"Passing by Samaria" was Sharon Ewell Foster's debut novel. Winner of the Christy Award (one of Library Journals' top ten Christian fiction works of 2000), Ewell tells the story of Alena Waterbridge. Alena, sent to her aunt's home in Chicago in 1919 after a childhood friend is lynched in her home town in Mississippi, fights racism and finds romance. This fictionalized account of the Great Migration blends a vivid account of this historical period with racism, reconciliation, and romance. It takes readers on a psychological journey through hurt to healing hope.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction , Soul Physicians, and Spiritual Friends.

I picked up the novel to give "Christian fiction" another shot. As usual, I was disappointed with the craft itself. The story depended on dialog too much to give a lot of information, quickly. Instead of allowing the plot and the characters' actions/descriptions etc. to "show" us...there was a ton of dialog to "tell" us. I mean pages connected to pages of just dialog.

I managed to finish to see what happened, but the
journey itself was unrewarding.

Foster's book addresses important issues and it is a good story. My low rating is due to poor craft, which only distracts me from the story. Ernest Gaines also uses simple language and is sensitive to characterization, but he manages to help me see and feel and think without "telling" me everything.

This is book is, however, a pretty good first novel.

This book was so deep, we took 3 hours to discuss it in great detail. With prayer as its' core theme, the author does a wonderful job developing her characters and weaving their plots. At first, some of us were a little lost not really following where Ms. Foster was taking us, but wow, just when it slowed down, we hit the climax. It was a page turner all the way to the end, and it kept us asking what will happen next? This book is an excellent choice for a book club reading. So many questions were generated and discussed. How powerful prayer can be! Not to mention, what about that potato salad theory?

I received this book as a gift for my 30th birthday. I had it for about a year or so before I finally read it! I had no idea what I was missing. The characters really come alive in this story. The author does a beautiful job of weaving in scriptures and songs that inspire. And her message is strong and clear. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I have read all of this author's other books and I am anxiously awaiting her next release!

I read this book on the recommendation of several others who had read and were praising it. As strong as their praises were I wasn't expecting to be impacted by it the way I was. The book is simply beautiful in its delivery of this inspiring story. I am committed to reading all of Ms. Foster's books as a result of my pleasure with this one.