A review by moonglue
The River Widow by Ann Howard Creel

3.0

I won't go into a summary, as that's already been done for me. Overall, my issues with this book overshadowed the things I enjoyed to the point where I can't really recall anything about The River Widow besides a vague sensation of disappointment and doubt. Pro: The writing style reminded me of Toni Morrison at times. Really great descriptions and tender inner monologues. Cons: I felt like the book couldn't make up its mind. Ada, the protagonist, had a lack of depth. Her past was hurried and almost summarized, which made all callbacks to her past ineffective and emotionless. I probably should have waited to write a review, because I'm mostly just upset over the ending. It felt like a cop-out. I do understand that Jack and Ada's future is purposefully left vague, but it hammered the final nail on Ada being unlikable and almost robotic or ingenuine. I justz couldn't buy that she actually cared about anything because of how flat she was.

Overall: I loved the author's style and the premise had ex silent potential, but it just fell short. The characters felt flat and robotic at times-the dialogue was sorely lacking in substance. 4 stars for craft, 2 for content!

Honorable mention: Jack saying "On our wedding night, I'm going to sop you up like a biscuit..." refuses to leave my brain. My brain can't process it.