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Cold Rock River

by Jackie Lee Miles (Goodreads Author)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 504 ratings · 108 reviews

In 1963 rural Georgia, with the Vietnam War cranking up, pregnant seventeen-year-old Adie Jenkins discovers the diary of pregnant seventeen-year-old Tempe Jordan, a slave girl, beugn as the Civil War wound down. As "Cold Rock River" comes to its surprising, shocking, endings, questions of family, race, love, loss, and longing are loosed from the mysterious secrets that hav...more

Hardcover, 314 pages

Published September 1st 2006 by Cumberland House Publishing

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Aug 21, 2012 Ms. B rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Synopsis:
In 1963 rural Georgia, with the Vietnam War cranking up, pregnant seventeen-year-old Adie Jenkins discovers the diary of pregnant seventeen-year-old Tempe Jordan, a slave girl, begun as the Civil War wound down. Adie is haunted by the memory of her dead sister; Tempe is overcome with grief over the sale of her three children sired by her master. Adie—married to Buck, her baby’s skirt-chasing father—is unprepared for marriage and motherhood. She spends her days with new baby Grace. Buck...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Apr 11, 2009 Melina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Ok, where to begin... I am giving this book three stars because I think it is a worthwhile read.

Having said that, I found this book to ramble on unnecessarily about side events that really did not push the story forward nor flesh out the characters any further.

Some of the slang and colloquial speech, I do not feel was actually authentic, based on my own experiences at least, and was almost a little condescending on the part of the author.

I am aware that such situations exist, however the recurri...more

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Feb 25, 2010 CaShawn rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-m-not-here-for-this

This book had the potential to be a great read, as it [attempted:] to incorporate my favorite fictional themes: family, women, girls, history, black people. Unfortunately, it fell flat.

Besides the fact that characters weren't fleshed out well and most of the storyline was overwrought and predictable, the "Negro dialect" of Tempe & Willa Mae was so unauthentic that it came off as a cheesy impersonation of "us" by yet another white person on the periphery of our culture. Honestly, that's EXACT...more

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May 04, 2013 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Where do I start? I'm not so sure. The plot was ok, but was not spectacular. The first 100 pages or so I wanted to bang my head against the wall wondering if the story was ever going to take off and why the hell the story was so disjointed. The next 100 or so pages I wondered when the hell Adie was going to grow the hell up and stop acting like some puppy whose owner kicks it daily. Talk about being slow. Bucks brother seemed to have more common sense than this girl. Finally the last 100 pages o...more

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May 19, 2010 Paula rated it 2 of 5 stars

There wasn't as much "mystery" to the book as I would have thought after reading the synopsis. It was still an engrossing story but no real suspense. I was a bit annoyed at the author's writing style, it seemed too simple to me - then I remembered that Adie is supposed to be an uneducated young girl in the south in the 60's, and since it's being told from her POV what else should I expect?

BUT then I realized it was the cliches that bugged me - the boozing philandering husband, the naive young m...more

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Jul 26, 2010 Cinnamon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review

COLD ROCK RIVER by Jackie Lee Miles is full of emotional and angst - perfect for those times when you want a deeper story. Having never read one of Ms. Miles works before, I can't compare it to her other stories, but I would be willing to read more of her work after this book.

Adie is the kind of character that you can't help but feel for. She's young, pregnant, and enters into a marriage that should make life easier for her. Sadly, marrying simply for the sake of her pregnancy leads to a little...more COLD ROCK RIVER by Jackie Lee Miles is full of emotional and angst - perfect for those times when you want a deeper story. Having never read one of Ms. Miles works before, I can't compare it to her other stories, but I would be willing to read more of her work after this book.

Adie is the kind of character that you can't help but feel for. She's young, pregnant, and enters into a marriage that should make life easier for her. Sadly, marrying simply for the sake of her pregnancy leads to a little more heartbreak than she had been prepared for. Adie finds some joy in little Grace, the baby who turned her world upside down. Unfortunately, this joy is dulled by the infidelity of her husband and a general sense of unhappiness.

During this time, Adie befriends Willa Mae, and is thrown into a whirlwind of history and mystery. The journal that Willa Mae always carries with her serves as a sort of life preserver for Adie in this difficult time. The journal tells the tale of Tempe, a young woman going through some of the same issues. Tempe's story carries with it a sense of suspense and raises a lot of questions; the girl's life was not a happy one. When Adie begins to see connections between the ancient diary and her own life she begins to question everything she knows about her life and her new friend, Willa Mae.

I have to say that I really liked Adie's story and the combination of Tempe's thrown in there. Although we seem to figure out what is happening before it actually happens, there is still a bit of suspense to the book. The mystery and all the questions help to make this a compelling read.

