Reviews

As the River Rises by Fiona McArthur

1madchild's review

3.75

A bit dramatic, but some nice fluff. 
Happy endings. Liked the flood topics. 
Did a little cry 
Loves the author/ audio narrator chat at the end. Fantastic narration.  

shelleyrae's review

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

As the River Rises is a wonderful story of romance, resilience, and renewal from bestselling author Fiona McArthur.

If you’ve read The Farmer’s Friend, then the town of small Northern New South Wales town of Featherwood and its residents will be familiar. In that novel, the focus was on the romance of former midwife Nell, and ex-soldier, Liam, while the town itself was ravaged by the Black Summer bushfires. As the River Rises is set about a year later.

The romance in As the River Rises develops between Featherwood newcomer, Dr Hannah Rogan, and enigmatic widower, Jude Waugh, who meet when Jude brings his sick son into Hannah’s newly opened GP clinic. It’s a lovely romance, with believable chemistry, which develops reasonably slowly as befits two people whose hearts are tender. Hannah, who moved to Featherwood in part to escape the fallout of a bad relationship, is wary of rumours about Jude’s troubled past, and Jude isolated himself after the death of his wife.

Almost overshadowing the romance in As the River Rises is plenty of drama and action. In the novel, as in real life, many rural towns had barely recovered from the destruction of the 2019/2020 bushfires when they were devastated by widespread flooding. Featherwood falls victim to a torrent of water that destroys homes and infrastructure, sweeps away livestock, and threatens lives. There’s high tension as various characters find themselves in dangerous situations, and in the aftermath of the flood, there is further drama with a sudden death, and a terrifying attack. Thankfully these stresses are countered by the heartwarming community spirit on display as the characters rally to help and protect one another.

Drawing on her own familiarity with small town life, natural disasters, and rural medicine, McArthur infuses As the River Rises with genuine emotion, thrilling drama and heartfelt sincerity. A must read for fans of the contemporary rural genre.