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River Boy
While trying to cope with the knowledge that her grandfather is dying, Jess meets a boy who challenges her to swim down the river to the sea - her grandfather's ambition. The boy then disappears, and Jess learns her grandfather has died peacefully.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
85 people are currently reading
978 people want to read
About the author
Tim Bowler
56 books157 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Tim Bowler is one of the UK’s most compelling and original writers for teenagers. He was born in Leigh-on-Sea and after studying Swedish at University he worked in forestry, the timber trade, teaching and translating before becoming a full-time writer. He lives with his wife in a small village in Devon and his workroom is an old stone outhouse known to friends as ‘Tim’s Bolthole’.
Tim has written twenty books and won fifteen awards, including the prestigious Carnegie Medal for River Boy. His most recent novel is the gripping Bloodchild and his provocative Blade series is being hailed as a groundbreaking work of fiction. He has been described by the Sunday Telegraph as ‘the master of the psychological thriller’ and by the Independent as ‘one of the truly individual voices in British teenage fiction’.
Tim Bowler is one of the UK’s most compelling and original writers for teenagers. He was born in Leigh-on-Sea and after studying Swedish at University he worked in forestry, the timber trade, teaching and translating before becoming a full-time writer. He lives with his wife in a small village in Devon and his workroom is an old stone outhouse known to friends as ‘Tim’s Bolthole’.
Tim has written twenty books and won fifteen awards, including the prestigious Carnegie Medal for River Boy. His most recent novel is the gripping Bloodchild and his provocative Blade series is being hailed as a groundbreaking work of fiction. He has been described by the Sunday Telegraph as ‘the master of the psychological thriller’ and by the Independent as ‘one of the truly individual voices in British teenage fiction’.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
January 4, 2026
Life Dates Death
Jess is enthusiastically swimming, in the company of her grandfather as an attentive viewer, until the moment he guides one hand towards his heart whilst suddenly falling into the pool.
Next, we’ll have an expected hospital scene that will end where it starts, cos grandpa had too much in his mind to be chained to a hospital bed. Death was about to come and he had an imperious unfinished business with life — to conclude the painting of the boy in the river!...
I felt this reading as a Life and Death sort of meeting:
The sentimental bonding between Jess and her grandpa provided a legacy of memories — a blend of feelings and knowledge she would carry for life. In that sense, death will be playing an important part in the proceeding of life...
After all, Life interacts with Death, the same way Present interacts with Past!
Grandpa will live forever in Jess — to meet him, all she has to do is looking at the painting of the boy in the river!🥰
Jess is enthusiastically swimming, in the company of her grandfather as an attentive viewer, until the moment he guides one hand towards his heart whilst suddenly falling into the pool.
Next, we’ll have an expected hospital scene that will end where it starts, cos grandpa had too much in his mind to be chained to a hospital bed. Death was about to come and he had an imperious unfinished business with life — to conclude the painting of the boy in the river!...
I felt this reading as a Life and Death sort of meeting:
The sentimental bonding between Jess and her grandpa provided a legacy of memories — a blend of feelings and knowledge she would carry for life. In that sense, death will be playing an important part in the proceeding of life...
After all, Life interacts with Death, the same way Present interacts with Past!
Grandpa will live forever in Jess — to meet him, all she has to do is looking at the painting of the boy in the river!🥰
January 3, 2026
Morte e Vida Interagem
“Todos os rios vão dar ao mar; mas o mar não enche: os rios regressam ao local onde nasceram”
A história começa com Jess a nadar entusiasticamente na piscina sob o olhar atento do seu amado avô. Até que... subitamente... o avô leva uma mão ao coração e cai estrondosamente na piscina.
Cedo seremos informados que o ancião já se encontra numa fase terminal e que a ainda adolescente Jess terá um desafio de perda a enfrentar...
Com esta leitura alcancei uma perspectiva da morte não como um fim mas como uma continuação.
A morte física acontece, mas... há todo um legado imaterial que permanece como parte integrante duma Continuidade. A forte ligação de Jess com o avô providenciou todo um conjunto de memórias que nunca a abandonarão, e decerto apoiarão ao longo da vida...
Numa perspectiva imaterial, dir-se-ia que Morte e Vida interagem num ciclo intemporal, onde as fronteiras entre uma e outra facilmente se diluem!
“Todos os rios vão dar ao mar; mas o mar não enche: os rios regressam ao local onde nasceram”
A história começa com Jess a nadar entusiasticamente na piscina sob o olhar atento do seu amado avô. Até que... subitamente... o avô leva uma mão ao coração e cai estrondosamente na piscina.
Cedo seremos informados que o ancião já se encontra numa fase terminal e que a ainda adolescente Jess terá um desafio de perda a enfrentar...
Com esta leitura alcancei uma perspectiva da morte não como um fim mas como uma continuação.
A morte física acontece, mas... há todo um legado imaterial que permanece como parte integrante duma Continuidade. A forte ligação de Jess com o avô providenciou todo um conjunto de memórias que nunca a abandonarão, e decerto apoiarão ao longo da vida...
Numa perspectiva imaterial, dir-se-ia que Morte e Vida interagem num ciclo intemporal, onde as fronteiras entre uma e outra facilmente se diluem!
November 3, 2022
Honestly, how could Tim Bowler's River Boy have been awarded the 1997 Carnegie Medal instead of (at least in my humble opinion) J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (which was merely a nominee)?
For while Rowling makes Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone engaging, humorous, exciting, original, even somewhat of a totally delightful parody of a traditional British boarding school story and peoples her presented text with a large cast of generally wonderfully deep and developed characters (both positive and negative, both serious and fun-loving), sorry, but River Boy and Bowler's presented storyline just do not at all work for me and make me feel massively, totally bored and as such also ready to yawn repeatedly and pretty much continuously. For indeed, in River Boy, Tim Bowler's characters, they are completely undeveloped, any plot twists are so predictable as to be almost pointless and the vocabulary choices Bowler is using is often really cliché (with the presented nature descriptions of River Boy feeling artificial and like the author is just trying much too hard but not at all textually succeeding). So well, neither main protagonist Jessica (Jess) nor her stubborn, demanding grandfather are (to and for me) even remotely interestingly depicted and rendered in River Boy, and with in particular the latter, with especially Jess's dying grandfather such a generic and thin mirror image and reflection of similar and akin characters I have met in many earlier (and also much much better and more engaging) novels that I am definitely only willing to consider a low two star rating, with no recommendations for River Boy either.
