Customer Reviews

Cold Rock River

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Cold Rock River" ripped me apart. From the first sentence, no, from the first word to the very last.
Ms. Miles - It was so fun to spend that time with your characters. I thought your first book, "Roseflower Creek" was a touch of class, but this one? Well, a wheelbarrow full of class comes to mind. You stopped me in my tracks.

I was blown away by J.L. Miles' first book, Roseflower Creek, so I had to buy Cold Rock River in hard cover.

I am so glad I did. Reading this book renewed my faith that some writers are truly gifted.

I could not put this book down. Miles' characterization and development made me feel like I was living the lives of her multi-faceted characters. The way she deals with Southern history, racism, slavery, marriage, relationships, and other crucial elements, is riveting and brilliant.

You will not be disappointed if you read this book. I can't wait for her next.

I pre-ordered this book from Amazon.com and finished it last nite. I loved it! It's a great book. I also have Roseflower Creek by this author, which I thought was great, too, but this one's even better. It usually takes me ages to go through a book. Not this one. I just ordered two copies to give to friends for Christmas. I thoroughly recommend Cold Rock River and Roseflower Creek.

As a born and bred Southern belle, I love Southern fiction, but as a former teacher and life-long reader, I'm picky about what I give five star ratings to. I picked up a copy of Cold Rock River, and to my husband's exasperation was still reading at 3 AM, because I couldn't put it down. The characters tug at your heartstrings, the action keeps you turning pages as fast as you can read, and you almost want to cry when you realize the book is almost over. In the spirit of Lee Smith's Fair and Tender Ladies and Robert Morgan's Gap Creek, this one is destined to become a favorite of all Southern fiction addicts. I just picked up a copy of her Roseflower Creek and can't wait to get started on it. I even wrote to the author and begged for more books!

First off, DON'T READ THE SYNOPSIS on the book jacket, as it totally gives away the entire book! What's the point of reading the thing then? Whoever is in charge of that needs to learn the fine art of subtlety while enticing the reader.

Thanks to someone here, I was forewarned, so I resisted the temptation and just began to read. However, this book gets 3.5 stars out of 5 because of Miles' overuse of FORESHADOWING. There were so many "Signposts" along the way that all of the major climatic moments in the book were only lukewarm, "yeah-so-what" moments for me, at best, as it I was led down the road of predictability instead of anticipation. How frustrating!

It's a real shame, because this is a good story with wonderful pearls of wisdom and tangible, memorable characters. That's where the book succeeds.

But emotionally I couldn't shed a tear, as the dramatic tension had become so diluted by all of that hand-led wording (ie. foreshadowing). The art of suspense, the finess of mystery, were lost on me -- instead, it was like being shown the hills and valleys from a distance, knowing what to expect as they inched forward, with no surprises when they're suddenly underfoot. Such potential dramatic arcs were lacking for me.

After finishing reading what felt like a deflated, lukewarm ending, I decided to read that overly-revealing fly leaf. I am really glad that I waited, or I would have felt even more disappointed in the book.

JLM, please give stop hitting us over the head with word-laden mallets of forewarning. It ruins your otherwise beautifully told stories.

I absolutely loved it! I laughed and I cried. It was full of joy and sorrow, love and loss, strength and frailty. The pefect chick-book! Will definitely read more books from J.L. Miles.

This story is about a young bride in the 1960s who reads the diary of another young bride who was a former slave. Their stories come together beautifully in the end. I loved this book.

I read her first one in two days and this one kept me up half the night because i just could not put it down. VERY WELL DONE!! Great books are hard to find and she has outdone herself with this one! A must read!

This is a real story, with well defined characters and a riveting plot!
Adie and all of the characters in Ms. Miles books are real and engaging, even the ones you want to hate! This is a wonderful compostion of historial fiction and contempoary fiction coming together seamlessly.
It is believeable and heartwarming. I loved this book and it is true...I couldn't put it down! Bravo Ms. Miles....I can't wait for more stories from you!

I read the reviews before I got this book and was skeptical of a book that "you couldn't put down." But - they were right! This book is so well written - it just pulls you into the story and won't let you go. And the worst part was that it ended - as all books do - but I really, really missed it. I found myself thinking about the characters as though they were real people that I knew - I wanted to know more about them - I didn't want to lose them. Wonderful, wonderful book - I'm recommending it to everyone I know.