The best part of COLD ROCK RIVER was the characters. They were full of life and Ms. Miles really put a lot of energy into making sure that they were robust and full of personality. Each of the characters had layers upon layers of depth and became more like real people than simply words on a page. This aspect of the story kept me reading from the first page through to the last.

While the characters may have been great, I had a very hard time getting through the words coming out of the characters' mouths in order to understand what was going on. This was not a quick read (which sometimes is good) because there were often occasions when I would have to go back and reread a section. Any sort of dialogue needed to be reread a few times.

Unfortunately for me, instilling accents in dialogue is kind of a pet peeve for me. It's great to show us the accent instead of simply telling us that it is there, but at the same time, all that work is kind of waste if I have no clue what is being said.

Overall I really liked COLD ROCK RIVER and would recommend it to anyone looking for some good Southern fiction. The story is deep and will keep your mind entertained throughout.
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Jul 01, 2010 Blodeuedd Finland rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This was a heartbreaking tale at times, neither of the women in this book had it easy. First there is Adie Jenkins, who gets pregnant and marries at 17. But her husband does not leave his wild ways and she is pretty much left to fend for herself most of the time. But she find friendship in her neighbours and one of them, Willa Mae reads from a book. Another heartbreaking tale about a young slave girl who lost her children.

The books tells much of Adie's family history and how things happened like...more This was a heartbreaking tale at times, neither of the women in this book had it easy. First there is Adie Jenkins, who gets pregnant and marries at 17. But her husband does not leave his wild ways and she is pretty much left to fend for herself most of the time. But she find friendship in her neighbours and one of them, Willa Mae reads from a book. Another heartbreaking tale about a young slave girl who lost her children.

The books tells much of Adie's family history and how things happened like they did. Like the loss of her little sister that broke the family in half. Her sisters exploits, and how her other sister started to eat, and eat. And of course her own mistake. But Adie was strong, she would not give up, not even when it looked dark at one time and my heart was in my throat because of he injustice she suffered. But friends, family and that diary helped her along, and she never gave up. The road to happiness is not an easy one.

Then there is the diary, I did have problems at first, because of the way it looked, but I got used to it. Of course then there was the other problem of understanding, I had this sometimes in the book too cos of their southern accent.. But I got used to it, I have obviously spent too little time in the south. To the diary, a woman called Tempe is telling her life story. How she grew up on a plantation, how she got used and pushed around, how the war came, and ended and how she set out on a long journey. She had it bad at times, and she still had hope. It was a fascinating story, and it took turns I did not see coming. And at other times I was shaken by the cruelty of their masters.

I enjoyed the friendship she formed with Willa Mae, this very old midwife who helps her along, and her next door neighbour Murphy who helps her when she needs it. But he also lets her be independent.

Friendship and hope was the best part of this book because it showed the way. The agony of not knowing what was coming next at a certain time in the book made me want to stop reading, but at the same time read on to find out, and wish for the best.

I liked how she wove two stories together, about two entirely different women, but who at the same time were very much alike.

A tale of the south in the 60's, friendship, loss, love, finding your own way, and a look back at how slaves were treated 100 years before. A different world.

Blodeuedd's Cover Corner: Very nice, I am sure they would have been friends if they had met.

Final thoughts: I liked this look at the south of the US, I seldom find myself reading about it.

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May 02, 2010 drey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reads, fiction-contemporary

First thing I'll mention (and the only negative about Cold Rock River) is the font used in the ARC to depict entries from Tempe's diary, or letters written by Adie and Buck, is pretty small. Put that same small font into italics, and it made for difficult reading.

BUT. Don't let that distract you from the story itself. Cold Rock River is a story about innocence lost, life's hardships, and love's burdens. All bundled together into prose that sweeps you along until you've passed through the rapids...more

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Jun 09, 2010 MARGO rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First off, DON'T READ THE SYNOPSIS on the book jacket, as it totally gives away the entire book! What's the point of reading the thing then? Whoever is in charge of that needs to learn the fine art of subtlety while enticing the reader.

Thanks to someone, I was forewarned, so I resisted the temptation and just began to read. This is a good story with wonderful pearls of wisdom and tangible, memorable characters. It even has recipes after the ending on the very end pages of the book.

