The River Baptists [Paperback]

Belinda Castles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

Set in a small, riverside community, this is a story of a river and the people who rely on it—such as Rose, who lives in a house overlooking the river, grieving for her dead father while waiting for her baby to be born. It is also the story of Danny, another refugee from a life elsewhere, hiding from his violent father and dreaming of owning some riverfront property. There are also the locals, the "river old-timers"—and a newcomer who cares nothing for them or the secrets of their past. Set over the course of a long, hot, tense summer, when sparks constantly threaten to ignite bushfires, this novel depicts a tight-knit society that is set afire by betrayed confidences and a renewed age-old grudge. A novel that clearly defines a people's place by a river, this story is evocative, gentle, and captivating.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Winner of the 2006 Australian/Vogel Literary Award, Castles (Falling Woman) spins a brooding and intricate contemporary saga about the denizens of an Australian riverside hamlet. Rose Baker, an author of women's erotica, lives alone and rents a small house from her sister Billie's boyfriend, James Mancini. After a brief and loveless fling with James, Rose discovers she's pregnant, but delays in telling Billie. Trying to escape from his abusive father, Danny Raine moved to the secluded village after faking his own drowning. Using the alias Danny Reynolds, he operates a local water taxi and is attracted to the lonely Rose. But Rose takes up with Kane, a drug dealer with a shady past. The other residents of the town—including a man who copes with the loss of his family by setting fires in the surrounding forest—and their various relationships are deftly interwoven, though the climax is somewhat predictable. The River Baptists of the title—euphoric churchgoers often found in their baptismal pools—give the otherwise dour narrative a glimmer of hope and redemption. (Oct.)
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About the Author

Belinda Castles is an editor and a novelist. She is the author of Falling Woman.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741751934
• ISBN-13: 978-1741751932
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,357,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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