reading_ladies_blog's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Abandonment, Bullying, Alcoholism, Grief, Misogyny, and Torture
alixcallender's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I have great affection for Victoria, and I loved the slow, reflective, mournful pacing. But I do take issue with a few things:
- Far to many peach metaphors. We get it.
- Where is Wilson Moon’s actual personality?
- The near-end was overly fluffy and convenient. (Without giving anything away, I will just say that I am not convinced that Victoria could have imagined *that outcome* with such accuracy, nor do I believe that two people can glean such perfect and correct meaning from a pile of rocks.)
It was very much like Where the Crawdad’s Sing, so if you liked that story you’ll probably like this one too. It’s a poolside read. I read it quickly, and enjoyed it!
- Far to many peach metaphors. We get it.
- Where is Wilson Moon’s actual personality?
- The near-end was overly fluffy and convenient. (Without giving anything away, I will just say that I am not convinced that Victoria could have imagined *that outcome* with such accuracy, nor do I believe that two people can glean such perfect and correct meaning from a pile of rocks.)
It was very much like Where the Crawdad’s Sing, so if you liked that story you’ll probably like this one too. It’s a poolside read. I read it quickly, and enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Racism, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Abandonment, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, Violence, Colonisation, Miscarriage, War, Sexism, and Alcohol
Minor: Car accident, Body shaming, Infertility, Animal cruelty, and Sexual content
astoriareader's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
SYNOPSIS:
- It is the 1940s at a peach orchard in rural Colorado in a town called Iola. Victoria Nash is 17, and she is the woman of the house, as her mother & aunt died about 5 years ago. Due to gender roles of the time period, Victoria is expected to fill the gaps that her mother’s absence left (e.g., domestic duties, cleaning, cooking, etc). Without any choice of her own, she mindlessly fills the roles, and she becomes an adult as a child. She lives with her father, her uncle Og, and her troubled brother Seth.
- One day, Victoria meets a handsome Indigenous man, Wilson Moon aka Wil. **Note: We never learn Wil’s community or nation of people, so I wish I could provide a better description.
- From their first meeting, Victoria and Wil have a spark & chemistry. Sadly, Iola’s community is filled with racism, and Wil quickly becomes an outcast. He becomes a forbidden love for Victoria.
- We follow Victoria’s life from 17 year old to an adult woman. The story spans about 20+ years.
MY THOUGHTS
- I started this book on a Tuesday night, and I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. I woke up early the next morning to finish, so I ended up reading it all in 13-14 hours.
- This is the author’s debut novel, and I am surprised, as the writing is top-notch. Read skillfully paints the landscape with words and weaves a beautiful story together. I loved how easy it was to visualize & empathize with the characters.
- Impressive character development. Victoria is a likable, relatable, & capable main character. I felt emotionally connected to the lows and the highs of her story. Also, loved the choice of a diverse love for Victoria. When we meet Victoria, she is only 17, and we get to see her beautiful journey over a few decades.
- Victoria’s story is a heavy read, as there are many heartbreaking moments. I found myself forgetting to breathe in a few parts. As we experience lows, we get to see the rise from the ashes & follow Victoria into adulthood.
- Although the initial part of the book starts slow & sets the stage, it’s worth it. It’s a well-plotted book, and if you trust the process, it becomes an enthralling ride.
- There were so many intriguing themes flushed out in this one: racism, discrimination, prejudice, self-esteem, self-acceptance, gender roles, women’s roles, friendship, loss, grief, motherhood, strength, perseverance, resilience, love, loneliness.
- Coming-of-age story. Although, after finishing, I did look into some of the historical points mentioned by the author (such as the town of Iola), so in a way, this also would fall into a historical fiction category.
TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Ended up finishing in 13-14 hrs. Sweeping coming-of-age tale of Victoria in 1940s in rural Colorado. Masterfully written & plotted. Emotionally hard to read in some parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Death, Hate crime, Murder, Sexism, Violence, and Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Miscarriage, War, Animal death, and Car accident
raeerdna's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
heartbreaking. the cruel and sad face of reality breaking its point. i loved how real this story felt but still far away from life as today. even tho you can clearly see the mistakes from that period happening today as well, i was transported in that time and felt a soul crashing love and anger from it. cried, felt happy, relieved and angry all throughout it. never felt so familiar with a character but be almost nothing like it. that's what i loved the most about this book, it was beating like my heart is heard. oh, and all the detailed descriptions of nature and its beauty, that as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Death of parent, War, Alcoholism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Car accident, Hate crime, Colonisation, Murder, Pregnancy, and Violence
Minor: Miscarriage, Blood, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Torture
luelle_'s review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Animal death, Blood, Abandonment, Death, Grief, and Racial slurs
Minor: Miscarriage and Child death
jenissaaa's review against another edition
Something just didn’t sit right with me about
Spoiler
killing off an indigenous character just to give trauma to a white woman to further the plot, especially when you don’t even get to spend enough time to get to know him as a character before he’s murderedSpoiler
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Murder, Grief, Pregnancy, and Racism
lcg527's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Racism, and Abandonment
aidan_aurora's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Such an incredible read! Shelley Read is an incredible writer, I had to stop reading many times to underline or circle lines that were so stunningly beautiful or resonant. I highly recommend everyone read this book, but especially young women or old women from small towns. But prepare yourself for a couple good crys.
Cant wait to see what Read writes next!
Cant wait to see what Read writes next!
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Hate crime, Abandonment, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Death
bookchatwithbeth's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Gore, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Miscarriage and Infertility
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Go as a River seems to be an internet darling. It’s been widely compared to Where The Crawdads Sing - a comparison which I think is valid - which I read and loved in 2018. It’s a coming of age story, features a strong female protagonist, has gorgeous writing and a strong connection with the environment. Tick, tick, tick, and tick. And yet, while I enjoyed it I didn’t love it.
I certainly felt for Victoria, motherless from a young age and expected to run the home, run after her father, brother and uncle who all treated her poorly, while still working on the family peach orchard. When she finds love it is cruelly snatched from her because it is deemed forbidden. I enjoyed seeing her grow into a competent businesswoman and successful orchardist, watching her develop friendships and a sense of community, but most especially seeing her growth in understanding and compassion as regards to Ruby-Alice. I found the depictions of the Colorado mountains with their stark sort of beauty, as well as the Gunnison River to be evocative, and could really feel Victoria’s connection to her environment. The author’s portrayal of small town life in the 1940s felt spot-on especially, sadly, the racism and treatment of those perceived as different.
The storyline relating to Victoria as a mother was heart wrenching but also felt a little emotionally manipulative. Or perhaps I’m growing weary of the self-sacrificing mother trope. I would have loved to see more made of the decision to dam the Gunnison River and the community reaction to it. I enjoy environmental themes like that and they are incredibly relevant.
In other words the book mostly worked for me, yet didn’t hit as hard as expected. Pretty sure this has less to do with the book and more to do with the way I’ve changed as a reader. I no longer love the type of books I used to love. I’m definitely leaning more literary and wanting different voices, new stories and points of view, more complexity, books that help me see the world in new ways. I know I’ve got another couple of new releases on my TBR that 2018 me would have loved. I’ll be very interested to see how 2023 me finds them.
I certainly felt for Victoria, motherless from a young age and expected to run the home, run after her father, brother and uncle who all treated her poorly, while still working on the family peach orchard. When she finds love it is cruelly snatched from her because it is deemed forbidden. I enjoyed seeing her grow into a competent businesswoman and successful orchardist, watching her develop friendships and a sense of community, but most especially seeing her growth in understanding and compassion as regards to Ruby-Alice. I found the depictions of the Colorado mountains with their stark sort of beauty, as well as the Gunnison River to be evocative, and could really feel Victoria’s connection to her environment. The author’s portrayal of small town life in the 1940s felt spot-on especially, sadly, the racism and treatment of those perceived as different.
The storyline relating to Victoria as a mother was heart wrenching but also felt a little emotionally manipulative. Or perhaps I’m growing weary of the self-sacrificing mother trope. I would have loved to see more made of the decision to dam the Gunnison River and the community reaction to it. I enjoy environmental themes like that and they are incredibly relevant.
In other words the book mostly worked for me, yet didn’t hit as hard as expected. Pretty sure this has less to do with the book and more to do with the way I’ve changed as a reader. I no longer love the type of books I used to love. I’m definitely leaning more literary and wanting different voices, new stories and points of view, more complexity, books that help me see the world in new ways. I know I’ve got another couple of new releases on my TBR that 2018 me would have loved. I’ll be very interested to see how 2023 me finds them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Grief
Moderate: Hate crime and Murder