A Long Way from Home

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing, but flawed
Review: Connie Briscoe took a brave step in tackling a historical story after being so successful with tales of contemporary black life, fictionalizing the lives of her own ancestors. She writes with her usual intriguing style that immediately pulls in the reader, and I knew that her portrayal of slaves who were afraid of freedom would draw criticism from some, but personally, I thought her description of young Clara's day dreams of freedom and prosperity countered well with the viewpoint of older slaves who had not known any other type of life and had the fear of the unknown. We've all seen the depictions of people who worked in the fields, but this is the first one I've seen of people who worked in the homes. It never occurred to me that the personal maids were on call 24 hours a day. No wonder white folks were so upset when they lost their unpaid servants; they literally didn't lift a finger.

What I didn't like was that there was a big hole in the story, namely that the circumstances behind Clara's two pregnancies were never explained. I believe that was a major gaffe, and it nearly ruined the book for me.

Overall, I found this book to be both entertaining and enlightening.

Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Portrait of Strength and Courage
Review: Connie Briscoe's "A Long Way From Home" is being classified as fiction. It's not, entirely. Based on a true story, it seems very real.

Briscoe writes about her own ancestors, using family stories handed down through the generations, research she's done, and an obvious love of the subject matter. She succeeds in weaving together a fascinating biography of sorts. It's a stirring account of the everyday lives of slaves in the South before and during the Civil War.

The three generations of women are, first of all, survivors. They are strong, courageous and trapped in a nearly-hopeless situation.Overworked and sleep deprived, the women have to watch out for all kinds of hazards -- including the possibility of rape. Susie, a house slave, has to be very strict on her young daugther Clara; should Clara not please the owners with her work, she could be punished, sold or forced to work in the fields -- an even harsher life. Clara, in turn, continues this practice with her two daughters.

Always, the slaves are subject to the whim of their masters, and their fate rests on the owners' benevolence.

At first, family has one thing going for it: the Madisons try to keep families intact and not sell slaves without the person's permission.

Not so with subsequent owners, and granddaughter Susan finds herself being brutally hauled off at a young age to a new owner in the city. This is the family's punishment for her older sister's running away to escape the same fate. The book's title comes from Susan's being a long way from home.

She does adapt, and the account of her romance with a freed slave, later her husband, is interesting. I learned a lot about the lives of freed slaves in the Confederacy.

This book is destined to be a "must" for Black History Month, but it is a wonderful read for anyone of any ethnic background. It'd be a wonderful book for high school libraries.

With the new interest in Thomas Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemmings, people will naturally be more curious about the union of black slaves with white masters.

Of course, slavery is horrible to even contemplate, but I was even more shocked by the book's implication that Susan, the granddaughter, may have been the (illegitimate) daughter of the man who bought her as a "wedding gift" for his white daughter. How could someone make their own child be a slave?

Even worse, Susan is so busy caring for her owners' children that her health, pregnancy and the health of her own infant, is jeopardized.

Of course, the Civil War brings on many changes, also documented in the book. When finally free, the former slaves still face many hardships, but their courage and tenacity wins out in the end.

"A Long Way From Home" is a moving account of the struggles of three strong women. Read it! You'll go away with a better understanding of, and with new respect for, what the blacks in the South had to endure.

Rating:
Summary: Colorful, tantalizing, passionate, and strong...
Review: Connie limns the life of a couple of females during slavery. A good portion of the book is told from a child's perspective, which enabled me to read the book. I never read about slavery or watch movies pertaining to slavery because it evokes a bit of anger inside of me; however, Connie's goal is not to illicit anger or to enlighten us, it's simply to tell a brilliant, entrancing, hopeful story. She succeeded. I couldn't put the novel down until I completely finished it. I felt like I was in Virgina with Clara in her day to day life. You will enjoy this novel.

Rating:
Summary: BRISCOE AT HER BEST!
Review: Having read this book when it was first released in 1999, I am pleasantly surprised to find it still being read and reviewed by lovers of historical fiction. The superb plot, characterization, and lyrical prose, make this novel one of Ms. Briscoe's finest literary contributions.

Rating:
Summary: Connie Briscoe first time reader...
Review: Her characters are so strong and well-defined. The story paints a true daily picture of life on the plantation. Slaves must be forever on their toes so as not to be at "fault" in their owners eyes and thus be punished or separated from their loved ones. This was definitely a story I could not put down. Enjoyable from cover to cover.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Yet!
Review: Hi Connie,
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all three of your novels, but "A Long Way From Home" touched me in a particular way. At first I wasn't sure how well I would be able to relate, obviously being so far removed from that time, but just after the first paragraph, I felt I could identify with Clara in so many ways. While reading, I felt very close to Susie, Clara, and Susan, almost like I was back there with them as they endured the pain and suffering of slavery and weathered the "storm" of the Civil War, which eventually resulted in freedom for Susan and Ellen. Of that I was glad. Thank you so much for blessing all of us with the story of your ancestry and may God continue to give you these wonderful ideas for novels.

Rating:
Summary: CAPTIVATING!
Review: History does repeat itself. Work conditions may not be as severe as in the novel but, if there is anyone who has ever felt trapped in a job they loathe then they know how Clara felt wanting to leave and start fresh but just felt trapped. Knowing how some particular people think of you just because you are.... We must rise above this and continue to educate ourselves and others around. This book really makes you take a look at reality.

Rating:
Summary: Bravo!
Review: I am not yet finished and I love this book! I can't put it down. I am enjoying the historical aspect of the book. (And learning a few things.) This is Connie's best effort yet! Thank you for giving us a different kind of book.

Rating:
Summary: DIFFICULT SUBJECT MATTER BUT A GOOD READ
Review: I bought this book 3 months before I read it because I had to gear up to read a book about slavery. However, once I started the book, I could not put it down. I thought the delivery and writing were great and was pleased to see the strength of the women involved. I was slightly disappointed in the language of some of the characters, particularly Oliver which I thought was too contemporary for that historical period. I also would liked to have seen more development of certain situations, namely the death of George and it's impact on Susan, as well as the the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy of Clara i.e, rape, consent in exchange for some benefit etc. I thought there was a big gap in that area. With that said, I think that the book is ripe for a sequel and would like to see a second novel based on the newfound relationship between Ellen and her sister Susan, and their lives after they reunite. I also think that instead of Oprah Winfrey spending 10 million and 10 years on a production of Beloved ( I like Toni Morrison but she is difficult to read and Beloved was way too complicated to even think about making into a movie) she should take a look at this book and think about a made for T.V. movie. After all, this book to a certain extent talks about the struggles and strenghts of African American women.

Rating:
Summary: Historic accuracy in a great novel.
Review: I could not put this novel down. I just read from begining to end without stopping. I was fascinated. What really impressed was the research behind the novel. The novel fits in well with what is known about those times.