I have got to say that it was certainly one of the best books I have read this year (as some of you have said). I have felt badly every time I have thought or said that it is beyond the scope of The Help or related to The Help. I think I am just attempting to highlight that The Help was spectacular - but this book - goes way beyond. While the same theme exists in both books (racism) for certain, I feel quite strongly that The Healing represents something a bit different. While written by a white man of the south, it truly hits home on the true issues of being a woman - being a mother. It's about bringing it forward - bringing truth, generational connection, wisdom of womanhood, friendship, motherhood, beyond race...and perhaps I think...it strikes a cord on what all women are looking for and looking to give to the next generation...an understanding, a guide, a gift. The reality is that slavery existed and when told in such a light as The Healing - women of today - can powerfully relate to black women of yesterday who struggled and tried always to provide the wisdom of being a woman. The obstacles and abuse are beyond my understanding but yet I understand perfectly the love and connection. I truly loved the book and can only hope that the spirituality of the book will be scene by others as well. It's not The Help - but thankfully...The Help paved the way for a more clear path for The Healing to explode.

I really enjoyed the book. I found the writing very descriptive and almost poetic in parts. I thought the author did a great job of weaving together so many lives and different stories. I found it fast paced, and enjoyed it from beginning to end. I was a bit sad to have it end because I felt like I was involved in so many characters lives. I kept the characters in my head for days after finishing the story.

I loved this book. I was hooked from the first page and had a hard time putting it down. Living in a "slave " state, it gave me an even greater insight into how truly dreadful slavery was for all, but especially for women. Polly Shine was forced in body to be part of the system but her spirit was always her own and that strength of character made her a force to be reckoned with. I will definitely recommend this book to my book club

I really enjoyed this book & have told a lot of my friends about it. I love historical fiction & I was able to jump right into this book.
I have read a lot of books about the Antebellum South, but this one gave a different perspective, from the slaves point of view. Many are about the plantation family.
I would have liked to learn more about Polly, a backstory would have been great. We were told she was part Choctaw, but not much else. She was such an unusual character, I think the book might have been more interesting.
The Master "Lord", was a despicable person. I felt so sorry for Amanda. She was very depressed, losing numerous children, especially her daughter, who was probably the only one she could relate to. She was taken away from her family, was lonely & miserable in the low country. I'm sure there were many women like her during this time, especially if they were idle day by day.
The slaves were there for each other & had a strong sense of family & community, unlike the plantation family.

I thought this book was amazing. I was so sorry to see it end...Can't wait to see what the author will write next, and I am going to see if the library has a copy of his first book, The View From Delphi.

I enjoyed this book very much. i had no trouble getting into it & I loved both time periods. I thought all of the characters were strong characters & I could picture them in their environment. I even had an impression of the deceased Becky & could see her & Rubina as young friends.
Polly Shine was mysterious to me. I wish we would have had more backstory about her past.
Great read!!

This is one of the best books that I have read about the history of slavery in the United States. The author made the book come alive and kept my interest throughout. Loved the strenght of characters and their inter-ralationships.

One of my favorite books. I loved the vivid characters and the "quaint"sayings throughout the book. I am also a lover of radical, strong and loving women. A Healer brought to a plantation was a surprise to me. OK it is the name of the book. $5,000 was a lot of money then. Did this really happen? The strange circumstance that Granada was put in at birth. There were so many threads to tie and I loved the way that they ended up. I think that there was a confusion that plagued almost any child that was brought into the "House". Where did they belong?

I liked this book a lot, though it took me a while to get through it. Unfortunately a topic that I was interested in wasn't covered & that was Amanda's mental health illness. I wonder what Polly would have done for her. Did anyoune else care about Amanda's state of mind? I think it started when she moved away from her family, into the deep South.

Dear Reader, as the author, I tend to agree with you. In the final edit, Amanda got short shrift. I cut out several chapters of her background--her childhood, courtship, marriage, the many still births and her gradual decent into a paralyzing depression. But as the book focused its narrative, as often happens to me, I had to decide whose book this was going to be--the Satterfiields or Polly and Granada's. Sadly, Amanda's story remains hidden from the world, in my "Cut out" files.

Jon Odell

One of the ways I determine if a book is a real classic for me is whether I think about the characters after I have finished the book. I read so many books that I usually can't remember a character or plot line a few weeks after I read it. The Healing passes my personal test with flying colors. I have continued to think about the characters and the plot in this book. I have described it and recommended it to any and all who will listen. I have read over 100 books this year and The Healing is in my Top 3.

For me The Healing felt like a 'healing'. Goes on my 'to keep and reread' shelf.