Leafy Rivers

by Jessamyn West

Jessamyn West's spirited novel—set in the Ohio Territory in the early 1880s—is a handsomely paced adventure for lovers of period romance and suspense. Leafy Rivers is a young bride caught up in emotions she does not altogether understand and cannot quite control. As she races against time to save a life and a marriage that may already be lost, a vivid assortment of characters—such as Simon Yanders, a man whose loss has taught him generosity and whose grief has made him alert to joy; Cashie Wade, irresistibly wild and free; and Leafy's husband, Reno, whose love is matched only by his ineptitude—offers challenges that threaten to waylay her at every turn.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Mary Jessamyn West was an American Quaker (originally from Indiana) who wrote numerous stories and novels, notably The Friendly Persuasion (1945).

Reviews

[CindySR · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* Somehow this book got marked as "finished" when I entered my first status. So now my quoted passages all say "finished".

I loved the language! The story was weird and wild and went off the rails a bit in the last third or so. The quotable lines were plentiful and that made up for the weirdness.

[Lily Holliday · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Jessamyn West books when I was growing up, so it was great to discover one I hadn't read. Set in the 1800's among settlers of Ohio and Indiana, the story takes place in flashbacks of the main character's life leading up to her present, in labor with her first child. The author has a way with words unlike anyone else I have read, and tells stories filled with human sensitivities.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my third book I read by Jessamyn West. This was published in the late 1960's, so it delicately covers the crises in a marriage where the husband and wife are not satisfied in the course of their life, sexual gratification, or other problems of settlement from the Ohio Territory to what was to become Indiana; not all of those are directly addressed, so the reader is presented all the characteristics amid the first year or so of their newlywed life. It does have the gentle voice of West in the way she portrays the main character, Leafy, as she settles into her contnentment with much of her frontier life while dealing with a husband who does not possess the same industry as she. My realization as I read this was that, if this were to ever become a movie, the emphasis for the 21st. Century audience would be untrue to the real tale fo "Leafy Rivers."

[Paul G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astounding control of language. In a genre that too often reverts to stilted archaic phraseology, West creates a contemporary atmosphere from an 1818 setting with spare dialogue that never palls and scene-setting that walks a different path from cliche.

There is almost a sense of mysticism in the atmospherics: 'But it was the summer's climate that gilded all its happenings. Sometimes Leafy thought the sheen came down direct from the sky; sometimes she thought it sprayed out direct from her daydreaming ... ' There is a continual metaphoric interplay between the natural world, changing seasons and mood (both of character and scene) through the novel.

Calling this historical romance fiction is like calling a Vincent Van Gogh just some old painting.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent novel of a young wife in Indiana during the frontier days. It is alternately insightful and funny. Jessamyn West has a brilliant way with words and settings. Highly recommended.

[Maria Pierron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't even know what kind of rating to give this. It was SO. WEIRD. Argh! I don't really know why, but I couldn't stop reading this book even though the characters were unlikable and the plot was confusing as heck.

[Arnold Luwugge]

Insightful on early American settlers lives. The picture is painted

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been a fan of Jessamyn West

[Connie Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Jessamyn West book. She is remarkable and I took down quotes from this book as things I want to remember. I'll now be on a Jessamyn West marathon!

[Felicity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up to mail to a friend just for the cover and the name of the author and ended up really enjoying it. It's a strange little book but it was pretty damn good.

[Marti]

Passed on to me from Mom.

[Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an old novel that I picked up. Maybe the times have changed, or one's interests but this story didn't hold my attention. Gave up after 50 pages.