Reviews tagging 'Death'

Go as a River by Shelley Read

31 reviews

sophiafpeach's review

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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saramariebt's review

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adventurous emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.5

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nimeneth's review

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emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was a beautifully written book, and sometimes I felt like I could almost smell Colorado (and never having visited, either), but pretty scenery and writing don't make a great book.

It was solidly good, definitely a moving exploration of grief and forgiveness and moving on. I'm not really happy with the overall portrayal of men - all of them were either basically all good or all bad when they were more than just a name on a page like most of the Iola townsfolk were, and black and white viewpoints don't always make for great reading. I did like Victoria's work on the peach farm, when it was mentioned upon, and the fact that a menagerie of animals kept popping up in the background made it feel a little real. But honestly, nothing much happens, and especially in the first quarter or so, Victoria reads like an observer in her own life. I'm glad she found a little more agency. I do wish part 3 hadn't skipped over a full decade, and that the ending had actually added a little more, but I'm not disappointed with having taken the time with this one.

Also, why did we learn so much about the men in Victoria's life (Cal, Og, Seth, her dad) when she basically stopped talking about all of them once they physically left the scene? They all get like one line of ending, and that's not even enough to tie up the loose ends that are still flapping around.
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justnei's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

This was a beautifully written book, as hard as I found it to read I also was compelled to keep reading. This is a very character driven book, with a lot of introspection done by the protagonist, Victoria. I love how the character grew throughout the book. I was a bit disappointed by the instigating plot point of the book. Something about it rubbed me the wrong way
(referring specifically to Wilson Moon, who I loved but would have loved even more to have him be more than just an Indigenous man being murdered so our white female protagonist can grow as a woman/character)
in the same way that in some media women only exist for their gender based trauma to be a plot point. For these faults, the writing was beautiful and caused me a lot of heartache. I enjoyed the setting and historical period the book was set in. It made me weirdly nostalgic for places I have never been. 
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alyse_turns_pages's review

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emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

40-tal i Colorado, USA. Familjen Nash äger en persikofarm och tonåriga Victoria är ensam kvinna kvar efter moderns död några år tidigare. En dag möter hon en främling på gatan, Wilson Moon, och de blir blixtförälskade. Wilson är indian och illa sedd av de flesta i samhället så de håller sitt förhållande hemligt. När Victoria upptäcker att hon är gravid måste hon fatta ett svårt beslut. 

Den här boken har jämförts med Där kräftorna sjunger och jag skulle absolut säga att den är i samma anda, men det här med jämförelser är alltid riskabelt. Det är vackra naturbeskrivningar och Victoria är en kvinna som i många fall får klara sig själv. Hon får uppleva många svårigheter och hon håller all sorg inom sig. På något sätt upplevde jag tempot i boken som både snabbt och långsamt. Tidsperioden är mellan 1948 och 1971 och så gör vi nedslag vissa år, så jag antar att det är därför. 

Slutet kändes lite abrupt och jag hade gärna sett att boken varit lite längre. Samtidigt så var det på sätt och vis naturligt att den slutade där den gjorde. Vill inte säga mer för att undvika att spoila. 

Jag lyssnade på ljudboken i uppläsning av Anna Maria Käll och hon gjorde som vanligt ett riktigt bra jobb.
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mdavis26's review

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5.0

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miranda226's review

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  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

1.0

I wanted to like this book and had the plot been different I would have greatly enjoyed the style of writing. But I can’t excuse using the brutal murder of a Native man as a plot device to help the naive white woman main character grow, which honestly she doesn’t even have that much character growth afterward. I understand that this prejudice, racism and murder matched the time period - my problem with the novel is that it doesn’t feel like it was _this_ author’s story to tell.

Zelda is one of the only redeeming characters, and I would have been much more interested in hearing her story.
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reading_ladies_blog's review

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emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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astoriareader's review

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

SYNOPSIS:
  • It is the 1940s at a peach orchard in rural Colorado in a town called Iola. Victoria Nash is 17, and she is the woman of the house, as her mother & aunt died about 5 years ago. Due to gender roles of the time period, Victoria is expected to fill the gaps that her mother’s absence left (e.g., domestic duties, cleaning, cooking, etc). Without any choice of her own, she mindlessly fills the roles, and she becomes an adult as a child. She lives with her father, her uncle Og, and her troubled brother Seth.
  • One day, Victoria meets a handsome Indigenous man, Wilson Moon aka Wil. **Note: We never learn Wil’s community or nation of people, so I wish I could provide a better description.
  • From their first meeting, Victoria and Wil have a spark & chemistry. Sadly, Iola’s community is filled with racism, and Wil quickly becomes an outcast. He becomes a forbidden love for Victoria.
  • We follow Victoria’s life from 17 year old to an adult woman. The story spans about 20+ years.

MY THOUGHTS
  • I started this book on a Tuesday night, and I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. I woke up early the next morning to finish, so I ended up reading it all in 13-14 hours.
  • This is the author’s debut novel, and I am surprised, as the writing is top-notch. Read skillfully paints the landscape with words and weaves a beautiful story together. I loved how easy it was to visualize & empathize with the characters.
  • Impressive character development. Victoria is a likable, relatable, & capable main character. I felt emotionally connected to the lows and the highs of her story. Also, loved the choice of a diverse love for Victoria. When we meet Victoria, she is only 17, and we get to see her beautiful journey over a few decades.
  • Victoria’s story is a heavy read, as there are many heartbreaking moments. I found myself forgetting to breathe in a few parts. As we experience lows, we get to see the rise from the ashes & follow Victoria into adulthood.
  • Although the initial part of the book starts slow & sets the stage, it’s worth it. It’s a well-plotted book, and if you trust the process, it becomes an enthralling ride.
  • There were so many intriguing themes flushed out in this one: racism, discrimination, prejudice, self-esteem, self-acceptance, gender roles, women’s roles, friendship, loss, grief, motherhood, strength, perseverance, resilience, love, loneliness.
  • Coming-of-age story. Although, after finishing, I did look into some of the historical points mentioned by the author (such as the town of Iola), so in a way, this also would fall into a historical fiction category. 

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Ended up finishing in 13-14 hrs. Sweeping coming-of-age tale of Victoria in 1940s in rural Colorado. Masterfully written & plotted. Emotionally hard to read in some parts.
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