Great debut by Shelley Read! I loved the story as it unfolded, such heartbreak, yet a rendering of lost souls all coming together! I will definitely be watching for future books by this author.

I chose "Go as a River" by Shelley Read for my book club because of its setting in Colorado, where I live, and the intriguing description of a young woman's journey of self-discovery. The book is a powerful memoir that follows Read's life from her rural childhood to her unexpected pregnancy, her experience of giving birth alone in the mountains, and her eventual relocation and struggles to build a new life.

Read's writing is vivid and emotional, capturing the beauty of Colorado's landscapes and the challenges a young woman faces in the mid-20th century. Her story is heart-wrenching and inspiring as she grapples with difficult decisions and life-altering events. The story moved all members of my book club as we discussed the themes of resilience, family, and the connection between humans and nature.

Overall, "Go as a River" is a beautifully written and deeply moving memoir that offers insights into the complexities of human experience—highly recommended for anyone seeking a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant read, especially those interested in Colorado's history and natural beauty.

“Just as a single rainstorm can erode the banks and change the course of a river, so can a single circumstance of a girl’s life erase who she was before (Chapter 10)..” GO AS A RIVER, Shelley Reads debut novel, is a beautifully written, sometimes haunting story of seventeen-year-old Victoria “Torie” Nash. Torie lives in Iola, Colorado, a small town on the banks of the Gunnison River in Colorado. Life is hard on the peach farm. Her father is in mourning for his wife, Her crippled Uncle Og and her older brother Seth live in the house. Torie is a virtual slave cooking, cleaning, etc. As a reader, I fell in love with Read’s writing. Just as a river can meander, have whirlpools, get angry and come out of its banks, Torie finds herself in that whirlpool of life for most of the story. It was an emotional story for me. I laughed. I cried. I was angry about the suffering she endured. I need to let this book rest in my mind for awhile and reread it in a couple of months. My thanks to Spiegel and Grau and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

This book is so beautifully written and totally evokes the sounds, smells and experience of life in this part of the world at this time along with the struggles those living it faced.
I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

This book knocked my socks off. The strength of the main character Victoria and all the sacrifices she made in the name of love. I was pulled in from the first Chapters. This was a beautiful book.

Go As a River by Shelley Read is one of my favorite reads in March. It is a breathtakingly beautifully written coming of age book in rural Colorado in the late 1940s to the 1960s. The characterization, conflict development, and use of imagery were all incredibly rich, yet the story felt so accessibly that I flew through its pages. Bigotry, sexism, ageism, and probably several other forms of bigotry were present everywhere, but in Read's gifted writing hands, they never felt heavy-handed or tyrannical. They simply were an inescapable part of the story that shaped Victoria, but they do not, in the end (spoiler!) define her.

The story is hard and emotional, and some episodes seem absolutely impossible. But the true gift of this story is how it highlights the best of humanity in the most unlikely places, places that end up making me say, oh, of course. I cannot wait for Read's next novel.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy. This takes place in 1948 on a peach farm in a small town in Colorado. Victoria is 17 and has taken care of her father, uncle and brothers since her mother died. It is not a good situation. When she meets and fall in love with a Native American man who is passing through town, things do not go well. The prejudice is awful, and the book has a lot of sadness along with some hope. The story follows what happens to them and how her life plays out. It's a good story, slow with lots of meaning. #goasariver #shelleyread #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #historicalfiction #forbiddenlove #netgalley #advancedreaderscopy

Shelley Read's Go As A River is a big bold book that packs a lot into its pages and is hard to summarize, but I would just say "it's about a life". The story starts in 1940's Colorado when young Victoria Nash is intrigued by a stranger passing through her town. The friendship she forms with Wilson Moon will teach her a lot about the world she lives in, it's prejudices and struggles. And their meeting will profoundly change the direction of her life.

