Customer Reviews

The River

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I must admit that my first inclination is to grab fantasy books which tend to be exciting and fun. So when I started reading THE RIVER by Mary Jane Beaufrand I wanted more pizzaz and drama. But although it's not an action packed drama the book kicks off with a bang when Ronnie (Veronica) finds her friend Karen dead in the nearby River. Karen isn't just a friend, she's more like an adopted little sister to Ronnie who's been pushed aside by her large family and found a companion in Ronnie. But with Karen's death, Ronnie doesn't understand how this sure-footed explorer can drown in the River she knows so well. Shortly after Ronnie finds she needs to be mindful of her safety and finds the River holds many secrets and mysteries of her own that are a threat to Ronnie and her friends and family.

The story unfolds like a rug. At first slower and it speeds up to that action packed drama I wanted! It crashes and booms like the River and I was not only left gasping for air but also teary eyed. Beaufrand tells a vivid story with beautifully descriptive imagery that transports you to this little town in Washington. Her angst and turmoil are wretched and ring true as you followed Ronnie through her difficult journey.

I was most captivated by Beaufrand's beautiful writing style and as the pages came to an end, I was left wanting more from this author. But in the end I was satisfied and it has taught me a lesson: Realistic Fiction can be just as exciting and dramatic as fantasy and I can't imagine missing this heart-warming, thrilling story. In short: this book was amazing!

Ronnie understood why her family (plus some additional "foster" members) decided to move from exciting Portland, Oregon to tiny, boring Hoodoo, Oregon. But she misses her friends, Starbucks, Nordies - and starts to run (literally) to offset the boredom.

She finds out that everyone knows your business in a small town. But one bright spot to her, surprisingly, is her young friend Karen, who starts showing her the hidden highlights of living in her new nature-driven environment.

But then Ronnie finds the body of Karen in the river and the rest of "The River" tells the story of Ronnie, grieving for her little friend and trying to figure out what really happened to her.

The ending was a little predictable but I enjoyed the rest of the book enough to overlook that. This is a fairly short book, written for young readers, but it kept my interest all the way through. I enjoyed the auxiliary characters and especially liked the way the romance was handled. Characters were fleshed out enough that I could picture them clearly while I was reading.

I recommend this to any young reader (probably 12 years and up) that enjoys mysteries, nature or family drama books, or any adults that want a quick, decent read.

The River is an intricate web of love, lies, loss, obession, and crime that promises to be unforgettable. Veronica is a young woman trying to find her place in a new world. Having being uprooted from her home in rural Oregon; she now finds herself in a sleepy town full of mystery. She begins to find her place with the help of a young girl named Karen, although, when running one evening she comes across a body in the river which turns out to be that of her young friend. Unable to revive Karen's little body she is distraught with failure, and soon becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her young friend. Only this mission of redemption may prove to be more than she had hoped for when it appears there may have been more to the death of this young girl. The river in this story plays a large role, almost taking on a life of it own. Expect abrupt changes of direction in this story; nothing can be taken a face value. The twist are extreme and somewhat disorienting the story lacks smooth transition for these changes, but if you follow them through you will find yourself in masterful story that will leave you questioning your own personal safety.

**Special Thanks to Little Brown Books for Young Readers for the ARC

Veronica Severance moved from the city to rural Oregon with her parents. Her father was a lawyer and got the wrong person off. They now run an inn. She is haunted by loneliness and by the chilling sounds of the Santiam, the river that runs through her backyard. Ronnie finds herself becoming close with Karen, a young girl who she babysits. But when running, she discovers Karen's body on the banks of the Santiam, the victim of a supposed accident. Ronnie feels compelled to uncover the truth, because Karen was smart and knew the woods well. She slowly becomes more obsessed with solving Karen's death, Ronnie is led deeper into the woods surrounding the river and to the dark secret hidden within it's midst.

Ronnie was an interesting character. I liked that she ran and also she didn't give up easily. I also liked how all of her neighbours had unique personality and all played a part in the story. The plot was well done. Details slowly came out on each page, which was wonderful for a suspenseful mystery. Unlike most mysteries, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. It was very original and unique, I rarely see books that are written like this. Beaufrand is an amazing writer that created a great book that I couldn't put down. I recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a mystery book, with something different to the plot.

The romance is pretty obvious and the bad guys aren't as diabolical as one would hope but overall it's a fun read.

Moving the family to a tiny town in Oregon was supposed to create a safer, simpler life for the Severance family. Ronnie's dad was a lawyer in the big city, but nerves and stress have him heavily medicated for depression. Mom has everyone working to revitalize an old inn she believes will provide income for the family, and something a bit less stressful for her husband to do. Whatever decisions were made by her parents, Ronnie feels left out and totally out of her element in Hoodoo, Oregon.

Ronnie spends most of her free time running. It occupies her and allows her to spend time along the river, the only attraction in the community that interests her. When she is not out running or busy helping her mother around the inn, she gets roped into babysitting for a nearby family. It's not really her thing, so she's quite surprised when an odd friendship forms between her and one of the children, a little girl named Karen.

Karen educates Ronnie in the ways of the countryside, especially the river and its wildlife and unpredictable beauty. Ronnie is amazed at the time she spends with the little girl, and how she comes to appreciate her new surroundings. Through Karen, Ronnie comes to know some of the locals like Ranger Dave, Gretchen, and Keith Spady. They are all people she will come to count on when tragedy strikes.