And even that the mysterious young laddie Jess encounters in River Boy is of course meant to be the grandfather and vice versa, this is so blatantly obvious and predictable, that there is nothing AT ALL mysterious about this tale, about River Boy, nothing even somewhat textually compelling, with both my adult self and in particular my inner child feeling like I have been wasting my precious reading time (and that the Carnegie Medal selection committee has in my humble opinion made a rather huge mistake choosing River Boy as the 1997 winner and that its members also and really do not seem to understand what young people, what middle grade readers desire and appreciate reading with regard to both style and contents, as yes, ALL I personally got out of and from my perusal of River Boy has been me groaning and shaking my head and trying hard not to fall asleep whilst reading, which also and definitely does not tend to happen all that often either).
For while Rowling makes Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone engaging, humorous, exciting, original, even somewhat of a totally delightful parody of a traditional British boarding school story and peoples her presented text with a large cast of generally wonderfully deep and developed characters (both positive and negative, both serious and fun-loving), sorry, but River Boy and Bowler's presented storyline just do not at all work for me and make me feel massively, totally bored and as such also ready to yawn repeatedly and pretty much continuously. For indeed, in River Boy, Tim Bowler's characters, they are completely undeveloped, any plot twists are so predictable as to be almost pointless and the vocabulary choices Bowler is using is often really cliché (with the presented nature descriptions of River Boy feeling artificial and like the author is just trying much too hard but not at all textually succeeding). So well, neither main protagonist Jessica (Jess) nor her stubborn, demanding grandfather are (to and for me) even remotely interestingly depicted and rendered in River Boy, and with in particular the latter, with especially Jess's dying grandfather such a generic and thin mirror image and reflection of similar and akin characters I have met in many earlier (and also much much better and more engaging) novels that I am definitely only willing to consider a low two star rating, with no recommendations for River Boy either.
And even that the mysterious young laddie Jess encounters in River Boy is of course meant to be the grandfather and vice versa, this is so blatantly obvious and predictable, that there is nothing AT ALL mysterious about this tale, about River Boy, nothing even somewhat textually compelling, with both my adult self and in particular my inner child feeling like I have been wasting my precious reading time (and that the Carnegie Medal selection committee has in my humble opinion made a rather huge mistake choosing River Boy as the 1997 winner and that its members also and really do not seem to understand what young people, what middle grade readers desire and appreciate reading with regard to both style and contents, as yes, ALL I personally got out of and from my perusal of River Boy has been me groaning and shaking my head and trying hard not to fall asleep whilst reading, which also and definitely does not tend to happen all that often either).
November 3, 2014
I just re-read this, after a gap of a couple of years. The aura of the book had lingered with me in a way that few books do. I still find it extraordinary, and completely worthy of the plaudits it has won. This time round I tried to concentrate on the way it was constructed. Tim Bowler weaves a completely satisfying mesh between the river (and the oft repeated description that it flows all the way to the sea), Jess (the agile swimmmer) her artist grandfather, and the mysterious river boy who moves between the darkness of the river and the grandfather's eponymous last painting. As Jess and her grandfather come to terms with his imminent death, they struggle to complete the painting together, while Jess struggles to help the river boy complete his journey to the sea. Bowler's writing makes these leaps between the real and the imagined utterly believable, by layering on connection bit by bit. It is full of pathos and hope. It made me cry all over again. Just brilliant!
June 13, 2022
✨O rapaz do rio✨ foi uma leitura rápida, mas triste.
Gostei muito do ambiente criado neste livro. No entanto, não adorei a obra. Sinto que é um livro bastante lento.
É um livro importante que explora a vida, a morte e a persistência. Gostei, também, da mensagem final. Porém, não tenho a certeza se o público ao qual este livro se destina vá compreender completamente esta moral.
Classificação final: 3 ⭐
Gostei muito do ambiente criado neste livro. No entanto, não adorei a obra. Sinto que é um livro bastante lento.
É um livro importante que explora a vida, a morte e a persistência. Gostei, também, da mensagem final. Porém, não tenho a certeza se o público ao qual este livro se destina vá compreender completamente esta moral.
Classificação final: 3 ⭐
December 1, 2019
"She knew what he was telling her and she didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to think of change. She wanted to think of everything being the same forever. And even if some things did have to change, she didn't want them to change now. Some other time, perhaps, when she was good and ready and able to accept them."
Death, in all its fine garments of inevitability and its utmost glory of indomitable composition, while often found repugnant to many and embraced by few, remains a labyrinthine reality of which there is no escape. River Boy, in its illustrious descriptions of rivers, its memorable elaboration upon the measures one would take when it comes to ameliorating the doom brooding over the ones we love, and in its eventual culmination of greeting the concept one dreads the most, offers insight into a young girl's internal combat with her attachment to her grandfather as well as her yielding to the reality of his departure, coupled with her infatuation with a mystical boy whose belonging correlates with the river in which she extracts catharsis, and which invokes an epiphany within the artistic nature of her grandfather.
In the vast expanse of literary work, this could provide an aggregate of people with a sense of relief that tends to often alleviate grief, the one that lingers in the farthest corners of one's psyche and requires a lighthearted, yet an even-handed noble adjustment, approach to it. With that being said, it is with tremendous misfortune that I say this book was not for me. So as to eschew the misunderstanding, it is imperative to note that I do not hold this book at a loathsome pedestal; as a matter of fact, it is with thorough comprehension that I was able to maintain the understanding as to why it would bestow profound meaning to the lives of other readers, mostly why it would occupy such an empathetic stature in the folds of their stories.
