Critical Praise

"After her Oprah-pick debut (River, Cross My Heart, 1999), an African-American novelist delivers a compassionate portrait of the terrors and hopes of slaves. With its slightly clipped period language, coolly measured tone and rich supply of telling detail, Breena Clarke’s second novel delves into a compelling social panorama of black servitude in Washington, D.C., as the Civil War begins. The story winds through the war (with Gabriel Coats fighting alongside the colored troops) to reach a sober conclusion that nevertheless heralds change. Clarke’s sensitivity and her lyrical, earthy narration bring a freshness to the somber subject matter."

—Kirkus

"In this story of a slave family buying its freedom, Clarke illuminates and personalizes a dreadful part of our nation’s past. Skilled needleworker Sewing Annie at Ridley Plantation in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, trains her son, Gabriel, so well that at the age of 10, he’s hired out to a tailor in Georgetown (also the site of Clarke’s best-selling debut River, Cross My Heart, 1999). Gabriel is successful enough to buy manumission in 1854 for himself and his family, a bargain abrogated by crafty Jonathan Ridley in 1862 when District of Columbia slaves are decreed free with their owners eligible for compensation. This is a vivid view of slavery."

—Booklist

"The River, Cross My Heart author returns with an affecting story about two freed slaves living in Washington, D.C., before the Civil War, struggling to stay alive --- and help others escape --- in a land that won't protect them."

—People Magazine