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The Inn at Shining Waters #1
River's Song: The Inn at Shining Waters Series - Book 1 by Melody Carlson
Following her mother's funeral, and on the verge of her own midlife crisis, widow Anna Larson returns to the home of her youth to sort out her parents' belongings, as well as her own turbulent life. For the first time since childhood, Anna embraces her native heritage, despite the disdain of her vicious mother-in-law. By transforming her old family home on the banks of the Siuslaw River into The Inn at Shining Waters, Anna hopes to create a place of healing--a place where guests experience peace, grace, and new beginnings. Starting with her own family . . . "Melody Carlson painted a serene and unforgettable sense of place that came alive with shimmering waters, one woman's dream, life-changing wisdom, and characters I care about ... I'm seriously hooked on the series!" -- Kathy Herman, author of Secrets of Roux River Bayou Series and the Sophie Trace Trilogy "Melody Carlson's River's Song eased through me gently layer by layer, deeper and deeper. This story of re-awakening or renewal appears deceptively simple but wields great emotional power. I look forward to book 2 in The Inn at Shining Rivers series." -- Lyn Cote, Author ofHer Abundant Joy
"In River's Song, Melody Carlson beautifully tells a generational story of a family living alongside the banks of Oregon's Siuslaw River. Told with sensitivity and insight the story includes a Native American thread, deals with issues of abuse, and weaves an ending full of redemption and grace. I can't wait to read the next novel in the series!" Leslie Gould, Beyond the Blue and co-author of The Amish Midwife and The Amish Nanny, with Mindy Starns Clark
g her old family home on the banks of the Siuslaw River into The Inn at Shining Waters, Anna hopes to create a place of healing--a place where guests experience peace, grace, and new beginnings. Starting with her own family . . .
"In River's Song, Melody Carlson beautifully tells a generational story of a family living alongside the banks of Oregon's Siuslaw River. Told with sensitivity and insight the story includes a Native American thread, deals with issues of abuse, and weaves an ending full of redemption and grace. I can't wait to read the next novel in the series!" Leslie Gould, Beyond the Blue and co-author of The Amish Midwife and The Amish Nanny, with Mindy Starns Clark
g her old family home on the banks of the Siuslaw River into The Inn at Shining Waters, Anna hopes to create a place of healing--a place where guests experience peace, grace, and new beginnings. Starting with her own family . . .
Paperback
First published July 11, 2011
42 people are currently reading
563 people want to read
About the author
Melody Carlson
418 books3,265 followersMelody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus.
She also writes many teen books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series.
Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.
She also writes many teen books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series.
Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
January 17, 2022
Following her mother's funeral, and on the verge of her own midlife crisis, widow Anna Larson returns to the home of her youth to sort out her parents' belongings, as well as her own turbulent life. For the first time since childhood, Anna embraces her native heritage, despite the disdain of her vicious mother-in-law. By transforming her old family home on the banks of the Siuslaw River into The Inn at Shining Waters, Anna hopes to create a place of healing--a place where guests experience peace, grace, and new beginnings. Starting with her own family . . . "
"In River's Song, Melody Carlson beautifully tells a multi-generational story of women in a family living alongside the banks of Oregon's Siuslaw River. Told with sensitivity and insight the story includes a Native American thread, deals with issues of abuse, and weaves an ending full of redemption and grace. Character development is very well done and connects all the books in this trilogy.
"In River's Song, Melody Carlson beautifully tells a multi-generational story of women in a family living alongside the banks of Oregon's Siuslaw River. Told with sensitivity and insight the story includes a Native American thread, deals with issues of abuse, and weaves an ending full of redemption and grace. Character development is very well done and connects all the books in this trilogy.
December 30, 2024
I absolutely LOVED this book. THIS is one of Melody Carlsons best books. I'm a big ole sucker for unique settings and this book definitely has it. While there were very little faith based themes, it's clean and a great story. So glad this is a series.
The story follows an underdog, Anna, who has lost a lot by middle age and is not in a good living situation. She is pretty much in bondage to her situation. She goes home to a very rural area on the river after her mother passes away, and the story that follows is one of a middle aged woman rediscovering hope and life again. I wont spoil it, nor the setting that I have come to adore, but will just give you one tiny peak into the setting. The way the people who live in this area get around to see one another or into "town", is by small boats along the river. Ah! I just love it. Anna's grandmother was Native American, and that plays a significant part of the story as well. It was rich in Native American culture with some tid bits of history mixed in there as well. I also loved each one of the characters! Well, most of the characters. Moving on to the second book in the series immediately. This story almost has a chick lit feel, and is like a balm for the soul for any reader who may be in the middle of life and pursuing healing.
