Customer Reviews

The Morning River

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gear fans will enjoy this authentic recreation of the American Frontier. If your not familiar with the Gear's work (he also co-authors early American novels with his wife), you can compare them to Jean Auel, William Sarabande, and Terry C. Johnston for their descriptions, historical accuracy, and believable charaters. His scholastic philisophical theories are put to the test as Richard "Dick" Hamilton ventures into the western portion of North America. Aboard a traders boat bound for a land far from civilization, Dick encounters lively individuals that will cause him to analyze all that he thought to be true. A companion named Travis teaches him through mountain logic, commom sense, and a few hard knocks. An entertaining novel with an ending that will make you want to go out and get the sequel!

I absolutely LOVED this book. I was transfixed, spellbound, couldnt put it down and felt like I was living the story as I read it. The characters are incredible and the story was wonderful. I bought the sequal "Coyote Summer" the instant it was available and have since been in correspondence with Mr Gear begging him to write a 3rd sequel. I cant stand not knowing where life took his characters. If you even slightly enjoy historical type novels set in the early American frontier this is MUST reading.

Far too many novels of this type make the mistake of following a fairly maudlin love-story plot. W. Michael Gear has managed to avoid this trap. The tale is told through two sets of eyes: those of Richard, the son of a Boston Brahmin and an ardent student of Philosophy and those of Heals Like A Willow, a woman of the Shoshoni tribe. Gear manages to give us the disparate views of the world that each of these characters perceives while maintaining the sense of believability which contributes mightily to good narrative. Unlike so many novels of this genre, these two characters go to great lengths to AVOID becoming intimate because of the inevitable cultural clash each forsees for the other. I found this approach to be far more realistic than the apparent standard of hormones triumphing over all.

As an historical work, all sides are treated with a great deal of empathy and neither side is portrayed as having any sort of "divine right". The native Americans are not portrayed as noble savages, nor are the easterners portrayed as conquering heroes. Instead Gear weaves a complex tapestry of motivation which illustrates the clash of cultures in a remarkably realistic fashion. Life is short and hard and failure is far more frequent than success in a story which seems to portray life beyond the frontier quite accurately.

You might remember Gear from the "People of the __________" series which he coauthored with Kathleen O'Neal Gear. These are quite good, but I found that the actual historical background used in "The Morning River" was a significant improvement over these earlier efforts. After ten books in that series, Gear is an extremely mature writer whose grasp of the value of detail has produced a fine work.

I feel obliged to point out that Richard and Willow will get together in the sequel to this book, "Coyote Summer". Although I haven't read it yet, I feel confident that the relationship will be handled in the same thoughtful manner as in this first book of the series.

Michael Gear's Indians, Mountain men, entrepreneurs, and even effete New Englanders ring of faithful to their time and place. This is not only a good story with finely etched characters, but good history as well

In 1825 Richard Hamilton is a wealthy, vain, arrogant foppish young Bostonian, intent upon spending his life as a philosopher, eating well-prepared foods off fine china. He knows everything about humanity and the meaning of life because he's read all the books - and he never hesitates to share his wisdom.

Richard's self-made father can't even be near him without losing patience, and decides Richard needs a good lesson in life. He sends him (kicking and screaming) off to St. Louis with $30,000 Richard is to deliver for a business deal.

On the way, Richard dismissively calls one of the steam ship's crew members an "animal". The crew member retaliates by attacking Richard after they land in St. Louis, stealing his money, then forcing him to sign a contract making him an indentured servant on a trading expedition for two years, a fate far more satisfying to the crew member (who thinks it's funny)than it would be to kill him. Everyone is threatened all around in order to ensure that Richard does his time on that expedition. And so Richard embarks on a journey experiencing life as he had never imagined it in Boston.

This is a wonderful, gripping story. The writing is excellent, the characters are colorful and well-drawn and the meticulous detail brings the American wilderness to life.

I highly recommend this book!

Picked this book up on a whim at the Atlanta airport and was pleasantly surprised. This is really a good book. Though the story of a mountain man taking a Yankee 'Doodle' under his wing may sound trite, Mr. Gear manages to pull it off - along with some thought-provoking references to works I recall from Philosophy 101 - without losing the sense of the time he is writing about. Although I usually stay away from sequels and series I intend to definitely pick up "Coyote Summer" . I highly recommend this book.

YOU JUST CAN'T FIND ANYTHING BETTER TO READ. FROM THE FIRST LINE I AM ALWAYS CAPTIVATED BY THE PROSPECT OF MEETING OLD FRIENDS INTRODUCED IN PREVIOUS WORKS. BOTH MICHAEL AND HIS WONDERFUL WIFE KATHLEEN HAVE A WAY OF TRANSPORTING THE READER TO THE TIME IN HISTORY YOU ARE READING ABOUT. I NEVER READ MORE THAN A FEW PAGES AT A TIME TO TRY TO PUT OFF THE END FOR AS LONG AS POSSIABLE. I KEEP ALL OF THIER BOOKS SO THAT I MAY READ THEM OVER AGAIN. I HOPE THEY KEEP THEM COMMING FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

After reading this book, I really dreaded it coming to an end. The follow-up book, "Coyote Summer" also comes highly recommended. You really feel like you're part of the mission/excursion. It seems like everybody who reads this book either knows someone like Richard Hamilton or can relate to him in some way. These two books showed how two different worlds could learn from each other and change their lives and the world around them.

If there is ever a book that humbles a proud knucklehead, it is this one. The character Richard Hamilton is so high on himself, your begging for him to get killed. What is so amazing is by the end of this great novel, you hardly believe it is the same person. I hope this novel becomes a movie or miniseries. It is right up there with the Wilderness series, M.Wayne Zillman's Crow Killer and Win Blevins' Rendevous.

LIVING HISTORY, BEAUTIFULLY AND ACCURATELY PRESENTED IN A STORY OF A MAN,S INNER AND OUTER SEARCH FOR HIMSELF, HIS OWN MANHOOD IN THE TIMES HE LIVED, AND HIS SEARCH FOR FOR THE TRUTH OF HIS SOUL(S).

THE AUTHOR REVEALS HIS OWN SEARCH AND HIS OWN INNER BEAUTY TO US AS HE UNWINDS A TALE OF A WILD RIVER AND THE MULTI-FACETED CIVILIZATIONS THAT LIVED, FLOURISHED, STRUGGLED, AND DIED ALONG ITS COURSE. SO MUCH LIKE THE RIVER OF LIFE ITSELF. WE ARE ALSO REMINDED OF THE DANGERS OF MAN'S ARROGANCE AND PREJUDICE, WHICH CARRY FORWARD TO THE WORLD WE ALL LIVE IN TODAY.

DON'T FAIL TO READ THE SEQUEL "COYOTE SUMMER" (AS IF ONE COULD RESIST!) AND EVERY ONE OF THE VAST TREASURE OF BOOKS BY MICHAEL AND/OR KATHLEEN GEAR. AND NO, I DON'T KNOW THEM, BUT WOULD BE HONORED TO