Go As a River by Shelley Read

 

Summary (from the publisher): A sweeping, heart-stopping epic of a young woman's journey to becoming, set against the harsh beauty of mid-century Colorado.

On a cool autumn day in 1948, Victoria Nash delivers late-season peaches from her family's farm set amid the wild beauty of Colorado. As she heads into her village, a disheveled stranger stops to ask her the way. How she chooses to answer will unknowingly alter the course of both their young lives.

So begins the mesmerizing story of split-second choices and courageous acts that propel Victoria away from the only home she has ever known and towards a reckoning with loss, hope and her own untapped strength.

Gathering all the pieces of her small and extraordinary existence, spinning through the eddies of desire, heartbreak and betrayal, she will arrive at a single rocky decision that will change her life forever.

Go as a River is a heart-wrenching coming-of-age story and a drama of enthralling power. Combining unforgettable characters and a breathtaking natural setting, it is a sweeping story of survival and becoming, of the deepest mysteries of love, truth and fate.

Review: It's 1948 and young Victoria Nash lives on her family's peach farm in Colorado. A chance encounter with a young boy on her way to deliver peaches alters the course of both of their lives. Ultimately, Victoria is propelled away from the only home she has ever known and must rely on her own independent strength and courage to start anew amidst loss and heartache. 

I can't talk too much about the plot of this book to avoid spoilers but suffice it to say that Victoria suffers some tragic blows as a result of her first, youthful love. The prose in this book was so graceful and beautiful and I loved the Colorado setting on her family's peach orchard. This did have a bit of a slow start for me but after the first third of the book, it picked up quite a bit and I ended up really enjoying it. 

This novel reminded me so much of Kristin Hannah's The Great Alone and The Four Winds both stylistically and thematically. The quality of the first-person narration in this reminded me so much of Hannah's works, as well as the strong female lead despite significant challenges and the role of the natural world and setting. 

Stars: 4