The story follows an underdog, Anna, who has lost a lot by middle age and is not in a good living situation. She is pretty much in bondage to her situation. She goes home to a very rural area on the river after her mother passes away, and the story that follows is one of a middle aged woman rediscovering hope and life again. I wont spoil it, nor the setting that I have come to adore, but will just give you one tiny peak into the setting. The way the people who live in this area get around to see one another or into "town", is by small boats along the river. Ah! I just love it. Anna's grandmother was Native American, and that plays a significant part of the story as well. It was rich in Native American culture with some tid bits of history mixed in there as well. I also loved each one of the characters! Well, most of the characters. Moving on to the second book in the series immediately. This story almost has a chick lit feel, and is like a balm for the soul for any reader who may be in the middle of life and pursuing healing.
July 13, 2020
I enjoyed the setting, the time era and I especially liked the character, Hazel. I think that I kept reading it because of Hazel but then she wasn't the main character. Overall I think that the storyline lacked originality, oh my that sounds harsh. I am not sure if I will continue with the rest of the series.
November 13, 2011
Alrighty.... So, overall, I liked the book. I liked the setting (river front in Oregon shortly after WWII). I liked the issues the book dealt with: allegiance to family, love, self-discovery, community, and racial prejudice. The main character is half Native American, half white. This is a problem for her as her mother-in-law is pretty racist. The main character, Anna, has been through tragic life events before and during the book's plot line.
I didn't care for Anna's daughter. I felt like her personality was exaggerated a little too much. I was distracted from the relationship between mother and daughter by Lauren's personality.
The ending seemed very rushed. I liked it, don't get me wrong, but it was quite predictable and, again, very rushed.
I don't know if I'll actively seek out to read the rest of the books in the series, but I have thought about the book off and on since finishing it, so it did make an impression on me. It was a good experience.
I didn't care for Anna's daughter. I felt like her personality was exaggerated a little too much. I was distracted from the relationship between mother and daughter by Lauren's personality.
The ending seemed very rushed. I liked it, don't get me wrong, but it was quite predictable and, again, very rushed.
I don't know if I'll actively seek out to read the rest of the books in the series, but I have thought about the book off and on since finishing it, so it did make an impression on me. It was a good experience.
March 31, 2021
Very good.
August 2, 2011
Anna Larson feels the pull of returning home. Back to the home she shared with her parents and her grandmother, back to the love of the land beside the still river. Returning home following her mother's funeral, Anna returns back home to the river, where she is making final arrangements on her parents property that hugs 40 acres of river and forest land. Once a small market, the home is long overgrown with weeds and a closed sign still hangs in the cob-web filled window.
She should have returned home sooner. Back to her childhood home, back to the love of her mother and back to her roots as a Native American. Spending her years carrying for her husband that came back from the war wounded more than just losing his arm, he also carried some deep emotional wounds as well. Never being good enough for more that just taking care of the house and cooking, Anna wasn't even good enough for her mother-in-law Eunice. Being classified as a less than human being because of her culture, Eunice kept Anna in her home after her son passed away from his war wounds and partly to care for her granddaughter, Lauren, who was becoming more like her rich, snobby grandmother every day.
Now that Anna has come home, the land calls to her once more. Remembering all the "old ways" from her grandmother from basket making to collecting old stories has kept her heritage alive. Sharing the river with an old college student named Hazel whose working on her doctriate by studying old Indian tribes, she finds companionship and solace in sharing her background and life with Hazel. Hazel inspires her to transform her home into a Bed and Breakfast, since the house is so large and she has plenty of land to build on. Now she is pulled in two different directions, will she return home to take care of the house for Eunice and Lauren or will she use the land and river to heal the hearts that come to stay at the Inn by the Still Waters?
I received the novel, River's Song by Melody Carlson, compliments of Glass Road Public Relations for my honest review and found my blood pressure at ease, my stress level lower than it has been in some time, as I found myself a silent character being cared for by Anna Larson. Just the words that Melody uses to describe the land and the way the water of the river sparkled like diamonds in the sun, paints such a vivid picture, you find yourself disappointed when you realize your not really there. I highly recommend this book and award it 5 out of 5 stars. For those seeking a place of tranquility and peace, you'll find it with Anna Larson beside the Siuslaw River in Oregon.
She should have returned home sooner. Back to her childhood home, back to the love of her mother and back to her roots as a Native American. Spending her years carrying for her husband that came back from the war wounded more than just losing his arm, he also carried some deep emotional wounds as well. Never being good enough for more that just taking care of the house and cooking, Anna wasn't even good enough for her mother-in-law Eunice. Being classified as a less than human being because of her culture, Eunice kept Anna in her home after her son passed away from his war wounds and partly to care for her granddaughter, Lauren, who was becoming more like her rich, snobby grandmother every day.