In essential terms, the book's focal point encapsulates a heartfelt tale about a young girl coming to inevitable terms with not only the departure of her grandfather, but also the conceptualization of death in its encompassing nature. Nonetheless, in ways often variegated from one another, that's all there is to it. While elaborating on a matter that is, without a sliver of a doubt, poignant and distressing, the book lacks substance in all its other elemental features, for at intervals in which the writing style was deliberately integrated with an attribute of repetitive narration, at others it merely served a purpose of negligence and obstructed the, pun intended, flow of the story. On more than one occasion, the book found itself blabbering upon minute details which do not supplement any portion of contribution to the arc of the narrative in and of itself, all of which are plausibly efficient in detaching the reader from being extensively submerged into the stream of its thematic relations.
The main character's, Jess, distinctive nature, while stupendous in her bondage with her grandfather, fell flat in an inestimable amount of occurrences, predominantly as I personally cannot employ an elaboration upon her character that would involve any feature proficiently adept in attributing her either a personality or an intrinsic essence other than the actuality of her penchant for swimming. Her one-dimensional characterization stood at opposing grounds with that of her grandfather, in which his was rather much profound that it barricaded the forthcoming buildup of Jess's character itself. He was persistently portrayed in picturesque descriptions of natural sightings, his character tautly interlinked with a painting of which the entirety of the basis of his characterization is situated, and which, altogether, allocates him a sense of exclusivity to the predilections and disposition of his character's curvature composition. Aside from those two, Jess's mother was merely a name, formulating a cardboard material accompanied by her otherwise vexed father.
Additionally, the book fell victim to the detrimental case of 'show don't tell', in which it committed to the latter and left the former on the wayside for its constituents to be gnawed at by the detriments of ill-structure. The majority of the parts which were presumed to convey some sentimentality to the reader were informed to them instead of sketched within an illustrative figure, purloining, in turn, the imaginative capacity of the reader himself. It felt as though the author was attempting through desperate and urgent methods to communicate his point in a matter verging on the periphery of profusion and overabundance, in which the readers were robbed of the opportunity to conjure their own cognitive illustration of the thematic compositions due to the superfluity of exhaustive description of the elements sustaining their own set of metaphorical aura as a substitution for the images portrayed. I was rather fond of what the River Boy stood for, but the author kept importuning the reader with superfluous attempts to jog their remembrance of his bearing semblance to the grandfather over and over and over again that it was eventually reduced into an atom of negligent essentiality. I'm not extensively ignorant of the actuality of its being a middle-grade book, and that it is originally intended for the absorption and consumption of young readers, but it is with immense gratification and indulgence that I proclaim that young readers are not mere imbeciles who cannot subtract the crucial profundity within a book through the symbolic elements of it; in other words, they can efficiently pinpoint the allegories implemented if the aforementioned representations are delivered in utmost clarity. Therefore, the River Boy was delivered well, perfectly well, in fact, that I personally did not find it arduous to become cognizant of its underlying conveyance, but to keep pushing the notion sort of eroded its own significance and substantial quality.
To say the least, the book merely found scarcity in the subtlety that accompanies the deliverance of the notion and consensus of coming to terms with the impending menace and unwarranted alterations of death, and for it to be nailed time and again within the desk of ideological transference further reinforces the author's impeding of the narrative itself and imposing his own set of notions to it. Had it not been hauled with the author's intent persistence that one fully becomes cognizant of his own idea, the percipience and altruistic insight of the novel would have invoked its own profound impact, as the reader would be putting the pieces of the concept of death along with Jess's trials of her own apprehension, instead of grasping its meaning before she does.
With that being elucidated upon, it goes without a shadow of a doubt that I appreciate the premise of the book. It is within my deep-rooted belief that it had, at one point, resonated with me, as I'm still trying to decipher the complexity of death's own constitution, as it allows the reader to understand that death is not constantly a means through which termination is met, but could also be an introductory access point to a new beginning.
Death, in all its fine garments of inevitability and its utmost glory of indomitable composition, while often found repugnant to many and embraced by few, remains a labyrinthine reality of which there is no escape. River Boy, in its illustrious descriptions of rivers, its memorable elaboration upon the measures one would take when it comes to ameliorating the doom brooding over the ones we love, and in its eventual culmination of greeting the concept one dreads the most, offers insight into a young girl's internal combat with her attachment to her grandfather as well as her yielding to the reality of his departure, coupled with her infatuation with a mystical boy whose belonging correlates with the river in which she extracts catharsis, and which invokes an epiphany within the artistic nature of her grandfather.
In the vast expanse of literary work, this could provide an aggregate of people with a sense of relief that tends to often alleviate grief, the one that lingers in the farthest corners of one's psyche and requires a lighthearted, yet an even-handed noble adjustment, approach to it. With that being said, it is with tremendous misfortune that I say this book was not for me. So as to eschew the misunderstanding, it is imperative to note that I do not hold this book at a loathsome pedestal; as a matter of fact, it is with thorough comprehension that I was able to maintain the understanding as to why it would bestow profound meaning to the lives of other readers, mostly why it would occupy such an empathetic stature in the folds of their stories.
In essential terms, the book's focal point encapsulates a heartfelt tale about a young girl coming to inevitable terms with not only the departure of her grandfather, but also the conceptualization of death in its encompassing nature. Nonetheless, in ways often variegated from one another, that's all there is to it. While elaborating on a matter that is, without a sliver of a doubt, poignant and distressing, the book lacks substance in all its other elemental features, for at intervals in which the writing style was deliberately integrated with an attribute of repetitive narration, at others it merely served a purpose of negligence and obstructed the, pun intended, flow of the story. On more than one occasion, the book found itself blabbering upon minute details which do not supplement any portion of contribution to the arc of the narrative in and of itself, all of which are plausibly efficient in detaching the reader from being extensively submerged into the stream of its thematic relations.
The main character's, Jess, distinctive nature, while stupendous in her bondage with her grandfather, fell flat in an inestimable amount of occurrences, predominantly as I personally cannot employ an elaboration upon her character that would involve any feature proficiently adept in attributing her either a personality or an intrinsic essence other than the actuality of her penchant for swimming. Her one-dimensional characterization stood at opposing grounds with that of her grandfather, in which his was rather much profound that it barricaded the forthcoming buildup of Jess's character itself. He was persistently portrayed in picturesque descriptions of natural sightings, his character tautly interlinked with a painting of which the entirety of the basis of his characterization is situated, and which, altogether, allocates him a sense of exclusivity to the predilections and disposition of his character's curvature composition. Aside from those two, Jess's mother was merely a name, formulating a cardboard material accompanied by her otherwise vexed father.
Additionally, the book fell victim to the detrimental case of 'show don't tell', in which it committed to the latter and left the former on the wayside for its constituents to be gnawed at by the detriments of ill-structure. The majority of the parts which were presumed to convey some sentimentality to the reader were informed to them instead of sketched within an illustrative figure, purloining, in turn, the imaginative capacity of the reader himself. It felt as though the author was attempting through desperate and urgent methods to communicate his point in a matter verging on the periphery of profusion and overabundance, in which the readers were robbed of the opportunity to conjure their own cognitive illustration of the thematic compositions due to the superfluity of exhaustive description of the elements sustaining their own set of metaphorical aura as a substitution for the images portrayed. I was rather fond of what the River Boy stood for, but the author kept importuning the reader with superfluous attempts to jog their remembrance of his bearing semblance to the grandfather over and over and over again that it was eventually reduced into an atom of negligent essentiality. I'm not extensively ignorant of the actuality of its being a middle-grade book, and that it is originally intended for the absorption and consumption of young readers, but it is with immense gratification and indulgence that I proclaim that young readers are not mere imbeciles who cannot subtract the crucial profundity within a book through the symbolic elements of it; in other words, they can efficiently pinpoint the allegories implemented if the aforementioned representations are delivered in utmost clarity. Therefore, the River Boy was delivered well, perfectly well, in fact, that I personally did not find it arduous to become cognizant of its underlying conveyance, but to keep pushing the notion sort of eroded its own significance and substantial quality.
To say the least, the book merely found scarcity in the subtlety that accompanies the deliverance of the notion and consensus of coming to terms with the impending menace and unwarranted alterations of death, and for it to be nailed time and again within the desk of ideological transference further reinforces the author's impeding of the narrative itself and imposing his own set of notions to it. Had it not been hauled with the author's intent persistence that one fully becomes cognizant of his own idea, the percipience and altruistic insight of the novel would have invoked its own profound impact, as the reader would be putting the pieces of the concept of death along with Jess's trials of her own apprehension, instead of grasping its meaning before she does.
With that being elucidated upon, it goes without a shadow of a doubt that I appreciate the premise of the book. It is within my deep-rooted belief that it had, at one point, resonated with me, as I'm still trying to decipher the complexity of death's own constitution, as it allows the reader to understand that death is not constantly a means through which termination is met, but could also be an introductory access point to a new beginning.
December 11, 2025
2.5 - ไม่แย่
December 15, 2015
Kevin Lee
Ms.Elshoff
Dec/8/2015
Literal elements River boy
Story of River boy is about Jess and Jess’ grandpa’s dream which is very touching. Also these methods make this book intense and kept reader’s focus. The River Boy, by Tim Bowler, which genre is Bildungsroman, expertly engage the reader through the use of an interesting theme, extended metaphor, and foreshadowing to engage the reader.
First, the theme of River Boy is about people’s life and death, and relationship. This book tells vividly about this theme. For example, on page 214, There is a sentence, “ Just as Grandpa’s was.’ which tells about grandpa’s life is same as river boy.Also There are lots of quotes that tell the relationship between grandpa and Jess’ dad. When Jess’ dad was young, he thought that his father was not love him, however when grandpa’s death is almost coming, Jess’ dad realize that his dad actually loved him but he didn’t express him much. These themes make reader’s mood touching and good time to remind their parents.
Another way that author engage readers is using metaphor. The River boy also has lots of metaphors which everything is fun and interesting. Because this book is about river, there are lots of metaphor which describe river. On page 68, “ The river’s a beauty for swimming.”. Alfred, who is a friend of Jess’ grandpa, is mentioned because he knew grandpa’s past and grandpa was swimming in the river, where the good place to swim. Also, on page 79, Jess and her family are enjoying the “melody of water” which refers the sound of river is flowed. Those Metaphors in river boy capture reader’s attention and make people not boring.
Lots of foreshadowing is mentioned in River boy, which make tension of book. On page one, there is a sentence, “ It didn’t start with river boy.” It is very unique, because most books are hardly saying about foreshadowing on first page. Because of this, readers want to figure out what would happen and make them focus to read. And on page 26, there is a quote which makes strong tension of the book. The sentence is “ someone was near, someone is watching her. She could feel it”. Those sentences bring curiosity and tension to reader and want them to make read more.
The River Boy by Tim Bowler, which genre is Bildungsroman, is a perfect book to read. It captures reader’s focus using by various kind of metaphor, main theme, and foreshadowing. Every metaphor, foreshadowing, and main theme are interesting and enough to make reader to read with joy not boring.
Word cited
Bowler, Tim. River Boy. New York: Simon Pulse, 2002. Print.
Ms.Elshoff
Dec/8/2015
Literal elements River boy
Story of River boy is about Jess and Jess’ grandpa’s dream which is very touching. Also these methods make this book intense and kept reader’s focus. The River Boy, by Tim Bowler, which genre is Bildungsroman, expertly engage the reader through the use of an interesting theme, extended metaphor, and foreshadowing to engage the reader.
First, the theme of River Boy is about people’s life and death, and relationship. This book tells vividly about this theme. For example, on page 214, There is a sentence, “ Just as Grandpa’s was.’ which tells about grandpa’s life is same as river boy.Also There are lots of quotes that tell the relationship between grandpa and Jess’ dad. When Jess’ dad was young, he thought that his father was not love him, however when grandpa’s death is almost coming, Jess’ dad realize that his dad actually loved him but he didn’t express him much. These themes make reader’s mood touching and good time to remind their parents.
