Connie, a reviewer - August 20, 2001
An engrossing page-turner
Here's a book that again shows the power of the human spirit to overcome odds that for many of us would be insurmountable. As I read, I couldn't help wonder what I or others I know would have done in like circumstances and how different the outcome might have been. The imagery is very vivid and the reader gets a real feel for Puerto Rico and the experiences of the author. Those looking for an engrossing adventure story will enjoy this book.

Pete, a reviewer - August 15, 2001
This book won't let you go once you start it
Whether you're male or female, you'll immediately identify with the very basic emotions the main character experiences and with the challenges of escaping very scary people, places and situations. Although I've never visited Puerto Rico, I now feel very familiar with the jungle setting where most of the action occurs. This is an incredible story of triumph over emotional, physical and cultural challenges I'm glad I never had to face. I chose to lose several hours of sleep to read it through to the end rather than go to sleep wondering what was going to happen next. This book is perfect for readers who spend several hours traveling since they can complete the adventure in a few hours.

Michael, a reviewer - August 8, 2001
I just couldn't put the book down!
This is one of those kind of books that one you start reading, you don't want to stop! The story is so interesting and draws you in with such imagery that its more like watching a movie than reading a book. I was almost half way through it when I finally had to set it down and leave for work. One of the characteristics I look for to rate a story is how well it draws me in and transports me to the place where it is set. This story certainly does that! Read this book when you have a few hours to kill and you are in the mood to get lost in a really good story... read it and enjoy :)

Reviewer: a reader from New York - February 14, 2002
A fantastic journey!
Jacqueline Jorgensen's story about Sabina's escape from the hills of Puerto Rico left me breathless. It's a story about a courageous young girl who follows her innate intelligence and survival instinct to escape slavery and to create a better life for herself.

Jacqueline's writing is crisp and quick, like the branches that whip Sabina as she runs through the jungle to freedom. Her descriptions of the hills and the towns of Puerto Rico are so vivid that I felt I had experienced what it would have been like to have lived there in the late 1940's and 1950's.

Most impressive is Jacqueline's gift for capturing the personalities of her characters. She has the ability to stand back and record them, which allows them to reveal themselves. I came away with the sense that I had met each character - shook their hands and looked them in the eyes and caught glimpses into their souls - for better or for worse.

In the end, Beyond Mud and Vines is a gift to the reader. It contains laughter and joy, heartache and pain, and all of the other bewildering ingredients that make human beings behave as they do. It contains that elusive and mysterious spirit that would prompt a little girl to run as fast as she could from those that abused her and then return to them to show them a better way to live and to love.