Now that Anna has come home, the land calls to her once more. Remembering all the "old ways" from her grandmother from basket making to collecting old stories has kept her heritage alive. Sharing the river with an old college student named Hazel whose working on her doctriate by studying old Indian tribes, she finds companionship and solace in sharing her background and life with Hazel. Hazel inspires her to transform her home into a Bed and Breakfast, since the house is so large and she has plenty of land to build on. Now she is pulled in two different directions, will she return home to take care of the house for Eunice and Lauren or will she use the land and river to heal the hearts that come to stay at the Inn by the Still Waters?
I received the novel, River's Song by Melody Carlson, compliments of Glass Road Public Relations for my honest review and found my blood pressure at ease, my stress level lower than it has been in some time, as I found myself a silent character being cared for by Anna Larson. Just the words that Melody uses to describe the land and the way the water of the river sparkled like diamonds in the sun, paints such a vivid picture, you find yourself disappointed when you realize your not really there. I highly recommend this book and award it 5 out of 5 stars. For those seeking a place of tranquility and peace, you'll find it with Anna Larson beside the Siuslaw River in Oregon.
November 3, 2011
Melody Carlson's River Song eased through me gently layer by layer, deeper and deeper. This story of re-awakening or renewal appears, deceptively simple but wields great emotional power. I look forward to, book 2 in The Inn at Shining Rivers series.
June 28, 2012
It would be a five star if you are one of those that likes a story that everything turns out perfect and beautiful...and not real to life at all!
April 14, 2022
Anna Larson returns to her childhood home on the Siuslaw River following the death of her mother and, in taking stock of her life, decides that maybe she should stay. She was raised by her Native American mother to be ashamed of her heritage, although we learn that that was mostly due to the racism of the times, before and during the great depression. In fact, the casual racism Anna experienced at the hands of her mother-in-law made me quite uncomfortable, which it should. She was truly a monster, and Anna made a good choice in getting away from her. To that end, Anna decided to transform her childhood home (which was a local grocery store when she was growing up) into an inn, thus transforming herself as well.
My favorite thing about this book was the setting. The descriptions were beautiful and made me want to visit the river myself as soon as possible. The characters were well-written, but I didn't feel particularly invested in them. I felt more like the setting and Anna's grandmother's history were more of a draw than the main characters. And don't get me started on Anna's daughter, who was a spoiled brat and not likeable at all. I didn't feel like she added anything at all to the story,
Overall, I enjoyed this book but didn't feel invested in it. It was well-written, it just didn't connect with me.
3.5/5 stars.
My favorite thing about this book was the setting. The descriptions were beautiful and made me want to visit the river myself as soon as possible. The characters were well-written, but I didn't feel particularly invested in them. I felt more like the setting and Anna's grandmother's history were more of a draw than the main characters. And don't get me started on Anna's daughter, who was a spoiled brat and not likeable at all. I didn't feel like she added anything at all to the story,
Overall, I enjoyed this book but didn't feel invested in it. It was well-written, it just didn't connect with me.
3.5/5 stars.
December 28, 2022
This book takes place in the 60's when racism was the norm. Anna Larson is part Native American. Her mother tried to assimilate into the white culture. But her grandmother held to the traditional ways. After Anna's mother passes away, she returns home to sort through memories and the estate. She finds returning home comforting. In the Siuslaw area of Oregon, she finds peace. Her marriage was difficult and her husband has since passed away. Her mother-in-law is mean, derogatory, and treats Anna like a slave. In the Siuslaw Forest on the river, Anna finds freedom.
I usually don't like books set in this time period, but I am familiar with the area and found it fun to read of places I know. I like how Anna comes into herself and her heritage. It is inspirational to see her grow.
I usually don't like books set in this time period, but I am familiar with the area and found it fun to read of places I know. I like how Anna comes into herself and her heritage. It is inspirational to see her grow.
May 3, 2020
Might have been a good book
I usually finish a book even if I don't like it but I just couldn't do this one. The storyline is good, I liked the characters, and actually thought I might be interested in the series. However, the book is a mess. Did anyone even proofread it? Missing spaces between sentences, no distinguishing between speakers was bad enough but then the added distraction of text that is clearly out of place, repeatedly. I had to stop reading. I have been a proofreader, I know what the job entails. If you had a proofreader or even an editor, you should fire them. I would love to read this book when the errors are corrected. I think it will be a good one.
