Thanks to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the opportunity to read an advanced digital e-book, "Go as a River" by Shelley Read. "Go as a River" is the best debut novel I have read in 2023. The story encompasses first love, heartbreak, prejudice, isolation, perseverance, maturity, friendship, connections, survival, and self-discovery. This novel is inspired by the historical events surrounding the town of Iola, Colorado, before the Gunnison Rivers flood in the 1960s.

Tori meets Wilson Moon, a Native American, and they fall madly in love with one another. They meet secretly, and events unfurl. When tragedy strikes a second time, Tori leaves a secure life on the farm, goes into the mountains, and struggles to survive. Afterward, she returns to the farm and struggles to save it. Throughout her struggles, Tori remembers and reflects on the sage advice given by a loved one, "to go as the river." Tori experiences adversity and hardship but is resilient.

I will never forget Tori, a strong, beautiful woman. Again, rush to buy this book. "Go as a River is an excellent book club selection; the members of my book club chose this dazzling debut as our April 2023 book selection.

Victoria (Torie) Nash is the only female in her household and she has one purpose – to take care of her father and brother. They live in Colorado in the 1940’s. She’s lonely and yearns for a kind gesture in a home where courtesy and appreciation are absent. When a young stranger talks to her as she heads home, she is taken aback by his considerate and gentle nature. Torie’s drawn to the young man named Wilson and they start a clandestine relationship that ends suddenly. Unfortunately, Wilson’s Native American and not welcome in her community. Torie is devastated, and her life takes a turn that will haunt her for the rest of her days.

She lives in Iola, along the Gunnison River, and the town is going to be impacted by government plans for the area. Despite many disapproving. Torie leaves the home that’s been in her family for generations. She is smart in her decisions, though one particular decision has left her bereft. Readers will see her resilience and hard work ethic that sustain her as she mourns all she has lost.

Read’s main characters are wonderfully rendered. The actions of the poor in this depressed area shows how little they understand the changes they are facing. Women have few rights and the Native Americans have even less. Wilson had fled a government school for Native children and readers will wish his story had gotten more attention. His background is sketchy and his presence is brief. Learning more about his history and the world he escaped would have added to the historical reality of the book but the absence of details actually adds to the many mysterious elements.

As the landscape of Colorado changes, so must the people. Torie moves forward with her life on her own in a world that’s harsh and challenging. Her past troubles her and continually weighs on her. There is a mood of suspense that hovers over Torie, especially as she longs for resolution to her fateful decision from years earlier.

A fantastic read that gave me all the feels and will live in my head and heart for a long time to come. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I started it

<i>Go As A River</i> by Shelley Read is a stunningly written book about how every detail and decision in a life can change its trajectory. This book is full of heartbreak and hope, with both the understanding of choices that <i>must</i> be made, as well as the ability to grasp decisions that <i>can</i> be made.

Growing up in rural Colorado in the 1940s, Victoria is the only female in a houseful of men. Her father, uncle, and brother, all dealing (or rather, not) with their own pasts, create a lonely place for Torie to call home. When she experiences forbidden love and witnesses extreme racism, she is forced to decide between her family and her unborn child. Torie's journey of hardship and heartbreak--influenced by her family, her past, and her future--leads her to forge her own life, to lose what she loves most dearly, to hold on to and grow herself and her family's farm. It is a story of difficulty and loss, of hope and absolution. It is a story of the journey life takes, and what one can do with what they are given.

I loved the writing and the concept for the plot but felt the pacing was off

The first third of the novel was outstanding. I couldn’t put this novel down…until it became tedious and slow. Characters, who I was just getting to know were written out of the plot too early, After the first third of the book, it was too drawn out and not much happened. I think there were some plot devices like the town flooding that were unnecesary and would have loved more character development.

