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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a highly anticipated sequel for me, and it did not disappoint. Flashing five years into the future, Where the Forest Meets the River follows the lives of those found in The Road to Dalton after a surprising tragedy shakes their small town. I love these characters so much, they feel like people I know personally, and I am highly invested in their story. Funny, sad, reflective, and hopeful, the author's authentic and engaging writing style makes every story easy to find yourself fully absorbed in.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a delight to return to Dalton, to catch up with old friends (Bev, Trudy, Greg, Rose, Nate, and others), and to meet new ones like Vera and Annette. Where the Forest Meets the River picks up nearly five years after The Road to Dalton ended and the reverberations from Bridget Theroux's suicide are still being felt. Her mother, Annette, remains mired in grief and has succumbed to the lures of alcohol and online shopping. Sophie is now a vibrant and lively child who is beginning to ask questions about the death of her mother, questions her father struggles to answer. Greg, home from college for the summer, has to decide how much to share with his parents about who he is and what he wants from his life. These are just some of the plot strands that make up this beautiful novel. But plot doesn't drive this novel. What really matters are the characters and the community. Bowring excels at bringing to life a cast of characters so vividly that I felt they were people I knew in real life, and making her reader care deeply about each and every one of them and the struggles, both large and small, they face. Her writing is beautiful without being flowery and really captures so much of what it is to be human. It's a relatively quiet book, quieter and overall less heavy than its predecessor. With time, the pain of Bridget's death has lessened, and by the novel's end most characters seemed to be in a better space than they were at the beginning. However, Bowring did leave a couple of storylines on a bit of a cliffhanger, leaving me wondering if there will be another book in the series. I very much hope so. Regardless, Dalton and its inhabitants will always have a place in my heart. If you love quiet, beautifully written novels that centre character and community I think it's a book you'll love too. Just be sure to read The Road to Dalton first. It's not essential, but why deny yourself the pleasure.
Many thanks to @netgalley and @europaeditions for my eArc. Where the Forest Meets the River releases on 3 September.
Many thanks to @netgalley and @europaeditions for my eArc. Where the Forest Meets the River releases on 3 September.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Grief
Moderate: Suicide
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh, Dalton, I am so happy to be back!
It's been five years since the loss of Bridget hit the town of Dalton, Maine like a tidal wave and we get to catch up with all our favorite inhabitants. All of these characters feel so real living their mundane lives and I think that's where the magic of this story lies. It is so beautifully written that you feel like you truly know them and are their friends, together going through lifes ups and downs.
This book holds a special meaning to me that I will keep private for now, but I feel such a connection to this town and its people. 💙
Pub. Date: Sept. 3, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Europa Editions for my advanced copy!
It's been five years since the loss of Bridget hit the town of Dalton, Maine like a tidal wave and we get to catch up with all our favorite inhabitants. All of these characters feel so real living their mundane lives and I think that's where the magic of this story lies. It is so beautifully written that you feel like you truly know them and are their friends, together going through lifes ups and downs.
This book holds a special meaning to me that I will keep private for now, but I feel such a connection to this town and its people. 💙
Pub. Date: Sept. 3, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Europa Editions for my advanced copy!
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
I thought Shannon Bowring's debut THE ROAD TO DALTON was exceptional. She formed such multidimensional characters from the small, fictional town of Dalton, Maine.
This sequel is even more exceptional. We catch up with the citizens of Dalton five summers later in 1995 as they continue to go through their ups and downs. Our favorites from the last book take center stage: Nate, Trudy, Bev, Richard, Greg. We also see some characters we didn't spend a lot of time with in the first novel, notably Bridget's parents Marshall and Annette. I particularly enjoyed Marshall's trajectory in this novel. And then we meet Vera, who was from Dalton but moved away to work in the "big city" :) of Bangor, Maine. She comes back to help her parents in this sequel, and I loved meeting her and absolutely loved her realization toward the end. I loved all the characters and their interconnectedness.
I felt that THE ROAD TO DALTON had a heaviness I wasn't expecting. WHERE THE FOREST MEETS THE RIVER does have some heavy moments, but overall it had more uplifting moments than its predecessor.
Please read THE ROAD TO DALTON first. Even if it's been a while, I think that will suffice. And you have time to read it because the sequel publishes September 3, 2024.
Even one more thing I enjoyed was how 1995 the references were. As someone who went to college in 1995, I loved that Fruitopia was brought up twice. This was the fruit-flavored Snapple rival in glass bottles that my college received by the pallet, and they gave away for free. The author must have had a pallet delivered to her college as well. :)
This sequel is even more exceptional. We catch up with the citizens of Dalton five summers later in 1995 as they continue to go through their ups and downs. Our favorites from the last book take center stage: Nate, Trudy, Bev, Richard, Greg. We also see some characters we didn't spend a lot of time with in the first novel, notably Bridget's parents Marshall and Annette. I particularly enjoyed Marshall's trajectory in this novel. And then we meet Vera, who was from Dalton but moved away to work in the "big city" :) of Bangor, Maine. She comes back to help her parents in this sequel, and I loved meeting her and absolutely loved her realization toward the end. I loved all the characters and their interconnectedness.
I felt that THE ROAD TO DALTON had a heaviness I wasn't expecting. WHERE THE FOREST MEETS THE RIVER does have some heavy moments, but overall it had more uplifting moments than its predecessor.
Please read THE ROAD TO DALTON first. Even if it's been a while, I think that will suffice. And you have time to read it because the sequel publishes September 3, 2024.
Even one more thing I enjoyed was how 1995 the references were. As someone who went to college in 1995, I loved that Fruitopia was brought up twice. This was the fruit-flavored Snapple rival in glass bottles that my college received by the pallet, and they gave away for free. The author must have had a pallet delivered to her college as well. :)