Go as a River

A Novel

By: Shelley Read

Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell

Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

Set amid Colorado’s wild beauty, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story of a resilient young woman whose life is changed forever by one chance encounter. A tragic and uplifting novel of love and loss, family and survival—and hope—for listeners of Great Circle,The Four Winds, and Where the Crawdads Sing.

Seventeen-year-old Victoria Nash runs the household on her family’s peach farm in the small ranch town of Iola, Colorado—the sole surviving female in a family of troubled men. Wilson Moon is a young drifter with a mysterious past, displaced from his tribal land and determined to live as he chooses.

Victoria encounters Wil by chance on a street corner, a meeting that profoundly alters both of their young lives, unknowingly igniting as much passion as danger. When tragedy strikes, Victoria leaves the only life she has ever known. She flees into the surrounding mountains where she struggles to survive in the wilderness with no clear notion of what her future will bring. As the seasons change, she also charts the changes in herself, finding in the beautiful but harsh landscape the meaning and strength to move forward and rebuild all that she has lost, even as the Gunnison River threatens to submerge her homeland—its ranches, farms, and the beloved peach orchard that has been in her family for generations.

Inspired by true events surrounding the destruction of the town of Iola in the 1960s, Go as a River is a story of deeply held love in the face of hardship and loss, but also of finding courage, resilience, friendship, and, finally, home—where least expected. This stunning debut explores what it means to lead your life as if it were a river—gathering and flowing, finding a way forward even when a river is dammed.

©2023 Shelley Read (P)2023 Spiegel & Grau by Spotify Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“Beautiful . . . A striking first novel of love and strength and growth, set against the forests and rivers of Colorado’s high country. Read is a gifted writer, and the book is a literary triumph.”—Denver Post

“With gorgeous descriptions of the great outdoors, an illicit love story, and an unforgettable protagonist, Go as a River offers something for everyone.”—Real Simple

“Shelley Read creates a truly convincing and lovable character in Torie, who faces loss and despair, and has to make a decision which is driven by love, yet tragic for herself. It’s a captivating novel, impossible to put down and one which will be remembered long after reading it.”—Irish Examiner

This is the good book you’ve been looking for

Absolutely felt every emotion in this story. It’s gonna be a must read very soon. Loved it, write another book.

Beautiful

A wonderful story - yes a fiction book but interlaced with real events. Beautiful settings and characters!

Glad it’s over

Just an okay story brought lower by terrible narration. Had to listen at 1.5 speed just to bear listening to the soulless narrator drone on and on. But isn’t the cover art beautiful?

Excellent!!

I loved this! The history was incredible and I learned so much. It was incredibly sad, to be a woman during those times, as well as anything but white.

Come for the history, stay for the story

When literally stumbling across this book, I was awestruck to see that the author was one of my English Literature Professors at the “Western State College” she mentions in her masterpiece novel. I reside in the beautifully harsh Western Slope of Colorado and have since my birth. When starting this novel, I looked forward to the historical and landscape references of the places I love. The story she artfully crafted, superseded what I sought. Painstaking and sorrowful, even at times a bit slow to progress, much like the progress of the land she wrote about.

Emotional

Beautiful story! I loved it. I loved it from the experience of a woman, a mother, and sufferer of the heart.

Shelley Read sets a beautiful, heartbreaking story

This book is emotional and full of both beauty and tragedy. Read sets a gorgeous scene with descriptive imagery. She tells the story from the main character’s point of view, allowing it to evolve as Victoria ages and changes. The revelations and themes of connection, loss, and the inexplicable human experience kept me interested throughout the book.

Resilience

I thoroughly enjoyed the story set on the Western Slope of Colorado about a strong and resilient woman.

A story of loss

I didn’t like the ending and wanted it to continue. I always have a hard time relating to weak female characters, though I am not sure she was weak.
It is a story of pain, sadness and loneliness. It was well written, but not what I usually like to read.

The details

I loved the Colorado western slope, the characters, their pain, and their will to survive and connect.