River, Cross My Heart

Critical Praise

"A sweet read...sweet like homemade ice cream from a hand-cranked machine, and just as rich." --Holly Bass, Washington Post Book World

"A genuine masterpiece...full of grace and beauty and profound insights....It bears traces of Eudora Welty's charm and Toni Morrison's passion." --Michael Shelden, Baltimore Sun

"A warm, graceful first novel...with a host of well-drawn and appealing characters...Clarke brings an affectionate eye and beautifully restrained prose to her fictional archaeology." --John Perry, San Francisco Chronicle

"Seldom do I find a novel that I can recommend to everyone....I'm delighted to say that River, Cross My Heart fills the bill." --Sandra Scofield, Chicago, Tribune

"A compelling novel...Clarke brings to life a whole neighborhood of vivid personalities." --Denise Kersten, USA Today

"A striking first novel....Clarke is a writer to watch, both for her brilliant use of language and her ambition in terms of subject. In her able hands, the Bynums are a family you won't soon forget." --Martha Southgate, Essence

"An accomplished first novel....The story of Johnnie Mae's eventual triumph--and of a city's grudging coming to terms with the hopes and dreams she typifies--flows quietly but carves deep channels in the reader's mind." --Walter Kirn, Time

"Compelling....At the same time that Clarke paints a picture of a life limited by segregation, she also provides a portrait of the rich relationships, familial and otherwise, that enrich the community from which the Bynums draw strength.... The narrative is given depth by its anatomy of a community tangibly and viscerally brought alive." --Jennifer Veech, Washington Times

"This River is powerful....Clarke's prose vibrates with the poetic authority of Toni Morrison." --V. R. Peterson, People