Push Not the River (Paperback)

by James Conroyd Martin (Author) "She stood motionless now, in a painter's tableau of flowers and grasses, a long distance from home, alone..." (more)
Key Phrases: Jan Michal, Anna Maria, Aunt Stella (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Tumultuous times in late 18th-century Poland are the backdrop for this stiffly written historical romance based on the unpublished diary of Countess Anna Maria Berezowska. In 1791, 17-year-old Anna, orphaned by the near-simultaneous deaths of her parents, has come to live with her aunt and uncle on their country estate. Guileless and innocent, Anna falls in love with handsome neighbor Jan Stelnicki, awakening the wrath of her conniving cousin Zofia, who wants him for herself. After Zofia orchestrates a disastrous picnic, Anna is left alone in the woods, and is brutally raped by a stranger. Married off against her will immediately after the attack, she soon discovers that she is pregnant. In the same year, the Third of May Constitution is signed by King Stanislaw, giving peasants human rights. Many Polish nobles are enraged by the new laws, and call for Catherine of Russia to deliver them. The conflict divides Poland, swallowing up Anna, Zofia and Jan, as well as Zofia's brutal brother, Walter, who signs on with Catherine. Martin devotes more space to romantic drama than to historical detail, but [his] characters are nonetheless caricaturish: even the conflicted, flamboyant Zofia fails to spring fully to life. Martin's tendency to tell rather than show slows the narrative, and few readers will make it to the overheated finale, in which Anna flees the victorious Russian army as it advances on Warsaw.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"....Push Not the River gives us a glimpse into the turbulent era of late eighteeenth century Poland and its people." -- Jennifer Donnelly, author of The Tea Rose

"....The plot never lets up; it gallops at break-neck speed through a vividly poortrayed historical landscape..." -- Jane Feather, bestselling author of Kissed by Shadows

"...River contains all the sweep and romance of the classic romantic epics...witth a heroine who remains strong ...." -- India Edghill, author of Queenmaker

"Martin's novel transports the reader 200 years into Poland's glorious past....PPush Not the River sings of a people's pride..." -- Jan Lorys, director of the Polish Museum of America

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (August 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312311532
• ISBN-13: 978-0312311537
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #49,486 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romance, intrigue, passion and patriotism in Poland, 1791-94, September 27, 2001

By	Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Push Not The River (Paperback)

This historical novel by James Conroyd Martin is based on the true story of Countess Anna Maria Berezowska, a young woman who lived through the tumultuous events in Poland during the years 1791-1794. The author discovered the diary that had been kept in sealed wax for almost two centuries by the Countess' family, and has been researching the historical period it covers for the past 25 years.

I was immediately drawn into the story of the young Anna Maria and the dramatic events that shaped her life. Orphaned at 17, she's sent to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin Zofia who is her own age. These two young women are very different and there is conflict between them throughout the book. However, the author's skill in developing Zofia's character kept the story from falling into the trap of stereotyping and these two characters emerge as complex individuals.

The story is rich with romance, intrigue, passion and love. And it's all set against a backdrop of Polish history. There's a bridge in New York City named after the patriot Tadeusz Kosciuszko, but until now I had no idea who he was. Neither did I think about how the events of the French revolution directly affected the rest of Europe and Poland in particular. I learned about these things in this book as I followed Anna Maria's story, my eyes racing over the pages and holding my breath through her many ordeals. It's a fast and easy read, and, in spite of being 608 pages long I yearned for more when it ended. Hopefully the author will sit fit to write a sequel.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Eloquent story!, January 17, 2006

By	Busy Mom (Ohio) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Push Not the River (Hardcover)

First off, on the front cover, an author compared this novel to "Gone with the Wind" and "Doctor Zhivago" ~~ while I've read "Gone with the Wind" ~~ this is not as same as that classic novel. This is an entirely different historical novel ~~ more focused on the events surrounding the main character than on the characters themselves.

It is perhaps one of the most beautifully written novels so far this year ~~ very engrossing and very much a page-turner. I was immersed with the story-line from the first sentence on.

This story focuses on a young girl, Anna Maria, who suddenly lost both of her parents in a matter of weeks. Sent to live with her aunt and uncle and cousin, Zofia, Anna finds love with the neighbor, who Zofia also has designs on. Swept up into betrayal, rape, pregnancy and other mayhem, Anna finds her voice in the growing turmoil of the civil unrest in Poland herself. Caught in the middle between Prussia, Austria and Russia, Poland was fighting for her new constitution that gave the peasants rights. On the international front, everyone was mesmerized by the events sweeping across France during her revolution.

Anna is portrayed as a sheltered young girl of the noble class and she grows up among the civil unrest. Zofia, her cousin, is not as well portrayed as Anna is and she walks among the nobles in opulent parties and masquerade balls and as the king's sometime mistress. The descriptions of the parties and lifestyles remind me of the rich and famous magazines that we see nowadays. It's opulent and sometimes just a little too much. Martin made Anna the character who thought so too.

It is a sweeping story ~~ very interesting and descriptive of the times. It is not an epic because if it was, we would read more of Anna and her family after the Praga massacre and how they survived in the new order where Poland only exists in name, not as a self-governing country.

I really enjoyed the novel and cannot wait to read more of his books. I never thought I'd enjoy reading a historical fiction on Poland ~~ but it surpassed any ideas that I had before. It is a colorful country with a rich past and it is definitely something I would like to read more of. This one is a definite addition to my favorites of historical fiction. And I hope he writes more soon!

1-17-06

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED it!, January 11, 2005

By	R. Boadway "HF Buff" (Flagsaff, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Push Not the River (Hardcover)

I could not put this book down! While at times it read a little like a soap opera, the fact that it was based on a real Countess' diary kept it real and lent the story credibility. Anna's passion for love, life and her country was inspirational and touching. I also liked the fact that while I was being entertained by an intriguing story, I was being given a wonderful history lesson as well (being from a Polish background, I am embarrassed to say all of this was new information for me). It is a novel filled with intrigue, suspense, mystery, revenge, passion, love, faith, glitter, jealousy, greed, war, death, solidarity....the list goes on and on.
Best of all, I hear that the author is in the process of writing a sequel as I speak. Can't wait!