The author's...more

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Dec 08, 2009 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, nest-fbc-2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 09, 2009 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Cold Rock River is the story of 17 year old teenage bride/mother, Adie, trying to make the most of her circumstances even though she's saddled with little education, crippling poverty, and a lout of a husband. She's very "PollyAnna" but it's endearing for the most part. Adie finds comfort in the friendship of her neighbor and midwife, Willa Mae. Adie also finds strength in the slave journal of a woman named Tempe that Willa shares with her. The commonality of their stories and the struggles of t...more

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Apr 24, 2009 Melinda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oh, its over. Sad. I loved it! This is a book with a subject matter that has the making of being great or intelligence insulting and it was fabulous to me! Addie was such a good person/heroine. I dont want to say too much but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Exciting, heart wrenching, angry, disgusted, sad and happy are all emotions I felt. Not a typical classic love but a love none the less. A great summer read! Marianne I think you'd like this one too! It has a very "diary of Mattie Spenser" feel wi...more

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Nov 21, 2008 Serena rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anna horner, anna eskridge, marnie, marie

J.L. Miles' Cold Rock River flows in and out of the past and present of Adie Thacker's life and occasionally transports the reader into the thicket of plantations and slavery near the time of the Civil War. The reader travels along the current of Cold Rock River and hits some brisk rapids and undercurrents, following Adie on her journey.

When Adie is a child, her family is the picture of happiness, minus the normal angst among siblings and boy troubles. However, one day their family changes irrev...more J.L. Miles' Cold Rock River flows in and out of the past and present of Adie Thacker's life and occasionally transports the reader into the thicket of plantations and slavery near the time of the Civil War. The reader travels along the current of Cold Rock River and hits some brisk rapids and undercurrents, following Adie on her journey.

When Adie is a child, her family is the picture of happiness, minus the normal angst among siblings and boy troubles. However, one day their family changes irrevocably. Her father drinks himself into a stupor, while her mother withdraws from her children and her husband. Rebecca, Adie's older sister, falls in love, becomes a mother, and moves out on her own. Clarissa, Rebecca's twin, is the sweetest of the sisters and wallows in food to shut out the pain. Although this story is about her family and how it evolves after a significant loss, the novel also is about family secrets and how those secrets eat up Adie and the family.

This beautiful image in Chapter Seventeen, page 162, holds a vast symbolic meaning in relation to this family's struggles and its one of my favorites:

Hog Gap and Cold Rock still had the mountain between them with no road cutting through. The only way to get from one spot to the other was to take the two-lane highway that ran around it. In the distance, Cold Rock Mountain rested like a fat king on his throne. The sides sparkled like jewels as the sun bounced off chunks of granite embedded along the edges.

Another of my favorite passages in this book is in Chapter Three, on page 33-34, shortly after Adie's mother becomes infatuated with Jackie Kennedy and her husband:

Mama was especially crazy about the pillbox hats Jackie wore. "Not every woman can wear them, you know," she said. "Takes a certain bone structure." Whatever type that was, Mama figured she had it. Every one of the dresses she made had its own matching pillbox hat, but they didn't look much like Jackie's. Mama used Pa's baseball caps as a base. She cut the bills off and covered what was left in whatever fabric she was working on at the time.

Adie is a bit tough to take at first with her disjointed narrative, but eventually her ramblings endear her to the reader. She struggles as a new wife and mother, particularly when she realizes her husband, Buck, is not as in love with her as she is with him and that his mother, Verna, has secrets of her own and hopes Adie will fail.

Miles easily weaves in the slave narrative of Tempe Jordan into Adie's story. Although these stories parallel one another in some ways, the stories shed light on the strength these women share. This is one of those novels that will stay with the reader once the last page is read, and it is now one of my top 5 books from this year.(less)

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Oct 18, 2008 Shana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-5-stars, alcoholism, blog-tours, coming-of-age, fiction, georgia, read-in-2008, review-copy, southern-fiction, suicide, vietnam-war

Cold Rock River by J.L. Miles is a wonderful, captivating piece of southern fiction that will draw you into the lives of its characters, as well as the rural Georgia setting.

Miles creates such a strong sense of what Adie, the narrator of Cold Rock River, is up against. No one in Adie's family has been the same since Adie's sister Annie died years ago. The cause of Annie's death is not revealed until the end of the book, but the reader knows it has happened and that it has created a gaping tear i...more

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Apr 03, 2009 Cassie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book! I am still fondly thinking of this book days later so I am going to give it 5 stars. Reading this book really gave me an insight into the life of slavery that I didn't have before and it put my measly problems into perspective. It also really made me think about how sometimes I am so quick to judge without ever even thinking about what people have been through or what trials they been through to make them react the way they do.

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Jan 23, 2013 Christina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: chic-lit, coming-of-age, fiction, historical-fiction, southern-lit

Popping WOW! I could not put this book down. Though I read the jacket's synopsis, it did not ruin the story for me. I enjoyed the journey from the beginning to the end and was sad that it ended. I was shocked at times in the book, I cried and I became concern for all the characters. This book drew me into their lives and they were drew into my heart. Though I am on to new books, I keep thinking about all the characters in "Cold Rock River" and imagine what they are up to now.

