Last Year's River

by Allen Morris Jones

Left pregnant following a rape, Virginia Price, a privileged debutante, heads west to bear the child away from the scandal of New York society, falls in love with Henry Mohr, a veteran of the combat of World War I, who is haunted by his abusive father and who has returned to his family's Wyoming ranch. A first novel. Reprint.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Roxy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set against the background of a beautiful and forbidding landscape, this tragedy is so beautifully told in a spare language.

[reading is my hustle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well.
I heard this was a good book.
You heard that? You heard about Allen Morris Jones?
I heard.
And you think I should read it? You think it's worth my time?
I say it is.
Well. Cough.
All right then.

Does this writing style remind you of anyone? How about Cormac McCarthy, Kent Haruf, or Annie Proulx? "Last Year's River" is an impressive debut novel that should appeal to a large audience. It is full of amazing passages about the West (specifically Wyoming and the fringes of Yellowstone), dialogue that leaves you wanting (to throttle the various characters at one time or another), and thankful to live in present times (instead of when an out-of-wedlock pregnancy meant social death). My only criticism is that the plot is somewhat predictable- especially given the flashbacks told in Virginia's voice at the beginning of each chapter.

[Bill P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pretty sure I had read Jones' book before it was initially released given the copy I have is an ARC, but when weeding through 50 years of books in boxes, I set it aside for another look. The author's prose is evocative and even lyrical in my view, and his depictions of the Wyoming countryside around Cody seems spot on from my several visits over the years. Two central characters, a rich eastern girl newly pregnant, but unmarried who is essentially in hiding during her term, and the mixed race Crow Indian stepson of the host rancher. Inevitable that they would find an "opposites attract" connection that forms the basis of the novel. In essence, Last's Year's River has most of the standard tropes of a romance, but the languid pace of the narrative and the spot on exposition of place and time is unlikely to find it shelf space in the many romance only bookstores opening nationwide I keep reading about.

[Carley Windorff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the tone and narrative descriptions, but I had a really averse reaction to the ending based on personal experience with my daughter's prematurity. Hit too close to home with her being 6 weeks early. From a literary device standpoint, I loved it. From a personal taste standpoint, I hated it. I also don't love when men try to write female characters - it's sexist but it annoys me.

[Kate H · Rating 3 out of 5]

It look my a good long while to get into this book. I set it down for over a year and when I finally finished it (because I can't stand unfinished projects) I was surprised to find that I was enjoying it!

[Geraldine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved the love story in this novel. And the Wyoming setting.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant...and true, every word and note.

[Kara · Rating 1 out of 5]

So much happened in this book, and yet every page felt like nothing was happening

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, this was a tough one to get through…

[Denise Benoit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Debut novel

p. 285. "He thinks ofball the words that mean whore, prostitute, cocotte, larlot, tart, trollop, tramp, Jezebel bawd, strewpet ???? Set in Missoula

[Sandee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It started out alittle slow, but got much better as I read. I liked it alot, even though it kind of ended alittle odd. Overall, I enjoyed it and would read more by this author.

From the book cover: Elk in the high meadows of Wyoming, a young woman come from New York to bear an out-of-wedlock child, her cowhand lover running a trapline on the snowy fringes of Yellowstone, a death and an enduring marriage - Allen Jones knows the West by heart and Last Year's River is both romantic and gritty told in accurate and evocativelanguage, utterly vivid.

This author is definately a wordsmith, beautifully lyrical.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read this book before it was actually published thanks to someone in my hometown who apparently receives advance copies of books for reviewing purposes, and promptly sells them to the used book store. Good stuff.

At any rate, it's been a while since I read it, but from what I remember the book is about an emotionally scarred woman who rediscovers herself on a ranch, or something along those lines.

Obviously, reading this book wasn't a life-changing event for me or I would remember its details more clearly, but it was well written and enjoyable to read.

[Ashleigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish it, so perhaps my rating is unfair or unfounded. However, it's very rare for me to quit a book without finishing it. I've stuck with plenty of "one star" books before. After about 60 pages I am convinced that this book is trite, pretentious, and boring. I originally thought the story would pull me in but it didn't at all. Sorry.

Oh, and I didn't purchase this book. I found it abandoned on a table full of books in the English department. Whoever put it there clearly had good taste.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning. Reminds me of Cormac McCarthy. Svelty, elegant prose that captures the spare beauty of the plains region perfectly.

I'm not sure how I've never heard of this talented novelist before, but I'm off to find his other books. Great work.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitti, I think you loaned this one to me..I don't know how long ago. I am finally getting to it:)

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love his writing style. Loved the story. I would read it again and that's saying a lot for me since I rarely read a book twice.

[Karen Hogan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Romance between a rancher's son and a new york debutante. Wanted to so like this book, but read 100 pages and just couldnt get into it.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best rough love story I've read in a long time.

[Angie Fehl · Rating 2 out of 5]

1924. New York debutante Virginia Price has been raped and subsequently becomes pregnant. She goes out West to a ranch where she can have the baby in secret. Henry Mohr, a World War 1 veteran, also comes to this ranch, needing a place to heal after the horrors he's experienced. Virginia and Henry meet and quickly discover they are polar opposites -- Virginia is all about the city life and speakeasies while Henry prefers the quiet of the country and putting his attention into breaking horses and the general running of the ranch. But they can't deny that they both fall under "lonely and looking".

I'm feeling torn here because there were elements I did enjoy about this novel but there was quite a bit that I found either boring or jarring. I liked the voice of elderly Virginia but the timeline jumping around a bunch made for an uncomfortable reading experience for me.

The prologue was promising! The flow of the prologue is what initially convinced me to give this story a try. As far as descriptive writing, there are moments of really nice imagery that carry throughout the novel but a little too often I felt Jones went overboard with it. For me, the overkill of the descriptions caused the pace of the plot to suffer and my interest in these characters was nearly flatlined by novel's end.