Eden, Ohio

by Shawne Johnson

The author of Getting Our Breath Back offers a lyrical portrait of the fictional town of Eden, Ohio, a place established by twelve runaway slave families under the guidance of matriarch Eliza, and the intertwining lives of its inhabitants, individuals who have forgotten the sacrifices made by their ancestors.

215 pages, Hardcover

First published January 26, 2004

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the premise of the book--a town founded by runaway slaves and the idea of a dak secret but it just wasn't delivered to my liking. It has all the earmarks of trying to be "great literature" by simply making inuendos and suggestions that I guess the reader was supposed to figure out on his or her own. It was just irritating to me. The ending was extremely disappointing and left me wondering what was the point. There was so much more that could have been done with the information he started with but it was all left hanging. A big disappointment over all.

[Nakia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author's writing technique reminds me of my own. Funny how I still wasn't too fond of this book. Her style seems like it would be better suited for the short story format instead of an entire novel. The beginning started off waaaaay too slow, but the middle captured my attention, only to have the ending let me down...huge disappointment. I still think that the book was an ok read, but I wouldn't recommend it.

[Jennsie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book plot focuses on a town called Eden, which was founded by escaped slaves and had a massacre. There are several personal relationship problems with the people that come to live in the town.
I found it difficult to get into the story and the characters as the narration kept shifting, and the writing style was clunky.

[Dianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish. Too hard to follow.