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River Sing Me Home: A powerful, uplifting novel of a remarkable journey to find family, inspired by true events

Eleanor Shearer

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Inspired by true historical events in the Caribbean, River Sing Me Home will break your heart and then lift you up. A soaring story of courage and sacrifice, this novel reminds us of the remarkable strength of hope. A Good Morning America Book Club Pick. Soon to be adapted as a feature film by AL Films and BBC Film.

'Every once in a while, a book comes along that is so assured and so powerful you can't believe it's a debut.... Eleanor Shearer is a remarkable writer and she brings this story of a mother's courage to the page with compassion and tenderness' Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author

'I was riveted by Rachel's story. Like the River of its title, this novel sings. A beautiful debut' Cherie Jones, author of How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, shortlisted for The Women's Prize for Fiction

'A searing debut full of love and loss... Heartbreaking, hopeful, and unforgettable... this is the kind of book that will stay with readers for years to come' Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author

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Rachel is searching for her children. For Mary Grace, Micah, Thomas Augustus, Cherry Jane and Mercy. These are the five who were sold to other plantations; the faces she cannot forget. It is 1834, and the law says her people are now free. But for Rachel freedom means finding her children.

With fear snapping at her heels, Rachel keeps moving. From sunrise to sunset, through the cane fields of Barbados to the forests of British Guiana, then on to Trinidad, up the dangerous river and to the open sea. Only once she knows their stories can she rest. Only then can she finally find home...

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'A top contender for my book of the year. I beg you to read it' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Real reader review

'Powerful . . . certainly my best read of the year' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Real reader review

'An astounding debut' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Real reader review

'One of the most incredibly moving books I have ever read that will stay with me for a long time' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Real reader review

'Incredibly moving' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Real reader review

'I adored this novel' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Real reader review

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Praise for River Sing Me Home: A powerful, uplifting novel of a remarkable journey to find family, inspired by true events

  • Every once in a while, a book comes along that is so assured and so powerful you can't believe it's a debut novel. RIVER SING ME HOME is just such a book . . . Eleanor Shearer is a remarkable writer and she brings this story of a mother's courage to the page with compassion, tenderness and pitch-perfect proseAn extraordinary odyssey of pain, love, and homecoming . . . RIVER SING ME HOME is a haunting and powerful debutA strong and beautiful novel that stares into the face of brutality and the heart of loveEpic and lyrical, a story about love and the power it brings usA searing debut full of love, loss, and the shadows of the past . . . Heartbreaking, hopeful, and unforgettable. Both a powerful ode to the endless depths of a mother's love and an important meditation on what freedom really means, this is the kind of book that will stay with readers for years to comeAn extraordinary and gripping debut. Rachel's love for her children resonates through each page as she fights for her freedom and theirs. A must-read!A powerful story, beautifully told. Shearer skilfully depicts the cruelty of the British slave trade, contrasted with one mother's indomitable love for her children, and her burning will to live. An empathic, elegantly rendered and deeply humane novelA powerful novel that explores how freedom and family are truly defined

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Eleanor Shearer

Eleanor Shearer

Eleanor Shearer is a mixed-race writer and the granddaughter of Windrush generation immigrants. She splits her time between London and Ramsgate. Her debut novel River Sing Me Home sold in 20 territories. It was named as one of Time magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of 2023, was a finalist for the 2024 Dayton Literary Peace Prize Fiction Award, shortlisted for the Grand Prix des Lectrices ELLE 2025 in France and also shortlisted for the Prix Fragonard 2025 in France. It was a Good Morning America Book Club pick, and has been optioned for film by AL Films and BBC Films.

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