I don't want to summarize the story, because letting it unfold before you is so much more pleasurable. I will post about a couple of impressions. I don't think books like this get published that often anymore. It is a story about times in the not too distant past, but rings true and heartfelt. What makes it rise above other books is the author's writing. It is lyrical, and I would argue that her title, "Go As A River", which has meaning in the story, also could be used to describe her writing style. If you slow down and give it time to seduce you, you will drift slowly but happily away on the words of this story, as they lead you through one life.

I give this disclaimer because my usual reading style is mysteries with a lot of action. The story seemed to start off slow to me, but in reality, this is just the author's storytelling style, and if you let yourself enjoy the pace, it may enchant you as it did me.

As a read I would rate this 4.5, but I think it's an extraordinary effort by a debut novelist, so on writing prowess I am giving it five stars.

Thank you to author Shelley REad, her publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

As I read this I kept putting it down as the first 1/3 didn’t really peak my interest. However I’m glad I kept coming back to reading it as the struggles Torie/Victoria faced in this time period were so gripping I had to know more. A wonderful coming of age story that brings two mothers together. 3.5 stars

(2.5⭐️) Many thanks to my friends at @spiegelandgrau for the #gifted copy of this book.

I grew up in Georgia. Peaches are a way of life for us. There’s really nothing like that first bite… juice dripping down your chin, the sweetness hitting your tongue…

But in the middle of the juiciest, sweetest crop of peaches, there’s always the potential for one that is underdeveloped, with less robust flavor.

Like most things in life, the difference between the two is reliant on timing and opinion.

For me, Go As a River was much like that peach that needed a bit more development, and it failed to live up to its hype for two main reasons:

🍑 In a story about hardship and overcoming, I want to feel the story as though experiencing it first hand, deeply connected with the main character. Lacking in dialogue and created with broad strokes, I found Victoria to be very one-dimensional. And because she fell flat to me, I found it hard to empathize with her or appreciate her growth throughout the storyline.

🍑 But most concerning for me was the unnecessary addition of an indigenous character. Diverse characterization is important when purposefully used to create awareness and necessary perspective. Instead, this representation tokenizes the indigenous and simply provides a platform for racial slurs and a white character’s growth.

This book made for thoughtful conversation in my buddy read with @backporchpages @bookmarked.by.becky @chicagobooklover and @thats.one.for.the.books.

While this wasn’t as juicy and sweet as I’d expected, it’s worth noting that my opinion is the outlier.

This was very slow to get into. Multiple timelines and flashbacks. I wasn’t a fan of the main character.

Go as a River is such a beautiful, lyrical book I still feel the hole it left when I finished it. Victoria's family has owned and managed Colorado's only successful peach orchard for generations. Her mother, and beloved cousin and aunt were killed in a car accident leaving Victoria the only female in a family of men. Her brother, Seth, is a cruel and wild boy, her father is still drowning in the grief for his lost wife, and her uncle has been damaged by the war with no hope of recovering. On a trip to town to drag a drunken Seth home for chores she meets the charming, gorgeous Wilson Moon. and her life is changed forever. Secret meetings result in a changed future for everyone involved and Victoria finds herself alone, fleeing to the hills where she tries to take control of her fate and survive on her own. As the wilderness threatens to win, Victoria returns to civilization only to find it moved along without her. Only her very ill father remains on the farm and the government is buying land that will be underwater once the Gunnison River is dammed. Still Victoria finds a way to move on, and another way to survive as she tries to "go as a river" as Wilson taught her long ago - flowing forward and onward and finding a way around obstacles. I read this in one sitting, with a lot of tissues. The story is beautiful and awful in itself, but Read's descriptions of nature and the wilderness make it so you can hear the bird song and the music of the river. Fans of books like Where the Crawdads Sing will love this book. It will provide a lot of discussion for book clubs as well. Many, many thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read the ARC.

Wow ! This book was so good. A must read for 2023. It reminded me so much of Where the Crawdads Sing. It is a beautifully written story that takes place in Colorado. I loved the way the author described the landscape. Victoria Nash run the household on her family’s peach farm. This book deals with love, courage, and friendship. Victoria truly follows her heart.

