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The Liberation of Ravenna Morton Kindle Edition

by Suzanne Jenkins (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 535 ratings
A phone call that will change their lives forever.

After hearing that a baby her mother, Ravenna, had given up for adoption nearly sixty years before has died, April Morton is selected by the family to make a call to the family to let them know her birth family has been searching for her.

The surviving daughter, twenty something Emse, is determined to meet the family and discover secrets about her grandmother Ravenna, her mother, and ultimately, herself.

An added attraction is boat captain Wiley Hoffman.

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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Ravenna Morton
  2. Print length
    300 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    June 4, 2014
  6. File size
    447 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Poignant and rich, April 13, 2015 This review is from: The Liberation of Ravenna Morton (Paperback) An amazing story that gives voice to a complex family drama, set in a beautiful area of Michigan that is loved by countless visitors. I could hear the swish of the reeds, the ripples around the boat travling down the Kalamazoo River. For those who love Saugatuck Michigan, this is a story to cherish. Joan Donaldson, Award-winning author of the beloved On Viney's Mountain.

Tear Jerker, April 15, 2015
The heartache and decision one makes effects generation upon generation of family that are so subtle. But getting in touch with oneself as Ravenna did and telling the truth helped her family heal, teaching us that we can still have a chance to change our lives. Tomomi Kido

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00KSOPT2M
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 4, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 447 KB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 300 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 2 ‏ : ‎ Ravenna Morton
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 535 ratings

About the author

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Suzanne Jenkins

Suzanne Jenkins

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USA Today Bestselling Author Suzanne Jenkins writes page-turning contemporary romance, mystery, and women's fiction with passionately gripping characters that stay with readers long after they turn the last page. The Detroit Detective Stories, beginning with The Greeks of Beaubien Street are truly American with a touch of fantasy. Award winning Pam of Babylon books consistently rank in the Top 100 Best Sellers in American Drama with over 500,000 downloads.

A retired operating room nurse, Jenkins lives in Southern California.

Visit https://suzannejenkins.com where you may subscribe to an email list and receive free stories and excerpts of soon to be released books and new releases.

Like Suzanne on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/suzannejenkinswriter

and follow her on Twitter; suzannejenkins3 .

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
535 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-written, with detailed descriptions that make the story believable. They appreciate the character development, particularly Ravenna, and value the educational content about Native American life. The book receives positive feedback for its portrayal of ancestry, with one customer noting its realistic depiction of the time period. The pacing receives mixed reactions, with some customers enjoying the fast pace while others found it boring.

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130 customers mention "Story quality"114 positive16 negative

Customers enjoy the story, finding it engaging and heart wrenching, with one customer noting how it touches on many subjects.

"...Suzanne is a wonderful author with the ability to absorb the reader into her stories without you even realizing it...." Read more

"...I am also Ojibwe. I saw this book and was very interested in Ravenna's story...." Read more

"...It was a hard story to read but in many ways so very very good." Read more

"...lifestyle and treatment in this part of the country, which was both enlightening and disturbing...." Read more

37 customers mention "Writing quality"26 positive11 negative

Customers find the book nicely written and easy to read, with one customer noting the beautiful descriptions of place and another highlighting the detailed settings.

"...The descriptions of her surroundings were so detailed that I could smell the sweet grass and vanilla in her home and could see the way it was kept..." Read more

"...The story is intriguing and the setting is beautifully described...." Read more

"...I found this to be confusing throughout my reading. Maybe I don't pay enough attention...." Read more

"I did like this book. It's mostly well-written but I find that the better writers, when they blow it, blow it big...." Read more

30 customers mention "Character development"23 positive7 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding them interesting, with one customer particularly noting Ravenna's intriguing personality.

"...There are a lot of characters, some of whom have similar names. I found this to be confusing throughout my reading...." Read more

"...There were interesting characters to be explored, teased out and displayed here. It just never came together as a novel. It reads like an outline...." Read more

"...The author creates a totally believable and lovely character toward whom I felt a great affinity and affection. I didn't want to say goodbye to her." Read more

"...The depth of certain characters were cheesy, others deep and dark, and others just not enough...." Read more

16 customers mention "Education"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book educational and fascinating, providing a good glimpse into the plight of Native Americans.

"Fascinating but deeply troubling book...." Read more

"...Good ideas, not novel but good, poorly poorly executed." Read more

"...It answers many life-long questions but it leaves even more...." Read more

"...This story is a horrifying, fascinating, and complicated one of an Ojibwe family with unexpected revelations that make me sad to know how my..." Read more

12 customers mention "Ancestry"12 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's exploration of ancestry, with one review noting its realistic portrayal of the time period, while another mentions the interesting relationships between families and how upbringing affects adulthood.

"...The reading was honest and gritty...." Read more

"The book was an easy read. The relationships of the families were interesting...." Read more

"...It was tender and heartbreaking. It spoke of survival and love. It made me angry at the way our government treats our native people...." Read more

"...I usually enjoy books covering several generations, try this one I bet you will be glad you did!" Read more

28 customers mention "Pacing"16 positive12 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it engaging and fast-moving, while others quit reading.

"The book was an easy read. The relationships of the families were interesting...." Read more

"...There was a lot of heartbreak, sadness and then the glimpses of some happiness and healing to come for the future of this family...." Read more

"...kept me wanting to read to find out what would happen next, so it kept me engaged...." Read more

"Fascinating but deeply troubling book...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • LindaMic
    5.0 out of 5 stars What A Beautiful Story.........
    Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I love the way Suzanne Jenkins' characters are so real that I have dreams about them. I feel like I'm part of whatever family is being written about. This was no different. This was a beautiful story of a beautifully different family. I felt like I lived in Ravenna's cabin by the river and lived life according to her simplicity. The descriptions of her surroundings were so detailed that I could smell the sweet grass and vanilla in her home and could see the way it was kept stocked for whatever was necessary for living, with nothing frivolous in the way. I think I could see myself living like that now.

