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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 June 2023
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.
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.
