Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Go as a River by Shelley Read

4 reviews

emmieanna's review against another edition

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challenging 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? No

4.75

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.

It has taken me two months to properly review this book, and honestly I still don’t know what to say. One thing I know for sure is that it is CRIMINALLY underrated. This book affected me so incredibly deeply and I honestly don’t think I will be the same.

I wish I could give Victoria a massive hug because girl was going through it and became an incredibly strong woman despite, I would love to be her friend. She quietly absorbs and reflects, really staying true to her personal values, overall gaining a lot from the life she has built for herself.
Her eventual friendship and mutual understanding of Ruby-Alice Akers was one of my favourite elements to this story, a found family of sorts, which I thought perfectly reflected the need for silent companionship in two women who were grieving in different ways.


Shelley Read balanced plot and character development really well, I loved how encompassing and varied the topics she explored in the story. It deals with heavy themes, racism towards Indigenous Peoples and gender roles being two of the most prominent, but also highlighting familial trauma and selfless sacrifices, all of which broke my heart.
I found Victoria’s relationship with her father especially interesting, there was clearly so much each wanted to say to the other but never did. I think she did not give her father enough of a chance to step up for her in a meaningful way, and I believe that if she told him about Blue, he would have adored him. Alas, I think the beauty of this story lies in the tragic missed opportunities and experiences which she sacrificed to give her son a better life.


I found it bittersweet when she sold up and left Iola, a place she so clearly had fond memories of but was also soured by the people and what her brother did to Wil. We were robbed of a beautiful love story between two people who truly understood each other. Her resourcefulness and finding a way to keep her family and their life’s work alive in relocating the peach groves was beautiful symbolism for a fresh start and the flooding of Iola really felt like we were washing away her old life with her.


I have been and forever will recommend this book, my opinion has only inflated over time and I will never stop tell people to read it. If they don’t make a film starring Margaret Qualley or Emily Carey soon I will cry.
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fkshg8465's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad slow-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? Yes

4.75

A story that brings life to completion, and a story with so much more to be told. One that lets my imagination fill in the gaps most satisfactorily.
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greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75


I have about 4K words of thoughts about this that are more appropriate for elsewhere, but I am absolutely baffled that other reviews didn't mention the fact that this book uses violence against a Native person to prompt personal growth from a white woman. Wil shows up, gets called slurs, has no characterization,
gets Tori pregnant, is vaguely magical, and then dies in less than 100 pages. He only exists to be pined for as like an ethereal being. He is written as essentially something other than human who also provided a baby.
It made me REALLY uncomfortable. Also, I felt like the end was a whole different story that got tacked on. I just cannot believe Read talked to Native folks before writing this book, as she states in her acknowledgements. Because I really feel like she just went and checked off all the tropes of writing about Native people in the kind of "magical Negro" trope. The character is there to further the story, but they're not really a full person. I'm just really mad about this. First time I've been burned by a blind date with a book. Sigh. The action kind of trickles out too. 
*bought at Analogue Books & Records in Pueblo, CO
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alexisgarcia's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

this was so so disappointing. the characters are incredibly one dimensional and stereotypical, the plot is incredibly unbelievable and boring, and the author used the singular Indigenous American character is barely featured and simply used to further the main characters story and then thrown away. 
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