Nature Literature discussion

We have a tie for the October book of the month! Since October's read is fiction, and we only read novels twice a year, I'm going to include both books for October. You can choose one, or both, or none! :)

But please add your comments about The River here.

I was able to place this one on hold at my local, rural library. Hopefully, it becomes available early enough in October to take part in a conversation.

Becky

I’m looking forward to discussing this book and writer with everyone. I have read it and I enjoyed. It’s a page-turner!

I’m wondering if any of you have gone on a wilderness expedition? If would be interesting to hear about anyone’s expeditions as we read discuss *The River* this month.

I've run a number of rivers on multi-day trips and it is one reason I'm wanting to read this one! Hope to start this week-end....when I will be on a river....

Awesome Sam. You'll have some good insights I'm sure. Have fun on the river this week. I've done a week-long Alaskan wilderness raft trip, but that's about it on the water expeditions.

Julie wrote: "Awesome Sam. You'll have some good insights I'm sure. Have fun on the river this week. I've done a week-long Alaskan wilderness raft trip, but that's about it on the water expeditions."

Oh, where!? I've been on the Copper River and some of it's tributaries. It is awe-inspiring landscape. Nothing better than stepping in a pile of still-warm Brown bear scat!

Yes, that's where we rafted! From McCarthy to Cordova.

I've done that route! I love McCarthy? Can I ask with whom? Private or with a company?

My Alaskan friend led the trip. Private.

When I was a teen, many college-aged mentors were going on Canadian expeditions where they canoed to Hudson Bay. I used to dream about that trip, but never did it. This is what drew me to read *The River* after I read a review of it.

I read this book a couple years ago, and just recently I read Heller's new book The Guide, which is sort of a sequel. I enjoyed them both and look forward to the discussion here.

I have done some guided fishing (also in Alaska) but nothing like the multi-day trips you are describing, Sam and Julie. I would love to one day!

Cara, I have *The Guide* and I’m looking forward to reading it soon. Good for you to guide in Alaska. I hope you do go on a river expedition. Time for me to review *The River* and start posting about it!

There are spoilers in *The River* that I’ll avoid. From the book flap and the Introduction we learn of a forest fire and a couple arguing on a wilderness island. For me, this story was a suspenseful page-turner from the beginning.

I live in Minnesota and had my smokiest summer this year. The smoke was from NW Ontario and N Minnesota forest fires. This book was timely and relevant for me in that sense, and maybe for the world.

Julie wrote: "Cara, I have *The Guide* and I’m looking forward to reading it soon. Good for you to guide in Alaska. I hope you do go on a river expedition. Time for me to review *The River* and start posting abo..."

Oh I have just done the fishing, not the guiding! :)

I did manage to get this book from the library - a bit late, and I finished it mid-November - but thought I'd still add my thoughts here. There was a lot of foreshadowing at the beginning which I thought created good tension, but unfortunately made me hesitant to keep reading for awhile. (I have found it difficult to read about dark, threatening situations during the pandemic.)

However, wanting to finish it before I returned it to the library, I pushed ahead one weekend and WOW! It certainly turned into a thrilling page-turner once they came into contact with the man who'd "lost" his wife. I read the rest of it in one sitting.

I liked how Heller portrayed the relationship between the two main characters - they played off each other well and I had confidence in them not to get into any careless situations. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars in my Goodreads review.

Becky,

Good to know you received this book and read it to the end. It was quite the story after all!