Go as a River by Shelley Read is just that book for me. I took my sweet time with this novel. The writing is so thoughtful, delicate, lyrical, and meant to be savored. I did not want it to end, and was truly bummed out when it did. Victoria Nash is a character that I’ll never ever forget. She’s vulnerable, yet tough as nails, brave as heck, hardworking, wise beyond her years, and extremely admirable. Her mother died when she was a young girl, so she was forced to grow up quickly, and take over as the woman of the house. All of the domestic duties in a home full of men were now her responsibility. A tragic incident occurs, and Victoria makes the difficult decision to leave. What follows is a journey full of self-reflection, resilience, strength, and growth. Victoria will win you over in no time at all.

This is an amazing coming of age story. Themes of loss, racism and complex family dynamics were explored in a compassionate manner. The writing is beautifully poetic.

Go as a River is a heart-wrenching coming-of-age story and a drama of enthralling power. Combining unforgettable characters and a breathtaking natural setting, it is a sweeping story of survival and becoming, of the deepest mysteries of love, truth and fate. This book description is perfectly said.

𝐆𝐨 𝐀𝐬 𝐀 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 is so well written, emotionally charged and has such a sense of place that it’s truly hard to believe this is a debut novel!

Victoria Nash is a teenager who has endured unimaginable loss and toils on her family’s farm, picking their famous peaches, when she meets Wilson Moon. Wil is not welcome in town or by her family, so when the two fall in love, it’s clear they won’t be accepted as a couple. A series of devastating events lead Victoria to leave home, with nothing and nobody to help her.

What follows is the story of a quietly strong, resolute, intelligent young woman who makes her own way - reminding me so much of Leni from 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 and Kya from 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠. All three young women are tenacious and strong-willed, have deep connections to their environment - and their natural surroundings play a vitally important role - and they #make their lives their own, against all odds.

𝐆𝐨 𝐀𝐬 𝐀 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 also weaves in themes
of friendship, family, secrets and motherhood, and how all affect and shape an individual. Not the most exciting or quickest read, but this one lulled me along with his gentle pace, rich descriptions of the setting and fascinating characters. It’s based upon the true story of a Colorado town that was sacrificed for the building of the Blue Mesa Reservoir in the 1960s, a non-fiction element that enriches this story of struggle and resilience.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC!!

My first two thoughts are ...look at me loving a coming-of-age novel...and how on earth is this Shelley's debut ? Wow! So impressive. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.

Victoria "Torie" was such a strong female lead even through all of her life's hardships of hard decisions and loss. Her courage, determination and resilience was so admirable for such a young girl.

I also really really love when the title of the book is incorporated into the meaning of the story - this was pure perfection for me when revealed.

A beautifully written debut. Gorgeous Colorado peach farm setting. Equal parts heartwarming and heart wrenching. A pure joy to read. I highly recommend it!

After the death of her mother, Torie has been the "woman of the house" -- cooking, cleaning, and doing chores around the orchard, at the beck and call of her father and brothers. At 17, she doesn't really know what it means to be a woman. Then Wilson Moon comes to town. Torie is instantly in love, much to the embarrassment and annoyance of her brother, the constant troublemaker, Seth. This is Torie's story. It is heartbreaking and uplifting and parallels the story of Iola, Colorado and the Gunnison River.

I loved this story. It's beauty is not so much because of the plot, but in the language and descriptions of the Colorado countryside and the wild and beautiful Gunnison River. The plot is touching, but slow moving as it reflects Victoria's life over the course of 20+ years, In some ways it reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing. This book is equally beautiful and emotionally draining. It's not a page-turner filled with lots of action, but rather a moving tribute to love and devotion to family, friends, and the land. Read the true story of Iola to get a clear picture of what life was like before and after the dam that created the Blue Mesa Reservoir.

Very reminiscent of When Crawdads Sing--a heroine to root for and beautiful nature writing. This felt a little too familiar and the emotions were a bit too on the nose for me.

