"Seventeen-year-old Victoria Nash runs the household on her family’s peach farm in the small ranch town of Iola, Colorado—the sole surviving female in a family of troubled men. Wilson Moon is a young drifter with a mysterious past, displaced from his tribal land but determined to live as he chooses." Description from Amazon

This book was great, It has everything! Young love, true love, bigotry, nature and the force of life and all the unexpected twists and turns. The descriptions are long and that might bother some, I assure you it is necessary. You will see, hear, smell and feel what the character is going through. I would put this under historical fiction or small town/urban. Either way, read it! I will recommend it to everyone and have requested it, and it is already, on the "to buy" list for our library. I look forward to other books from Shelley Read.

Once in a great while a book affects you like no other. This is that book. One of the most amazing stories I have read! For Victoria and Wilson Moon it is love at first sight. Unfortunately this is the 1940s and Wilson is not only a drifter passing through town but a Native American. Prejudices make him an outcast and he is accused of stealing some clothing so the law is looking for him. Wilson stays hidden but will not leave because of his feelings for Victoria. Their love has heartbreaking consequences that Victoria carries within her for decades. Sometimes strength comes not from holding on but letting go.

I truly enjoyed the lush writing of Go as a River. I see this as a movie, and I think it would be so cinematic as the landscape and nature play such an important role in the book and make reading it such an enjoyable experience.

The story is intriguing, as we are introduced to Victoria Nash as a young girl living on a peach farm in Colorado with her family. As the story progresses, we learn that she has lost her mother and some immediate family and is left to fill the shoes of her mother as a teenager. She is surrounded by men, and no one seems to notice or care for her. Trying to help her brother get back to the farm one day in one piece, she bumps into Wilson Moon. Wilson seems to be a drifter, but there is an immediate spark that sends Victoria on a path that changes her life.

This is where the story blossoms, and it would be a spoiler if I told you more. The book is wonderfully rich with details that are well expressed. We learn about how Victoria is so tied to her trees from the farm and makes some brave decisions to keep them at all cost. She is builds a life for herself alone, and comes to grips with her solitude and love of nature that brings the reader into understanding how nature can truly heal the soul.

Go as a River is well written, and you are easily drawn into the story. I would highly recommend this book as I read most of it in one sitting.

If there was ever a book written that captured the essence of what I love about fiction, it would be this. GO AS A RIVER by debut author Shelley Read is truly a modern classic in the making.

The story follows Victoria, a 17 year old girl living in small town Colorado in the 1950s. In the wake of losing her mother, her days are spent caring for callous men. She finds solace farming peaches her family has done for generations. As the steady sense of foreboding gives way and tragedy strikes, Victoria must forge her own path. Over the course of 20 years, she must navigate unexpected friendships, deep-rooted sorrow, and grace for the girl she once was.

I knew from the prologue that I had something special on my hands. The writing is lyrical, the plot is poignant, and the characters will make a home in your heart and stay awhile. Shelley Read’s prose is simply breathtaking and her ruminations on motherhood, identity, and the people and places that make up a home are beautifully timeless.

If you’re looking for a striking story that has the *it* factor, let GO AS A RIVER sweep you away. Your heart will break and mend a thousand times over and I promise you’ll be better for it.

RATING: 5/5
PUB DATE: March 7, 2023

Many thanks to Spiegel and Grau and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review will be posted to www.instagram.com/kellyhook.readsbooks in advance of publication date

Perfect for fans of “Where the Crawdad Sings” or Kristin Hannah’s books; this should be a book club hit come spring. The writing is rich in its depiction of the scenery of midcentury Colorado. The story is moving albeit heartbreaking.

Well-written and lush, this coming of age story is a better written sibling to 'Where the Crawdads Sing'. I highly recommend this and enjoyed every moment reading it.

Such an incredible and intriguing story! There is so much sadness and hope in the story, tears and smiles.

The characters are amazing - so well developed and interesting. The descriptions are amazing - you can taste the Nash peaches and feel the river currents. The story of Iola isn't one I've heard before, so it was really interesting reading about the timeframe and setting for this book. The hostility and frankness of the era is really on display - so many emotions involved. Love, loss, wildness, betrayal, friendship, Easily one of the most moving books I've read in a while.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review,

What a good book. Well written with lots of good description and character devolpent.
The way the Ms. Read tells the two story lines is clever and believable.
I LOVED the ending! Just enough and yet not!