The day Ronnie discovers Karen's body in the river, her world is turned upside-down. The pint-sized adventurer was so accomplished at crossing the river on slippery rocks, and skipping stones across its waters, that it's hard to believe she met her end there. Ronnie feels like she failed her small friend when attempts to resuscitate her fail. Now, she is plagued with memories of their short time together - and a growing suspicion that her death may not have been an accident.

THE RIVER by Mary Jane Beaufrand is the story of an unusual friendship wrapped up in a mystery. Filled with frequent flashbacks of Karen's carefree days, Beaufrand weaves the stories of the two girls together. Other interesting characters and surprise twists will keep readers on their toes as they follow Ronnie's efforts to find justice for her friend.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Veronica Severance used to cruise the fancy shops, coffee houses, lit-up stages and midnight movies in the fast-paced big city of Portland, and she loved it. But then Ronnie's lawyer father has an emotional breakdown from defending too much criminal scum. First, he brings home the most recent felon's family, hoping that by fostering the desperate mom, teenage son and seven-year-old daughter, he can help make up for what he defended into freedom. And then he and Ronnie's mother (who is a chef) decide to move themselves, Ronnie and the foster family to a sleepy little town called Hoodoo and open up an inn and restaurant. Ronnie is not happy.

The family's new enterprise sits at the end of a dead-end road, deep in the forest on the edge of a river. The only reprieve Ronnie finds between surviving out in the middle of nowhere, a high school filled with country hicks, and her endless chores with the inn and restaurant is her running. When she runs, at least she feels like she's going somewhere. And it's while she's doing this that she meets Karen. The precocious 10-year-old lives down the road with her family, and Ronnie gets roped into babysitting for them. Eventually, Ronnie recognizes a real friend in young Karen, who introduces her to a whole new way of looking at the world, one with mystery, discovery and fascination.

One day, however, Karen goes missing. Thinking Karen is just off on one of her explorations, Ronnie promises to help look after she finishes with her run. But then the awful, horrible truth is discovered. Ronnie is the one who finds Karen floating in the river. Everyone assumes that Karen accidentally slipped into the spring-swollen river and drowned. Could it have been murder?

Mary Jane Beaufrand does a beautiful job creating this page-turner of a suspense novel, building depth, intensity and ambiance with her setting and characters. The deep woods and the feral river are full of secrets and the unknown, and become characters in of themselves. The humans feel real, with disappointments, flaws and hopes for a better tomorrow. Beaufrand adds some romance to spice up both the story and the plot, and cleverly weaves in flashbacks and a river spirit legend to build the mystery. THE RIVER is an enticing and satisfying thriller from an emerging writer worth keeping an eye on.

Not what I expected, but still didn't disappoint.

The novel starts off with a few so-and-so chapters that made me almost stop reading, but I pursued in hopes of an intriguing mystery. At times, Ronnie can be a bit frustrating narrator, because I really just wanted her to just open her eyes a bit and stop being so naive. It took awhile to really get to the point where Ronnie began to think that Karen's death was not accidental. Yet, once she starts feeling curious about the circumstances of Karen's death, the pace picks up. The story has some romance weaved into it, but I felt it was an unnecessary plot point (and I found the relationship a bit quick to develop). A few more secrets become a huge factor within the mystery of Karen's death, and I was quite surprised in the end with just how many mysteries were tying together.

The ending made it all worth it, because Beaufrand creates a nice big finish to wrap up all the mysterious loose ends floating about within the story. The River was thrilling, exciting, and had me nervous for quite a few chapters as I anxiously waited to discover the end.

Highlights: About halfway through the novel, the story finally gets interesting. Especially with the ending chapters, when all the suspense finally boils down to the big finish...spectacular and highly creepy. I couldn't tear myself away from all the suspense!

The characters are all pretty unique too, and their personalities seemed to shine. Yet, none of them steal the show away from our narrator, which is a very good thing.

Lowlights: The first chapter had me going "What is this?", as well as the next few. The first chapter seemed useless, and I was surprised when other "family" characters were introduced a few chapters later (I don't really know why, but it took me by surprise that they hadn't been introduced with the parents). Yet, as the story progressed, I started enjoying it more as well as the characters.

I also really wanted more drama, action, mystery...I just wanted the same feel of the middle/ending chapters to be dispersed throughout the entirety of the novel.

Yet, as a whole, The River is suspensful, shocking, and intriguing.

I bought the book for my fourteen year old daughter and read it first myself. It is a quick easy read and most of it is spent in the 15 year old girls head. I am a little prejudiced since we like to vacation in the area the story takes place and live near Portland, Oregon. My daughter has liked it and seems to identify with the struggles the main character has. All in all a good book.

I'm surprised at the positive reviews here. I found the basic premise of the book (teenage girl's loss of 10 year old best friend) unconvincing, the voice weak, and the characterization lacking. Always scouting out books for my students, I commenced the book expecting one thing (a girl's attempt to get to the bottom of a young child's murder) and found before too long that the author was carrying me in a different direction (teen romance, social scene plot). I read 2/3 of the book and frankly didn't care enough for the characters, the problem, and the imprecise and random use of language--e.g.(among other examples)Ronnie's dad "overnights" her a cell phone when hers is stolen--to complete the book. I consider the time I did spend on the book a waste. I'm puzzled that it was accepted for publication.