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The Riven Country of Senga Munro
Riven: adjective, literary; alternate past participle of to rive. 1. torn apart 2. broken into pieces, split asunder.
“My daughter would have been 29 years old this year,” begins this inter-generational story. Senga Munro still blames herself two decades after her daughter’s death. A literary novel, THE RIVEN COUNTRY OF SENGA MUNRO explores the aftermath of unspeakable tragedy and what it means to be “other” in rural Wyoming: Senga sees what others can't, via the novel's thread of magical realism.
An arrow shot through time by a 19th century Indian scout jolts her awake at last. Will Senga risk the relative safety of routine and finally come to terms with her purpose and life, even as she provokes the ire of a modern-day outlaw? Senga Munro, the not-so-simple herbal simpler is earning a PhD in life’s mysteries.
We meet Senga’s friends: Gabe Belizaire, a bull rider from Louisiana with an M.F.A in Creative Writing, who chooses to live in a state where his skin color is rare; Rufus and Caroline Strickland, a sympathetic, if irascible, elderly ranching couple; Francesca Albinoni, Gabe’s Italian muse; Joe Rafaela, the hardy Franciscan; and the old Berry place folks—outlaws and proverbial snakes in the garden, of the poisonous variety.
Readers learn that resilience and grit triumph as the most useful antidotes in the bag as they journey through THE RIVEN COUNTRY OF SENGA MUNRO, Book One in THE RIVEN COUNTRY SERIES.
“My daughter would have been 29 years old this year,” begins this inter-generational story. Senga Munro still blames herself two decades after her daughter’s death. A literary novel, THE RIVEN COUNTRY OF SENGA MUNRO explores the aftermath of unspeakable tragedy and what it means to be “other” in rural Wyoming: Senga sees what others can't, via the novel's thread of magical realism.
An arrow shot through time by a 19th century Indian scout jolts her awake at last. Will Senga risk the relative safety of routine and finally come to terms with her purpose and life, even as she provokes the ire of a modern-day outlaw? Senga Munro, the not-so-simple herbal simpler is earning a PhD in life’s mysteries.
We meet Senga’s friends: Gabe Belizaire, a bull rider from Louisiana with an M.F.A in Creative Writing, who chooses to live in a state where his skin color is rare; Rufus and Caroline Strickland, a sympathetic, if irascible, elderly ranching couple; Francesca Albinoni, Gabe’s Italian muse; Joe Rafaela, the hardy Franciscan; and the old Berry place folks—outlaws and proverbial snakes in the garden, of the poisonous variety.
Readers learn that resilience and grit triumph as the most useful antidotes in the bag as they journey through THE RIVEN COUNTRY OF SENGA MUNRO, Book One in THE RIVEN COUNTRY SERIES.
355 pages, Paperback
Published November 4, 2019
5 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Renée Carrier
9 books5 followersRenée Carrier's latest work, CROFTER, A Wyoming Homestead Manual and Radical Memoir, Rooted in Place, is available as an E-Book, paperback, and hardback. CROFTER describes life on a small rural homestead, disguised as pages of a manual. Amended by recollections of her Air Force childhood, she stretches memory decades into the now.
As a child, Renée lived in France and five Southern states, “migrating” to Wyoming at eighteen to attend the university where she earned a B.A in French. "Having lived in rural Wyoming for decades, I remain its student of place."
A memoir, A SINGULAR NOTION, was published in 2006 by the Higher Shelf imprint of Pronghorn Press. In 2010 she compiled, edited, and published her fighter-pilot father's early aviation memoir as a short run. Currently out of print, a second edition is planned.
THE RIVEN COUNTRY OF SENGA MUNRO, the story of a wounded healer, nudged by the Universe, is set mostly in Wyoming, and is the first novel in Carrier's Riven Country Series. The second in the series, STARWALLOW, explores the distance between home and the journey necessary to come home to oneself. THE SIMPLER, Book III, examines obsession and madness, whether in Paris, France, a manor in Ireland, or Devils Tower in Wyoming's Black Hills.
The author and her husband, a retired school superintendent, tend an apple farm, a garden, and raise garlic and herbs—medicinal and culinary. Two children and three grandchildren live out of state. Renée is a past recipient of the Frank Neilson Doubleday Writing Award by the Wyoming Arts Council. She continues to sing and play the odd musical performance and practice family herbalism, which wends its way into her writing "like a possessed vine." She enjoys knitting, walking, reading, viewing good films, and traveling.
She is currently working on final installment of her proposed quartet, Book IV in The RIVEN COUNTRY series, tentatively titled THE EARTH IS HER OWN.
As a child, Renée lived in France and five Southern states, “migrating” to Wyoming at eighteen to attend the university where she earned a B.A in French. "Having lived in rural Wyoming for decades, I remain its student of place."