I usually finish a book even if I don't like it but I just couldn't do this one. The storyline is good, I liked the characters, and actually thought I might be interested in the series. However, the book is a mess. Did anyone even proofread it? Missing spaces between sentences, no distinguishing between speakers was bad enough but then the added distraction of text that is clearly out of place, repeatedly. I had to stop reading. I have been a proofreader, I know what the job entails. If you had a proofreader or even an editor, you should fire them. I would love to read this book when the errors are corrected. I think it will be a good one.
September 30, 2018
BORING! Unless your dream is to create a bed and breakfast and you relish the steps to cleaning a cabin, cooking breakfast, and redecorating, read something else. I felt like the author was living out details of her dream through her character. I liked the development of the main character, but why does she need a man to help her see the truth?
Her writing style also drove me crazy. Everything was "somewhat...," "rather...," "a bit...." My creative writing teacher would have used up all the ink in his red pen. State what you mean; don't hedge; find a better word!
Her writing style also drove me crazy. Everything was "somewhat...," "rather...," "a bit...." My creative writing teacher would have used up all the ink in his red pen. State what you mean; don't hedge; find a better word!
April 17, 2019
Probably more 3 1/2 stars - a feel-good book about a woman finding herself after years being other peoples' doormat. Gently told, with details about housework and renovations that I enjoyed, although there is no wow moment to give it a bit of pizazz. I do wish she hadn't needed a man to make her see the way forward! I have the other books in the trilogy so will read them as easy, comfortable reads.
May 12, 2021
3.5 stars This was a good, simple, laid back story set in 1960’s Oregon. I enjoyed the setting along the Siuslaw River and the time period. A woman with Native American heritage moves back to her childhood home and learns to be her true self again while turning her family’s property in to the Inn at Shining Waters. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a simple, feel good story. This hit the spot. This is the first book of a trilogy.
May 29, 2025
A mid century romance.
This book set in the 1950's is delightfully different. A time when the phone was on the wall in the kitchen and ladies wore gloves and a hat to go to town. An era when racial differences were often misunderstood. This is a reminder that forgiveness and love can overcome hurts, misuse and hardship and bring healing and wholeness and a sweet romance.
This book set in the 1950's is delightfully different. A time when the phone was on the wall in the kitchen and ladies wore gloves and a hat to go to town. An era when racial differences were often misunderstood. This is a reminder that forgiveness and love can overcome hurts, misuse and hardship and bring healing and wholeness and a sweet romance.
September 4, 2018
Pretty predictable. Clean language. Sentimental romance. Interesting history about the native americans in this specific area, but it was unclear exactly what area on the Oregon coast was the setting for the story.
April 27, 2019
Good read. Very satisfying. I highly recommend it
I would have liked more mentions of God and the power of prayer. I can't believe it took me so long to read this
Now I am hooked on this series!
I would have liked more mentions of God and the power of prayer. I can't believe it took me so long to read this
Now I am hooked on this series!
March 10, 2021
Christian historical non-fiction written about the state of Oregon, native American Indians, redemption and forgiveness. Good, easy, read with some pretty important coincidences making the story line draw to an easy to guess ending.
September 15, 2021
If you like the Hallmark Channel type of movies about dysfunctional families, you'll like this book (and probably the rest of the series). It was just too predictable for me. I knew how the story would end halfway through the reading--no surprises.
May 16, 2022
Absolutely loved this book! I was lucky enough to pick up the next books in the series at my library! Have my days filled up with the continuing saga. Very interesting and entertaining characters. Can’t wait to see where the next two books take me!
November 30, 2025
I enjoyed this book. The pace was relaxing, just like the river. I liked the characters, the Native American thread that was preserved, and the setting. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
August 23, 2017
The story was pretty good, but the editing was so very poor.... wow. I don't know if I have seen any worse, and it wasn't even self published. Really, there is no excuse.
December 19, 2017
I enjoyed this book. It demonstrates a woman who has been invalidated for years actually making her own decisions and moving her own life forward in a way that pleases her.
February 6, 2018
Interesting, well-written.
April 24, 2019
I loved the setting and characters. I will definitely read the series. Pretty predictable though.
July 31, 2020
So So book. I liked many parts but it seemed a little off. Only problem is now I am invested and sort of want to read the next too.
March 2, 2021
Nothing great, nothing awful, just kind of there for me.
March 25, 2021
I enjoyed the world that Melody Carlson created here. Just a delightful dream. And I'm glad there are a couple of books following this one.
October 2, 2021
Just a sweet story.
June 10, 2023
Cute, clean, Christian, healing
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews