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You must read this book., July 31 2007
'Peace Like a River' is a phenomenal book. It is written from the perspective of Ruben Land, an asthmatic child, and we see, feel and hear what it was like growing up in mid-America 40 years ago under less than ideal circumstances. Ruben is a self-effacing, insightful young man/boy, and he endears himself so much to the reader, you just can't help but pull for him. I was absolutely delighted with the tone and cadence of Ruben's narration, which is done in a child-like, country vernacular, but which doesn't sound ignorant or hackneyed. There are times when I literally laughed out loud at his adorable observations of people and circumstances. The other characters (Ruben's dad, his sister Swede, his older brother Davy, and many others) are so well fleshed out, you really feel for them, find them repugnant or are indifferent, just the same as real life.
The book starts out with some terrible situations, and from there, the rest of the time is spent trying to recover from these and move forward all at once. The interactions between Ruben and his adorably precocious little sister "Swede" just have you rolling on the floor. It makes you want to know this little girl just to see what her impression of you would be. Rube and Swede's relationship is reminiscent of Scout and Jem from 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. And really, the family dynamic is a bit similar to that as well; the mother is gone, and the father and his three kids are left. There is one thing that overshadows all aspects of this story and that is Ruben's asthma. There are times when I truly felt like I couldn't breath; the description of his asthma was so realistic.
Finally, this really is a wonderful work of literary fiction. It is so beautifully written and so touchingly poignant, you could say, "I laughed, I cried", it was a joyous experience.
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Not bad..., July 9 2005
By A Customer
While the plot is interesting and the writing is quite good, I was not overly thrilled about the book as a whole. The "miracles" that occur don't seem to have much relevance to the story line and are a little too far-fetched for my realistic mind. Another thing that I disliked about this book was the recurrent inclusion of poetry that one of the book's characters was working on. I found that this detracted from the main story line and by the end of the book, I found myself skimming over this poetry which I felt was not very relevant to the story at hand.If you're looking for a really good book, try "The Kite Runner" - the story of a young boy growing up in Afghanistan in the 60s. Excellent read!!
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Peace Like A River Review, Feb 5 2005
It's hard to know which is the most outstanding element of this book: great writing, the flood of memories that wells up, the brilliant characters, or just the overall effect of this riveting book. The writing is beautiful, quirky, and entirely different from anything else I've come across. And yet other books come to mind, especially those with child narrators: Huck Finn, Catcher in the Rye, Bark of the Dogwood, Secret Life of Bees. While this book is recognized as a great work of fiction, it's sure to gain even more strength as more and more people discover it. Also recommended: Girl with the Pearl Earring, McCrae's "Children's Corner," and The Bark of the Dogwood
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Great, July 14 2004
By A Customer
Great book- only reason its not a 5 b/c the story is somewhat "simply" but wonderfully written!!!!
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Awesome book - one to ponder for a long time, July 8 2004
By A Customer
This book exceeded all expectations and is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Reuben, the 11 year old narrator, takes us through twists and turns, just odd enough to to mimic real life. Enger does a wonderful job of interspersing literary allusions and assumes a basic knowledge from his reader. The climactic scene towards the end comes unexpectedly.
Enger tells this tale of how the spiritual world of faith interacts so closely with this temporal world. It's a story just strange enough to be true and how I wish it were.
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Disappointed, July 8 2004
I had heard great things about this book and bought it because of the fanfare regarding it but I have to admit that I was disappointed.I won't review the plot here again, it has been told enough times. I realized going in that the book had religious themes and miracles were involved, which was fine with me. I do think miracles can happen, they're usually on a smaller scale though and the average person just happens to miss them. Either way, the premise of the story was a good one but for me it also fell flat. The book is written through Reuben's point of view and we are able to see all of the tragedies that happen through his eyes. As a result of this, I would assume that the miracles we are told about are as Reuben himself sees them. It may not actually be what is going on around him, but how he perceives it. I think that his character is the only true one in the novel. He has good qualities and flaws but it is through Reuben that we see the good in everyone. He is the one who still believes in miracles. The other characters in the book just did not come together for me. I felt that we had no true insight into Davy's character at all. Even the ending was a disappointment to me.
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Just let it take you, July 7 2004
Interesting to read the varied comments on this book... I suspended all concern over the realities of the girl's voice and just loved her for herself... and as a writer, I wanted to underline Enger's turn of phrase over and over... his writing made me suck my teeth with appreciation... I just gave this book to a friend from North Carolina inscribed, "Just to prove that occasionally a true northerner can write with the regional luciousness of a true southerner..." I am also recommending this book to friends with asthma, and to those who love them because of Ruben's inner description of life with his lungs... And finally, I don't know what all worked in his writing (I'll reread it in search of the alchemy), but at the end, sitting in a hotel room I broke down and wept at the sense of redemption and family love. I just kept reciting, "Thank you.. this helps my heart... thank you for the story."
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Caution: Fiction Ahead, July 2 2004
It seems like the bad reviews this book is getting are coming from people who don't find it "believable." First of all let me remind everyone that this is a work of fiction. If you want believability you might want to try a scientific journal. Secondly, to those who haven't read Peace Like a River, please do. If a book is critically hailed and widely loved but at the same time bashed for one reason or another, don't you have to take a chance that it really is great?
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A great first novel, but....., Jun 14 2004
I enjoyed this book, and had to read through to the end, even though it was late (comething I rarely do. By the time I finished, I was a little surprised at how much disbelief I could suspend. The prose was lyrical in spots, even though some of the characters are simply not to be believed. I didn't have a problem with the miracles, because the book most definitely had mystic qualities, but I wonder what Enger really knows about 9 or 10 year old girls. Swede didn't really work. I found myself skimming her portions, after a while, because they seemed to get in the way of the story. One thing else that had me wondering a bit: Crucial points of the story take place in and around Grassy Butte, which I drive past during the summer on my way to work. Other portions are set briefly in Amidon, which is about 85-100 miles south. Given that some of the characters were on horseback in a North Dakota January, I had to wonder how this could be (and once you start wondering, some of that disdeblief creeps in). And truly, that country west and north of Grassy Butte is quite rugged. I didn't think those travels were at all realistic. Granted, this is a small-enough quibble, but because I know something about the geography over there, I found myself doubting, and it did throw me off the story somewhat. Maybe Enger should have gone with all-fictitious spots, except for the more obvious Mandan. Still, it was an enjoyable read, for what it was.
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What a great story, Jun 8 2004
By A Customer
It is precisely the un-believability of this story that makes it so believable. The quirkiness of this tragedy-laden family makes them sympathetic and dear to us. It is the predictable and expected, too often found in fiction, that is hard to believe. Luckily, you won't find any of that here. True life rarely follows the easy path, and this book goes nowhere near it.
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