Rips [Paperback]

Peter Owens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 2000

Historical fiction about a St. Lawrence river island caught in the crossfire between French, English, American, and Indian combatants.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Fast, furious, funny and moving .... the kind of book you cruise through in three days -- and then read again. -- Randall Jones from Philadelphia, PA United States

Rips is a great historical novel full of action, adventure, romance and memorable characters.... I highly recommend this book. -- Ernest Hebert, author of The Old American, The Dogs of March

Rips is a heck of a good yarn... a series of adventures that affirm the power of the human spirit. -- Dorothy Ryan from Westport, MA USA

About the Author

Peter Owens' immersion in life on the St. Lawrence River began at the age of six. Within moments of arriving at his grandfather's island in early May, 1951, Owens slipped on a dock and fell into the frigid water. Mr. Owens has traveled several times each year to the great river where he owns the last of several islands held by his family over four generations. He now lives most of the year with his wife on Cape Cod where he raised two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: PublishAmerica; 1 edition (September 9, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893162559
• ISBN-13: 978-1893162556
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,961,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rips is beautiful and exciting--a winner, January 15, 2001

By 

"sstuartca" (CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rips (Paperback)

Early in Peter Owens' fine novel Rips, Everett, a trapper and
fisherman on the St. Lawrence River, declares the central theme of
this work: "Ain't nothin' worse than a channel current goin one
way and the wind goin the other. That rip'll kill yah." The
unknown and deceptive can spell disaster.

Surviving in the North
American wilderness of the 1750s on the frontier between Quebec and
New York required a keen understanding of wind, water, sailing, the
river, Indians, soldiers, mariners and other people of all kinds, not
to mention bugs, animals and plants, and most important, the
all-pervasive, murderous weather. This thrilling tale skillfully
weaves the lives of six people as they fight to stay alive and
together in conditions that demand resourcefulness, experience and
courage.

Everett lives on an island in the St. Lawrence with the
widowed Ella, whom he has rescued from her burnt-out cabin, and her
son, Jamie. When the novel begins, Everett is trying hard to be a
father to Jamie, help Ella through the loss of her husband and to
steer clear of the warring French, British, Huron, Mohawk and
Iroquois, as well as protect them from thieving rival trappers and
fishermen; but the outside world keeps intruding on their already hard
life.

The fortunes of Everett, Ella, Jamie and their friends Lucy,
a half Iroquois trading post owner, Henri, a deserter from the French
navy, and Gilles, a French ship's officer, intertwine and fragment in
ways that are sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, and always exciting
as they risk their lives to help one another. We come to know these
people intimately and to share the author's affection for them, and
along the way we learn a lot about the human spirit and an
appreciation for the realities of survival.

Clearly Owens has a
vast knowledge of the period and place he creates for us, and tells
his story in some of the most beautifully written scenes I have ever
read. With wisdom and compassion his muscular prose leads us through
myriad complex adventures. Whether Everett and his friends are trying
to stay afloat in crushing ice, flying like the wind across the
river's surface in an ice boat, or crawling on their bellies through a
frozen swamp with a band of Indians, the writing carries us along with
the sureness and depth of the St. Lawrence itself. Rips is a deeply
affecting and exciting novel.

I look forward to seeing other books
by this talented author.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!, January 24, 2002

By 

Jerry D. Mohrlang "Author of Sarawak and Muja... (Parachute, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rips (Paperback)

Owens' fabulous characters and his descriptions of the Island where they lived and the times in which they lived as well as his attention to the changing conditions of their intertwined lives made me feel like I was one of them. I shivered in the snow and ice with Everett, salivated when Henri explained a dish he would cook, shuddered at the torture of Father Ray and through it all, prayed that they would all be spared from the harsh environment and the many challenges each of them faced. For the historical/adventure buff, this is a terrific read. I hope there is a sequel in the making.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rips, January 4, 2001

By 

Chris E. Wiggins (Pascagoula, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rips (Paperback)

Rips provides an exciting look at the French and Indian War from a unique perspective, inhabitants of an island in the St. Lawrence River. The book reminded me of the recent movie (and classic work) LAST OF THE MOHICANS.