Another way that author engage readers is using metaphor. The River boy also has lots of metaphors which everything is fun and interesting. Because this book is about river, there are lots of metaphor which describe river. On page 68, “ The river’s a beauty for swimming.”. Alfred, who is a friend of Jess’ grandpa, is mentioned because he knew grandpa’s past and grandpa was swimming in the river, where the good place to swim. Also, on page 79, Jess and her family are enjoying the “melody of water” which refers the sound of river is flowed. Those Metaphors in river boy capture reader’s attention and make people not boring.
Lots of foreshadowing is mentioned in River boy, which make tension of book. On page one, there is a sentence, “ It didn’t start with river boy.” It is very unique, because most books are hardly saying about foreshadowing on first page. Because of this, readers want to figure out what would happen and make them focus to read. And on page 26, there is a quote which makes strong tension of the book. The sentence is “ someone was near, someone is watching her. She could feel it”. Those sentences bring curiosity and tension to reader and want them to make read more.
The River Boy by Tim Bowler, which genre is Bildungsroman, is a perfect book to read. It captures reader’s focus using by various kind of metaphor, main theme, and foreshadowing. Every metaphor, foreshadowing, and main theme are interesting and enough to make reader to read with joy not boring.
Word cited
Bowler, Tim. River Boy. New York: Simon Pulse, 2002. Print.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2017
Opinião
Jess é uma adolescente que adora nadar, adora a sensação de furar a água, de quebrar a resistência do elemento aquático e dar braçadas atrás de braçadas até sentir que o seu corpo já não aguenta mais. Vive com os pais e o avô paterno, com quem tem uma relação especial, única.
No início da narrativa, enquanto Jess faz umas piscinas atrás das outras, o seu avô sente-se mal, tem um ataque cardíaco que o vai debilitar seriamente e deixá-lo com poucas hipóteses de sobreviver por muito tempo mais. Mesmo assim, obriga o filho e a nora a manterem os planos de passar férias no local onde nasceu para que possa levar em diante a sua última vontade. Será aí, junto a um rio que viu o seu avô crescer e perder a família num incêndio, que Jess se deparará com a cruel evidência de que o velho rezingão e de temperamento tempestuoso que ama incondicionalmente não regressará a casa, e que a sua morte será uma perda devastadora para si e para o seu pai. Contudo, os últimos momentos que desfrutará ao lado do seu avô serão também cruciais para conhecê-lo ainda melhor, para entender que aquele rio que corre junto da casa de campo onde estão alojados, que a atrai com um magnetismo a que não resiste, teve um papel importantíssimo na infância e juventude do ancião e que aquele jovem que lhe aparece em recorrente visões lhe anseia contar isso muito mais.
Esta leitura foi, como o são todas as obras que abordam a relação especial entre avós e netos, muito pessoal e pintou-se de uma explosão de sentimentos e lágrimas. Com esta leitura, regressei à minha infância, à relação estreita e única que tive com os meus velhinhos e senti-os sempre muito pertinho de mim. Senti como se fosse minha a dor de Jess perante a certeza de que o seu avô não estaria por muito mais tempo com ela, sofri por ela e por mim e acompanhei de nó na garganta os últimos momentos de cumplicidade, de amor, de travessura e de carinho de uma ligação que, apesar de rompida pela morte, nunca se desfaz, nunca abandona o neto ou a neta que teve o privilégio de conviver com avós e avôs rezingões ou afáveis, analfabetos ou letrados, travessos ou amorosos.
É por tudo o que referi e por mil e outras razões que continuo apaixonada pela literatura infantil e juvenil, por narrativas curtinhas e simples, mas que me agarram, me agasalham e me agitam como o fazem muito poucas narrativas adultas. E é por tudo o que referi que recomendo e rogo que leiam esta e outras obras tão belas como esta!
NOTA – 10/10
Jess é uma adolescente que adora nadar, adora a sensação de furar a água, de quebrar a resistência do elemento aquático e dar braçadas atrás de braçadas até sentir que o seu corpo já não aguenta mais. Vive com os pais e o avô paterno, com quem tem uma relação especial, única.
No início da narrativa, enquanto Jess faz umas piscinas atrás das outras, o seu avô sente-se mal, tem um ataque cardíaco que o vai debilitar seriamente e deixá-lo com poucas hipóteses de sobreviver por muito tempo mais. Mesmo assim, obriga o filho e a nora a manterem os planos de passar férias no local onde nasceu para que possa levar em diante a sua última vontade. Será aí, junto a um rio que viu o seu avô crescer e perder a família num incêndio, que Jess se deparará com a cruel evidência de que o velho rezingão e de temperamento tempestuoso que ama incondicionalmente não regressará a casa, e que a sua morte será uma perda devastadora para si e para o seu pai. Contudo, os últimos momentos que desfrutará ao lado do seu avô serão também cruciais para conhecê-lo ainda melhor, para entender que aquele rio que corre junto da casa de campo onde estão alojados, que a atrai com um magnetismo a que não resiste, teve um papel importantíssimo na infância e juventude do ancião e que aquele jovem que lhe aparece em recorrente visões lhe anseia contar isso muito mais.
Esta leitura foi, como o são todas as obras que abordam a relação especial entre avós e netos, muito pessoal e pintou-se de uma explosão de sentimentos e lágrimas. Com esta leitura, regressei à minha infância, à relação estreita e única que tive com os meus velhinhos e senti-os sempre muito pertinho de mim. Senti como se fosse minha a dor de Jess perante a certeza de que o seu avô não estaria por muito mais tempo com ela, sofri por ela e por mim e acompanhei de nó na garganta os últimos momentos de cumplicidade, de amor, de travessura e de carinho de uma ligação que, apesar de rompida pela morte, nunca se desfaz, nunca abandona o neto ou a neta que teve o privilégio de conviver com avós e avôs rezingões ou afáveis, analfabetos ou letrados, travessos ou amorosos.
É por tudo o que referi e por mil e outras razões que continuo apaixonada pela literatura infantil e juvenil, por narrativas curtinhas e simples, mas que me agarram, me agasalham e me agitam como o fazem muito poucas narrativas adultas. E é por tudo o que referi que recomendo e rogo que leiam esta e outras obras tão belas como esta!
NOTA – 10/10
January 10, 2015
There are no endings to anything, like ‘happily ever after’ is still a going on thing, an end is just a period to end the sentence to start a new one. The book “River Boy” by Tim Bowler is about how an end can be a start to anyone, even if you die and end your life, but story about you would still continue. People would still have memory about you, the traces of you all around the world would still be there, your achievement, and your dream, would still exist in the world no matter if you still exist or not.
This book is about a new start after the end, how everything would still go on even after everything ended. This book is about a girl who is on her blooming youth and her grandfather who is standing on the life of cliff, going to a trip together. The girl who’s flower is just about to be in blossom, and her grandfather who’s flower is about to fade away, together their emotion get entangled over her grandfather’s dream in his youth, the “River Boy”.
“River Boy” was a book that took me to a flashback trip to the start of my life, and compare myself back then with myself who currently exist now, how I changed according to what my dream was. My dream was used to be an artist when I was a tiny little girl, but now I want to be a veterinarian. However, artist is still my dream as well because it was something I wanted to be when I was young, it was still a dream by me. It has not ended, and I just started a new sentence, without knowing if I wrote a comma or period on the last one or not. I can not know if I would go back to it or not, but one thing that I am very sure is that, it would still be going on.
This book is about a new start after the end, how everything would still go on even after everything ended. This book is about a girl who is on her blooming youth and her grandfather who is standing on the life of cliff, going to a trip together. The girl who’s flower is just about to be in blossom, and her grandfather who’s flower is about to fade away, together their emotion get entangled over her grandfather’s dream in his youth, the “River Boy”.
“River Boy” was a book that took me to a flashback trip to the start of my life, and compare myself back then with myself who currently exist now, how I changed according to what my dream was. My dream was used to be an artist when I was a tiny little girl, but now I want to be a veterinarian. However, artist is still my dream as well because it was something I wanted to be when I was young, it was still a dream by me. It has not ended, and I just started a new sentence, without knowing if I wrote a comma or period on the last one or not. I can not know if I would go back to it or not, but one thing that I am very sure is that, it would still be going on.
January 28, 2022
3.5 ⭐️
L’età della protagonista, lo stile leggero e l’ambiente familiare designano un po’ il libro come una lettura rivolta a un pubblico piuttosto giovane, eppure l’ho apprezzato comunque. L’ho letto tutto d’un fiato e mi sono affezionata a Jess, al ragazzo del fiume, ma soprattutto al nonno. Forse alla storia completa manca un pizzico di qualcosa, ma si legge in fretta e rimane nel cuore, con quel pizzico di mistero e magia che ci accompagna fino alla fine.
L’età della protagonista, lo stile leggero e l’ambiente familiare designano un po’ il libro come una lettura rivolta a un pubblico piuttosto giovane, eppure l’ho apprezzato comunque. L’ho letto tutto d’un fiato e mi sono affezionata a Jess, al ragazzo del fiume, ma soprattutto al nonno. Forse alla storia completa manca un pizzico di qualcosa, ma si legge in fretta e rimane nel cuore, con quel pizzico di mistero e magia che ci accompagna fino alla fine.
December 15, 2015
There is a book that reminds readers about grandpa every time we read it. The book is called ‘River Boy’ by Tim Bowler. In this novel, the author expertly engages the reader through the use of interesting chapter breaks, words that explain situation, and foreshadowing, which occur throughout the story.
This book has interesting chapter breaks where the author breaks chapter at the moment where readers would wonder what will happen on the next chapter.
For example, on last sentence of chapter 4 Grandpa has another heart attack and “clap[s] a hand to his chest” (59) makes reader to wonder what will happen on the next chapter. For another example, on the last part of the chapter 12 where it says “Then, to her surprise, she heard quiet voice behind her. ‘Why are you crying?’”(148 Bowler) This also makes reader to wonder who is talking to Jess also what will happen on the next chapter. These chapter breaks make readers to wonder what will happen in the next chapter.
The author chose interesting words to explain the situation which makes readers to feel more realistic. For example, the part where Jess tries to find who is looking at her, ‘She whirled around, her eyes darting over the river, the banks, the lane,’(45) makes readers to imagine Jess’ face expression when she is trying to find someone who is looking at her. For another example, the parts that explain how Jess feels when she had not heard the voice of River Boy ‘but then the racing waters and her own sorrows had so overwhelmed her, she had known little else. She felt a rush of embarrassment at being so unprepared,’(149) makes readers to feel as same as how Jess feels. The author have chosen interesting words to explain the situation more effectively.
This book also has an interesting foreshadowing. This book makes readers to guess what would those sentence mean. For example, on the part where Jess arrived at the sea after a long swimming, “The day was almost done, and she knew her journey was over. Just as Grandpa’s was, too”(214) shows that after Jess and River Boy finally got to the sea but, River Boy disappear. So we could think that grandpa would die after he accomplished his dream of swimming all the way through the river to the sea by River Boy. This is the strongest foreshadowing throughout the story. Even it is just a one sentence, it is the most important sentence in the story.
‘River Boy’ by Tim Bowler, expertly engages the reader through the use of interesting chapter breaks, metaphors, and allusion, which occur throughout the story. This story could be the most influential story in life. It has great story and a lot of different lessons.
Bowler, Tim. River Boy. New York: Oxford UP, 1997. Print.
This book has interesting chapter breaks where the author breaks chapter at the moment where readers would wonder what will happen on the next chapter.