A memoir, A SINGULAR NOTION, was published in 2006 by the Higher Shelf imprint of Pronghorn Press. In 2010 she compiled, edited, and published her fighter-pilot father's early aviation memoir as a short run. Currently out of print, a second edition is planned.
THE RIVEN COUNTRY OF SENGA MUNRO, the story of a wounded healer, nudged by the Universe, is set mostly in Wyoming, and is the first novel in Carrier's Riven Country Series. The second in the series, STARWALLOW, explores the distance between home and the journey necessary to come home to oneself. THE SIMPLER, Book III, examines obsession and madness, whether in Paris, France, a manor in Ireland, or Devils Tower in Wyoming's Black Hills.
The author and her husband, a retired school superintendent, tend an apple farm, a garden, and raise garlic and herbs—medicinal and culinary. Two children and three grandchildren live out of state. Renée is a past recipient of the Frank Neilson Doubleday Writing Award by the Wyoming Arts Council. She continues to sing and play the odd musical performance and practice family herbalism, which wends its way into her writing "like a possessed vine." She enjoys knitting, walking, reading, viewing good films, and traveling.
She is currently working on final installment of her proposed quartet, Book IV in The RIVEN COUNTRY series, tentatively titled THE EARTH IS HER OWN.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 23, 2024
"Renée Carrier's novel, THE RIVEN COUNTRY OF SENGA MUNRO, draws upon elements found in both the rough magic of North Carolina's mountainous back-of-beyond and Wyoming's tough and tender landscapes. While the two iconic settings alone would draw readers in, the character of Senga places them graciously in the background. Senga Munro, raised by her self-sufficient grandparents on their small tobacco farm in North Carolina, grows up strong, righteous, independent, and compassionate. Educated in herbal arts by her grandmother and left on her own at a crucial point in her adolescence, she endures crushing loss with innate faith and a deep trust in the constancy of renewal. Carrier has created a character who can stand her ground amongst some of literature's iconic women characters, such as Antonia Shimerda, from Willa Cather's MY ANTONIA, to Claire Fraser, from Diana Gabaldon’s OUTLANDER Series. Carrier's writing carries a thread of magic throughout this book, magic contained within the character of Senga and magic without, woven through landscape, culture, mythology, and the history of her settings. THE RIVEN COUNTRY OF SENGA MUNRO is a book to be treasured in so many ways, all of them well worth getting to know better."
Morgan Callan Rogers, RED RUBY HEART IN A COLD BLUE SEA
Morgan Callan Rogers, RED RUBY HEART IN A COLD BLUE SEA
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December 24, 2019Renee is truly a gifted storyteller and in The Riven County of Senga Munro she brings you along on a tale that becomes personal to each reader in ways hard to explain.
The characters are like old friends and relations, and you find yourself wondering what they are doing while you reading about someone else.
Renee writes easily of emotions and frailties, guilt and forgiveness, happiness and grief.
And oh yes, there is quite a story going on at the same time.
A wonderful read, one you’re sorry to come to the end....but,
It’s a series!
Kevin Sweeney
Pinehurst NC
The characters are like old friends and relations, and you find yourself wondering what they are doing while you reading about someone else.
Renee writes easily of emotions and frailties, guilt and forgiveness, happiness and grief.
And oh yes, there is quite a story going on at the same time.
A wonderful read, one you’re sorry to come to the end....but,
It’s a series!
Kevin Sweeney
Pinehurst NC
May 6, 2020
It’s not like any style of writing I’ve seen. The phrasing is unique. It’s like poetry. . . A considerable accomplishment and a gift. A story peopled with whole souls; big lives lived small, made big by attention to detail. Sensual, intimate and wise, A meditation on spiritual magic and so much kindness, matter-of-fact kindness, fully expressed. In fact, all the relationships feel intensely connected...the way we are. The book creates a rumble in the reader's heart.
Linda Spears - Film and Television Production Sound Recordist
December 17, 2019
In Carrier’s debut novel, the first in The Riven Country series, the old folks of rural Wyoming and magical realism color a tale of family tragedy, regret, resilience, and long-lasting friendships.
It has been two decades since Senga Munro lost her nine-year-old daughter to a tragic accident, but the guilt still weighs heavy at her mind. With a quirky set of friends at her side and her use of her expertize in medicinal plants, Senga keeps herself busy but coming to terms with her personal grief is entirely other matter. Will Senga realize her true purpose in life?
Carrier deftly uses the protagonist’s backstory to heighten the drama, and her prose is both crisp and engrossing. She juggles the shifts from the backstory to present-day time period and vice versa with the surety of an experienced author.
