Mississippi, 1847. La niña Granada nació para ser una esclava más en la plantación Satterfield y deslomarse trabajando en los campos de algodón, pero el destino la sacó de las míseras barracas y la llevó a la casa grande para convertirse en la muñeca que un ama desquiciada viste con la ropa de su hija muerta. Pero esa vida cómoda, alejada de los orígenes, termina de repente con la llegada de la curandera Polly Shine, quien escoge a la pequeña como ayudante. Negra y vieja, sabia y deslenguada, el amo accede a las exigencias de Polly porque sabe que es la única capaz de curar los esclavos enfermos y de asistir a los partos. Pero lo que el señor Satterfield desconoce es que la curandera pretende hacer algo más que sanar esos cuerpos maltratados: quiere devolver el orgullo y la dignidad a esos corazones maltrechos? Empezando por el de Granada, la niña negra que ha olvidado de qué color tiene la piel.

Competently written. Not particularly special. Better than The Help and The Kitchen House. ( )

Another book to add to my favorites!!! Not only did I enjoy the story, I loved the way it was written. It was beautifully insightful and deep; heartwarming and yet at times upsetting. I think this story will stay with me for a long time.

I hadn't paid attention to the authors name going into it so was extremely surprised to find it was written by a man and doubly surprised to see it was a white man. He did, at least, grow up in the south :) ( )

Competently written. Not particularly special. Better than The Help and The Kitchen House. ( )

This novel grew on me - I didn't like it and almost quit reading for the first 70 pages - the writing seemed flat and the story line was dull - then Polly the healer arrived at the plantation and everything slowly began to change for me - the characters became richer and, by the end, I was deeply involved in the story - then came the beautifully written acknowledgements and note to the reader and I became a true Jonathan Odell fan - even halfway through the book i would never have imagined giving it 4 1/2 stars -

Mr. Odell, a white agnostic male, has written the story of a deeply spiritual black female healer who was enslaved - it works both on a concrete level and as a spiritually symbolic tale about the truth of who we who live on this planet truly are. ( )