historical fiction
Victoria grew up on a small-town Colorado farm in the 1930s
and 1940s. She lost her mother and aunt (the only women in her life) and the
cousin who was her best friend when she was 11 years old and spent the next 6
years fulfilling all the stereotypical women’s duties around the house and farm
without much affection or joy in her world. Her life experiences were extremely
limited when she met Will, a young man about her age who was a drifter. And
from that point on, her life changed forever.
Shelley Read did a great job drawing the reader into
Victoria’s circumstances, feelings, and innermost thoughts. I couldn’t help but
care for her and hope life would take a good turn for her. Managing her father,
uncle, and brother on the farm, she was never particularly well-treated. She
learned to do whatever must be done without much complaint. And she lived the
rest of her life in that way, handling the curveballs as best she could and
holding her truths inside. Hers was a compelling story despite a slower pace
than I usually prefer. But, really, the pacing was perfect for Victoria’s
story. I had to know how things would turn out for her.
I don’t remember how Go As a River made it onto my To Read
list, but it is a story of despair, acceptance, determination, desperation, strength,
resilience, and fortitude. I really enjoyed this excellent historical fiction
that transported me to a different place and time. When it covered the purposeful flooding
of a town in order to make a lake, it made me contemplate the emotions that must’ve plagued the people affected when this was done in my own part of the southeast as well.
The audiobook narrator, Cynthia Farrell, did a great job. She had a few different voices for the characters and was a good voice actor. Her tone was perfect for the story and authentically relayed Victoria’s story. I give her an A-.
No comments:
Post a Comment