Go as a River: The powerful Sunday Times bestselling Richard and Judy pick Paperback – 25 April 2024

“Flowing forward against obstacles was not my whole story. For, like the river, I had also gathered along the way all the tiny pieces connecting me to everything else, and doing this had delivered me here”While some of the storyline and events in the book felt less plausible, I was able to overlook them with this haunting but sad human story of love, survival, courage, family, and impossible choices. The beauty of the book was to be found in the natural landscape and the writing, but most of all within the character of the central female character, Victoria. A very memorable read.The Plot - “Just as a single rainstorm can erode the banks and change the course of a river, so can a single circumstance of a girl’s life erase who she was before.” and this ‘single circumstance’ was when Torie met Wilson Moon, a native American that was to become her first love and enduring soulmate. Rejected by society, Wil was forbidden to have any relationships, work and a life in this mid Colorado town, lola. Not to be dissuaded by the prejudice to be found in others, Torie embarks on an adventure that can only end in tragedy.Review and Comments - This wonderful book is brimming with themes that draws the reader in from the beginning and holds you there to the final moments - hopeful, willing, and anxious about the life that should have been.A coming of age story? – Yes, but with themes of motherhood, survival, nature, abandonment, murder, and racism, the tides of time force the young Torie to accept those things she cannot change but also gives her the courage to take fate into her own hands and in search of her son. Moving and evocative. Both heart-warming and heart wrenching. A beauty of a book. Sentimental but not gushing with over dramatic scenes either.

GO AS A RIVER is a is a poignant, coming-of-age story, about love, sacrifice and resilience. Without a doubt, it’s beautifully written and is rich in description and atmosphere. The book is brimming with beautiful descriptions of the Colorado mountains, countryside and wildlife. Through lush imagery of the natural world, Shelley Read shows the possibility of growing in the most challenging of circumstances. The detailed descriptions of the setting detracted from Torie's story, making it harder for me to engage.In 1948, a chance meeting between seventeen-year-old Victoria “Torie” Nash meets a young man by the name of Wilson “Wil” Moon, a drifter of Native American descent, triggers a sequence of events that changes Victoria’s life forever. The love they share is taboo, but the lessons Wilson teaches Victoria about the flow of the river sustain her through her hardships, ease the pain of her losses, and guide her to find her niche in life. Topics of racism and prejudice are depicted and are as brutal as the landscape of the Colorado wilderness.With all the positive reviews, I was hoping GO AS A RIVER would be an exceptional read, but alas, it left me a little deflated! Why? I think my biggest problem was the pacing. I seemed to have been reading for ages and nothing actually happened! The lack of character development was an issue for me too. So much time is spent describing nature there was little room left to develop the characters. Never the less overall this was an enjoyable read and an impressive debut novel. But unfortunately I didn’t find it to be the heartbreaking, tear jerking, memorable read that other reviews promise.

This book captured me straight away. I love the writing style, I am normally a slow reader but couldn't put this book down. It has romance and real life drama. With the history of growing up in Colorado for both a white American and a native American Indian. Heartbreak and sad honest and true. I would recommend this book to friend's it has a story of survival against the odds. Thank you to the author Shelley Read.

A lovely read. Well drawn characters. Enchanting description of the landscape. A really moving story took me on an emotional journey of sadness, hope and determination.

A wonderful story. Beautifully written. An amazing journey told by one woman of love, heartache, kindness and survival against all odds such as bigotry, hatred and despair. The author obviously has a deep understanding of human emotions. Definitely one of the best novels I've ever read.

A very good read, i feel a teeny bit churlish not giving 5 stars but i've read so many good books recently that i feel this falls a fraction short. Great lead character (Victoria) other characters not fleshed out as much. Don't get me wrong, i thoroughly enjoyed this book and will read more from Shelley Read in future.

I loved this book, after reading many modern storylines with busy characters, mobile phones and the such it was a good to delve back into history. Hard lives, prejudice, ignorance, but still hope. I loved the nature descriptions, and felt it brought the whole atmosphere to life. Cried at the end, absolutely loved this story and particularly the writing style.

Lacking in character description. Lovely and easy to read but aspects of it were lacking in depth.