Thanks to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the opportunity to read an advanced digital e-book, "Go as a River" by Shelley Read. "Go as a River" is the best debut novel I have read in 2023. The story encompasses first love, heartbreak, prejudice, isolation, perseverance, maturity, friendship, connections, survival, and self-discovery. This novel is inspired by the historical events surrounding the town of Iola, Colorado, before the Gunnison Rivers flood in the 1960s.

Tori meets Wilson Moon, a Native American, and they fall madly in love with one another. They meet secretly, and events unfurl. When tragedy strikes a second time, Tori leaves a secure life on the farm, goes into the mountains, and struggles to survive. Afterward, she returns to the farm and struggles to save it. Throughout her struggles, Tori remembers and reflects on the sage advice given by a loved one, "to go as the river." Tori experiences adversity and hardship but is resilient.

I will never forget Tori, a strong, beautiful woman. Again, rush to buy this book. "Go as a River is an excellent book club selection; the members of my book club chose this dazzling debut as our April 2023 book selection.

Victoria (Torie) Nash is the only female in her household and she has one purpose – to take care of her father and brother. They live in Colorado in the 1940’s. She’s lonely and yearns for a kind gesture in a home where courtesy and appreciation are absent. When a young stranger talks to her as she heads home, she is taken aback by his considerate and gentle nature. Torie’s drawn to the young man named Wilson and they start a clandestine relationship that ends suddenly. Unfortunately, Wilson’s Native American and not welcome in her community. Torie is devastated, and her life takes a turn that will haunt her for the rest of her days.

She lives in Iola, along the Gunnison River, and the town is going to be impacted by government plans for the area. Despite many disapproving. Torie leaves the home that’s been in her family for generations. She is smart in her decisions, though one particular decision has left her bereft. Readers will see her resilience and hard work ethic that sustain her as she mourns all she has lost.

Read’s main characters are wonderfully rendered. The actions of the poor in this depressed area shows how little they understand the changes they are facing. Women have few rights and the Native Americans have even less. Wilson had fled a government school for Native children and readers will wish his story had gotten more attention. His background is sketchy and his presence is brief. Learning more about his history and the world he escaped would have added to the historical reality of the book but the absence of details actually adds to the many mysterious elements.

As the landscape of Colorado changes, so must the people. Torie moves forward with her life on her own in a world that’s harsh and challenging. Her past troubles her and continually weighs on her. There is a mood of suspense that hovers over Torie, especially as she longs for resolution to her fateful decision from years earlier.

A fantastic read that gave me all the feels and will live in my head and heart for a long time to come. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I started it

<i>Go As A River</i> by Shelley Read is a stunningly written book about how every detail and decision in a life can change its trajectory. This book is full of heartbreak and hope, with both the understanding of choices that <i>must</i> be made, as well as the ability to grasp decisions that <i>can</i> be made.

Growing up in rural Colorado in the 1940s, Victoria is the only female in a houseful of men. Her father, uncle, and brother, all dealing (or rather, not) with their own pasts, create a lonely place for Torie to call home. When she experiences forbidden love and witnesses extreme racism, she is forced to decide between her family and her unborn child. Torie's journey of hardship and heartbreak--influenced by her family, her past, and her future--leads her to forge her own life, to lose what she loves most dearly, to hold on to and grow herself and her family's farm. It is a story of difficulty and loss, of hope and absolution. It is a story of the journey life takes, and what one can do with what they are given.

I loved the writing and the concept for the plot but felt the pacing was off

The first third of the novel was outstanding. I couldn’t put this novel down…until it became tedious and slow. Characters, who I was just getting to know were written out of the plot too early, After the first third of the book, it was too drawn out and not much happened. I think there were some plot devices like the town flooding that were unnecesary and would have loved more character development.

This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

A healing story for those who are lost.
River will pamper you, let your thoughts go naturally. Blow your grieveness away. Listen to the river and beautiful stories it's telling you