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May 07, 2009 Chris Desmottes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another one I couldn't put down. I loved her first novel (Roseflower Creek), so I couldn't wait to read this one. It is the story of a pregnant girl in the 60s' who is reading a jornal of a slave girl from the 1800's. It alternates between the two girls and has some really shocking twists. I loved this book - read it in about 3-4 days. I am really disappointed that her new novel is chick lit - she is too good for that genre!!!

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Sep 09, 2011 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

J.S. Miles has a way of showing that everyone has what I call "heart wounds"---difficult, heart-wrenching difficulties in their lives. We see and are aware of some, others are hidden. All 'heart wounds", though, shape who we are. If we understand all the pain others have gone through, we would be much more understanding of each other and not so quick to pass judgment. I think that is an honest observation of humanity that J.L. Miles displays in her writing.

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Jul 20, 2012 Myla rated it 3 of 5 stars

The best part of this book were the million one-liners moms and others used to teach wisdom and lessons on life, "Don't ruin the truth by stretching it", "if you're gonna take the devil for a ride, he's gonna want to drive", etc, they had a saying for every moment of their pitiful lives. I wish I had, like these women did, all these tid-bits ready at the tip of my tongue to doll out to my kids. And then later in life I might be so lucky as to hear them say something like, "Like my mom always sai...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Suzanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Unfortunately, I read this book at the same time I read Amy Greene's "Bloodroot." Basically, the two share the same sorts of themes, the same sorts of sadnesses, the same kinds of women and problems.

And I say this is unfortunate, because, even though I liked "Roseflower Creek," and wanted to like this book, it just no way was as strong and well written as the debut novel by Ms. Greene.

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Nov 25, 2009 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

The novel is set in 1963 in rural Georgia. It is about 17-year-old Adie Jenkins reading the diary of a 17-year-old slave girl, Tempe Jordan, written when the Civil War was coming to an end. The themes deal with marriage, infidelity, children and the horrors of slavery. Although the ending was somewhat predictable, it is well-written and very good.

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Jun 27, 2009 Linda Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It takes you back to two places in time; the 1860's and the 1960's and the strugglies of two young women one white, one black living thier lives within the restrictions of those time. I loved the sense of family. The secrets and tragedies that drove them apart and the food and love that brings them together that transcends time.

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Jul 12, 2010 Dora rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is very well written, but heartbreaking. You love the main narrating characters, but they go through more turmoil than anyone should have to survive. Don't read if you're feeling a little emotional or could tear easily. With that being said, there are some genuinely funny parts that made me laugh out loud - great character development.

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May 25, 2011 Kristen Coltrin rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really loved this story, but the writing was a little disjointed. However, I totally recommend it. As my friends know, one of my favorite genres is slavery stories so this fit the bill even though it was only half the story. If you have an aversion to reading about cheating spouses then this isn't the book for you.

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Dec 02, 2010 Trina rated it 3 of 5 stars

A captivating story, but a hard emotional read. The story alternates between the main character's own story, and the story of Tempe. Tempe was a slave 100 years ago and is telling her story in the journal that the main character is reading. Very truthful and not too sugar coated, which makes for a gut wrenching read.

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Jul 02, 2012 Mary Baker rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The novel follows two major plot strands. One is the story of Adie Thackey, a young girl who marries too young and tries to make a good life for herself and her child. The other is the story of Tempe Jackson, a slave, whose diary tells how she survived.

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Jul 22, 2011 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars

wonderful story of a young white girl being befriended by a older African American woman who was the descendant of a slave named Tempe. As they grow closer she is allowed to ready Tempe's diary which reveled that the man she has fallen for was also a descendant of Tempe.

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Jan 18, 2010 Rebekah rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book! The first few chapters are slow to start because the story jumps back and forth a bit, however, once I was past that, I couldn't put it down. J.L. Miles keeps you on your toes throwing a lot of twists a long the way. This is def a book I'm going to read again!

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Jul 15, 2009 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I loved this book and it will go down as one of my most favorite reads ever. I loved the main character and even though at times I knew what was coming, I was shocked at the ending. I love the book for where it took me and the page turning aspect to it. Great read.

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About Jackie Lee Miles

Jackie Lee Miles, a resident of Georgia for thirty years, hails from Wisconsin via South Dakota. She considers herself “a northern girl with a southern heart”. Her paternal grandfather was christened Grant Lee by her great-grandmother in honor of the many fallen soldiers on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line.

Ms. Miles is a former D.I.A.L. Systems Engineer for Baker/Audio Telecom, one of the premi...more

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