one of the best
Rating:
Summary: I tried but just couldn't finish it...
Review: I just read through more than half of these "glowing" reviews and as one other reviewer asked "did these people read the same book I did?" No matter how hard I tried, I just could not get into this book! I find myself skimming entire pages because I feel constantly bogged down by the weight of everything. There is no depth to the characters and I was constantly confused. I got about halfway through the book and decided to quit torturing myself...the only thing I'm thankful for is that I did not buy the book...I'll return it to the library unfinished (which is extremely rare for me).
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Images and Language
Review: This is the most beautifully written book that I have read in years. It took me a while to get into the flow of Jeffrey Lent's writing, especially his style of using minimal punctuation. However, once I got used to it I became fascinated. Of course, this book has a terrific story, and characters. But more importantly, Jeffrey Lent uses images and language that cut to the essence of who we are and the world we live in. On almost every page I found myself smiling as the light bulb in my head lit up and I said to myself "Ah, that's it!."
Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: In the Fall is a book about a love shared between a white man and a black woman after the Civil War. It tells of some of the horror a black woman was subjected to. It also tells of the great love shared between the main characters. This book will keep you guessing about secrets in the past being dug up and the consequences they have on the family. Some parts of the book will shock you but it adds to the greatness of this book. Jeffrey Lent did an extremely good job writing this book and I highly recommend it to everyone.
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