Dana, a modern black woman, is snatched abruptly from her home to the antebellum South. Dana has been summoned across the years to save Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, from drowning. Dana is summoned back again and again to protect Rufus and ensure that he will live to father the daughter who will become Dana's ancestor.

Loved this book! The ending, which was also the beginning was a heartstopper. It is now going to be enjoyed by PaperbackPal.

Received this book in the mail today! Thank you so much for sending it, it sounds very interesting :) I have a few books to read for my research first but then will be able to enjoy it :) I love the idea of this story :)

I am also PaperbackPal :)

I enjoyed this book. I studied this period of history many years ago so I didn't learn anything I didn't already know but the story itself having offered the possibility of this happening to someone now and the comparison between our time and that horrid period in history made one think what if it was me! I enjoyed the authors black american female perspective and would read more of her work. Thanks to lovemylife for sharing this book as a RABCK! :)

Setting as available for book relay, trade or RABCK

this is going as a RABCK to littleacorn on Oct 20th/05. Hope you enjoy!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I have been wanting to read this for the past 7 years but hadn't been able to get ahold of a copy! Octavia E. Butler is my absolutely favorite author and I've read the rest of her published work, so I'm super excited to finally be able to read this. I'll probably have it read in the next week or so....it jumped to the top of my Mt. TBR!

Wow.

I just now got done reading it, and all I can say at this point is wow.

In a while, I will have a lot more to say about this book, but right now all I can say is wow.

I will just have to be sure to write the rest of what I have to say before tomorrow night, because I'll be passing it to my friend Mama-Anna in the start of a bookray. Right now, all I can say is wow.

I think I'm going to go take a shower now and see if I can wash some of this book off of me.

Wow.
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Okay, first off...my intentions for what to do with this book. I had such a hard time finding a copy as I mentioned in a earlier journal entry, so I want to make sure everyone in the world that wants to has the opportunity to read it. Therefore, I have started a bookray for this book. I passed it on to the first person in the ray, Mama-Anna when we went for coffee this evening. Here is the list of those to follow in their tentative order:

humberts-doll
chrisnchris
namedujour
rooshill
ladyofunicorns
lilygirl
JeepACV
TracyShannon
-BookHaven-
Purple-lilly
Bechan
Brookeworm
Karenlea

No particularly special rules for this ray, just the basics: journal it when you get it and when you are done reading it, try not to keep it longer than a month (but the sooner you can get it out to the next person the better of course), and PM the next person on the list even if you have their address to make sure they are ready for it.
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Okay, now my impressions of this book (now that I've calmed down a bit!):

In many ways, this book was very different than Octavia E. Butler's other novels. It still follows the same basic theme of survival though. Once again also, we are presented with a very strong female character faced with an absolutely extreme situation. I think it is her ability to create such compelling characters that sets Octavia E. Butler apart as my absolute favorite author. I usually get so emotionally involved with the main character in a book that on some level, I become that character. Given the subject matter of this story, I really tried to keep a certain level of distance but found myself still getting drawn into the character of Dana enough that my back and arm (and other parts to a lesser degree) still hurt a day after I finished reading it. It took this long to get me to write this journal entry because I had to readjust back to this century and back to my own body.

Another brilliant thing about this book is that even though it was written in the 1970s, it feels very modern and could just as easily take place today. I think this book is what The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger wants to be when it grows up (I loved that book too, by the way).

Thanks littleacorn! I cannot wait to start this book and pass it on!

I still have it...started reading last night!

Sent to Springfield, MO

Arrived today. Will most likely start reading tonight since I'm between books.

For me, this was definitely a book that I didn't want to put down once I started reading it. Butler handled the complex relationships and interactions of the characters beautifully, making both the era and Dana's situation come to life. I was a little sorry when the book ended. The only thing that bothered me (and very little) was the prologue, which gave away parts of the ending. Granted, it didn't give away much, but since I'm one of those people who hates to know anything about how a book will end, that was a slight disappointment and quelled some of the suspense in the middle of the book.

Have PM'd chrisnchris, and will send the book on once I receive an address.

Chrisnchris did not remember signing up for the bookray and wasn't interested, so the book is now on its way to namedujour. Thanks to littleacorn for starting this ray.

Just received. I have one book ahead of it, but will get to it as quickly as I can. Thanks much!

This is one of those books you can't put down, once you pick it up. I like time travel stories anyway, but this one has to be one of the best. I don't understand why I never heard of the book before - it's been around for 30 years!

One thing: I don't always do this, but when a book is particularly good, I'll look the author up on the Internet for more information. I did this with Octavia Butler and learned very sadly that she just died only a month ago from a fall. She left us plenty of other books, but unfortunately there won't be any more...

Thank you for sharing this! It will be winging its way to Rooshill tomorrow.

Yay! It's here!
It's great timing, too - I just finished another OEB book, Parable of the Talents (sequel to Parable of the Sower).
I know they're on different subjects on the surface, but I've found her works all have a common thread in exploring predjudice, self-understanding, and overcoming adversity. Now I'm in the mood, and glad to see this one!

DONT READ THE INTRODUCTION until after you've read the story. It's a great essay, but has spoilers that detract from getting swept up in the tale.
Despite a somewhat slow start (I blame it on the intro) this story absolutely gripped me. If I wasn't forced to put it down to take care of my son, I would have finished it in an afternoon. Excepting the element of time travel, this is not Sci-Fi. It's very dramatic (and I mean emotionally gripping - not melodramatic) historical fiction in the author's classic style of exploring human nature: the way things we'd never, ever do hypothetically can "just happen" when it comes down to it; the fact that we can never *really* know someone - things happen, they react, they surprise or even scare, disgust or hurt us... the strange way that we have of forgiving some people even when they do hurt us, disgust us, betray our trust. Why do we do this? Octavia Butler knows better than to try to solidly answer that - but she has a gift for bringing it up and making us think about it.
Awesome book. I need to find a copy of my own.

Umm...I'm just journaling because I noticed that this was still showing on my RSV shelf - and I mailed it ages ago!! At least I'm pretty darned sure I did! I hope that it's just sitting forgotten on someone's TBR stack and will be safely uncovered one day. This was such a wonderful book that I'd hate to think it got lost in the mail. :(
I'm resetting its status to Traveling because it's out there somewhere...

I received this a long time ago. I don't know why it didn't get journaled. I id enjoy reading it. Read the introduction afterwards lol. I am sorry it has taken me so long to journal. I will be contacting the next member (or so) to see if they are still interested.