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libwinnie's review against another edition
1.0
I stopped at page 100 because it didn't make a lot of sense to me and I wasn't really engaged.
tani's review against another edition
4.0
Eleanor and Mike are two troublesome little girls, who are constantly doing awful things and causing their poor father to get upset. He's under a lot of stress, you know, what with the housing deal and the trouble that the bank's giving him. They need to be on their best behavior, but they never seem to be able to do things right. And then things get broken, or disappear entirely. Sometimes, if the spells are strong enough, house magic can fix it, but only sometimes.
If this sounds suspiciously like an abusive situation to you, you've hit the nail on the head. This is a story with a very strong focus on domestic violence. The girls use stories to try and cope with the violence and fear that they face daily in their home, but it's just barely a stopgap. Then, one day, the father breaks a fishing float, and that night, a river appears under Eleanor's bed. The girls fall in, and learn that nightmares are on the verge of breaking into the real world, and only they can stop it. If only they knew how.
The first thing I want to say is that this book was so hard for me to read. I say this as a reader who's always kind of prided herself on not getting terribly upset over violent content. But this absolutely got to me. It was painful to see the day-to-day life that Eleanor and Mike are forced to endure, and I have to say, I absolutely hated their parents because of it. I'd say if any characters deserve hate, they're it. My bleeding heart can't even really muster up any pity for the mother, who is also a victim of abuse, because she's just so stubborn about refusing to admit it. YMMV on that, but it was definitely my experience.
That said, I think that this is an incredibly important book. It absolutely deserved its recent Nebula win for the very real way that it deals with domestic violence. This is the kind of book that could be a source of strength and courage to children in similar situations, and I completely admire that. I hope that it reaches some of the children who need it, and helps them.
The other point I really want to mention is the absolute skill that Fran Wilde brings to this story. Her writing deeply impressed me. It was subtle and patient and heartbreaking. The imagination she brought to the creatures of the river was wonderful, and her characterization of Mike and Eleanor was spot-on perfect. I definitely would like to seek out more books by her, although I hope they're a bit less painful than this one.
If this sounds suspiciously like an abusive situation to you, you've hit the nail on the head. This is a story with a very strong focus on domestic violence. The girls use stories to try and cope with the violence and fear that they face daily in their home, but it's just barely a stopgap. Then, one day, the father breaks a fishing float, and that night, a river appears under Eleanor's bed. The girls fall in, and learn that nightmares are on the verge of breaking into the real world, and only they can stop it. If only they knew how.
The first thing I want to say is that this book was so hard for me to read. I say this as a reader who's always kind of prided herself on not getting terribly upset over violent content. But this absolutely got to me. It was painful to see the day-to-day life that Eleanor and Mike are forced to endure, and I have to say, I absolutely hated their parents because of it. I'd say if any characters deserve hate, they're it. My bleeding heart can't even really muster up any pity for the mother, who is also a victim of abuse, because she's just so stubborn about refusing to admit it. YMMV on that, but it was definitely my experience.
That said, I think that this is an incredibly important book. It absolutely deserved its recent Nebula win for the very real way that it deals with domestic violence. This is the kind of book that could be a source of strength and courage to children in similar situations, and I completely admire that. I hope that it reaches some of the children who need it, and helps them.
The other point I really want to mention is the absolute skill that Fran Wilde brings to this story. Her writing deeply impressed me. It was subtle and patient and heartbreaking. The imagination she brought to the creatures of the river was wonderful, and her characterization of Mike and Eleanor was spot-on perfect. I definitely would like to seek out more books by her, although I hope they're a bit less painful than this one.
ethers_elixirs's review against another edition
5.0
Full disclosure, Fran is my professor. But I picked this up before she had any influence over my grades!
I came for the portal fantasy, but I stayed for the realistic portrayal of Eleanor and her sister Mike's relationship. Seeing how an abusive family affects Eleanor and the way she treats her sister (even when she knows better) is the kind of stuff that breaks your heart because of the amount of truth in it.
While this book deals with difficult topics, as Fran herself notes, that's absolutely essential for children's literature. And there is a great message here about how two sisters can overcome or at least endure their problems until they find better days.
I was able to get a class set funded thanks to the generosity of some strangers and family and I can't wait to share this book with my students. For those who need it as a window to see what others may be going through and those who need it as a mirror that reflects and validates their experiences.
I came for the portal fantasy, but I stayed for the realistic portrayal of Eleanor and her sister Mike's relationship. Seeing how an abusive family affects Eleanor and the way she treats her sister (even when she knows better) is the kind of stuff that breaks your heart because of the amount of truth in it.
While this book deals with difficult topics, as Fran herself notes, that's absolutely essential for children's literature. And there is a great message here about how two sisters can overcome or at least endure their problems until they find better days.
