6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Promising Historical Fiction, 2004-08-14
THIS SIDE OF ETERNITY is a fictionalized account of the civil rights era and beyond, and centers on the lives of two African-American women--an aunt and her niece. The novel covers the period from the 1960's to the present, and the setting is located basically in Memphis, Tennessee.
Although Rosalyn McMillan generally tells a good story (I liked her other four novels as well), her inadequate knowledge and sometimes awkward use of grammar and sentence structure can be annoying. Ironically, this weakness has not improved over time because her earlier novels were not quite as flawed. If readers can overlook this minor distraction, however, they will enjoy THIS SIDE OF ETERNITY for its fine characterization, interesting plot, and unique perspective on a turbulent period in America's history.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
VERY INTERESTING, 2003-11-19
This side of Eternity was my favorite book by Rosalyn Mcmillan since Knowing. Other than the historical part of the book, which I felt was unecessary, I thought it was a very interesting story with a lot of meaning. Anne who was my favorite character in the book was an example of the choices that we make sometime. I think her decision to mary that brute was due to a lack of proper guidance,lack of unity in her family, and vulnerability which got her mistaking lust for love. Anne's involvement with Scott Hamilton, was like putting a curse on herself and her family. Prior to meeting Scott, I think Anne had a very promissing future. I think she would've been far more successeful at an earlier age without Scott.
This story was very touching dealing with real life issues and very spiritual. I'm sure a lot of us have heard stories similar to Annes or perhaps even lived it.
It's been a while Rosalyn. I hope you're working on your next book.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Pages Readers Group Reviews "This Side Of Eternity", 2003-11-07
October 2003...Pages Readers group chose as their selection, This Side of Eternity, by Rosalyn McMillan. Readers are presented retrospective views of life in Memphis, Tennessee during the civil rights movement intertwined with one family's history of survival. While some members felt the story line was frequently overshadowed by the news accounts of that era, the mystic behind each character's actions kept you turning the pages.
The overall epic is that of race, city, character and a family surviving the hardship of being poor and Negro during an age of tumultuous change. The Russell family's struggle begins early on with Anne, the youngest of her siblings, vowing to get through this, realizing they have to do more than survive the injustice - each one has to change it.
As the reader, you share in their pain the loss of loved ones because of racial injustices, ignorance and poverty. You cheer the successes, no matter how small as each person is irrevocably changed because they "finally" looked inward at themselves and changed. This all happens against the backdrop of a great city also surviving what it needed to face ... change, progress.
In conclusion, Martin Luther King once said, "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by God, Creator, with certain inalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. This is a dream. It's a great dream." And, for Anne and the Russell family ... their great dreams do come true.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
OK, 2003-06-03
If you're looking for an easy read, pass this one by. Though this book had some page-turning moments...those few moments were drowned out by her overuse of her "moments in history." This book was a toss-up between a novel and history book. Towards the end, I found myself skipping over the majority of the pages to get to the actual story which was somewhat like a soap opera. Not one of the books that will make my all-time favorites list but I would recommend to someone to read.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Rosalyn does it once again!!!, 2003-03-29
This was a very good read. I had purchased this book well over a year ago and just recently decided to read it. It becomes apparent that Rosalyn is challenging her sibling (Terry).