Customer Reviews

Sap Rising

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

 

 

I first heard about this book on The Oprah Winfrey Show about a year ago, and although I don't usually share the same fervor on books that Oprah does, I did enjoy this collection of 12 short stories on the lives on Grandville, MD residents. I found the stories to be heartfelt and I was left with thought after reading each story. I especially enjoyed the stories about Boag and also Cinny. The writing was very descriptive in a lyrical sort of way and I was able to visualize the surroundings as if I were there. What majic words can bring to the imagination. Great debut of short stories.

As a Literature and Composition teacher, I am always on the lookout for a new worthwhile read, especially one I can recommend to my district's recommended reading list. I found a proof edition of this at our local used book store and read the first story sitting on the floor of the shop. I found Lincoln's spare, poetic voice mesmerizing and the stories moving and quietly powerful. This collection reminded me very much of Joyce's The Dubliners. An amazing debut for an author I hope we see more. I look forward to seeing this one discussed in classes to come.Dubliners (Penguin Popular Classics)

Date Reviewed: April 1, 2003

A new voice in literature is screaming to be heard, as I learned from reading SAP RISING by Christine Lincoln. A collection of short stories reminiscent of Maxine Clair's Rattlebone, SAP RISING incites a hunger in the reader that is satisfied only by turning page after page.

The stories center around characters living in the South during a post World War II America, but their voices are even more resonant than the setting. In these pieces, whose names flow poetically with their storylines, events take place that make you suck in your breath in wonderment, and, at times, heartbreak.

Rather than tell you about each story, its plot, and the key players, I will tell you that if you enjoy fierce writing and in-your-face characters, this is a book you will want to read.

Reviewed by CandaceK
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Christine Lincolns debut novel, Sap Rising, is rooted in the mystical, rural Grandville where the tales of its townspeople are captured in 12 intertwining short stories. The sagas are told from varying viewpoints: fathers, grandmothers, young boys, nosey neighbors, teenaged girls, etc. and are rooted in themes of self-discovery, escapism, and hope.

All of the stories are symbolic and appealing, but a few that really struck this reviewer were the title story, Sap Rising and A Very Close Conspiracy. In Sap Rising, we meet a very restless young woman, Ebbie Pinder, who runs away from the mediocrity of life as a homemaker in Grandville to the bright lights of the big city. She returns home alone and with her child, Pontella, in Like Dove Wings and Pontellas plight is recounted in A Hook Will Sometimes Keep You. In A Very Close Conspiracy, we meet the town drunk, Hiron Fuller, who retraces his life, loves, and views as a black man as he succumbs to a fatal injury.

The author demonstrates her depth and range of character development by taking the reader deep inside the psyches of Hiron, a man worn down by racism and poverty, the self-doubting Pontella who was abandoned by her mother, Ebbie, and the painful episodes of Boags and Cinnys coming-of-age transformation. She paints a picture of the human condition and adds insight and emotion into each story. Ms. Lincoln is a great storyteller with a style akin to J. California Coopers yet distinctively her own. She has made her mark with a successful debut  I am looking forward to her next release.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub, The Nubian Circle Book Club

I saw the author for this book on a local t.v. program and decided to give it try and I am very glad that I did. Sap Rising is a series of short stories surrounding the people in Grandville, Maryland. The stories are very interesting, poetic and vivid. Lincoln's style sort of reminds you of J. California Cooper. Each character holds a different significance and importance to the next story. The characters share they hopes and fears on racism, class, status, family positions, friendship, dreams and the ever changing world. I think we will see a lot more of Ms. Lincoln. Congratulations!!

Peace and Blessings!!

I kind of got confused with Ms. Lincoln's fusing of stories. I did enjoy the lanuguage and poetry behind her writing. She definately has a gift when it comes to description, and styling.
Where I was lost, however, was the link between the stories. some seemed to matter to others, some did not. What was the importance of the story involving Boag and his parents, or Pontella if we did not get to hear more about her attack. I need to sit down and talk to the author.