For example, on last sentence of chapter 4 Grandpa has another heart attack and “clap[s] a hand to his chest” (59) makes reader to wonder what will happen on the next chapter. For another example, on the last part of the chapter 12 where it says “Then, to her surprise, she heard quiet voice behind her. ‘Why are you crying?’”(148 Bowler) This also makes reader to wonder who is talking to Jess also what will happen on the next chapter. These chapter breaks make readers to wonder what will happen in the next chapter.
The author chose interesting words to explain the situation which makes readers to feel more realistic. For example, the part where Jess tries to find who is looking at her, ‘She whirled around, her eyes darting over the river, the banks, the lane,’(45) makes readers to imagine Jess’ face expression when she is trying to find someone who is looking at her. For another example, the parts that explain how Jess feels when she had not heard the voice of River Boy ‘but then the racing waters and her own sorrows had so overwhelmed her, she had known little else. She felt a rush of embarrassment at being so unprepared,’(149) makes readers to feel as same as how Jess feels. The author have chosen interesting words to explain the situation more effectively.
This book also has an interesting foreshadowing. This book makes readers to guess what would those sentence mean. For example, on the part where Jess arrived at the sea after a long swimming, “The day was almost done, and she knew her journey was over. Just as Grandpa’s was, too”(214) shows that after Jess and River Boy finally got to the sea but, River Boy disappear. So we could think that grandpa would die after he accomplished his dream of swimming all the way through the river to the sea by River Boy. This is the strongest foreshadowing throughout the story. Even it is just a one sentence, it is the most important sentence in the story.
‘River Boy’ by Tim Bowler, expertly engages the reader through the use of interesting chapter breaks, metaphors, and allusion, which occur throughout the story. This story could be the most influential story in life. It has great story and a lot of different lessons.
Bowler, Tim. River Boy. New York: Oxford UP, 1997. Print.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2012
I read this book a number of years ago and was reminded of it today as I drove along a road which follows the river Usk. As I gazed at the river I experienced my usual longing to be in the water swimming. I have only once actually tried swimming in a river and I remember how this book drew me in with its tale of a young girl who finds it perfectly natural to swim in rivers and who is well equipped to do so.
The general storyline is lovely, very real and believable and the surreal/supernatural elements slide in among the mundanities with the ease I would like to be able to slide into river water.
The book flows and as Jess follows her river, we follow a river of narrative as cool and exhilarating as the wild water and share her journey of discovery. This is one of those 'children's books' that are probably even better read as an adult to fully comprehend the layers and nuances as well as for the simple enjoyment of a story well told.
The general storyline is lovely, very real and believable and the surreal/supernatural elements slide in among the mundanities with the ease I would like to be able to slide into river water.
The book flows and as Jess follows her river, we follow a river of narrative as cool and exhilarating as the wild water and share her journey of discovery. This is one of those 'children's books' that are probably even better read as an adult to fully comprehend the layers and nuances as well as for the simple enjoyment of a story well told.
June 27, 2021
Non conoscevo questo romanzo del 1997 ma è stato candidato (e poi si è aggiudicato) la menzione al Premio Andersen 2021 come miglior romanzo mai premiato.
E' una storia perfetta per gli adolescenti. E' un concentrato di famiglia, amore, rabbia, ricerca di un senso, testardaggine, amicizia e morte. Un perfetto riassunto della vita che tutti ci troviamo a vivere e, ad un certo punto inevitabilmente a salutare.
E' delicato, a tratti perturbante, doloroso ma anche estremamente rinvigorente.
Una fonte fresca di energia e forza vitale necessaria ad affrontare vortici e cascate ma anche estuari e secche, giusto per rimanere in tema con l'ambientazione fluviale.
E' una storia perfetta per gli adolescenti. E' un concentrato di famiglia, amore, rabbia, ricerca di un senso, testardaggine, amicizia e morte. Un perfetto riassunto della vita che tutti ci troviamo a vivere e, ad un certo punto inevitabilmente a salutare.
E' delicato, a tratti perturbante, doloroso ma anche estremamente rinvigorente.
Una fonte fresca di energia e forza vitale necessaria ad affrontare vortici e cascate ma anche estuari e secche, giusto per rimanere in tema con l'ambientazione fluviale.
March 7, 2017
A lot of my friends say this is a boring book, but I absolutely disagree.
This is a beautiful story. I was touched by Jess's love for her grandpa and her willingness to help him fulfill his wish.
This is an exceptionally good book. Five stars!
This is a beautiful story. I was touched by Jess's love for her grandpa and her willingness to help him fulfill his wish.
This is an exceptionally good book. Five stars!
February 1, 2009
All about a girl coming to terms with her Grandpa dying. Amazing approach to death for children and young adolescents. And if you teach English, it is full of some wonderful phrases and similes that jump out of the page at you!
January 15, 2018
This is a wonderfully written book. It’s kinda emotional but it’s not too hard to bear. Personally, it reminded me of the time when i was coping up with the loss of a loved one. Life is beautiful even though it has to end. ❤️
October 28, 2018
Tells the true meaning of life and how we should accept as it is.
June 10, 2022
good pace. nice touching story that has hidden meanings and meaningful connections. I love the realistic relationships of the characters, especially between Jess and her Grandad. I thought that her swimming so far down the river with river boy was a bit out of the blue. But I still loved the build up of river boy and who he represents.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2021
Jess is one of the few people that her grandfather is close to. The two share a bond that is their common love of swimming. Her parents, Jess, and her grandfather all go to stay near Grandpa's childhood home. As Grandpa becomes more and more ill, he reacts by insisting upon finishing a painting, and Jess spends much time swimming in the river. One day she meets a mysterious boy she calls River Boy, and she is surprised to find her grandfather has named his unfinished painting River Boy, though there is no boy in the picture.
This is a beautiful book about the strong bond between a difficult old man and his granddaughter as the old man begins the process of dying. I did not find it tediously metaphorical; instead, I found it fresh and unexpectedly realistic.
This is a beautiful book about the strong bond between a difficult old man and his granddaughter as the old man begins the process of dying. I did not find it tediously metaphorical; instead, I found it fresh and unexpectedly realistic.
