Competently written. Not particularly special. Better than The Help and The Kitchen House. ( )

Another book to add to my favorites!!! Not only did I enjoy the story, I loved the way it was written. It was beautifully insightful and deep; heartwarming and yet at times upsetting. I think this story will stay with me for a long time.

I hadn't paid attention to the authors name going into it so was extremely surprised to find it was written by a man and doubly surprised to see it was a white man. He did, at least, grow up in the south :) ( )

Competently written. Not particularly special. Better than The Help and The Kitchen House. ( )

This novel grew on me - I didn't like it and almost quit reading for the first 70 pages - the writing seemed flat and the story line was dull - then Polly the healer arrived at the plantation and everything slowly began to change for me - the characters became richer and, by the end, I was deeply involved in the story - then came the beautifully written acknowledgements and note to the reader and I became a true Jonathan Odell fan - even halfway through the book i would never have imagined giving it 4 1/2 stars -

Mr. Odell, a white agnostic male, has written the story of a deeply spiritual black female healer who was enslaved - it works both on a concrete level and as a spiritually symbolic tale about the truth of who we who live on this planet truly are. ( )

Very moving story about race, freedom, and healing. The author creates a great frame for telling stories from the Mississippi Delta about a legendary healer on a plantation and her impact on a child. I think the author is trying to help heal the social wounds our society suffers as a result of racial slavery and bigotry. I could not put the book down. ( )