Her characterization is top-notch: Senga’s resilience and strong will make her readers’ favorite immediately. Granny is at once intimidating and a darling. Gabe Belizaire, the bull rider from Louisiana with an M.F.A in Creative Writing; the grumpy Rufus and Caroline Strickland, the elderly ranching couple; the fiery Francesca Albinoni, Gabe’s Italian muse; and Joe Rafaela, the hardy Franciscan, all are thoroughly drafted characters.
Carrier captures fascinating details of how rural folks use common herbs for medicinal purposes, and the touch of magical realism add to the intrigue of the story. The intriguing finale (as Carrier takes the reader back to ancient times) leaves the reader eager for the next installment.
A thoroughly enjoyable literary tale!
It has been two decades since Senga Munro lost her nine-year-old daughter to a tragic accident, but the guilt still weighs heavy at her mind. With a quirky set of friends at her side and her use of her expertize in medicinal plants, Senga keeps herself busy but coming to terms with her personal grief is entirely other matter. Will Senga realize her true purpose in life?
Carrier deftly uses the protagonist’s backstory to heighten the drama, and her prose is both crisp and engrossing. She juggles the shifts from the backstory to present-day time period and vice versa with the surety of an experienced author.
Her characterization is top-notch: Senga’s resilience and strong will make her readers’ favorite immediately. Granny is at once intimidating and a darling. Gabe Belizaire, the bull rider from Louisiana with an M.F.A in Creative Writing; the grumpy Rufus and Caroline Strickland, the elderly ranching couple; the fiery Francesca Albinoni, Gabe’s Italian muse; and Joe Rafaela, the hardy Franciscan, all are thoroughly drafted characters.
Carrier captures fascinating details of how rural folks use common herbs for medicinal purposes, and the touch of magical realism add to the intrigue of the story. The intriguing finale (as Carrier takes the reader back to ancient times) leaves the reader eager for the next installment.
A thoroughly enjoyable literary tale!
December 19, 2021
I read a lot of books but never write reviews. I felt moved to make an exception in this case. Renee Carrier’s writing is haunting, deep, thoughtful and so descriptive. I loved rereading many of her lines, quotes, thoughts over and over to really understand the magnitude of what they were trying to say. The story line and character development was exceptional. I wonder why great books like “The Riven Country of Senga Munro” do not get more notice or readership - I think it was one of the most well written and engaging books I have read. I must confess I am also from the Northern Black Hills area so reading about the lives of the characters and places mentioned was very engaging for me. Thank you, Renee Carrier, for a great book and can’t wait to read the last two in the series.
February 27, 2021
Carrier combines love and intrigue with magical realism to build a stunning literary series set in rural Wyoming, Italy, Paris, and Ireland.
In the debut installment, Senga is struggling to realize her true purpose in life as accidental death of her only daughter, nine-year-old Emily, weighs heavy on her mind. The second installment in the series sees Senga gradually coming to terms with her grief as Sebastian, a brilliant Danish artist, comes into her life. In the third installment, Senga finds herself following a magical realism thread that takes her to Ireland. She must weigh her own ability that makes her see what others cannot see.
Carrier devotes considerable attention to developing her characters, especially Senga who is greatly affected by the tragic events of her past. The passages exploring Senga’s mental state, particularly after she loses her daughter to the tragic accident are haunting and raw. She balances the increasingly entangled lives of Senga and her friends, including the endearing Stricklands, Sebastian, Joe, Gabe, and Francesca with skill and precision.
Carrier elegantly weaves the old legend into the main storyline, and High Wolf’s ancient story is as fascinating as Senga’s ongoing tale. Though it takes time to settle into Senga’s intricate world in the first installment, Carrier’s assured, lyrical prose expertly guides the reader throughout. The second and third installments read like a breeze, and new readers will have no trouble following Senga’s story.
The plot unravels at a tantalizingly leisured pace, and carrier’s immersive prose keep the pages turning. The characters’ complex relationships with one another are brilliantly portrayed, and the exquisitely detailed world and expert plotting are an added bonus. Along the way, Carrier explores deeper questions of love, life, regret, grief, racism, and the human cost of obsession and control.
Intrigue, passion and madness, and hints of magical realism with tiny magical moments will keep readers spellbound from start to finish. With its Intricate worldbuilding, heartrending emotions, and expert characterization, this imaginatively told tale is sure to impress both the lovers of women’s fiction and literary fiction.
Readers will eagerly await Carrier’s next.
In the debut installment, Senga is struggling to realize her true purpose in life as accidental death of her only daughter, nine-year-old Emily, weighs heavy on her mind. The second installment in the series sees Senga gradually coming to terms with her grief as Sebastian, a brilliant Danish artist, comes into her life. In the third installment, Senga finds herself following a magical realism thread that takes her to Ireland. She must weigh her own ability that makes her see what others cannot see.