Shelley Read's coming of age novel, Go As a River, is a gift to readers. This novel is so beautifully written, with prose that flows like poetry, that every page is a joy to read. I had never given serious thought to the small and large towns that have been buried under water, when a dam is built and a reservoir is created. More recently, and largely due to the drought in the southwest, the remains of lost towns have been uncovered. We gaze at the photos, while marveling at a church steeple now visible, but we give little thought to the people who lost home, friends, and whole communities, when the reservoir was created. Shelley Read forces us to think about these small towns that were lost.

The main character Torie/Victoria is a lonely young women in a household of men. While the men farm the land, Torie functions as cook, maid, and cleaner, while also working on the farm. The choices that Tory makes and the choices made by others impact her life in many ways. All of these choices force a young girl into becoming a strong decisive woman. The descriptions of the natural world that Read includes are beautifully crafted. These same descriptions make the world in which Torie, her family, and the community reside, all the more poignant when readers recall that these town and farms have a limited life span.

I hated to see Go As a River end. As I became more invested in Torie's life, this novel became a page turner. I will be recommending Go As a River to my book club as a selection for April. Thank you to author and publisher for providing this ARC. And thank you to NetGalley for bringing this novel to my attention.

Wow. I absolutely loved this book. There is some hype around it, and reviewers I respect have raved about how good it is, so I had high hopes. I wasn’t disappointed.
The story follows Torie or Victoria as a young girl and into womanhood. From her families peach farm, to her life in isolation following tragedy, it portrays how decisions can change the course of a life in a second, with consequences that cannot be undone. It poignantly shows the evolution of family and community and how events change us, alongside the inequality and bigotry so many people faced and still do.
It’s an epic tale, set over many years and is completely captivating. There is great love, grief and loss. The writing is stunning and the vivid descriptions of nature provide the perfect companion to the emotion of Victoria’s life and struggles.
It’s not always an easy read, there is real tragedy here and it tackles some big themes. But it is breathtaking nonetheless. I was desperate to find out what happened and simultaneously hoping it didn’t end. It’s perfect for fans of Where the crawdads sing and will no doubt draw some comparisons, but it is very much a stand out book in its own right. Absolutely wonderful, I will eagerly await whatever this Author does next.

The nice thing about reading historical fiction is that doing so makes me appreciate how far we have come in many ways. Victoria had a very rough life and endured more than many could bear but somehow not only survived but accomplished great things. I have lived most of my life on a farm so I can sympathize with the hard work and relying on good weather. I am very blessed to not have suffered the great losses and did not have to put up with the discriminations. This is a well written book that I didn't want to put down. I even liked the ending. Some would like more but I am good with creating my own images of a future with family.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an early copy of Go As a River by Shelley Read

Sometimes a story comes along that a reader wants to start sharing even before the last page has been reached. This is certainly the case with Go As a River, the oh-so-deeply imagined and delivered life of a young woman holds the reader from the opening scene to its heartfelt conclusion.

It begins with Torie and Wil, a kind of star-crossed lovers whose lives take on a new and fulfilling meaning when they meet. When tragedy strikes, Torie is left to make sense of things and do what is best for her.

Through great joy and great sorrow, author Shelley Read keeps the reader pushing on through every page alongside Torie that can only end with its riveting conclusion.

There is no doubt that Go As a River will be on everyone's "best" list in 2023.

I have already read and reviewed this book? I don’t understand why it has appeared on my shelf again? I loved it.

Beautifully written, poignant and so very sad but also uplifting and hopeful.

As a young girl Victoria isn't alone but is lonely, having suffered loss at a young age, until she meets the love of her life. Even though Victoria is alone for most of her adult life, she isn't lonely. She demonstrates resilience and it's almost like we are accompanying her on her life's journey.

A beautiful insight into the wonders of the stunning landscape, surrounding mountains, forests and rivers, describing the river as the lifeblood of communities through the ages.