February 11, 2018
In this book, Jess (who is 15) has to face a horrific reality of life or death, after her grandfather (who is extremely stubborn and insisted on going on holiday) has a heart attack in a swimming pool. He leaves hospital and goes on holiday, to paint by the river. Jess is an extremely good swimmer so she decides to swim in the river whilst he is painting. His condition doesn't get better.
In my opinion, this book is brilliant. It may have a slow build up, but, at the end, it holds you tight and doesn't let go. It has a strange, heart-warming tenderness. It is filled with metaphors, and is extremely, extremely emotional.
In the end, Jess figures out that the river boy (a mysterious boy she saw swimming in the river, when told no children lived around the area) is her grandfather's spirit from when he was a boy. She realized this too late as, before in the book, the river said he was leaving and that he was going to swim from the river source to the sea. When Jess realizes this, it becomes an epic journey of catching up with the river boy, to help fulfill his last wish. This is a metaphor of her with her. grandfather in his journey to death.
In my opinion, this book is brilliant. It may have a slow build up, but, at the end, it holds you tight and doesn't let go. It has a strange, heart-warming tenderness. It is filled with metaphors, and is extremely, extremely emotional.
In the end, Jess figures out that the river boy (a mysterious boy she saw swimming in the river, when told no children lived around the area) is her grandfather's spirit from when he was a boy. She realized this too late as, before in the book, the river said he was leaving and that he was going to swim from the river source to the sea. When Jess realizes this, it becomes an epic journey of catching up with the river boy, to help fulfill his last wish. This is a metaphor of her with her. grandfather in his journey to death.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2020
Not mysterious, because not subtle. Or original. Grandpa, esp., is such a character as we've met so many times in books, but never irl. Also boring (which is not a complaint I make lightly, as those of you who know me understand!). Inexperienced readers might enjoy it more.
I did like: "Past and future are merely bandits who steal from the present and give nothing back."
I didn't like the scene where Mom has just learned from Dad that Jess didn't sleep last night, so she immediately goes to Jess's room and sits down on the girl's bed where she finally has fallen asleep. Then says, "Don't tell me now if you're still sleepy. We can talk later." Um, Mom, if you meant that, you would not have woken her!
---
Ok, wow, the whole time I was rereading this I was not remembering it all. But I was finding even more things to annoy me. For example this 15 yo girl spent hours hiking, climbing, and swimming, but ate and drank almost nothing. Yes I'm nitpicking, but I nitpicked even more when I was a reader of the target age. Rating stays at 2 stars.
I did like: "Past and future are merely bandits who steal from the present and give nothing back."
I didn't like the scene where Mom has just learned from Dad that Jess didn't sleep last night, so she immediately goes to Jess's room and sits down on the girl's bed where she finally has fallen asleep. Then says, "Don't tell me now if you're still sleepy. We can talk later." Um, Mom, if you meant that, you would not have woken her!
---
Ok, wow, the whole time I was rereading this I was not remembering it all. But I was finding even more things to annoy me. For example this 15 yo girl spent hours hiking, climbing, and swimming, but ate and drank almost nothing. Yes I'm nitpicking, but I nitpicked even more when I was a reader of the target age. Rating stays at 2 stars.
February 23, 2018
"death" is not something horrible but beautiful. Jess had hated death of her grandpa, but later she understood what life was and how beutiful death is. Of course, people don't like death. It feels like the end of our life. However, death means another start of life, like river flowing.
"the life of the river. It's born here and it runs its allotted distance, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes straight, sometimes twisting, sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent, and it keeps on running until it reaches its end in the sea. I find that comforting"
river is life, and in the end, there is the sea. Sea is free. Real free from river, life.
"the life of the river. It's born here and it runs its allotted distance, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes straight, sometimes twisting, sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent, and it keeps on running until it reaches its end in the sea. I find that comforting"
river is life, and in the end, there is the sea. Sea is free. Real free from river, life.
April 6, 2018
A simple but intriguing story about a grandfather and his family, who take a visit to his childhood home in an attempt to capture a part of him that was lost. Their stay is long and difficult, and the protagonist, Jess, finds a heavy presence in the wake of an inevitable loss.
Whilst quite a simple plot, I think that it is the relationship between grandchild and grandparent is what carries this story. Between these two characters is a feeling of continuation, ending and renewal, which connects beautifully with the natural setting that is shrouded in mystery.
Sharing the story with children would be a joy, particularly in the debating of who or what the River Boy is.
Whilst quite a simple plot, I think that it is the relationship between grandchild and grandparent is what carries this story. Between these two characters is a feeling of continuation, ending and renewal, which connects beautifully with the natural setting that is shrouded in mystery.
Sharing the story with children would be a joy, particularly in the debating of who or what the River Boy is.
September 22, 2018
A teen read with a deep and moving message about life and death. Being an artist I love the struggle of the grandfather who tries to complete what he knows to be his final painting. His beloved granddaughter wants to help but doesn't know how. The family at his request takes him back to the area he grew up in so he can finish his painting of the river he once swam in. Here the granddaughter, Jess, meets up with a mysterious presence around the river. A story about the bonds of love and the life that must roll on and the acceptance of the endings we must all face. This is a beautiful book.
March 21, 2009
This one was a lot like Frozen Fire, also by Bowler. It is about yet another mysterious boy, and ends with a smiliar case. It kept me going with adventure and mystery, and it was an interesting tale. It isn't one of my favorites though.
December 4, 2019
Jess' Grandad has just gone down ill and Jess wants to help him finish a painting before he dies. Also when she is swimming in a on her holiday she discovers a boy who lives in the river. When grandad is in hospital she swims through the river and the sea to see her grandad but does she see him...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2016
Pırasa gibi bir kitap. İyi olduğunu -ya da olması gerektiğini- bilirsiniz ama hiç tat almazsınız ya yemekten. İşte bu da böyle maalesef. Çok yavan bir üslup. Başarısız.
September 25, 2018
This was on the school recommended reading list for my 10 year old. Lovely book but I think you need to be older than 10 to really appreciate it.
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