This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

A healing story for those who are lost.
River will pamper you, let your thoughts go naturally. Blow your grieveness away. Listen to the river and beautiful stories it's telling you

Fittingly I just read something the other day about Bildungsroman genre novels!! Is this a new to you word or genre too? Actually you as a reader probably have read many novels of this genre before and just didn’t know they were called that or could fit in that genre! Now you can pull that fancy big vocabulary word out at your next book club discussion or trivia nite! Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines BILDUNGSROMAN as:
“literature : a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character.
Bildungsroman is the combination of two German words: Bildung, meaning "education," and Roman, meaning "novel." Fittingly, a bildungsroman is a novel that deals with the formative years of the main character, and in particular, with the character's psychological development and moral education.” Serendipitously after I had read about this genre, GO AS A RIVER was next on my TBR stack in preparation for the Indianapolis Book and Author Luncheon!

Shelley Read writes about a young girl in Colorado struggling to live as the lone female on her family peach orchard with her younger brother, father, and disabled veteran uncle after her mother, aunt, and cousin have all passed away in an automobile accident. However, the day she crosses paths with a handsome young Indian drifter passing through her small town, her world and that of countless others change as a result. The reader will then follow Victoria through the next 20+ years of her life, through ups and downs, valleys and peaks, and life’s crossroads. The author Read fills the pages with beautiful prose capturing the joys and hardships of nature and the Land as well as the twists and turns of Life. She tackles prejudice, ostracism, and the sweet grittiness that Life can hold. Shelley brings a thoughtful and introspective depth with GO AS A RIVER, along with varied interesting characters to capture the reader.

I look forward to hearing soon more behind the scenes details and diving even deeper into this newly published release from Shelley Read at the Indpls Book & Author Luncheon!

AMAZING!! I couldn't have loved this book more! This will be a top contender for my favorite book of 2023 for sure! Easily a 5 star read for me! If you loved where the crawdads sing, you will love this one too!!

Wow, wow, WOW! Every so often, you’ll come across a major stunner of a book. A book that totally takes you by surprise, sweeps you off your feet, and breaks your heart in two. Go as a River by Shelley Read is just that book for me. I took my sweet time with this novel. The writing is so thoughtful, delicate, lyrical, and meant to be savored. I did not want it to end, and was truly bummed out when it did. Victoria Nash is a character that I’ll never ever forget. She’s vulnerable, yet tough as nails, brave as heck, hardworking, wise beyond her years, and extremely admirable. Her mother died when she was a young girl, so she was forced to grow up quickly, and take over as the woman of the house. All of the domestic duties in a home full of men were now her responsibility. A tragic incident occurs, and Victoria makes the difficult decision to leave. What follows is a journey full of self-reflection, resilience, strength, and growth. Victoria will win you over in no time at all.

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:
- Coming-of-age stories
- Slow-burning historical fiction
- Character studies
- Books about nature
- Books set in Colorado
- Complex family dynamics
- Father/daughter relationships
- Authors like Kristin Hannah & Glendy Vanderah
- Themes of motherhood, family, friendship, loss, grief, and healing

There’s no doubt about it, Go as a River will definitely have a spot on my top ten list of 2023. I won’t be surprised if I eventually name it my favorite of the year. It deserves every single star in the sky. 5/5 stars!

Thank you to the publisher, Speigel And Grau, and NetGalley for an electronic copy to read in advance. GO AS A RIVER published February 28th, and is now available!

Torrie has lived in the same house in a small town her entire life located on a peach farm. When Wilson Moon walks into her life, she will never be the same. Forced to flee into the rugged wilderness causes Torrie to really evaluate her life, family, and sense of belonging.

After reading so many positive reviews from so many trusted people, I had high hopes for this one. And it was indeed good. I really loved the last 20% of the book. However, I really struggled with all the backstory required in the first 80% of the book. If everyone else hadn't already said it was worth the read, I probably would have DNF'd it. What captured me was the writing and imagery - it was absolutely beautiful. I could picture the scenes playing out so vividly on a sweeping Colorado landscape. It put the travel bug in me to go visit this magnificent corner of the world. So I’m not sure what to tell you about reading it. Maybe? I did tell my mom to read it, and she absolutely loved it. So it’s probably just me.

CW: pregnancy, labor, delivery, survivalist, bigotry, adoption, drugs, alcohol

CW: racial slurs and very problematic writing of a Native character.