I was able to get a class set funded thanks to the generosity of some strangers and family and I can't wait to share this book with my students. For those who need it as a window to see what others may be going through and those who need it as a mirror that reflects and validates their experiences.
mjoyner's review against another edition
2.0
Though initially delighted to get my hands on an advanced copy of Riverland, I soon felt burdened by the task of getting through what I had expected to be a fun and fast read. It strikes me as one of those books that simply should have been better. The author seems to be smart and a good writer. She presents an interesting concept with lots of unique elements to make it stick out, but somewhere in the writing process it must have just fallen apart.
The way the story unravels is the real heart of the matter. During the sisters's first journey to the magical other-world, the stakes are set pretty high; the boundaries between reality and the world of dreams are collapsing, and it is our heroines's responsibility to fix it. I strapped myself in for a tense fantasy with lots of harrowing near-misses and a constant clock ticking down to doomsday. But then the girls go back to their world and just... Go about their normal lives for a couple days? Most of the subsequent returns to the dream-world, a place they can only visit at night lest they get trapped there, are spent just lazily touring around, and these visits always end with a mad dash back to their world. The emotions that any one chapter were meant to evoke in the reader felt totally incongruous.
For a while, I thought Fran Wilde was employing a clever gimmick by having the tone of and movement through the dream-world reflect how time often unwinds at weird rates in dreams. In the same way, I assumed Wilde's poetic writing style and her descriptions that managed to be both very specific and fuzzy-'round-the-edges were a part of a dream motif. Since neither of these were ever proven to be on purpose, I assume they were just flukes.
For what it's worth, Wilde does capture the inner world of an abused child well. Both sisters are hyper-aware of their mistakes, because they've grown up in a context where any error has dire consequences. They use imagination as a coping mechanism. They also condemn all anger, even the normal and healthy kind, because of their associations with their raging father. As a librarian, I welcome books that will expose kids to real-life struggles. Riverland could have been a good resource for children in messy family situations, but I fear the odd style and pacing will make it inaccessible to the kids who need it most.
The way the story unravels is the real heart of the matter. During the sisters's first journey to the magical other-world, the stakes are set pretty high; the boundaries between reality and the world of dreams are collapsing, and it is our heroines's responsibility to fix it. I strapped myself in for a tense fantasy with lots of harrowing near-misses and a constant clock ticking down to doomsday. But then the girls go back to their world and just... Go about their normal lives for a couple days? Most of the subsequent returns to the dream-world, a place they can only visit at night lest they get trapped there, are spent just lazily touring around, and these visits always end with a mad dash back to their world. The emotions that any one chapter were meant to evoke in the reader felt totally incongruous.
For a while, I thought Fran Wilde was employing a clever gimmick by having the tone of and movement through the dream-world reflect how time often unwinds at weird rates in dreams. In the same way, I assumed Wilde's poetic writing style and her descriptions that managed to be both very specific and fuzzy-'round-the-edges were a part of a dream motif. Since neither of these were ever proven to be on purpose, I assume they were just flukes.
For what it's worth, Wilde does capture the inner world of an abused child well. Both sisters are hyper-aware of their mistakes, because they've grown up in a context where any error has dire consequences. They use imagination as a coping mechanism. They also condemn all anger, even the normal and healthy kind, because of their associations with their raging father. As a librarian, I welcome books that will expose kids to real-life struggles. Riverland could have been a good resource for children in messy family situations, but I fear the odd style and pacing will make it inaccessible to the kids who need it most.
plaidpladd's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
titusfortner's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable if difficult read at times (due to subject matter). I was extremely fortunate to have a very normal, loving upbringing, and it is difficult to imagine the horror of living through something that was not. This is an interesting portal fantasy dealing involving sisters dealing with this environment and making up magic for it to be tolerable that becomes real. It got a bit weird for me in parts, but mostly worked.
lorialdenholuta's review against another edition
5.0
I went into the story knowing in advance that aspects of our protagonist's home life might be difficult to read. Fran Wilde has managed to sensitively show us what it's like to be children living in an abusive home. Eleanor and her little sister 'Mike', aren't brave little Pollyannas - these kids have been badly damaged, but they aren't yet completely broken. Their challenges are immense and seemingly impossible. But Eleanor has a strength that's somehow grown from her conviction that she's worthless, and her unwavering love for her sister. She even tries her best for the parents that have utterly failed her. And as if this isn't enough for a small girl to handle, now another world desperately needs her help. A compelling read. And yes, this *is* a children's book, for those who need to connect with these possibly-familiar heroes.
drcbooks's review against another edition
3.0
The ending felt satisfying, but the fantasy narrative did not always work (in my own opinion) and the lack of likeable characters left me frustrated at times.
e_cobbe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25