 |
|
|
|
Reviews of books by some of the hottest writers working today, exclusive author interviews, literary news and criticism.
 |
|
|
|
|
Fill out your email address
to receive our newsletter!
|
|
|
|
|
 Get new reviews the instant they are posted to the site with RSS
What is RSS?
|
|
| Search Box (type in author's last name or one key word) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 In Emma, the author has created a strong, but flawed heroine. Her situation will resonate with modern readers as Emma has to deal with issues such prejudice, addiction, guilt and grief that still surround us all. Her story is ultimately one of hope and redemption as she grows from a young girl to a woman who is a survivor on many levels.
Reviewed by Roberta Austin
The Bend in the River: A Novel
by Susan Gibbs
Paperback: 444 pages
Publisher: Hawkshadow Pub. Co.; Hawkshadow edition (May 1, 2002)
ISBN: 097146670X
Emma Jorden has to make adult decisions at seventeen after her parents' sudden deaths. She leaves the sod house they lived in on the Kansas prairie and heads for a trading post. It is 1877, so there are no rest stops and little shelter. Emma becomes lost in a freak fall blizzard and would have died, but is rescued by Shea Hawkshadow, a half-breed Cheyenne warrior. Shea takes Emma to the Cheyenne reservation, where they eventually marry. Emma grows to love not only Shea, but the Cheyenne people. Shea and Emma are forced to leave after intolerance and racial hatred lead to violence. Although Emma and Shea are separated at times, they are always together in hearts and minds. Their journey to the West begins an epic saga of the triumph of the human spirit over trials and tribulations.
The author has done a masterful job of research and brings history to life. Although love plays a big part in the plot, A Bend In the River, is more evocative of Larry McMurtry's historical Westerns rather than a typical romance. Violence was a fact of life in the West during the last quarter of the 19th century, so it is a integral part of the plot, but is never gratuitous. Ms. Gibbs shows both sides of the battles between the United States government and Native Americans and the tragic results. Doing this on a smaller scope, with characters who are engaging, makes for a powerful and emotional story. The whole novel is rich in vivid detail.
In Emma, the author has created a strong, but flawed heroine. Her situation will resonate with modern readers as Emma has to deal with issues such prejudice, addiction, guilt and grief that still surround us all. Her story is ultimately one of hope and redemption as she grows from a young girl to a woman who is a survivor on many levels.
Shea is a complex man, too, who must wrestle with his mixed heritage. The author's ability to show him faults and all make for a more authentic story. Ms. Gibbs said she chose to write about the Cheyenne because the values they represented. She gives us a glimpse into everyday life of the tribe during the 1870's & early 1880's.
A Bend in the River is a debut novel. With a compelling blend of fact and fiction, it is a book that can be enjoyed all readers. Ms. Gibbs has a unique voice and she is wished much success in her writing career.
|
|
|
|
|
|