I took major issue with the way that this book was using slurs to describe the Indigenous character of this book, even though the book is situated in a historic setting (post-WWII Colorado). Several characters even "mis-race" the character, which opens up even more slurs used against him. While it's clear that the characters using the slurs aren't great people, I still though this was very problematic.

In addition, the characters felt underdeveloped and the Indigenous character felt like a token character, and this just felt really uncomfortable to me.

his is a book I’ve had my eye on for quite awhile and was eagerly awaiting its release. It lived up to all of my expectations and then some.

This story follows the life of Victoria Nash, a teenager living and working on her family’s peach farm in the 1940’s. We watch as Victoria grows up, and follow her life as she makes choices that will ultimately shape her future.

This is a story about sacrifice, and about love. Victoria is one of the strongest female protagonists I’ve read about and I really admired her resilience throughout the years.

The writing is so beautiful and descriptive I truly felt myself being transported to the mountains of Colorado while reading. And I loved how vivid the setting was in my mind.

This is one of my favourite books I’ve read so far this year. It was really touching and I definitely teared up a little bit near the end of the story. I can only hope that this book takes off and gains more popularity, because it truly deserves more hype.

I highly recommend this one for anyone who is a fan of historical fiction, stories about strong women, and beautiful descriptive writing.

Go As a River by Shelley Read

“Just as a single rainstorm can erode the banks and change the course of a river, so can a single circumstance of a girl’s life erase who she was before.”

Inspired by true events surrounding the destruction of Iola, Colorado, in the 1960s, this lyrical and poignant novel immediately captured me.

Seventeen-year-old Victoria is the only surviving female in a family of troublemaking, frightening men. She runs the household on a peach farm in Iola, Colorado.

A chance encounter with drifter Wilson Moon leads to heartache, decisions, and new-found strength. When the government plans to flood Iola, situated along the Gunnison River, Victoria leaves her past behind and creates a new life for herself. And another chance encounter changes her path yet again.

A beautiful, moving story.

I really enjoyed this book, I loved the story and Tori and the other characters and I could not stop reading.

What a beautiful debut from a phenomenal writer. I am from the area that the book is set and know Shelley personally. Her vivid descriptions of the environment does this mountain setting justice and transports all of her readers to a different time and place. She so fully encompasses the coming of age experience, and the rural resiliency it takes to survive and thrive on Colorado's Western Slope. All of the praise she has received for her masterpiece is well deserved and I look forward to sharing this book with our community.

📙”Go As A River” by Shelley Read

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A debut historical fiction novel filled with beautifully picturesque writing. Set in the 1940’s, Victoria Nash, 16, is the only female in her house after the death of her mother and aunt. It’s a household of men (her Dad, brother, and a disabled WWII veteran uncle) all living on a rural peach farm in Iola, Colorado. One day Torie goes into town with some late season peaches, and finds Wilson Moon, a Native American drifter. Though their meeting is short, it ignites a spark within them both that will lead to both passion and danger. Wil changes Torie’s life forever, and the novel follows her story for over 4 decades. The mountains and wilderness surrounding the Gunnison River form a beautiful backdrop for the passion, betrayal, heartache, loneliness of the story but ultimately a mother’s resilient love.

The story is so well crafted I was instantly
invested and absorbed, and very sad when I turned the last page.

This book was beautifully written. I loved the beginning of this book. Her relationship with Wil made me want to keep reading. Once we got to the part about her coming off the mountain, I got a little angry with MC’s decision. I know it was on a whim, but how come she didn’t try to go back to her dad’s house or Ruby-Alice Akers’ house? Still a great book though!

Heartbreaking yet uplifting. The responsibilities placed on 12 year old Victoria when her mother passes are tremendous, yet she meets them with a strength of character seldom seen. I look forward to future books from this author.

Historical fiction at its finest, this literary telling of one woman's life story entwined with the displacements of her whole town when a new dam was built delivers a perfect book club worthy discussion experience.

Beginning in Iola, Colorado in the late 40s and continuing into the Vietnam War era, Victoria's story of surviving tragedy after tragedy and growing into herself is told with heart and will lead the reader down a research rabbit hole.