Carrier devotes considerable attention to developing her characters, especially Senga who is greatly affected by the tragic events of her past. The passages exploring Senga’s mental state, particularly after she loses her daughter to the tragic accident are haunting and raw. She balances the increasingly entangled lives of Senga and her friends, including the endearing Stricklands, Sebastian, Joe, Gabe, and Francesca with skill and precision.
Carrier elegantly weaves the old legend into the main storyline, and High Wolf’s ancient story is as fascinating as Senga’s ongoing tale. Though it takes time to settle into Senga’s intricate world in the first installment, Carrier’s assured, lyrical prose expertly guides the reader throughout. The second and third installments read like a breeze, and new readers will have no trouble following Senga’s story.
The plot unravels at a tantalizingly leisured pace, and carrier’s immersive prose keep the pages turning. The characters’ complex relationships with one another are brilliantly portrayed, and the exquisitely detailed world and expert plotting are an added bonus. Along the way, Carrier explores deeper questions of love, life, regret, grief, racism, and the human cost of obsession and control.
Intrigue, passion and madness, and hints of magical realism with tiny magical moments will keep readers spellbound from start to finish. With its Intricate worldbuilding, heartrending emotions, and expert characterization, this imaginatively told tale is sure to impress both the lovers of women’s fiction and literary fiction.
Readers will eagerly await Carrier’s next.
May 8, 2020
An absolute triumph and must read!!
Renee Carrier’s debut novel, The Riven Country of Senga Munro, graced me with a new heroine in my life: Senga, the herbalist whose experiences in tragedy fuel her survival and independence. What results is an emotional and thoroughly enjoyable, heartfelt story of independence, friendship, loyalty, loss and love.
Making her home in the rural Black Hills of Wyoming, Senga’s intuition, healing talent, compassion, and loyalty earned my avid trust almost immediately; I couldn’t get enough of her ability to find strength in her unfortunate suffering. Carrier masterfully weaves the poignant events in the lives of Senga’s close friends and family; a talent crafted in such a way to garner my heartfelt respect and admiration - both for author and characters.
Senga became a trusted and loved friend through Carrier’s tale. The more complicated foes in the area - individuals carrying the heartwrenching burden of hate for all those who would be different - successfully drummed-up my ire, contempt and anguish. My emotions truly ran the gamut while experiencing Senga’s life story. I recall silently cheering while riding the emotional wave as Senga reconnected with Sebastian, a first-person witness to her tragedy.
A truly magnificent debut, this spellbinding story is absolutely wonderful, and left me immediately hungry for a sequel!!!
Renee Carrier’s debut novel, The Riven Country of Senga Munro, graced me with a new heroine in my life: Senga, the herbalist whose experiences in tragedy fuel her survival and independence. What results is an emotional and thoroughly enjoyable, heartfelt story of independence, friendship, loyalty, loss and love.
Making her home in the rural Black Hills of Wyoming, Senga’s intuition, healing talent, compassion, and loyalty earned my avid trust almost immediately; I couldn’t get enough of her ability to find strength in her unfortunate suffering. Carrier masterfully weaves the poignant events in the lives of Senga’s close friends and family; a talent crafted in such a way to garner my heartfelt respect and admiration - both for author and characters.
Senga became a trusted and loved friend through Carrier’s tale. The more complicated foes in the area - individuals carrying the heartwrenching burden of hate for all those who would be different - successfully drummed-up my ire, contempt and anguish. My emotions truly ran the gamut while experiencing Senga’s life story. I recall silently cheering while riding the emotional wave as Senga reconnected with Sebastian, a first-person witness to her tragedy.
A truly magnificent debut, this spellbinding story is absolutely wonderful, and left me immediately hungry for a sequel!!!
July 4, 2020
The story of Senga is richly drawn, pulling the reader into daily life in rural Wyoming. The chapter is fully developed; even the secondary characters are strong and complex. With its beauty of language, captivating plot, and strong sense of place, the book cannot help but engage the reader in this first book in the Riven Country saga. This reader can’t wait for more!
February 18, 2026
A mutual friends of the author, Linda Spears, introduced me to this book. Which captivated me me. The main character, Senga, distills life through a lens of coping, understanding, assimilating, herbalizing that is both peaceful and invigorating. I would love to have her as my neighbor. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
July 10, 2020
A great surprise
Read for.book club but became enamored shortly after starting to read. This book described a place in time with a flow that pulled you down the flowing river.
Read for.book club but became enamored shortly after starting to read. This book described a place in time with a flow that pulled you down the flowing river.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews