Robert Morgan has become one of my favorite writers. This is just a lovely told story. ( )

Thanks to the publisher and Goodreads for a free copy of Chasing the North Star!

This is a beautifully-written, poetic novel about slaves making their way north to freedom.

The author is a poet, and it shows in the turns of phrases. The writing style is simple, clear, and so evocative. It reads like poetry -- less words to create more impact.

And the sense of place was probably my favourite thing about this book. The descriptions are all so evocative, and there was such a sense of the foliage, the wildlife, the scenery, everything. It was beautiful and immersive to read.

So, why not a higher rating? There were a couple of things that made me uncomfortable. For starters, the portrayal of race seemed to fit with some tired stereotypes (although I'm white, so I'm hardly someone to listen to about this). And I was really uncomfortable with the presence of rape and sexual violence in the story. It just seemed like it didn't have a realistic impact on the characters and, because of that, it just felt unnecessary. I know it happened; the way it impacted the characters, though, didn't ring true.

Overall, though? The writing style and the sense of place were beautiful and powerful. I'm looking forward to checking out more books from this author. ( )

Robert Morgan has done it again. Great story with characters that take you along with them. Could not put this book down. I would definitely recommend this book to others. ( )

Robert Morgan is one of my favorite writers and I was excited to win Chasing the North Star from Librarything's early reviewers. As they say "He can sure spin a good yarn." I always learn things when I read one of Mr. Morgan's books and I always enjoy the Appalachia flavor but what he is really good at is pulling you into his characters lives. I always feel I am watching his story unfold on a movie screen. I was holding my breath more than once when Jonah Williams found himself in a predicament.
Thank you Algonquin Books and Librarything for a chance to review this wonderful book. ( )

I did very much appreciate that the female protagonist is described as both fat and attractive, in a completely matter-of-fact way. But that was really the only interesting thing about the book: the characters were shallow and it was very difficult to get invested in their story. ( )