O River, Remember!

by Martha Ostenso

Fictional Novel, General Fiction

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1943

About the author

Martha Ostenso was a Canadian novelist and screenwriter. She is probably best known for the award-winning novel Wild Geese.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a member of the Advisory Board to the Rural Lit R.A.L.L.Y., an organization trying to save out-of-print literature of the prairie and the Great Depression (think forgotten Cathers or Steinbecks), I'm privileged to read and review books like "O River". This is a well-paced, finely written story of two families, the Wings and the Shaleens, the "haves" and the "have nots", over generations of co-existence on the Minnesota prairie. A longer review of this work, as always, may be found at www.cloquetriverpress.com.
Peace.
Mark

[John Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this historical novel at a used book store in Mankato, MN, not knowing that its setting is about where I live in Moorhead, MN and Clay County, MN. I am not sure if this book has been re-issued as this was the the original 1943 version of the book. It tells of the story of two families who settled just north of Moorhead, the Wings and the Shaleens. The book begins with the chance meeting between Norma Shaleen and Brill Wing in the Twin Cities in early 1941, as they remember the complicated connections between their two families for the past several generations because of the actions of the matriarch of the Wing family causing all sorts of harm when good close connections were formed between the children of the second generation. Now, in the third generation, Brill and Norma feel they might be able to cross this divide. The book has an interesting story line and fits what I know of the local history of Moorhead and Clay County, MN. It was a nice surprise to find this historical novel about a place I know well.

[Roberta Eagleston · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old book published in 1941
Enjoyed