Go as a River
A Novel
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4.4 • 935 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
* 2024 High Plains Book Award Winner * 2023 Reading the West Book Award Winner * Finalist for Goodreads Choice Award * Colorado Public Radio 2023 Books We Love *
Set amid Colorado’s wild beauty, the heartbreaking coming-of-age story of a resilient young woman whose life is changed forever by one chance encounter. A tragic and uplifting novel of love and loss, family and survival—and hope—for readers of Great Circle, The Four Winds, and Where the Crawdads Sing.
“Beautiful . . . A striking first novel of love and strength and growth, set against the forests and rivers of Colorado’s high country. Read is a gifted writer, and the book is a literary triumph.”—Denver Post
“With gorgeous descriptions of the great outdoors, an illicit love story, and an unforgettable protagonist, Go as a River offers something for everyone.”—Real Simple
Seventeen-year-old Victoria Nash runs the household on her family’s peach farm in the small ranch town of Iola, Colorado—the sole surviving female in a family of troubled men. Wilson Moon is a young drifter with a mysterious past, displaced from his tribal land and determined to live as he chooses.
Victoria encounters Wil by chance on a street corner, a meeting that profoundly alters both of their young lives, igniting as much passion as danger. When tragedy strikes, Victoria leaves the only life she has ever known, fleeing into the surrounding mountains, where she struggles to survive in the wilderness with no clear notion of what her future will bring. As the seasons change, she also charts the changes in herself, finding in the beautiful but harsh landscape the meaning and strength to move forward and rebuild all that she has lost, even as the Gunnison River threatens to submerge her homeland—its ranches, farms, and the beloved peach orchard that has been in her family for generations.
Inspired by true events surrounding the destruction of the town of Iola in the 1960s, Go as a River is a story of deeply held love in the face of hardship and loss, but also of finding courage, resilience, friendship, and, finally, home—where least expected. This stunning debut explores what it means to lead your life as if it were a river—gathering and flowing, finding a way forward even when a river is dammed.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
You’ll be captivated by this historical novel set against the harsh backdrop of rural 1940s Colorado. Since the death of her mother, Victoria has served as cook, cleaner, and farmhand to everyone on her family’s ranch. Then she meets Wilson Moon, and their forbidden love quickly blooms. Dealing with themes of heartache and healing, Shelley Read’s stunning debut takes us to Iola, Colorado, a real town that was literally washed away when the region was intentionally flooded to create the Blue Mesa Reservoir. Read’s own family has roots in the area, giving her rich, vivid insights into its history, landscape, and people. We were swept away by Go as a River.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A young woman's courage is tested in Read's affecting if undercooked debut, set in 1940s Colorado. Victoria Nash, 17 cares for her brother and father after her mother's death, while helping keep up the family's peach farm. She's stifled by the controlling men in her life, so she takes comfort in fellow teen Wilson Moon, an openhearted newcomer who returns Victoria's feelings. Because Wilson isn't accepted by Victoria's family or the community due to his Native American heritage, the couple hide their relationship. After Victoria learns she is pregnant, she flees alone to the forest for several months and has the child there. She leaves the baby with a couple she finds picnicking, in hopes the child will have a better life, and returns to her family. In the final act, set in 1970, Victoria learns of her son's life through a series of letters, and Wilson's fate becomes clear. The fleeting nature of Victoria's two important relationships leaves them a bit underdeveloped, but Read beautifully evokes Victoria's aching love for Wilson: "I wanted more of him, like a craving for sunshine hidden too long behind the clouds." Though the family story is a bit too drawn out, there are plenty of shining moments.
Customer Reviews
Spare and heartbreaking
Beautiful first person narrative of young love and deep loss and how to endure a difficult life.
A river runs
An epilogue would have been nice
Nature lover’s delight
I was swept away by the depth of sadness, the power of unspoken tenderness, and the tenacity of mother’s love expressed in this beautifully wrought novel. I can’t recommend it enough.