    However this was not a travelogue for Michigan, it is the story of what one amazing family goes through from one generation to the next and how the actions of the former generation will affect the ones to come after it. These people were not faint of heart. They persevered they way they thought was right. Even though some secrets that were so well buried would eventually work their way to the surface. Then you find out what people are really made of.

    There was a lot of heartbreak, sadness and then the glimpses of some happiness and healing to come for the future of this family.

    I took my time reading this book because I didn't want it to end. And now I miss the family, Morton-Hetris.

    Suzanne is a wonderful author with the ability to absorb the reader into her stories without you even realizing it. Emotions run high when you read a Suzanne Jenkins book.
    13 people found this helpful
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  • Tigerakp
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Liberation of Ravenna Morton
    Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I am a Native American in Michigan. I am also Ojibwe. I saw this book and was very interested in Ravenna's story. This very much could have been a true story but as the author so states, it is a work of fiction. All from her imagination.

    I was drawn in from the very beginning. Esme's mother, Maria,has felt her whole life that she was different. Secrets were kept from her. Just weeks before her death, she receives a phone call from a woman claiming to be her sister. Maria knows it is too late for her to learn the truth of her heritage but it isn't too late for her daughter.

    Esme decides meeting these people who claim to be her Aunts & Uncle's will finally give her the knowledge that her mother craved. But will quitting her job as a New York editor be the right choice or the worst thing she could ever do?

    Ravenna's story is one of heartbreak and undying love. Her past haunts her but does not define her. Her children struggled thru life, and have their own demons as adults, but none as bad as what Ravenna endured. The secrets will be revealed. Tears will fall and hearts will ache and ultimately heal.

    You will be drawn in to this story and not want to put the book down. You will yearn to learn more about all the characters. I finished and am wondering what happens next? This can't be how it ends! Author lady needs to write more of this story, please.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing & amazing
    Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Fascinating but deeply troubling book. Ravenna's mother Peggy was forced into the Indian School system and when she was finally released her family had disappeared. This creates a circle of family trauma and dysfunction including Ravenna's mother forcing her to give up her first born child. When she is finally able to find her child her daughter is dying and will not see her. But her granddaughter does come and the pain and revelations that ensue drive the story.

    It was a hard story to read but in many ways so very very good.
    Helpful
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  • Nanjio
    3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat Disappointing
    Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This novel begins with a woman on her deathbed learning unexpectedly that she was adopted. She dies without knowing any of the details, but her adult daughter begins a journey to find her true roots. She travels to the shores of Lake Michigan where she meets her mother's unconventional biological family. She discovers her grandmother is a native American Indian who lives just as her ancestors did without any modern conveniences. The circumstances behind her mother being given up for adoption are secretive and the daughter is determined to learn why. The story is intriguing and the setting is beautifully described. The author incorporates the history and facts of the Ojibwa Indians' lifestyle and treatment in this part of the country, which was both enlightening and disturbing.

    As the family secrets are slowly revealed, the characters each go through a lot of emotional turmoil, but their reactions just don't ring true. While I would normally empathize with them and grab a box of tissues, I was not moved at all by the supposed trauma in this book. At the conclusion, all the facts are finally exposed and everybody's problems are suddenly solved, and they all apparently live happily ever after. Unfortunately, this reader was left unsatisfied.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • jdp
    5.0 out of 5 stars complex subjects made very readable
    Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Adoption kept secret, the reality of Indian children being removed from their families, single parenthood, racism...
    and I could go on. All these and more of life's sad realities are in this book. An Indian woman in Michigan loses her husband to an accident and the spiral begins. There are a lot of characters, some of whom have similar names. I found this to be confusing throughout my reading. Maybe I don't pay enough attention. Some of the characters are well developed and some not so much. Because there are quite a few story lines, I expect the author will be writing more about this family. I will be ready to read them when she does.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
    Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    How many secrets do families have? And, how long can they stay buried? This family has some that the mother would rather never have anyone discover but, that usually never happens. These almost did as she was a very older woman. This was an interesting tale about a hard life that the woman lives. It's not hard to her because it's what she's always known. And, all of her children feel differently about her lifestyle and where she chooses to live. It pulled me in and I couldn't put it down until the end.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars So different
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 12, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This book was nothing like I was expecting, but more interesting & enjoyable because I hadn't any preconceived ideas.
    Really it was about a family damaged by events before they were born, each generation suffering as a result. But it was also so much more, mystery, discovery, a different older way of living, love of all kinds, and of letting go, moving on.
    So ok, there was the odd mistake, but they never matter as much to me as they do to some reviewers, it's the story that really matters, and this was brilliant. I hope Suzanne writes many more, I will be waiting.
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  • Kathy Turner
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on October 16, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Great storyline! Excellent book!
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  • Jess
    5.0 out of 5 stars Multi layered Family Saga
    Reviewed in India on April 12, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I loved the story and how it unfolded petal by petal to reveal the secret that affected an entire family. The story held my attention to the last satisfying end.
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  • Wilma Lettings
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 14, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    A powerful novel about family and discovery of one's roots. We start the story through the eyes of a family outsider and then shift focus on other family members. Ethnic origins, Native American and Greek, differences and similarities are strong themes running through this poignant and moving story.
    Jenkins has written excellent characters. I couldn't help getting involved and invested in the story. A great talent.
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  • Kushal gupta
    5.0 out of 5 stars Eloquent
    Reviewed in India on September 22, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Beautifully written..... Characters and their feelings are so well expressed.... Loved the book...keep up the good work... Best of luck
    Report

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