Customer Reviews

Passing by Samaria

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was a nicely written book that many Christians and non practing will find inspirational. The power of God is exorted throughout the book. Forgiveness, faith, redemption is weaved throughout. I admit some parts were very hard to read and take in because of the issues of lynching, segregations, and racism. But this was 1919 and these things did in fact exist.

Alena's parents kept her from the ugliness of the Jim Crow south. She was happy living her everyday life until that day she found out just how cruel the world could be. Shipped off to Chicago to her aunt against her will caused her to rebel. She felt as if she was being treated like she was the culprit. She even wants to give up writing, something that she loves. Along her way to finding herself she meets a pullman porter that tries to sweep her off her feet, a young white sister and brother fighting for civil rights, and the man, a journalist, that she eventually fall in love with. But she does have to go back to Mississippi and make peace with her parents and the horror there.

Miss Foster lets us look into the hearts and minds of the evildoers. As I said it is kind of hard to take. I would recommend this book to young women of all colors as a book to read for inspirational romance as well as religious conviction.

I loved Passing by Samaria.

I found the book to becomparable to the the classic, "To Kill A Mockingbird." Thecharacters and the action are so intense I found my heart pounding half the time, and my eyes watering the other half of the time.

Foster's use of imagery and dialogue represent a time in African American History most have forgotten about, and others are embarrassed to remember. I applaud Foster's ability to encourage forgiveness in her readers, and in looking forward to a day when we can all be brothers' and sisters' under one GOD.

I look forward to future novels written by Ms. Foster. Because she has definitely earned a life-long fan and admirer in me.

This book addressed a facet of the history of our great nation that is so heinous that I had trouble believing anyone could write about it and not have hate, resentment, and other vengeful thoughts bleed thru. It was a time when "man's inhumanity to man" was tolerated and even condoned in our country and our lives. It was a time of racial hatred and wearing white sheets over heads for disguise. It was a time of unholy acts by ungodly people. I wept for the pain portrayed. There was joy here too and I thank God for His presence in this writing. Sharon Ewell Foster, in her first book, covered this period of history in full honesty and with such grace and aplomb I was astonished. She used the storyline to show how bad things happen to good people and how if no one protests it could happen to any one of us too. She showed how love and forgiveness and restoration could take place within the all encompassing embrace of a Holy God who wants no person to fall short of His glory and redemption. She showed how in the basest of human tragedies God can bring His love to bear on lives and situations and people can come out whole, renewed and changed in mind and spirit. I loved it and have recommended it to everyone I know. I am also requesting a sequel as the characters were so compelling to me that I want to know where they went and what they did after the conclusion of this story. Alena and James, Jonathan and Dinah, Aunt Patrice and Deac and even Pearl, not to mention Alena's family and the other people back home in Mississippi. Keep writing Sharon, as fast as you can. :-) Jenifer

This is a good story, but I never could get a feeling of period. It could have taken place during 1919 or 1940 or the present. For some reason, I just didn't feel I was there with the characters.

The writing is good, and it's a nice story, but a little too heavy on agenda, dialect, and preaching. She's actually confirmed everything I believe--but I don't want my convictions confirmed in a novel. Especially since this is a road that's been traveled many times before, in books, movies, etc.

Still, she's a good writer and is obviously passionate about what she believes. If this is her first book, and I think it is, she has real potential for future novels, and I'd probably try another, because I like the style of her writing.

Although I thought this novel was good, I felt the author was somewhat simplistic and pedantic in her description of the main character. Although the review pegged this as the story of a woman coming of age and her issues surrounding racism, hope, despair etc., I found the novel to be more about the racism, hope, despair and forgiveness of a group of people. It wasn't until towards the end of the book that I really began to enjoy the story, not for the character but for the theme of people forgiving in the face of atrocious behavior perpetrated upon them. To a certain extent, this novel reminded me of some of the novels written by J. California Cooper particularly with its emphasis on religion and forgiveness. At times, the novel did not seem to flow from one area to another and there were also times when situations were not fully developed and intergrated in the story, which made it difficult to see where and how things fit into the "big picture". All in all, OK.

From the first page of Passign By Samaria I knew this book was a keeper, a moving, intense story that will stay with me a long time.

I wished I had the ability to really express how much I loved this book. It was beautifully written. It was so inspiring. It taught me or should I say, it reminded me of the true meaning of forgiveness. It was full of hope and faith and family. It showed the true strength of a people and what it means to turn the other cheek. Reading this book inspired me more than a year of Sunday's in church. It made me think. It made me proud. It made me want not only want to stop by Samaria, it made me want to stay awhile. Thanks, Sharon Ewell Rhodes for this gift of love and faith. It is indeed a story with "medicine for the heart and balm for the soul".

Ms Foster's novel showed a great sense of time and place, but more importantly, though it touched on some very tough issues, a sense of hope and humanity as always underlying the conflict, both racial and romantic.

I normally don't read romance novels, but to my surprise, I found it to be a lot more than a story one can easily pigeonhole or file under a one-size-fits-all rubric.

This book isn't very long, yet it lays out and masterfully interweaves many different dramatic threads, which pull together to make the work ring true and resonate in one's mind and heart long after finishing the novel.

Still, I can't say I'd take a chance on other books of this genre--I think I got lucky. I'll definitely re-read this one a few years from now. By then, hopefully, Ms Foster will have another book in the stores.

The first sentences and chapters enable the reader to ease into the world of Elena, as it was both before and after the lynching of her good friend, J.C. Love the cover! It captures Elena and the beginning of her journey, which proves to be a painful one of anger and bitterness as fear tests her family and challenges Elena's childhood admiration and love. Enlightened by entering into the black experience through these honest character portrayals, also appreciated the multiple viewpoints, getting into inner motivations and witnessing the grace God worked in, through, and in spite of them.

Although I felt that the book was good once you got through it, I felt that too many pages was dedicated to Alena's anger and her blatant disregard for others. I understand when one looses a friend to senseless violence. Then she really couldn't voice it down there. I was not sorry when that sheriff died because he allowed hate to consume him. Plain and simple.I did like the aunt's explanation on male-female relationships. a good inspirational read