An emotional story about a young girl, racism, and the will to survive. I don't read a lot of books that start in the 1940's and end during Vietnam. Our MC, Victoria, shows a will to survive, a push to be independent and strong and it was inspiring to read. The story is broken in parts and I like how that broke out time and storyline. The last 2 parts were my favorite, as a lot of the story came together and rewarded us with a great ending.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I really enjoyed this slow and engrossing story. At times it borderlines too slow, but I couldn't make myself dislike it. The author took her time really diving into Victoria's character and growth over the years. Because I was adopted and know my birth family, this story had a special connection..the last few chapters really got me!
Read this if you want story that takes its time with the setting and characters, and deals with love, loss, and redemption. If you liked The Four Winds, This Tender Land, Where the Crawdads Sing, and the like, I think you'll really enjoy this one!

Really enjoyable book. Loved the pacing and the main character. Read it within a couple of days. Great cover too.

Towns have been drowned for years and this novel takes a historical event and adds an engrossing narrative to the creation of the Blue Mesa reservoir in Colorado. The descriptions of the natural world are of the caliber in “Where the Crawdads Sing” , that is to say, evocative. The characters are well drawn and everything about this book is gorgeous.

As a Colorado resident, I especially enjoyed the historical fiction element in this wonderful book. The author poignantly depicts a young woman's coming of age on the Western Slope and her bravery in stepping up to save her family's famous Palisade peach trees. I recommend this book as one of the best I've read in 2023. Thanks very much to the publisher for providing an ARC to preview.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

A beautiful coming-of-age story of lovers, Wil and Torie, thrown together on chance meeting and forever tied together by the conception of child. Then tragedy strikes and the reader follows Torie on her plunge into the wilderness and a struggle to survive, pregnant and alone. The parallel losses her hometown faces while threatened with the Gunnison River's fast approach toward destruction, and her efforts to rebuild, will bring you to tears. This is one of the saddest books I've read this year, but I enjoyed it from cover to cover.

Thank you to Shelley Read for a wonderful story. And thank you to Netgalley and Spiegel & Grau for the advanced e-galley!

This book was a sloooow read for me. For some reason i couldnt get into this story. I am sure it's a great book as the reviews were good but it didnt do anything for me.

I listened to this one over audio and really enjoyed it in that format. It’s a great historical fiction and was especially interesting to me since it takes place in Colorado. The main character was strong, and I loved the story, even though there were times it dragged a bit.

GO AS A RIVER has been all over the place with raving reviews. I've started and stopped this book multiple times now. It's beautifully written, but it is also painfully slow for me. I had the same problem with GIVER OF STARS. Being a mood reader, just waiting for the right time to finish.

I couldn't wait to read this book. I was fortunate to hear Shelley Read speak but waited to read this book till it was time for my book club to read it. Go As a River was beautifully written. It was heart warming and heart breaking all at once.

Title: Go As A River
Author: Shelley Read
Available now

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

This debut novel follows the life course of Victoria Nash starting in the 1940s on her family’s peach farm in Colorado and ending in the 1970s. She falls in love with a young man named Wilson Moon at age 17. Throughout her life, Victoria faces more hardship than one should have to bear, but she will go as a river like Wilson Moon once told her.

This novel is beautifully written with captivating scenes of the Colorado landscape. It is a sad but hopeful story that had me on the verge of tears multiple times. Victoria has strength and fortitude unlike any other. I couldn’t wait to see what happened in this one, yet also wanted to read it slowly to appreciate the words.

I chose this for my IRL book club meeting next week and I’m eager to discuss it.

Pick this up for a simultaneously quiet yet propulsive read.

This story starts with a 17-year old motherless girl in 1949 living on a peach farm, who falls in love with a Native American drifter, in spite of the blatant racism of her family.

The plot quickly devolves into a common story, and then makes a complete 180 turn.
The writing is beautiful, but it took me a while to slow my reading pace and absorb the depth of Victoria and her story. This is a tale of her joining with nature, with her pain and finally her acceptance of herself and her life. Once I understood that the story was not moving as expected, I was able to enjoy it and relish in its fullness.

You will enjoy this lovely work if you are willing to savor it and allow it to open your heart.